Friday, 13th May.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 119, 19 May 1870, Page 6

Friday, 13th May.

At the evening sitting, several petitions were presented and received. Mr. MAIN asked, without notice, as it had been rumoured in the lobbies, whether the hon. member for Tokomairirc had resigned his position as member of the Executive. The SPEAKER said he could not, of course, interfere with what the Government chose to do in the matter ; btit he must say that he never heard such a question asked before. The matter then dropped. Several reports were laid on the table. SWITZERS AGRICULTURAL LEASES. Mr. HAY asked the Secretary for Land and Works, " Upon whose instructions the survey of agricultural areas on the Goldfields are now being made at Switzers 1 " Mr. REID replied that the agricultural leases referred to were being sui*veyed by the order of the Government. A petition had been presented in June last year from seven memorialists, complaining that although they had paid their deposits they could not get their land, as no survey had taken place, and asking that it might be surveyed. Under these circumstances, the Government thought it best to direct a survey. Mr. HAY explained that the areas he referred to were not those referred to by the petition. Mr. REID said that if there were any other agricultural leases being surveyed besides those he referred to, he supposed it was by order of the Wai-den of the district. miner's franchise. Mr. SHEPHERD moved "That the Standing Orders be suspended (if necessary), in order to move the following resolutions : — ' That this Council is of opinion that the miners on the Goldfields of Otago have a just right to register themselves for votes under their Miners' Rights, subject to the following provisions : — That miners applying for registration shall produce their Miners' Rights, and shall thereupon be entitled to be registered for the district in which they reside at the time of such application : That in the alteration of the existing laws affecting the miners' franchise, due regard should be had to the approaching elections to avoid disfranchising said miners at such elections.' " There being 26 members present, the motion was put and carried. Mr. SHEPHERD, in moving the resolution, said the matter had been before the House of Representatives, and that it was the intention of the General Government to introduce a measure next session regulating the franchise of miners. The question was an important one, and he bhould be sorry to see the right of miners to vote swept away. The members for the North Island, who had probably been impressed, from the class of miners they saw there, and the numerous bubble companies got up, and the puffing of shares, with an unfavourable idea of miners, but the miners of Ofcago were a very different class. Three of the Goldfields members in the House of ' Representatives had not been in Otago for a long time, and could not know the wishes of the miners as they (the members of that House) did. As the law stood at present there was special representation for the Goldfields. They returned three members to the Provincial Council and two to the House of Representatives. It was proposed to alter that system of representation next session, and to give them a vote for their miners' rights for members in their districts. This was open to the objection that unless they were registered they might perhaps be able to vote, say, in Dunedin. He suggested a system of registration that would prevent that. The object of his motion was to provide a system of registration for the miners. An hon. member had informed him that he believed the Assembly would be willing to grant the miners registration by virtue of their miners' rights. It was proposed to alter the Constitution Act at the next sitting of the Assembly, in order that the Wardens' lists could be considered as electoral rolls. With reference to the last resolution, he thought it important that the House should guard against the probability of the miners being disfranchised at the next general election. If any changes were made then, they would be unable to vote without registration. They would be virtually disfranchised for four or five years if unable to vote at the next general election. He thought care should be taken in the Assembly that they should not be disfranchised, by a sidewind. Mr. BROWN seconded the motion. Mr. M'DERMID could not see why miners should be registered on account of their miners' rights. Mr. FRASER thought the resolutions unnecessary, because their existed a provision which provided that any resident on the Goldfields was, on taking out a miner's right, entitled to vote in the district in which the right was taken out. One reason for having

given them special representation lay in the fact that they had been a comparatively roving class. They were now settled, like any other portion of the community, and desired to be considered and treated as a settled class. I He was not at all clear that the hon. member's (Mr. Shepherd's) motion would suit those whom he was so fond of calling "my constituents." The majority had qualified themselves for registration, and had placed their names on the roll. In his own district from 200 to 300 had placed their names on ! the roll, thereby exercising their right to two votes, a special vote and a pro perty vote. One vote ought to be done away with without doing away with the other. He was not prepared to do away with the miners' franchise, but so long as it remained a part of the law that they could vote by means of a miner's right, so long should they have a special member for it. He did not think the mover's object of attracting the attention of the Assembly would be gained. Mr. GILLIES supported the motion as being only just to a certain portion of the community, by giving them the right to register. He only regretted that the mover did not give his hearty support to a motion already discussed, and which would have given all persons over 21 years of age a right to vote. He supported the present motion as an instalment of what was due to a large portion of the community. Mr. HUTCHESON agreed with the hon. member for Tokomairiro, and gave his heai'ty vote to the motion. Mr. SHEPHERD said that Mr. Fraser was invariably opposed to the other members respecting the Goldfields, and it was not the opinion of those on the roll or those who voted by miners' rights that he represented them. He (Mr. Shepherd) was proud of his constituents, and trusted they were proud of him. — (A laugh.) Mr. Fraser had had 200 names in his district placed upon the roll. Mr. FRASER emphatically denied the charge of having had names placed on the roll. He only mentioned that they had been placed on the roll. The motion was carried. Mr. DUNCAN moved that the following sections, amongst others for otter parts, be recotnxnencLecL as reserves for public schools : — Roxburgh, sections 5, 6, 7, and 8, block 11 , 3r. 24p. ; Balclutha, sections 1, 2, 17, 18, 19, and 20, block VIII., la. 2r. ; Wetherstons, sections, 4 and 16, block 111., 27p. He explained that the sections had been reserved by the present and previous Governments, and that schools were erected on many of them. The motion was carried.