EVENING SITTING.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2963, 14 August 1878, Page 2

EVENING SITTING.

9.50 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30. Progress was reported, and it was agreed to go into Committee of Supply again on Friday. The Electoral' Sill. The adjourned debate on the Electoral Bill was then resumed.

The Hon. the Premier said he regretted he was not in such health as to allow him to do justice to the importance of the subject before them. He would not answer any of. the arguments advanced against the bill, but would content himself with furnishing the House with his ideas on the question. He denied that he had made any such pledge as he was reported to have made by the member for Geraldine in regard to manhood suffrage, and should refer the House to his speech at Timaru.. Respecting cumulative voting, his remarks referred to municipal elections only, these elections being more of a persoual matter than elections for that House. Looking at the bill in its general aspect, one great point in it was the residential qualification. The honorable gentleman proceeded to comment on the system of manhood suffrage as it obtained in different countries^ to- show-what an important influence" the local circumstances .of different countries had upon the system of manhood suffrage, and said when they were framing the present bill they had in their mind the experience gained in other countries in respec to manhood suffrage. He contended that this bill would be found to be a great charter of rights- to the people. It would be unwise to introduce manhood suffrage pure and simple, without, some wholesome checks. The necessity of these preventive checks was illustrated by the growth of the Chinese question, as in America. The hon. gentleman here touched upon the beneficial legislation proposed by the Government in respect to education and the land tax, as contrasted with the supiueuess of the late Government who only cried out for political rest. He asked the House not to shut their eyes to the fact that there were seventy thousand male adults in the colony who had no vote, and to grant suffrage to so enormous a number of men must be considered a great thing. It was one of the valuable privileges granted under their charter of rights. Thousands of young men in the colony well qualified to vote might, under the old system, go for an indefinite period without acquiring the inestimable privilege of power to rote, but it was well that strangers coming to the colony should by residence have time to acquire some,knowledge of the, colony and its politics before being allowed to vote. iie had every confidence in the good results that would flow from the widest possible extension of the franchise. He was so satisfied of the provisions of the present bill to effect the objects they had in view, by granting a.broader basis of suffrage, that he felt convinced to introduce any other bill this session dealing with:the question* before them would be ill advised. They might be asked why this, that, or the other thing was omitted from the bill. Well, they had to frame a bill.which they felt assured the House would pass. In truth he was not anxious to go too fast. What the Government desired first of all was to get a thorough representation for New Zealand, and once the representation was placed upon a proper basis and the people educated to the use of their suffrage, then would be the time to deal with the question* that they might be said to have omitted, such as payment of'members and other large questions. He appealed to his side o.f the House to assist him and his colleagues in carrying out the great and good work they had in hand. Let them cling together and riot allow themselves to t| separated by the revilings of those opposed to them. Dr Wallis said he rose to expostulate in a quiet and friendly way with the Ministry for not going the full length of manhood suffrage while they were about it. Ministers evidently thought the House would not pass manhood suffrage, and gave them something less. Personally he was in a delirium over the bill, and scarcely knew how to vote. There were two bills before the House, and in each he saw admirable features, but of the' two he father preferred the bill of the member for Wuikato. The onward and upward movement of society must sooner or later produce universal suffrage. He believed if the Premier would throw over the one or two Conservative members in his Cabinet they might still have universal suffrage. Taxation and representation should go baud in ht\ud.

Every one who paid taxes and lived in the colony sbouid have a vote. Unrepresented interests were always overlooked and neglected. With regard to the qualification of Maoris, why should they oe allowed a double or special representation in a country like this ? Until Ministers brought in a measure granting th© Maori the same privileges as Europeans, Maoris should only be allowed to vote for their own members. Another blemish in the Bill was the want of some plan for the distribution, of representation. The speaker proceeded to defend Hare's proportional system as the best system which could be adopted. If it was good for corporations, as admitted by "the "Attorney-' General, it was also good for the higher classes of representation. At this stage Mr Driver, the new member for Uoslyn, was introduced bj the Hon. Mr Macandrew and Mr Richardson, and took the oath and his seat, Mr Gisborne agreed with manhood suffrage, but he also believed in properly being to a certain extent represented. He regretted the Premier was not in accord with his colleagues. He could hardly think that granting the franchise to women was a serious proposition. Home was the only place where women could * properly make laws for order and government. To bring them to. that House would be a double failure. The women would not be found fit representatives and would be rendered unfit for their other functions. He opposed Hare's.system on similar grounds to those already urged against it. He hoped the. Government, would yet be able during the session to inform the House they intended to bring in a measure for the adjustment of representation, which was very much wanted. Later. This day. After the ten o'clock adjournment— Mr Hodgkinson continued the debate on .the Electoral Bill. While approving the bill he regretted it was not accompanied by a bill redistributing seats. The two years'residence clause was a wise and conservative measure. He would hare preferred having six months local residence to twelve. He opposed woman's franchise and Hare's system.

Mr Bowen commended \ the ■peech of ■ the hon. member for Cheviot aa a fair, practical criticism of the bill, and was glad it was not discussed from a party point of view. He hoped a registratiou bill would be brought down and dealt with in a similar manner. He did not admit the principle that manhood suffrage would give all that was heeded in the Colony. He instanced . the case of America, where the tyranny of the majority had often buried put of sight some of the beat, and wisest minds in the country. The Government proposals in the main were fair and reasonable. He admired the residential clause and plurality of votes. At the present time not more than two thirds of the electors were on the roll, and so it would be in future.. He did not see how rolls were to be purged of names placed on the roll in respect of residence when the persons left a district, and it struck, him that the lowering of the property qualification and enacting plurality of votes would result in giving-more-propetty— votes, and thus act in a manner contrary ' to what the Govern ment expected. A^s to woman, suffrage, he contended- that under the present system woman was fully represented, and*by family ties fawoiwA^--a great deal of political influence, ' and the class of women who would come ■ into the house would not be those. who would be accepted by the women of the , country as their representatives. r He disapproved of the Maori qualifications to allow them to interfere*in.our elections aa well as their own.

Mr Sutton thought the Bill dealt with a question which was not of burning importance, and predicted that were the franchise lowered as proposed it would be productive of the evil results which had followed a similar condition of things in Victoria, and would not in any way tend to good Government of the people. Instead of political power being thrown into the hands of the bulk of the people, it would be placed in the hands of large employers of labor. He denied that the lower classes were the most liberal. The truest liberals were to be found in thd middle classes. Registration and exercise of votes should be insisted upon, and votes should not be allowed to persons who'were rate defaulters: , v

Mr Woolcock wanted to know why the Government had not introduced a measure which would give to the voice of every man in the country an echo in that House. The Bill was not sufficiently in unison with the democratic tendencies of thought in a new colony. The debate was adjourned on the motion of Mr Beeves.

The House adjourned at 11.50.