THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 1894. THE NEW PARLIAMENT.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2675, 21 June 1894, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, JUNE 21, 1894. THE NEW PARLIAMENT.

Parliament opens to-day, and many circumstances combine to render its proceedings of special interest. It is the first Parliament elected under universal adult sullrage, it has a wider constituency than any of its predecessors, and it can boldly say that it represents the nation. These facts give it a peculiar interest, woman having in it her voice as well as man, and it remains to be soon what her thoughts, her wishes, and her aspirations aro. For our own part, while admitting her right to the franchise, it appears to us that so far as the law is concerned she already has the best of the bargain. Her educational facilities are erpial to those of men, no avenue to success in life is closed against her, while in many instances law,

custom, and public sentiment are entirely on her side. The Married Women’s Property Act secures her own separate estate to her, too, thus making her, if she possesses means of her own, absolutely independent of her husband. Then the Matrimonial Causes Act steps in and enables her to obtain a separation or divorce, or she can leave her husband, while the husband cannot leave her. If the husband leaves he is arrested for wife desertion, but no such action can be taken against a wife. There she has the law on her side. If the wife had a separate estate, and the husband were unable by reason of some infirmity to earn his own living, the wife could then be' compelled to contribute to his support, but the husband must support the wife under any circumstance. The wife can follow her husband and break into his house without incurring legal responsibilities, but the husband must not break into his wife’s house. She could sue him for trespass. If a husband should lend money to his wife before marriage he cannot recover it from her after marriage, for marriage extinguishes the liability, but the wife can sue the husband for any debt he may owe her. The husband’s property is liable for satisfying a successful action for slander against the wife, but the wife’s property is safe from an action against the husband. There are other ways, too, m which woman has the best of it, and it appears to us now that she has the franchise she ought to be generous, and do justice to poor unfortunate man.

There is one point on which some women in New Zealand are demanding reform. The law, they say, gives them no right to the custody of their children after they reached the age of seven years. This is a subject on which no hard-and-fast rule should exist. Some mothers ought nokto be given the custody of their children, and T.V is so also with some fathers. The Court, in such cases, ought to have the power to discriminate as to the parent into whose custody the children should be given. It does not appear that woman has set her heart on destroying the liquor traffic so much as was expected. The result of the licensing election has proved that. But there can be no doubt that a very strong party favorable to temperance is in the present Parliament, and that it is bound to leave its impress on the law which regulates the liquor traffic during the next year or two. It will undoubtedly amend the present law and give to the people more direct control over the trade, but to what extent remains to be seen.

A feature of the present Parliament is the extraordinary majority on the Government side of the House and the fact that the old Opposition is practically non-existent. A few old Opposition members have been returned, but their numerical strength is so insignificant that they cannot exercise that influence for obstructing business which characterised their proceedings in the past. For this reason we think that much practical business will be gone through in much shorter time than formerly, and that the present session will be comparatively a short one. It is true that many look to Sir Robert Stout to create seme confusion, but we do not believe that he will do anything which will impede business. He will introduce a Bill dealing with the liquor traffic, and also one dealing with the subject of an elective Executive, but we cannot believe he will attempt to embarrass the Government. On the whole we expect great things from the present Parliament, and we feel certain it will be able to point to good results at the end of. three years.