GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2382, 14 July 1892, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Governor received the newlyappointed Speaker of the Legislative Council, the Hon. Mr Miller, at Government House this afternoon. The Speaker was introduced by Sir Patrick Buckley. His Excellency cpngriitulat'ed'the Speaker as being the first elective Speaker of the Council. Mr Miller made a suitable reply. Mr Stevens moved that a Select Committee be appointed to enquire into and import ifpqn thy yvppjdng erf Thy Cypsyli-

dated Stock Act, 1884. The motion was debated at great length. Sir Patrick Buckley expressed a hope that the motion would not be pressed, as he feared that conflict between the two Houses of the Legislature would be the outcome. The motion was carried by 17 to 7. The Land Transfer Act Amendment Bill was read a second time. The Council rose at 4.5 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. land and income assessment act. 11l reply to Mr Rhodes, the Premier said that he did not propose to deal at present with the question of amending the Land and Income Assessment Act, 1891, so as not to impose taxation in respect of debentures held by persons not resident in New Zealand, where money is invested in registered mortgages, but he would do so when he brought down his amended Bill later on in the session. Mr Rhodes protested against the Premier’s reply, and complained that certain information on this head had been given to an opponent of his at the last election, and he, as a member of the House, had surely as much right to this information as that gentleman. The Premier said that the precise terms of the amended Bill had not yet been decided on. He was determined not to allow the Bill to come down to the House in piecemeal fashion, and he should not be forced into disclosing its contents before it was ready. Mr Rolleston thought that the House might well feel astonished by the Premier’s statement. Did the Premier mean to tell the House that he had explained the finances of the colony, and had left out of consideration a question involving £10,000,000 ? He had also to complain of the demeanour of the Premier towards the Opposition, ivho had endeavored in the most temperate manner to obtain information which they were quite entitled to receive. Although he (Mr Rolleston) did not desire to make any threat., at the same time he could not say how long the Opposition would maintain their present temperate manner if the Premier did not treat his (Mr Rolleston’s) side of the House a little more courteously. He contended that the Financial Statement could not be debated whilst this information was withheld from them.

Mr Seddon said that the Premier was not to be drawn in this manner. The time for bringing down the amended Bill depended on the debate on the Financial Statement, and the Bill would not be produced until the debate was finished. Mr Scobie Mackenzie, Sir John Hall, and Mr Fisher also spoke. The debate was interrupted by the 5. 30 p.m. adjournment. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. , COMPANIES REGISTERS BILL. Mr W. P. Reeves moved the second reading of the Companies Branch , Registers Act Amendment Bill, which , provides that the shares of deceased share- , holders domiciled in the United Kingdom should not be liable to duty in New Zealand.—Agreed to. | NATIVE. BILLS. i On the motion of Mr Cadman the Kohoro Restriction Bill, to provide for the leasing of Kohora block, and the • Opanaki Jurisdiction Bill, to confer jurisdiction on the Native Land Court , and to determine the title to the Opanaki . block, was read a second time. REGISTRATION BILL. The Premier moved the second reading of the Registration of Births and Deaths . Amendment Bill, providing that the . penalty for not informing the proper authorities of the birth of a child may b© recovered within two years.—Agreed to. ADULTERATION PREVENTION BILL.' The Premier moved the second reading ; of the Adulteration Prevention Acts Amendment Bill, to assimilate the law to that of England, and to make clear the distinction between ordinary and fancy bread.—Agreed to. , employers’ liability bill. Mr Reeves moved the second reading of the Employers’ Liability Acts Amendment Bill. He explained that clause 3 proposed to include the Railway Commissioners as employers under the Bill, which was not in last year’s measure. Clause 5 dealt with the liability of employers for injuries received by men working for contractors. Clause 0 provided that if a workman was injured through the negligent act of another workman employed in the same place, the injured workman can proceed against the employer of the workman by whose negligence the injury was caused, hut that the defence of common employment would not hold good in any action of this kind unless the injured workman and the workman who caused the injury were engaged by a common employer.—Agreed to. workmen’s hen bill. ' Mr Reeves moved t]io second reading of the Workmen's Lipn Bjlj, which WkS ft similar measure to that of last year, with the exception of clause 13, providing that a contractor should give notice to an employer if he sublet any part of the work to a sub-contractor.—Agreed to. WESTLAND AND GREY EDUCATION BOARDS BILL. The Westland and Grey Education Boards Bi]l, to create Boards |pr thfjsg two districts, respectively, wag ’ rgaq ft second time. OYSTER FISHERIES BILL. The House went into Committee on the Oyster Fisheries Bill. Clause 7—Export duty on oysters. Mr Seddon moved that the duty shall not exceed Is per hundredweight for oysters in their natural state. This sas qiscifssecj at considerable length and at length pregresa wna reported, at pq communication had been received from the South Island on the oyster question. ELECTORAL BILL. The Electoral Bill was further considered in committee. Ohiufce 3--Interpretation. Mr ‘ CariicrbsS ‘ •moved' '‘that candidate should mean any elector. T(ie object p| the amendment. vyasAp pnabje yvomeh tq sit in Housp, They had ftlready affirmed the principle of the women’s franchise, and he thought that women were therefore entitled to a seat in Parliament. Sir John Hall hoped that the amendment wopld not be passed, in pasp tjip Bill might Ao jeopardised bydq. ' ■ The Premier said that it was'the.logical conclusion to the wopien’s franchise tp allow women seats in the House, but he believed tjjat it would have tlqe pffec| p| endangering tfie Bill m eomequehcV of the large amount of prejudice that existed against women having seats in the House. Those who wished to defeat the women’s franchise Wpnld vote for Mr Carncrosg’ fiiuepclmoiit. After a lengthy debate, Mr Garncross* amendment was rejected by 31 to 24. Mr Fish moved to strike out of the clause in the portion providing that a claim to vote means a claim by any person tp hayp his or her nanip entered on the roll for any district, the words “ or her.”

The amendment was lost by 43 to 13. Dr Newman asked whether the Premier » T ould bo willing to extend the privilege proposed to lie conferred on commercial travellers and shearers to all otrfe£

persons who might be otherwise prevented from voting by various circumstances. Sir John Hall wished to know whether some provision could be inserted to enable sick people to register their votes. The Premier said that would do away with the secrecy of the ballot, and they might just as well abolish the ballot altogether. As to the proposal to extend the franchise to other than commercial travellers, he could not agree with that, and thought that they had better first make the experiment of conferring the franchise on commercial travellers, shearers, and seamen. CHu ■■■'’ f >— Qualification of electors. Mr Kelly (Invercargill) moved to strike out the freehold qualification in favor of the residential only. The Premier pointed out that this clause would not affect the one-man-one-vote, or the one-man-one roll. Mr W. P. Reeves strongly supported the amendment, and said that the time was coming when the House would be elected on manhood suffrage only. Mr Fish spoke strongly in favor of the freehold qualification. Mr Rolleaton said that his side of the House did not encourage the taking away of people’s rights, and they wished to retain this little relic of true Liberalism in the Bill, and not to destroy the Bill by the sham Liberalism of the present day. Mr Carncross hoped that the Government side of the House would allow this clause to passs as brought down by the Premier. He thought the party he belonged to were cutting their own throats by those continual attacks on capital. Mr Thomson (Marsden) was glad that the Minister of Education had come out in his true colors over the freehold question, and he prophesied that when it came to a vote the Government would be surprised at the result. [Left sitting.]