PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 152, 6 October 1910, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 5. By Telsgwiph.—lVesfl Association. Wellington, Wednesday. After midnight, the Defence Bill having passed, the Education Amendment Bill was read a third time and passed, after a lengthy discussion. The Lsind Settlement and Finance Bill was further considered in committee. iSir Joseph Warl moved an amendment on clause 2, making the maximum value of allotment that can bo taken up £2500 instead of £2OOO without altering, the area. —This was carried. Mr. Duncan (Wairau) moved to strike out the area limitation. The Premier would not accept the amendment, which was lost on a division by 35 to 20. Mr. Malcolm moved further amendments fixing the minimum of allotments at ten acres, which were also defeated. The Preiiiier moved an amendment to reduce the minimum of allotments to 25 acres. At 3 a.m. iMr. Ilerries moved to report progress. Mr. Mass'ey objected to the method of conducting busines*, which he characterised as disgraceful. Sir Joseph Ward said he asked the committee to help him to get some work done, but very little had been done so far. .•Mr. Berries said t 1 ' 1 ? Act -was passed last year after 2 a.m., and the consequence was that there were eleven clauses! to be amended. ' At 4 o'clock a division on the motion j to report progress was lost by 23 to 21.' Sir Joseph Ward's amendment was eventually carried iby 28 to 21. Mr. Malcolm moved to report progress, 'but the chairman ruled him out of order. Clause 2 was passed with a verbal amendment re licensed, surveyors. The sitting was interrupted by the adjournment at 8 for brea'kfast. I The House resumed at 5.5 a.m. j Discussion on clause 4 was resumed and the clause struck o;:': on the voices. Sir Joseph Ward moved a new clause relative to the allocation of debentures and paym°nts on account 'of purchase moneys. Tho clause was adopted. On the motion of the Minister a new clause 8 was inserted providing for the payment by the purchaser of an allotment of half per cent, of the purchase money to be paid by the Public Trustee into a fund to be created for the purpose. Replying to Mr. Allen, the Minister said the fund would apply to the whole of the estates purchased .under the Act. It was' intended to cover losses due to the default of purchasers and the expenses of administration. A new clause 9 provided for the letting of the allotment of a purchaser defaulting pending re-sale. Replying to questions, the Premier said that any surplus accruing from the resale of an allotment would go into the general fund of the association. The clause was adopted. A clause providing for examination as to the fitness of members was agireed to. [Sir Joseph Ward moved that no committees sit to-day. This was carried, and the House adjourned till 7.30 p.m.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. « Wellington, Last Nighit. < The Wanganui Church Acre BUI (Mr. 1 Allati) was read a third time and passed. 1 ; BRINK IN NO-LICENSE AREAS. 1 Hon. Geo. Jones asked the Minister of • Justice whether the experience of police *. inspectors justified the recent remarks by Mr. Day, S.M., that there are more temptations to drink in no-license areas, and that liquor is kept in every house,) and that there are more opportunities' for secret drinking by dipsomaniacs. . i Mr. Jones said he had no doubt that} Mr. Day did not mean all he said. Then there were a good many schemes afoot to defeat the law in no-license districts. Whatever were the defects of ■no-license, no districts where it obtained desired to go back upon it. | Dr. Findlay said he had communicat-j ed with various police inspectors. Inspector Kelly, of Christchurch, thought! prohibition was a failure. , Inspectors Ellison (Wellington), O'Brien (Dunedin) a-d Cull en (Auckland) disagreed with Mr. Day's remarks, and Inspector Mitchell (Invercargill) favored the open bar with the abolition of "shouting" and barmaids. I Dr. Findlay then read a statement showing the amount of liquor sent into| the no-license districts during the past year, the totals being:—Beer, 260,261 gallons; spirits, 23,271 gallons, 25,944 bottles, 526 cases. Invercargill consumed! the greatest quantities of both beer and spirits, the figures being 72,733 gallons of beer and 4530 gallons of whisky. I VARIOUS BILLS. J The following bills passed their ond reading:—Nelson City Drainage Loan and Empowering, Aid to Public, Works and Land Settlement, Government Railways Amendment, Immigra-J tion .Restriction Amendment. The Defence Amendment Act, 1910, and the Education Amendment Act, 1900, were read a first time, and the Council rose. :

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. | REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. The.House met at 7.30. Replying to questions, Ministers stated that it is hoped to introduce a Libel Law Amendment Bill this session, but much depends on the progress of public busi-l ness. _ | That reports had been recently receiv-' ed through the Hiah Commissioner on! various schemes of insurance against unemployment instituted or proposed in different parts of Europe. This information was being gone into with a view to steps being taken in the Bominion as early as possible. That the Government has in hand measures which may result in the extension of trade with Canada. That provision is 'being made in the Education Act Amendment Bill now before the House for placing the finances of school committees on a more satisfactory footing, though it was not intended to make the provision retrospective. DESTITUTE PERSONS BILL. The Destitute Persons Bill was read! a second time pro forma. . CRIMES AMENDMENT BILL. The House went into committee on the Crimes Amendment Bill. At clause 3, providing for a reformative sentence after the expiry of an ordinary sentence, Mr. Russell objected to suek drasMc! power be igranted to judge's. He moved to amend the clause so as to provide fori the Crown 'Prosecutor drawing the indictment against convicted persons a# being habitual criminals, and if on trial persons were found guilty of a charge, theii the judge may order their detention for reformative purposes. Hon. Millar, who was in charge of the BHI, could not • accept ■ the amendment.

There was, lie said, nothing in the clause to interfere with the Probationers' Act. Prisoners had the right of appeal once in no less than three months. After considerable discussion the amendment was negatived on the voices. The House divided on clause 4, whiah gives power to the magistrate after summary conviction to impose a period of detention. The claiHe .vns retained •by 36 to 31. The remnaining clauses passed without amendment. Several new machinery clauses were inserted, and the Bill was reported with amendments. INDECENT PUBLICATIONS BILL. The Indecent Publications Bill was taken in committee and passed without amendment, and reported. ANIMALS PROTECTION Acf. Tlte Animals Protection Amendment Bill was taken in committee. Son., iscussio.n centred round cylinder shooting, which was prohibited under clause 2, several members being ,'gainst doing away with the use of cylinders for duck shooting. ■Mr. Rhodes moved that nothing in clause 2 shall prevent the use of cylinders. The amendment was rejected by 4St to 15. On the motion of Mr. Witty, clause 4 was amended in the direction of allowing the Minister to grant permission to any person to hold native game for a longer period than seven days for exhibiting purposes only. At the instance of Dr. Rangihiroa, the Minister moved to add a provision :to the clause exempting the native j game called "huahua' from the proi vision. i On a division the amendment waa affirmed by 22 to 25. Sir. Witty moved to add a new clause allowing persons to kill stoats and weasels except where acclimatisation districts chim protection for these animals. I (Left .sitting.)