PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 160, 15 October 1910, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. By Telegraph.—Press Association, j Wellington, Last Night. INDECENT PUBLICATIONS. In the Legislative Council this afternoon the Attorney-General moved that the Council disagree with the amendments made by the House of Representatives in the Indecent Publications Bill. In clause 3, specifying the offences, the House had added the words, "Knowing or having reasonable means of knowing that such document is indecent." The clause as it left the Council was perhaps a little too drastic, but in its amended form it opened the door to the very evil they desired to check. He suggested that the House might be induced to agree to make the clause read so that it would hit the evil aimed at. A more serious alteration was that made in clause 8, which originally provided that absence of guilty knowledge should be no defence. The House had added the proviso: <f Unless lie proves he took all reasonable means to ascertain the nature as regards the decency or indecency of such document." It was easy to see how this opened a way of escape. Absence of guilty knowledge was 110 defence in other classes of offence and ought not to be in this one. The Act would break down altogether if. the clause as amended were" allowed t» stand. He hoped the Council would support him in getting the clause in its original state retained. j The motion was carried and a committee set up to prepare reasons for disagreement with the amendments. THE DEFENCE BILL. The Defence Bill second reading debate was resumed and further adjourned, and the Council rose.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30. COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY. The House went into committee of supply on internal affairs— £235,098. Considerable discussion arose on the election vote £0774, regarding anomalies of electoral rolls and the system generally. Hon. Buddo, replying, said since the last general election • corrections in electoral rolls amounted to 30 per cent,' lit would ibe inadvisable to' practise cheeseparing economy in connection with , the Electoral Department. ' Mr. Fisher moved that the item £SOO (printing and preparation of rolls) be reduced by £l' as an indication that greater freedom should be allowed the Electoral Commissioners in they might conserve that community of interest which is so essenti{\l[;;jraht throughout the district. Mr. Arnold moved as a prior amendment that the item be reduced by £1 as an indication that the present system of compiling the rolls was unsatisfactory. Hon. Buddo, replying to Mr. Massey, said the Legislature Bill was intended to pass th i session. It made provision not only i„r purging the roll * tmtl tfoWan electoral census, that is, a door to ffefor canvass, to ascertain if people on.-the roll were actually resident in the district. Mr. Arnold's amendment was lost on the voices and the House rose at 5.30 p.m. In the House in the evening considerable discussion took place on the vote for the High Commissioner's^,Office —' £8375. Mr. Buchanan contended that the Dominion was not getting adequate return for the expenditure. • Mr. Wilford wished to see thewote for office equipment, including publications, increased from £SOO to £2OOO, which he would expend disseminating information regarding the conditions of labor in the Dominion. The immigration officer ought to be instructed that there was no room for clerks and artisans here. The Hon. Mr. Buddo said the present was not the time to deal with immigration. Mr. Laurenson said it would be foolish for the Dominion to spend a large sum of money in bringing out people to settle on the land in the Dominion when the local demand could not be supplied. Mr. Massey said that the debate, while it had been a 'little tedious, brought home to the Minister the fafct that there was a growing feeling in the House i and country that the administration of the High Commissioner's 9ffice was extravagant. Mr. Poole emphasised the necessity for inducing the proper class of emigrant to come to the Dominion, but no obstruction should be placed in the way of those desirous of improving their way in life. Young men used to clerical life came here, and were prepared to do anything, and ultimately became good settlers. At the Museum item— £24l4—Mr. Wilford moved to reduce the vote by £1 as an indication that the museum should be vested in a board fif trustees and an annual sum of £2500 granted for expenses. The Hon. Mr. Buddo said the matter was a question of policy. He did not think the suggested reform would be an improvement. On a division the amendment was lost by 34 to 24. Advertising Office, £l439.—Mr. Massey asked the Minister if the Government intended to pursue the policy of punishing newspapers which criticised it by refusing such journals advertisements. The Hon. Mr, Buddo said the amount devoted to advertising was limited, and it was impossible to advertise in ill* papers.

After a 'ong discussion the vote passed unaltered. Mental Hospitals, £59.5."4.—Mr. Wilford commented uti the fact thai the report of the inspector of mental Hospitals showed tliac a l.irap number of female patients (7 per cent, of the total) were admitted c-irongh c Mnpiaints arising from child-birth. He attributed the cause of these diseases to the use of corsets. The Hon. Mr. Buddo said the causes of insanity amongfist women were set forth in the report mentioned. Mr. Ho>s;g referred to the conditions nuder which attendants of mental hospitals worked. The hours' were long and the conditions arduous and restrictive. The Hon. Mr. Buddo recognised that the work of attendants was of an exacting nature, but so far as possible every effort was made to shorten their hours of labor. Mr. Hogg moved that the vote be reduced by £1 as an indication that attendants' conditions should be bettered. (Left sitting.)