PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8510, 15 August 1907, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

By Telegraph—Own Correspondent;

WELLINGTON, August 14:-

The House met at 2.30 p.m. to-dayi the afternoon being devoted to questions, replies thereto, and the. usual discussion thereupon. In reply to Mr Malcolm (Clutha) the Premier stated that provision was made in the Electoral Act to adopt a voting machine at an election by way of experiment when a suitable machine offers, but so far. no such machine meets requirements.

Replying to Mr Poole (Auckland, West) Sir Joseph Ward said that .vhat is proposed in connection with the totalisator will be seen upon the * circulation of the Bill under which > the machinery for the working of the totalisator will be confined entirely to racecourses.

Mr Okey (Taranaki) was informed that the Government does not intend to introduce any amendment to the Old Age Pensions Act this session. The Minister of Education told Mr Hanan (Invercargill) that though the matter of establishing research scholarships and travelling scholarships had been under the consideration of +he Government no definite decision had yet been arrived at.

The Minister of Education declines to make grants to Country School Committees or Education Boards to cover the'cost of postage of official, communications, which were originally franked through the Office. To do this, Mr Fowlds told Mr Thomson (Caversham), would be likely to defeat the purpose for which franking was abolished. In the evening the House of Representatives pats 2d'the third reading of the Lagislative Council Election Bill. An amendment by MrR. M. Houston to read the Bill that day six months hence was lost on the voices, , and on the question of the third reading there were 35 votes for and 28 against. The division list was as follows: —For the Bill: —Messrs Aitken, Alison, J.. Allen, Arnold, uarber, Bollard, Colvin, Davey, Ell v Fisher, Gray, Hanan, Hardy, Hogan,, Izard, Lang, Laurenson, Lawry, Lethbridge, Lewis, McLachlan,. Mander, Massey, Okey, Poole, Ross, Rutherford, Seddon, Sidey, Stevens, Stewart, Symes, Tanner, Thomson and Witty. Against the Bill: Messrs E. G. Allen, Barclay, Bennet, Carroll, Dillon, Duncan, Flatman, A. L. D. Fraser, W. Fraser, Greenslade. Helce, Hornsby, Houston, Kidd, McGowan, R. McKenzie, McNab, McPherson, Major, Millar, Ngata, Parata, Pollard, Remingtor, Stallworthy, Wilford, Wood and Sir Joseph Ward. The Premier, speaking on the Bill, said that while he was opposed to women being nominated for elections to the House, and thus entering the hurly burly of politics, he was of opinion that in being eligible for appointment to the Upper House, it would allow of an experiment being tried in the matter of women legislators. However, he opposed the third reading of the Bill, as the proposals contained therein were not better than the existing nominative system. The Coal Mines Act Amendment Bill was read a third time. The House is now in Committee worrying Mr C. E. Major's Lamps on Vehicles Bill.