GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2549, 31 August 1893, Page 4

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. BILLS PASSED. The Pharmacy Bill, Otago Harbor Board Empowering Bill, and Rohae Patae Investigation of Title Act Amendment Bill were put through their final stages. WANGANUI HARBOR BTI.L. The Wanganui Harbor Board Empowering Bill was read a second time. THE JKLEOTORAL BILL. The Council went into Committee on the Electoral Bill, the Hon. Colonel Baillie being in the chair. Clause 2—Commencement of Act. — Mr Kelly moved an amendment to the effect that no woman should be capable of voting at any election for members of the House of Representatives until October Ist, 1894. The amendment was negatived by 33 to 4—Messrs Kelly, Mantell, Shrimski, and Swauson. Clause 3—lnterpretation.—Mr Walker moved an amendment by which voters absent from home on the day of the election should be able to register their votes, instead of giving such right only to commercial travellers and seamen, as was proposed in the Bill.—The amendment was lost by 19 to 18. At this stage it was agreed to report progress, as the Chairman of Committees was in poor health.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. on Monday. INDUSTRIAL CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION BILL. On the motion for the committal of the Industrial Conciliation aud Arbitration Bill, a lengthy debate ensued. Mr Rolleston appealed to the Minister for Labour not to force on the country a Bill the consequences of which he believed would be very disastrous to the colony. He expressed an opinion that the Bill would prove the death-knell of Unionism, and he took strong objection to the Judge of the Supreme Court being brought into it.

Mesars G. Hutchison, Duthie, Bucklaud, Fish, Taylor, Eamshaw, Saunders, Sir J. Hall, and Mr Pinkerton also spoke on the Bill.

Mr Reeves said several of the arguments advanced against the Bill had been brought forward before, and he had replied to them on several occasions. He said the Biii had been drafted with great aire, and although in some respects it was experimental, it had been prepared on lines which had been found to be very successful in other countries. The Bill could not possibly do much harm, but it would if carried do much good.

The House went into Committee on the Bill.

Clause 14 between Unions, Associations, and persons.

Mr Moore moved an amendment to the effect that free labourers could tako advantage of the Bill iu the same way as Trades Unions.

Mr Reeves opposed the amendment, pointing out that if several of those men joined together they could be admitted as mdustriai unions.

The amendment was lost by 35 to 18, and the clause added to the Bill. Clause 48—Constitution of court.

Mr Reeves moved that the amendment made by the Labour Bills Committee, to the effect that the third member of the Court of Arbitration should not be a district judge but only a Supreme Court j udge, be not retained in the Bill. The amendment was carried by 31 to 15, and words '• District Judge" were retained in the Bill. Clause 49—Term of office of members of Court.

Mr Rolleston hoped sub-section 2 would be struck out, which provided that the Governor might remove any member of the Court from office for any reason he considered sufficient or for continued absence from the Court.

Mr Reeves agreed to strike out the words " for any reason he shall think sufficient,"

Agreed to, and the clause passed. Clause 60, court to decide in accordance with equity and good conscience. Mr J. Mills thought it would be very inconvenient if it were provided that the Court " shall" conduct its proceedings in open. Court.

"Mr Reeves agreed to alter the word " shall" to "may," and the clause passed as amended, Clause 7'i, enforcement of awards.

Mr Duthie protested against the proposal that arbitration Bhould be compulsory. The plause was carried by 32 to 14.

Clause 81, Railway Gonimissioners may refer disputes between them and the Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants to the Court.

Carried by 26 to 13. The remaining clauses passed without alteration,

workmen's wages Bip,

The Workmen's Wages Bill was committed, and passed with the amendments made by the Labour Bills Committee.

ARBITRATION AND CONCILIATION BILL. On the motion that the Industrial Conciliation Bill be read a third time, Mr Rolleston protested against it, and said no more mischievous Bill had ever passed the House. His opinion was that the Minister who had .concocted this Bill and carried it through in a forcible manner would live to regret his mistake. Mr Earnshaw thought in spite of the prognostications of the leader of the Opposition, the Bill would prove a good one. Ho blamed the Opposition for not having assisted in making the Bill practicable, with one exception, and his opinion was that the workmen of the colony were indebted to the Minister for Labour for his efforts in carrying' th™ Bill,

A large number of other members also supported the Bill. Mr Reeves tliauked the Opposition for the fair manner in which they had discussed the details of the Bill, and he hoped the Legislative Council would approach tho Bill in a more judicial spirit than fchey did last year. The Government were rioter mineji riot f;o accept an emasculated Bill or one that would be useless. The Bill was read a third time and passed.

WOUX-UP-N's wages bill,

Tho Workmen's Wages Bill was reported fi-um. Committee, read a third time, and paessd.

CONSPIRACY LAW AMENDMENT BILL

Mr Reeves moved the second reading of the Conspiracy Law Amendment Bill to amend the law relating to conspiracy. He said the Bill went iu the direction of assimilating our law to that of the Mother Country. Clause 2 provided that no combination of persons should be indictable for conspiracy for any act, if such act were not punishable when perpetrated by an individual. He said he proposed to refer the Bill to the Labour Bills Committee. The motion was agreed to, and the Bill was referred to the Labour Bills Com jtnijtee.

The House rose at 12.25 a. m. The House met at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.

RfPLIES TO QUESTIONS. Replying to questions, it was stated that the Government could not take any action i.b present in the direction of abating the small birds' nuisance ; that the Government would do their best to get Education Boards to modify the syllabus for the pupil teachers' examination ; that the Government would consider the case of Captain Kerr, of the Salvation Army, when the report of the Resident Magistrate was received. GOVERNMENT BUSINESS. On the motion of the Premier it was decided that for the rest of the session Government business should take precedence on Thursdays at 7.30 p.m. RABBITS IN SOUTH CANTERBURY. Tn reply to a remark by Mr Rolleston with reference to checking the rabbits in tsouth Canterbury, Mr McKenzie said that the only way to deal with the question was to compel settlers to do their duty, and he intended to do that. THE ALCOHOLIC LIQUORS BILL. The Premier moved that the Alcoholic liquors Sale Controll Bill be recommitted for the purpose of making amendments in certain clauses. Mr Hutchison moved that sub-sections 3 and 4 of clause 15 be re-committed for the purpose of making alterations in the manner of iaking the licensing poll. The .Premier accepted another amendment, moved by Mr G. Hutchison, providing for a second poll in the event of the determination of electors that no publican's licenses should be granted, aud it was decided that this should be reconsidered when the Bill was recommitted.

An attempt by Mr Meredith to have a clause giving a landlord the right of renewal for two years recommitted for the purpose of striking it out, was defeated by 26 to 21. Captain Russell moved for the recommittal of the club clause, in order that the Committee might have an opportunity of again considering whether clubs should come under the Act or not. —The motion was lost by 38 to 17. The Premier's motion was carried, and the House went into Committee for consideration of the clauses agreed upon. The clauses dealing with the reduction in the number of licenses was amended so as to provide that in case of certain convictions under the Act being endorsed on licenses, the endorsement should apply to any license afterwards issued, but that the cancelling or otherwise of a license on a third endorsement within 3 years should be subject to the decision of the committee.

In clause 19, the provision bringing Bellamy's within the operation of the Act was struck out by 31 to 24. The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. in Committee on the Alcoholic Liquors Bill. Mr Sandford moved that the regulation in clause 19 that club bars should be subject to the provisions of the Licensing Act in regard to the endorsement of licenses for Sunday trading be struck out. —Lost by 43 to 14. The Premier moved an amendment prohibiting the sale of liquors in clubs at unauthorised hours. The motion was lost by 32 to 25.

Several new clauses were added to the Bill, which was reported with amendments, and the third reading set down for next day.. RATING BILL. Mr Ward moved the second reading of the Rating Act Amendment Bill, to declare all native land to bo rateable property and to authorise rating on the unimproved value of land. He said that he proposed after the second reading to refer the Bill to a Special Committee, and at the same time to refer the portion relating to natives to the Native Affairs Committee. The proposal to tax native land was not to be made general. As for rating on unimproved values he knew that a great difference of opinion existed on that point, but he felt sure that the majority of those concerned would be in favor of the proposal. The Bill also allowed local bodies to make their own assessment. Mr Ward explained the various clauses of the Bill in detail.

After some debase, the seoond reading was carried on a division by 30 to 9.

The House rose at 1.45 a.m