Parliament

Taranaki Daily News, 3 July 1915, Page 4

Parliament

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIC

'l'll 10 ELECTION OF SPEAKJER. '

liy Telegraph.—Press Association. ' Wellington, Last Night. Die Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m.

Standing orders were suspended to allow the following Bills to l>e put through all stages:—Public Revenues Amenment Bill, Public Expenditure Validation Bill, War Regulations Amendment Bill.

'The Hon. Sir Francis 801 l moved that standing orders relating to the election of Speaker and Chairman of Committees be altered in the manner recommended by the report of the committee of standing orders. The principal change proposed is the abolition of the rule requiring the nomination of candidates and the institution of a system by which a printed paper containing the names of mem-' 1 * bers of the Council shall be presented to each member present, who shall indicate by crosses the names of the five members for whom lie votes. The ballot will be continued until one member has a major- , ity, and that member will then be dcclar- . «'d elected. Sir Francis Bell said that as matters stood it was the duty of the Leader of the Council to nominate tf candidate for the Speakership, and having nominated him to do hia best to secure his election. That was a condi. tion of affairs he did not wish continued. He was asking the Council to so amend the Standing Orders as to give the right of nomination to the Council, thereby resuming the power it possessed in 1007 when it abandoned the right of nomination and confined itself to the right of election. The amendments proposed. Sir francis Bell claimed, would abolish any risk of an election of the Speaker being made a subject of party consideration/^ lhe debate was 6ontinued by the Hens. Jones, Beehan, Earnshaw, Harris, and Mills, and the motion was passed. MANUFACTURE. OF MUNITIONS. The Hon. Earnshaw moved that the " Council urge the Government to take into serious consideration the need of setting up a commission of experts or a iarliamentary committee to report upon (a) the manufacture of munition* in the dominion, and (b) the need o£ sending some small contingents of arti- - sans to assist in munitions workshops ; a t.reat Britain. e { Sir Francis Bell questioned the neceasity of offering, at the present time, u> - manufacture munitions, and said the Government had already offered to «aid Home artisans. He did not think it proper to repeat the offer. The Hons. Paul, Moore, .and Pamuel spoke to the motion, which was withdrawn. The Council adjourned at 4.10 pin.