PARLIAMENT DAY BY DAY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 75, 7 July 1910, Page 8

PARLIAMENT DAY BY DAY.

THE nUIISICI-IIUCH EXPOSURE. (By Telegraph —Prom Our Special Correspondent.) Wellington, Last Night. There is much talk in the lobbies about the Christelwrch exposure. Many are severe on Mr. Taylor for not having waited till after the election of Chairman of Committees, and they devote considerable criticism to his conduct, "ungenerous" being the least of the epithets devoted to the lion. gent. His friends, however, reply that the election is the very thing that justifies the raising of the matter, because the fitness or otherwise is involved of one of the candidates. Of course the name of the gentleman implicated, for whom protection was sought, is already in the mouths of many observers, and there are threats here and there in the lobby to ''take the cover off him." A fearful thing is political virtue to-day!

THE BETTING QUESTION. The Prime Minister promised fullest opportunity in due course for the discussion of the bookmaker and tote questions. LABOR MAKING A BUZZ.

Labor is making a buzz about the Osr borne judgment, but it is unlikely tnat any attempt will be made to get the law altered. The Liberal majority thinks that Labor men ought to be satisfied to go on acting in. alliance wrth them, as they have done from the beginning, and does not relish the idea of throwing their own funds open to the unions for the purpose of agitating for a change. CONTROL OF MOTORISTS.

At the Municipal Conference the speaking was such as to open the eyes of motorists. It turned about several limits, asking for the power to be o'iven to municipalities of registration and license. It was freely declared mat many motorists are incompetent, and the agreement was unanaimous, apparently, that, the private owner has no right whatever to exemption from ishe burden of license. I» he on the same footin" as the profession chauffeur in this respect? In other countries it is clear that nothing is likely to stand between tlie motorist the license. The only question is, Will the Government bring down a Bill? This, of course, will only be clear when the conference clloses. ■ - ■ '-lii, ■. , , ' A TRAMWAY BILL.

There is to be a Tramways Bill, as ■has been known for some time, and now the conference has passed a resolution, peremptorily demanding its circulation among the municipal folk before passing through the Legislature. There is no doubt it will be circulated.

THE AEROPLANE. The first aeroplane to fly into the House of Representatives appeared today, in the form of a question as to whether the Government is going to encourage construction by the offer of a prize for the type fittest for military purposes. STATE FIRE INSURANCE.

The State Fire Insurance. Department reports a profit of £2fi9G, and claims to have brought down the rates by a third all round. A DRASTIC MEASURE.

To-day tile indecent. Publications Bill made its appearance in the Council, and no sooner was it seen than it was found to deserve the reputation of drastic in the extreme, which has been attached to it fol - some front is a clause for summary conviction ol offenders under certain circumstances, an improvement on the present law, which requires that the consent of the offender must first be obtained. Then, getting nearer business, the documerit is thus defined: "Any indecent book, newspaper, picture, photograph, print or writing, and any paper or otlier thing of any description whatsoever, which lias printed or impressed upon it otherwise attached thereto or appearing, shown or exhibited in any manner whatsoever thereon any indecent word, statement or significant sign, or any indecent picture 1 , illustration or representation." Then it is provided that "every person commits an. offence and is liable, on summary conviction to a fine of £SO, or, when the offence is wilfully committed, to a fine of £IOO or to imprisonment for three months, who in) sells lor delivers by way of hire or offers for sale or hire or has in his possession for sale or hire an indecent document; or (b) prints or causes to be ■printed an indecent document;* or (c) causes to be inserted in a newspaper any matter or thing whereby that newspaper/becomes an indecent document; or (d) knowingly sends or causes to be sent or attempts to send through the post an indecent document; or (e) exhibits or causes to be exhibited an indecent document to any person in consideration or expectation of any payment or otherwise for gain, and whether such payment is made by way of gratuity or otherwise howsoever; or (f) publicly exhibits or causes to be publicly exhibited an indecent document hi a public place or so that the same is in view of persons in public place; or (g) ■ delivers or offers or -causes to be 1 delivered or offered an indecent document to any person in a public place;, or (li) knowingly delivers or leaves or causes to be delivered or left on premises in the occupation of any other person an indecent document; or (i) writes, draws, affixes, impresses or exhibits or causes to be written, drawn, affixed, impressed or exhibited any indecent statement, word, picture, drawing or sfgn in or upon a public place or so that the same is in'view of persons in a public place; or (j) delivers to any person an I indecent document with intent that it | should be so. dealt with by that or any : other person in such-a manner as to constitute an offence against this section." After that there was some cool and sweeping generalities as thus: "■'lf , any newspaper printed or published or sold or offered for sale or kept for thie purpose of sale in New Zealand con-

tains any matter or tiling whereby it becomes an indecent document, every person who at the date of the publication of that newspaper is or acts as a printer, publisher, proprietor, manager, editor, or sub-editor thereof, and every pereon who consented to insertion therein of that matter or thing shall, without excluding the liability of any other person, be conclusively deemed to have caused that matter or thing to be inserted in the newspaper, and shall be severely guilty of offence against this Act accordingly." It is further provided that in determining whether any document or other matter is indecent,' the Magistrate must take into consideration not merely the nature of the document or the matter itself, but also the nature and circumstances of the act done by the defendant and the purpose with which the act was done and the literary, scientific or artistic merit or importance of the document or matter, and no document oir matter is to be held to be indecent unless. having r«?anl to these and all other I relevant considerations, the Magistrate is of opinion that the act of the de- ■ fendant was of immoral or mischievous tendency. As making assurance doub- j lv sure, it is still further provided that: whenever indecent publications are offered or sold or dealt with by a servant, whether ordered or not, both master and servant are liable, and that ignorance is no excuse. Moreover, a search warrant may be issued by a Magistrate, on the oath of any constable, and a constable may arrest without warrent in ease of indecent publications under the heads f, g, h and i of the foregoing. All cases are to be heard by the Stipendiary Magistrate, and no prosecution can be brought except by the police. Private persons may proseeute by leave of the Attorney-General. CIRCUMVTCXTTYC! THE AUCKLANDERS.

A good deal of amusement in a quiet way is being caused bv a notice posted up by some wa« in the lobbv calling a meeting for Saturday next of members not from Auckland, to take into consideration the best method of circumventing; the machinations of the Aucklanders, who are improperly combining for the'r own ends. The Northern men are not quite pleased, and some speak of brin«incr the matter .up on the. floor of the House, whereat there is hugh laughter.