PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 201, 3 December 1910, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Lust' Night. In the Legislative Council this afternoon the Stump Unties Hill was passed unamended. The Municipal Corporations Hill was recommitted in order to consider certain new clauses proposed by the AttorneyGeneral. These provided that heavy .traffic shall be extended to any district within five miles of the boundary of t.lie city; for financial adjustment on alteration of boundaries; and for the appointment by municipalities of special constables. The provisions were agreed to, and the Bill was passed. The Government Railways Act Amendment No. 2, and the Mining Act Amendment passed without further amendment. Hon. Dr. Findlay moved the second reading of the Libel Bill. The discussion which followed indicated a general approval of the measure, together with u new clause, which the Attorney-General proposed to introduce providing for libel being dealt with summarily by a magistrate. . In committee the new clause was adopted, as follows: (1) The indict- 1 able offence of publishing defamatory libel or criminal defamation within the meaning of the Crimes Act, 1908, shall also be an offence punishable on sum- J mary conviction before a magistrate by a fine of £IOO, or by imprisonment for three months; (2) In any such summary proceedings it shall be a good defence that the defamatory matter published by the defendant was true, and that tiie publication thereof was for the public benefit, but. no evidence of tflie truth of such matter shall bo admissible until and unless the defendant proves that, assuming the matter so published to be true, the publication thereof was for the public benefit; (3) An information for any offence punishable on summary conviction under this section shall be taken and heard before a magistrate only, and no such prosecution shall be commenced without the order of the magistrate, and notice of intention to apply for such an order shall be given to the defendant, who shall have an opportunity of being heard against the application. The Bill was read a third time and passed. In the Legislative Council this evening the Reserves and Other Lands Disposal and Public Bodies Empowering, Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers, Fruit 'Farms Settlements, and Native Land Claims Adjustment Bills were put through all stages, and the Council adjourned till next day. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 'Wellington, Friday. After midnight the following Bills were passed:—Reserves and Other.Lands Disposal arid Public Bodies Empowering Bill, Native Land Claims Adjustment. The Law of Libel Amendment Bill was committed. A motion by Mr. Anderson to include a public meeting amongst the privileged reports , was rejected' oa the voices. Messrs. .Herdman and Massey objected to sub-clause (c) of clause 2, which confers privileges on reports of tfhe proceedings of the Executive or 'any debate thereby when authorised by a Minister of the Crown. The clause was retained.' At clause 4, disallowing successive action in respect of defamatory matter unless mode within ten days after the commencement of the first action, Mf. Jennings moved to substitute thirty days for ten days. This was carried, on tlhe voices. In the House after 2 o'clock in committee on the Libel Amendment. Bil, clause 7, Mr. Jennings' amendment to insert words providing that an apology for defamation shall be published in the leading columns of newspapers ■was negatived by 35 to 18. Clause 10, which provides that magistrates have power to ihear evidence as to the publication of the alleged defamatory matter being for the public benefit anid to dismiss the case if there is a probable presumption that a jury would acquit the person charged, was retained by 26 to 25. The Bill was reported with amendments. Tlhe Bills passed through committee were put through the final stages, and the House rose at 3.15. Wellington, Friday. The House met at 11 o'clock. The Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers Improvement fiill passed the final stages. The second reading of the Fruit Farms Settlement Bill, the object of which is to enable Government to lease farms of 20 to 30 acres at Wairenga, which is now ready for being thrown open. If tHie Bill is not passed this session Government would have to maintain the farms. Mr. Massey said the farms were not likely to pay settlers, and as there were indications of coal deposits there he hoped Government would have teats made. Mr. Hogg said tlife Bill gave the freehold, and contained no provision against aggregation. 1 The Hon. Mr. Duncan and Messrs.Poole and Lawry supported the Bill, the latter predicting that the fruit farms settlement would be an unqualified success. Mr. T. Mackenzie said aggregation was not intended, as the'Bill provided that allotments should not exceed 75 acres. The land was practically worthless, but would allow of people witih a knowledge of gardening to make a living on small holdings. Regarding the coal deposit, he wou>!d sooner see people working on the surface than in the bowels of the earth. The Bill was committed. At clause 2, providing that land may be set a paint for fruit farms and leased or otherwise disposed of, Mr. Hogg tnoved 'to delete the latter words, the object being to prevent alienation. The amendment was rejected by 42 to 12. Mr. Hogg said if the freehold was given to fruit farm settlers it could no longer be withheld from Crown tenants. Government had shown its hand freely in this Bill, and he had no further confidence in its land policy. The Bill was reported and passed all stages. On the motion to go into Committee of Supply, Mr. Massey denounced the new departure in the scheme for electrical supply as reckless and extravagant in the extreme. The House had agreed to the proposals without sufficient information on the subject. Waipori was the only system in tlhe Dominion on which an opinion could be based, and that was not successful, al- ' though there were indications that it might be. The prospects of the Waihi scheme were, he considered, better than ' any other of the Government's pro--1 posals. He quoted figures from authorities he (had been, reading up, from which he concluded that the schemes w«re not payable. unless local bodies were prepared to take their power from the State. The Government should not go on with the enterprise. He threw doubts on the Kaituna scheme paying, in face of Auckland's steam-developed supply. Wellington, Last Night. In the House this afternoon Mr. Massey resumed his speech on the Public Works Statement. He laid stress on the

for constructing -the East Const railway, especially the connecting links between Pararoa and the main line. £ir Joseph Ward replied to Mr. Mnsney's strictures on tlie water-power rtclwmes. lie recognised the undertaking was an important one, calling for the exercise of caution. Though the population of the Dominion was small, it was coninn'ivially active, and' he ventured to sny Iha t iirt I.lm result of putting one wafer-power Mcheine into operation the ciiiiiitfy would iusi.it on nil the proposed mywlciiis Muff carried out. The Premier went on to refer lo the five million loan, which hud lici'ii floated on favorable teniiß. lie denied (lie suggestion oif Mr. MiiMKcy Hint I lie IJnnk of New Zealand luul underwritten Ihe loan. The great ll'intncinl houses of Kngland considered the Diniiininii so Hiitisfuclory that they had underwritten l.he loan, at 3Va per cent, when, I lie IJjiii'k of England rate «7i» "i per cent. The loan was a good thing for the Dominion. The Premier read' out (lie returns of revenue for the period, of the eight months, ended 30th November, showing increases in various department# as follows: Customs, £247,773; stamps, .€158,298; posit and telegraphs, £10,800; land and income tax, £12,387; beer duty, £1606; railways, £ 184,07(5; marine, £207; territorial, £31,4(18. Decreases were:—Registration arid other fees, £798; miscellaneous, £2658. The net increase for the seven months ended 31st October, 1910, was £117,171, and the total increase for the eight months was £045,930. He predicted tiliat a lower rate of interest would prevail in the near future than had been, the case for the last seven ox -eigiht years. This would lead to increased industrial activity. Concluding, Sir Joseph Ward referred to .railway construction., and condemned the suggestion that lines should be carried out in a piecemeal fashion.' The system' now being followed was a sensible onto. Thirty miles of the Stratford -O ngarue ilne would be constructed in two and a half years. Mr. Herries said the financial .operations were in many respects, satisfactory, though, hie considered Sir Joseph Wand too hopeful as to the results of the loan. The House rose at 5.30 p.m. In the House this, evening the debate on the Public Works Statement was resumed. Hon. E. McKenzie, replying, contended that the sanitary arrangements at the Runanga mine were as gpod as any in the Dominion. The result of the clause inserted in - the Coal Mines Act relating to sanitation would probably be the closing of the mine altogether, or an increase in the cost of coal. Keferring to the back-blocks, he said more had been B>pent,in the last twelve months than .for many years past. Last year the vote was £436,000, and £382,000 had been spent. Turning to the waterpower schemes, he said the Lake Coleridge scheme was a thoroughly practicable one. Referring to the Midland railway, he said this line when completed would be of great advantage, and would reduce thie time taken to journey from the West Coast to Canterbury from three days to one. Amendments to the Land Settlement Finance Bill and the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bill were introduced by Governor's message. In the fanner Bill, clause 8 (providing an assurance fund) was struck out. In the latter Bill, amendments were made making Mr. Justice Sim a. judge of the Supreme Court, and to enable the court to go on with the hearing of any dispute notwithstanding any irregularity in the framing of the dispute. The amendments made by the Council to the Municipal Corporations Bill and the Shops and Offices Bill and the Libel Bill were agreed to. The House went into committee of Supply,