GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Waikato Argus, Volume V, Issue 351, 8 October 1898, Page 3

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. THURSDAY. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. LUNATICS. The Lunatics' Act Amendment Bill was read a third time and passed. SMKARERS' ACCOMMODATION'. The Shearers' Accommodation Bill was considered in committee and several verbal amendments were made on the recommendation of the Labour Bills Committee. Clause 3, separate s.etping accommodation to be provided for Chinamen, i»ave rise to some discussion, but was retained by 21 to 14. The Minister of Education moved that Clause 11, exempting sheds from the operation of the Act. wher= shearcrr provide their own accommodation, be st. tick out, but on division the section was added to the Bill by 28 to 6, and the Bill was then reported and the third reading made an order of the day for next sitting. THE TOTALISATOK. Before the committal of the Gaming and Lotteries Act Amendment the Speaker gave his ruling on the reserved point of whether the Council could discuss Mr Jones' motion involving the abolition of the totalisator, deciding in the affiimative. Mr Jones then proceeded with argument in support of his proposition, condemning the continued use of the machine, which undoubtedly tended to increase the gambling evil. After debate the motion was negatived by 22 to 11. The third reading of the Bill was then set down for next day, and the Council rose at 4.40 p.m.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

THURSDAY. The House met at 2.30 p.m. SECONDARY EDUCATION. Mr Seddon proposed to lay on the table of the House a piper relating to secondary education. Mr Taylor asked if it was intended to give the House an opportunity this session of dealing with the Technical Education Bill. He considered it was wrong to keep the Bill back because the Premier couid not get the House to agree to clauses in it which wen a deliberate tampering with the present education system. Mr Seddon denied that the clauses indicated had been drafted by a person interested in private schools, nor had they been drafted in the interests of such schools. The Minister for Education, when preparing the Bill, had consulted with Mr Riley, the head of the Wellington Technical School, who had shown the Bill to the Chairman of the Wellington Education Board. For party purposes the sectarian question had been raised in the Committee to which the Bill had been referred last session, and had it not been for this the Bill would now have been in operation. The best way now to promote the Bill was to further the business of the country by preventing the Old Age Pensions Bill being blocked. ' The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. OLD AGE PENSIONS.

The Old Age Peusions Bill was further considered in committee.

In Clause 62, regulations on the motion of Mr Herries, and after a short discussion, a provision was inserted declaring that the regulations be laid on the table of the House 10 days after the commencement of the session and referred to any Committee the House may direct and the clause was asrreed to. On clause 63. to whom the Act is not to apply, Mr Wi Pere moved to strike out of the clause the reference to the aboriginal natives of New Zealand, to whom pensions are paid under the Civil List Act.

A leDgthy discussion ensued, and ultimately Mr Wi Pere withdrew his amendment, which was then re-moved by Mr G. Hutchison, but it was eventually negatived by 44 votes to 21. Mr Seddon then moved to amend the sub-clause to provide that the Act is not to apply to any natives to whom moneys, other than pensions, are paid out of sums appropriated for natives by the Civil List Act.—Agreed to on the voices. On sub-clause 2, Act not to apply to naturalised subjects unless naturalised for five years preceding pension claim, Mr R. Thompson moved to make the period 10 years, but this was negatived by 49 to 16. Mr Taylor moved to strike out subclause 4, which prevented Chinese, or other Asiatics, from receiving a peusion whether naturalised or not.—Negatived by 46 to 18, and the clause passed. On clause 64, the Act to apply to aboriginal natives of New Zealand, Mr Monk moved the following proviso : " But in dealing with such native claims their social and domestic customs shall not be considered detrimental, the provisions of the Act notwithstanding." The object of this was to deal with such cases as those of Maoris who are married, according to the native custom, but not as Europeans marry.—The amendment was negatived,—Clauses 64, 65 and 66, which were the last clauses in the Bill, were also passed. The clauses postponed on previous occasions were then considered.

Clause 26, decision of stipendiary magistrates as to matters disproved to be final, was passed, and clause 31, making the issue of pension certificates onnual, was agreed to without debate. Clause 43, provision where a pensioner is in receipt of charitable aid, was also passed. * Mr Massey moved to add a new clause enabling any person over 65 years of age, possessing real estate worth £SOO or over, to purchase an annuity from the Government Life Insurance Department, and to occupy such property if he so desired at a reasonable rental. The Chairman ruled the clause out of order, as having nothing to do with old age pensions. Mr G. Hutchison moved a new clause providing the method of determining the claim of any aboriginal native, so far as the same may be affected, by a right to any income or property he may hold'. Agreed to.

Several other new clauses were proposed, but they were negatived and progress was reported, it being notified that consideration of the several amendments would be the first business next day.