PARLIAMENT

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 49, 19 August 1911, Page 10

PARLIAMENT

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 1911. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. • Wellington, Last Night. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 and adjourned until Wednesday, for lack of business on the Order Paper. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Tho House met at 2!30 p.m. ELECTORAL BOUNDARIES. Sir W. Steward asked that the House be afforded an opportunity of discussing the Representation Commission's report at an early date. Sir James Carroll said 1 discussion must necessarily arise when the report was [ submitted to the House. It could not be discussed now, as the Commission did not conclude its duties until after the objections had been heard and dealt with. Mr. Massey said that a large majority of the public understood that the re- j port was final, and that no alterations i could be made in the boandaries. He asked the Government to make the matter clear to the public. ] Mr. Hanan considered the House should ' have the earliest opportunity of discussing the report. Mr. Allen suggested that the method of fixing representation should be altered, as the South Island appeared to be making no progress with population. Representation might be made stable there, and where progress was being made, as in the North Island, the present system could still obtain. Tho Hon. 6. Fowlds said it was quite possible, if Mr. Allen's plan were adopted, the change in boundaries might be much greater than when they were losing seats. There was only one way to get over the difficulty. That was to divide the Dominion into areas and

group them. Mr. Massey asked if maps or plans, setting out the proposed boundaries, had been issued from the Survey Department. Prior to the Representation Commission meeting, the suggestion was that the boundaries were already prepared when the Commission met. The Hon. R. McKenzie said there was nothing in the contention that the Survey Department had prepared maps of the boundaries for the Commission. Maps were prepared showing the population in counties and townships, but they showed no boundaries. Mr. Massey: Were maps prepared showing the boundaries? Mr. Foil-Ids: Decidedly no. Mr. Myers said one part of the procedure concerning the Commission that he took strong exception to was that licensed bouses were moved into nolicense areas, and vice versa. Sir James Carroll explained that at present there was no report to discuss. As to the statement regarding the maps, he could give it an emphatic denial. The matter then dropped. VARIOUS BILLS. Mr. Laurenson gave notice to introduce the Universal Saturday Half-Holi-day Bill. ,

The Mining Amendment and Coalmines Amendment Bills were read a second time pro forma. The House went into committee on the Mental Defectives Bill. Several machinery amendments were made, and a new clause was added fixing the air space for patients, in institutions before a license was granted. The Bill was reported as amended. The Friendly Societies Bill was committed and reported with an immaterial amendment.

The Hon. J. Millar moved the second reading of the Patents Designs and Trade Marks Bill. There was, he said, a general desire for the uniformity of the law dealing with patents throughout the empire. New Zealand was behind other countries with regard to patent laws. He would give full particulars of the Bill in committee, when the different clauses could be dealt with. The Bill was read a second time. The Hon. R. McKenzie moved the second reading of the Stone Quarries Amendment Bill, allowing one hour Instead of three after a shot, and making a technical alteration. The Bill was read a second time.

THE GAMING ACT. The Gaming Act Comnnission'9 report came up for consideration. ■Mr. Massey said he didn't know th ■ Government's intentions in the matter, but he Imped any amendment that would be made in the Act of last year would be on the lines of the Bill introduced by Mr. Jennings. The difficulty seemed to have arisen over the small clubs, with one annual meeting each, not having been represented on the commission The Hon. J. Millar said the Government intended to stand by the Commission's report. Parliament'had desired to pass a measure reducing the number of days of racing and the number of permits. In due course the Government carried out the will of Parliament and set up a commission, which was composed of fair and straightforward men Now the Government was asked to deliberately increase the number of racing days. , |r The debate was adjourned. ' '' J ' The House resumed at 7.30 p.m The Hon. J. Millar continued the debate on the Racing Commissioner's report In his opinion the Commission had been amply justified' in even-thing it had done. The report showed that some courses were more fit for farm horses than race horses. The Commission had done more to improve racing than anything else had done.. The report ought to be given a fair trial, and after twelve months, the whole position could he reviewed. They had taken a new departure, and he asked the public to approve it. He had found out that Messrs. McVay and Nolan had been country club's delegates for years. This was an answer to the suggestion that country clubs had not been represented on the commission.

Mr. Hardy contended the Commission Had acted unfairly and unwisely. ,iT' f irf w f id that the cou "try cubs should have consideration, and tins they had not received. The whole SiSssr nthadbeeni^ e^ legislat.on to nullify the Act of last sesswm would not be looked on favorably by the .public at large. Mr. Jennings maintained that if the Com.mss.on's .report was analysed, it would be found to be. not worth the paper it was printed on. Mr. Davey said ,no one could say that

the report .was in accordance, with the Act.

Mr. Pearce said one of the intentions of the Commissioners seemed to have been to drive the country people into the towns.

Mr. Wright held the report to be one of the most valuable ever laid on the table of the House. The Hon. R. McKenzie said it would be a great advantage to pure racing if a great deal of the totalisator betting died out to-morrow. He was prepared to give the report of the Commission a trial for a year, though personally his sympathies were with Mr. Jennings' Bill. He .could not imagine that the House would go back on what ii had done last session.

Mr. Buick hoped that last year's Gaming Bill would not he repealed, and so allow ibookmaking to be again legalised. Mr. risher said he would like to see country racing preserved and would like to see race meetings decreased proportionately in town and country . Mr. Laurcnaon said he would like to see the totalisaitor wiped right out With reference to the Commission's report, if the Commission had been composed ol five Archbishops or five bookmakers or five spielers they could not have pleased every one. Mr. Colvin entered a strong protest against the way in which country clubs had been penalised. He had intended to move "that in the opinion of this House the report of the Racing Commission is not in accordance with the spirit of the Gaming Act, 1910, under which they were appointed, and that the report be referred back to the Government for review of the whole position in the interests of country clubs which have been unduly penalised." In view of the temper of the House, however, he would refrain from doing so. Messrs. Mac Donald, Seddon, Smith and Stallworthy continued the debate, which was concluded at 10.40, a-nd the House thereupon rose.