EVENING SITTING.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2970, 22 August 1878, Page 2

EVENING SITTING.

Wednesday. The House resumed at 7.3 Q. MUSES BEaOLATION Bl'/C. [ Mr Wason moved the second reading 1 of the Mines Regulation Bill, which,- lie explained, was introduced solely; on account of the bill introduced four, years ago by Mr Kichardson having remained a dead letter. The ccal trade was assum-. ing such magnitude that it was time the Act should be brought into, operation. Three-fourths of the accidents occurring in the mines in the Colony were what might be called preventable accidents. So important had iihat question become at Home that the miners themselves were ": obliged to take action in the matter. Too often the mining operations of the Colony were carried' on without proper precautions in timbering and providing good air, and it whs necessary trat tLt, Legislature should tako sucli action as wculd ensure that the working miners of the country .- should not be placed at the mercy of any careless mine manager. . . ". The bill was read a second time. NAPIER SWAMP AC I". : Mr Su.ton moved the second reading of the Napier .Swamp Nuisancd Act Amendment Bill. The object of the bill was to enable the corporation to carry out legally what the other bill failed to do. . . Head a second time. PAKLIAMBJfTAUT EEPBESENTATION' JBlLt.'' The adjourned debate on the Parlia- , mentay .Representation Bill was- then „-■ taken. . M r Joyce commented in strong terms • of disapproval of the modification 0f... Hare's system introduced into the bill. It was a -gift not worth having, bo more than an estate that was 3wallowed up by mortgagee. As a matter of fact. Hare's system was not required in the colony, where they had already tco many minorities represented, instead of the great body cf the people, the artisans, and the labourers. Were it not so they would probably have seen some-of the great landed estates of the colony figuring less conspicuously. He . proposed that the bill be read a second time that day six months. Mr Thompson pointed out that our present electoral sjsteai was .very' imperfect. Under it a nujorly of the House might not represent a majority of the people of the-colony ; though our system • of election was the representation of majorities, it could not be held that the minorities should not be represented. •■ It was to remedy this unfortunate sta:e of ■ affairs that the member for Waikato's bill was introduced. He wanted not' - only majorities, but the whole people of the colony, represented. Still, it was ■" only an % experiment, and not sufficiently understood by the people to go on with ' it now, though the member for Waikato | deserved thanks for facing a question which would soon have to be dealt with. Mr Oliver thought the people of the colony wanted a measure which, extending democratic privilege's to the bulk/ would prevent an/ single class obtaining v undue representation. <*When tho Pre- '.• mier propounded his system of manhood suffrage he (Mr Oliver) could not sympathise with him. He believed the majority of the people were averse to it, and it was with a sense of relief that the colony heard the Treasurer's views on - the' • subject. The. Government bill, he considered, was generally acceptable, because it was progressive as well as ! conservative. Heferring to'Mr Whitaker's bill, he considered Hare's system ■ as calculated to confer great benefits, and he only regretted the hen member had not adhered to the lines laid clown by Hare, whose s^tcm had certainly not been improved by the alterations. It " had been argued that Abolition had been achieved by an abso'ite nrnorily of the •■ colony. Tiiouath that was possible under the present i-ysiem it would be perfectly' impossible under Hare's system. A good ; deal had been said (especially by the Attorney-General) that ' Harels . system tended to return representatives of cliques, who couki only represent special vie *»-,," but take the Atlorney-General himself : and the member for Wanganui. who were '. ■ representatives of special views, such as - Local Option, could it be said that either of those gentlemen was unable to- take a broad and comprehensive view on the general questions of policy ? Indeed, enthusiasls were/riot objectionable, for few '•'-■ great things w ere done without the, aid of enthusiasms. ' •'" " • '. ■ . ■■; Mi Kees supported the amendment, '! and quoted frooa Professor Hearn to show tho undesirable result} which/must./ necessarily arise f.-oni the adoption of Hares system, and, ihe evil especially was that it would throw the whole of the electionsof the colony, into Uiq.han.d,H of a tew- who wero anxious for political power, and who choso tj employ olectioneerlug agents. Mr Moss said there wero so many '

defects indie bill of the member for Waikato, notably one provision whieji threw a dangerous amount of power into the hands of the Government, that he could not support the bill. All the country required, at any rate at present, was contained in the Government bill. The lion, gentleman argued at some length, to show thore was a good deal of difficulty in working Hare's system. The hon. member proceeded to comment on the possible effect of the Government bill, and their other great measures. He could not say what results were looming in the distance. One thing was certain, they had thrown down one constitution and were engaged in building up another, and that one had un unmistakable ten^ dency to centralisation. One bad effect of that was the inevitable growth off a tyranny of u<;der-secretaries. The only preventalive to that was to go back to decentralisation as quickly as possible. Mr Gisborne objected to' the SBill of the member for Waikato on account- of it not recognising the rights of representaI tion of property. Before making such an organic change good reasons ounht to be urged before doing so, but none had been given. He objected to Hare's system, because it destroyed all electoral enthusiasm, which was the life and soul of our elections. It destroyed the popular voice, and placed ejections in the hands of a few skilful manipulators. He 'thought Government however, might with advantage adopt the system of registration in Mr Whitaker's bill. He would vote for the rejection of the bill. Mr Tole thought certain of the provisions of Mr Whitaker's bill might well be incorporated in the Government measure. As a whole, however, he must oppose the bill under discussion. He could not approve of the system of nomination. The closing of public-houses and the female vote in the Attorney-General's Bill, and the ratepayers' qualification for Maoris, though, perhaps, not defensible in theory, ought for the present to be retained, otherwise the bill met all the requirements of the country. This day. Representation Sill. After ten o'clock Mr Hursthouse continued the debate on the Keprerontatioi Bill. -He objected to it because it fixed the basis of representation on population —a pernicious principle, which would allow cities to swamp the country, lie T7ould accept the Government Bill as the lesser of the two evils, though. Still it wanted much amending.

Mr Whitaker s-id as the feeling of the House appeared to be against the adopHA of the new plan, if the hon. member for Wallace would withdraw his amendment he (Mr Whitaker) would withdraw his bill. By this means he would be enabled to move such amendments as he thought should be made in the Government measure. He had only one object in view, that of having the best possible m<*Ssu"re passed into law for placing the question of Parliamentary representation on a satisfactory footing, and to attain that objact he would assist the AttorneyGeneral as far as lay in his power. 0. he amendment and the bill were withdrawn. WATTLE BiEK ENCOURAGEMENT. The House resolved itself into a Com mittee of the whole to consider an address to the Governor, requesting His Excellency to place upon the Estimates a sum to encourage by way of bonus the production of wattle bark in the colony. The Premier said the Government had considered the subject, and the Government would plnce on the Estimates £4CO for the compilation of a book setting forth all the exotic plants-likely to succeed in New Zealand. They thought this plan would better meet the object aimed at by the hon. member for Parnell.than offering a bonus as proposed. Several members concurring in the Premier's views, the proposal was accepted.

■,-.'-. SA.VINQS BANK 3 BILL. The Savings Banks Profit Bill was read a second lime. THE ADMINISTRATION BILL. Mr Stout in moving the second reading of the bill explained that one of the provisions of the bill was to place all veal property in the same position as personal property, to be distributed in the same way as personal property ia all cases where persons having children died intestate. The bill contained several other provisions, the operation of which would confer a very considerable boon on the people of the colony. . The bill was read a second time. V WELLINGTON POLICE.

Mr Barton's motion regarding tbe Wellington police was, by consent, referred to the gaol committee to report upon. The House adjourned at midnight.