PARLIAMENT

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10132, 1 November 1910, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

(By Telegraph.—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. Last Night. FIRST READINGS.

' The Hou«e of Representatives met at 2.30 p.m., when the following Bills were read a first time:—chipping and Seamen's Act Amendment, Hon. J. A. Millar: Noxious Weeds Amendment, Hon. T Mackenzie. •BILLS PASSED. ["On the motion of Hon. D. Buddo, the amendments made in committee to the Taranaki Scholarships Amendment Bill were agreed to, and the Bill read a third time and passed. The Opium Amendment Bill wes also passed. KAURI Gt'M INDUSTRY BILL. The Kauri Gum Industiy Bill was taken in Committee. At Clause 4, which provides that holders of a special license for gum digging shall be entitled to employ any member of bis family under 16 without taking out ' an additional license, Mr V. Reed moved that holders of such licenses be also allowed to employ their wives. Ihis was agreed to. . The clause added by the Lands Committee limiting special licenses to British subjects by birth or l.aturalisation in New Zealand was objected to by Mr W: H. Herries, who considered that persons who had been naturalised in other parts of the Empire should be entitled to special licenses.

I Hon; J. A. Millar pointed qut that in the principal Act, any person naturalised in other pirts of the Empire had only to produce his naturalisation papers and prove his good character to a .naturalised, subject of the Dominion.' Ihe Bill waa still under discussion, whenthe House rose at s.'3o'p.m. j i EVENING SITTING. ! In the House, in the evening, the Kauri Gum Industry Amendment Bill was reported with amendments. MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS. The Municipal Corporations Amendment Bill was taken in Committee.' Hon. D. Buddo moved to amend Clause 6, which amends Clause 95 of the principal Act by adding the words "otherwise than as member of an incorporated company in which there are more than twenty members, and of which he is neither a director nor general manager." The Clause in the principal Act provides that no member of the Council can vote on or d scuss any matter in which he has directly or indirectly any pecuniary interest. Mr T. M. Wilford pointed out that the Clause would have the effect of preventing the directors of a newspaper company having an account with a Council and from standing for election as a Councillor or Mayor. \ Mr J. Allen considered the amendment too drastic. To prevent the directors of companies from being Councillors or Mayors would exclude some of the most capable men from muaicipal offices. This was ridiculous.

Hon. D. Buddo said the clause ap • plied to contracts already undertaken,, but not to those entered into in future.

MrT. M, Wilford suggested that the Minister should add to the end of the clause the following words — —"That insertion of advertisement in newspapers shall not be deemed to be contract for work done within the meaning of thi3 section." flon. D. Buddo said that if the clause were passed he would add a proviso to the Bill exempting newspaper advertisements from -the scope of the clause.