PARLIAMENTARY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XII, Issue 3867, 23 July 1891, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE of ItEPRESENTATIVES. The House assembled at 2.30. STEMMING THE EXODUS. ''ho Premier, replying to Mr Shera, said the Government bad the matter of the exodus from the Colony in h nd. They thought there whs no occasion for appointing a committee, add they believed they could cope with the difficulty. LiCENSINO. The Premier, in reply to Mr Moore, said it was not the intention of the Government to introduce a Bill to amend the Licensing Act this session. . death op Sin Fredebick Weld. "" The death of Sir Frlderick Weld was referred to by the Premier and various members, sinoere regret at his demise being expressed by all. DISTILLATION ACT AMENDMENT BILL. The Distillation Act Amendment Bill was introduced by the Premier and read a first time. GOVERNMENT BUSINESS. ' O.ii the motion of the Premier, Government business will rnke precedence of all other business for the remainder of the session on Wednesdays. NEW ZBALANMCEKERY. Mr T. MackensuAjihovad that, in the opinion of this Mouse, the Government should adopt some definite ' and energetic means of rendering the magnificent natural scenery of New Zealand better known and more accessible to tourists and othere. The debate was interrupted by the 5.80 adjournment. LICENSING LAW. Mr Joyce moved the second reading of the Licensing Act Amendment Bill. The existing laws, he said, had been in forse about ten years, whioh vested the power of giving licenses in certain committees. The law wbb now as unsatisfactory aa before 1881. _ Many thought they had locaLoption, and many committees were elected by ; extremists, while moderate men voted or increasing the number rather than '• ote for Prohibition. Doubtless there.( were too many houses, both in large centres and smaller boroughs. fa Dunedin, for instance, there were 70 - houses, and if the Prohibitionists were elected all would be closed. Bather than do this, many people voted for moderate men, whereby the number was perhaps inoreased. By this Bill such persons conld vote for a reduction of the number of hoases. He was bringing forward this Bill at the request of Sir William Fox, and it would remain inoperative ti11.1894, 80 that at the general eleotion of 1893 < the electors would be able to Bay whether this Bill should remain on the Statute Book. The desire for prohibitive powers was increasing, and he hoped members would give the matter full consideration. Every member would be safe in voting for the Bill, because if at the general eleotion big ■ constituents were against it the Aot would be repealed in the Parliament of 1894. He referred to the large . number of petitions presented in the : last few days in favour of passing,a similar law to that contained in this - Bill, which clearly showed the state of , opinion on the subject. The third ; clause of the Bill gave all adults in any - district over 21 years of age the right to vote at the local option polls taken every third year. The Bill also pro.. vided tor a decrease in the number of houses in any also-puK vided that no intoxicating should be sold at railway stations. The main feature of the Bill was to give the people power at the ballot box to say whether any and how many public houses Bhould be licensed in each district. Mr Buick spoke at some length in favour of the Bill. He thought Club licenses should be abolished altogether, as he considered they were responsible for one-half of thedrunken. ness and domestic unhappiness result' ing from drink, Mr Wright also supported the Bill, and presented two petititions in support of it. He should, however, move certain amendments to it in Committee. , ; Mr Rhodes expressed his intention of moving certain amendments in Committee.

! Mr Blake said the Bill was useless. By 1894 they would have female franchise, and they would therefore be on the local option electorate before it oamo into operations-He also objected to it because introduced by a private member. The Hon Mr Kolleaton said a Bill of this kind coming from anywhere but the Ministerial Benches, could not properly have the support of the House as a whole, and he should therefore oppose it, besides whioh it represented too largely one side of the question only. The temperance party, from whem the Bill came, admitted of no compensation, and on that account also it would not meet with general support. Mr R H Beeves opposed the Bill* The Minister of Education spoke of the sincerity of the introduoer .of the Bill. He objected to the Bill

because he thought it was an inoppor* tune time for the temperance party to ask for more draßtio measures than they now enjoyed, because they had

lately shown that they would do away with the liquor traffic ; that power was quite sufficient, and they ought not to ask Parliament for further powers. Sir John Hall said at present the majority of of people hud no TOicOt This Bill extended the franchise, and for that reason he agreed with it* Without a compensation clause, however, he could not give it his

entire support. *- , The Hon Mr objected to private important changes in the licensing laws of the colony. As soon as the Cyflffnmeat, tackled this as a piece prtctiwli, work he would give it port as possible. Mr Palmer said he should wto against alteration ofthel'censinjrlawa.,: Mr Joyce had brought in the JMW with all sincerity, and not, as had. been stated, to tickle the ears of the' temperance party. t ' Mr Rees would support the BilV but should require a a compensation clause introdused as be would notsupport anything that savoured of, oppression or injustice. • Messrs Meredith and Houßton sup ported the bill. Mr G. Fisher said he should support the second reading because he had been pledged to the principal of local option. He agreed with the mombet for Halswell in regard to compensation, thinking that where legal ity for the houses was given* sation should be given when that authority was withdrawn, and thoea who invested money in this legal ' manner ought to be protected agaiaat having their licenses taken away without any notice whatever. Mr Joyce, in reply, said that in. .ntrodtioing this B-'ll he was repre* 'senting the wishes of several thousands of people throughout the Colony, so that it was not exactly a private member's Bill. He was grateful to hon members for. the consideration they had shown towards.the \BUlt - "}

. A division #as taken, when the second reading was carried by 31 to 28.: ; The division list was aa follows: Ayes 31.—Messrs Buckland, Buick, Carncross, Duthie, Fisher, Grey, Guineas' Hall, Hall Jones, Harkness. Hogg, Honston, G. Hutchison, W. Hutchison, Joyce, Kapa, J. Kelly, Meredith, J, Mills, Mitcheleon, Moore, O'Conor, Parata, Bees, Saunders, Seddon, E. M. Smith, Tanner, B. Thompson, J. W. Thomson, Wright. Noes, 28.—Messrs Ballance, Blake, Bryce, Bnchanan, Carroll, Dawson Duncan, Fergus, Fish, W. Kelly, Lawry, Mackintosh, McGuire, Fraser, C. H. Mills, Palmer, Perceval, B. H. J.Reeves,, W. P. Beeves, Richardson, Rolleston, Russell, Shera, Swan, T. Thompson, Valentine, Ward, Wilson. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL APPOINTMENT CANCELLATION BILL. The secoad reading of the above Bill was carried after some discussion.