THE ELECTORAL BILL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 225, 20 September 1905, Page 3

THE ELECTORAL BILL.

• OM3IHTEE PROCEEDINGS. .'.- • jaejraEh.-Parliamentary Reporter.) V this day. Vpsterdav afternoon the House got V*Y * the preliminary business !ttro Jvand -ot to work on the Elec.'•"•SirVhSh was at the head of the ■ 'fcisS'Se day, the Workers' Dwell- — Rill and Teachers' Superannuation • :***■»".■"■_«* in that order. The ScLal Bill was under : ]ast -»uu f tn 233 clauses coma ifhad f been dea.lt with In of the Chairman of Com- ■ -!v«U- Mr McXab was proposed and ■**%* to act as chairman. But when Sneaker had declared the House in f e SSfof the Klectoral Bill, it was ■■SSS3 thrt it was a case of non -iSrtus with Mr McVab, and after jgm » Mr wnfo . rd -T* c ret 4 the chair, and the LegislatT.ro reZmei its almost forgotten function of ■••■.gSaffrg, ft* what W-k voucher, l States, and what not, proeed- i .lpby?it>ill has not been indulged in .'jßiich lately. jr.. INFLUENCING ELECTORS. '7 Good progress -was made with the Sectoral Bill until clause 151, dealing | Lsh offences at elections, was reach-1 -iil It is one of the new clauses, and a fine up to £20 for inter-. : ferenfie with an elector, either in the j '•polling booth or while on his way 'thereto, with the intention of influenc-'whim-or advising him as to his vote, • cr secondly, for printing or di.stribut,jng or delivering to any person on the day of. the pell or at any time during • the three days immediately preceding tie poll anjthlhg being or purporting, .to"be. an imitation of a ballot peper, tooetlftr with a direction or indication likely to 'influence a vote (in other j j-orfe, a;mock ballot paper), or, lastly. I jor making a public demonstration! with/efiigies, placards, etc., while a poll I is being taken. UrDavey moved to make the printing and distributing of mock ballot papers or of directions as to how to >ote illegal altogether and not only pithin. three days of-the election. Mr'Fdwlds objected that all these reiiiietioiis would be disregarded by all - fecept- a- few ultra honourable candidates, and the amendment of Mr Davey fas-defeated by 4o to 10. . ..:-?Mr : Mbss subsequently moved to al- <• low of mock ballot, paper? beiag allow- I 'aMe within the last three days, i.e., j - .light up to and on polling day. bnt this i - was lost. So mock ballot papers can ) Mjssned only up to within three days ■ef airelection. 'ji NEWSPAPERS AND ELECTIONS. ■■'• ' 'The clause just mentioned (No. 151) j irpugM up the question of newspapers | r 'ted elections. It was pointed out that "might cause mode ballot .-.■iaoers" to 'be advertised in papers or • ether matter likely to influence voters. "'This"led on to the discussion of newsis*sr articles and correspondence bear- . lag on an approaching election. •VrMr Major brought up an example of 'alleged unfair treatment of a candidate by a paper publishing only on two days jnreek, where the editor altered the day'of publication to coincide "with polland published an article damaging to a candidate who had no chance [ to Teply. Sir Joseph Ward, in charge of the J>illj said he was not in favour of interfering with the power of newspapers •r of limiting them. ■'Mr Baume moved an amendment excluding newspapers from the provisions ~-\ eLtle clause, hut Mr Fowlds objected to-making it legal for newspapers to j •do what it was illegal for candidates to >,''*>- . I At last the Colonial Secretary solved . the difficulty neatly by the simple substitution of an and for an or in the! '& dsrase and the re-insertion of a. few lines that had just been knocked out. . The: effect of this was to make it illegal :'Sor. a newspaper to publish a raock yi iallot paper within three days of an election, hut no further interference! •was made with the powers of news- I ■ ~* papers in connection with elections be- j ■',' yoniffhat had been the law up to the I .present. That is set forth in the fol- i lowing clause, 152, which makfs the! . ' fnblication of defamatory matter at I deetion time punishable with a fine up j to £50, or by imprisonment up to three j fiionths- A proposal was made by Mr Major to bring within the penalty of the clause 151 any person who published in. any newspaper issued on the day efthe election any comment on any / candidate unless the same appears as /a; leader or is signed by the writer « thereof, but this was lost on the voices, »nd clause 151 was passed after several lonrs' discussion. ' >: %»i THE MEMO. SYSTEM. Before 151 was done with Mr Harding moved to add a sub-clause making every person liable to a line not ex- ; £20 who at an election sends j or delivers to any elector (not being a i murning officer), or during the three; %Sjpreceding the poll, any telegram on ! ueinemo. system having" reference to j : • We election or any candidate thereat, j w-Joseph Ward said he hoped the committee would not agree to this adttpon, which, perhaps, was intended us (Opposition members: 'No. no.") added the Colonial Secretary, was not the pl ace to bring forward such a ProposaL He said it could be compris i-ea.ui a proposal dealing with the eleciricMegraphs, which is to be brought §|®pus. session. a t ence rose and combatinn+v Vlew> Sa - vin S that in his opinWm was the most important clause • ™ connection with the bill. «1 f ° f the °PPosition went on tie i,«*r * a S ains t any interference on t§ ttt ? !v the Minister*, and he admitkd W Was wh y the sub-clause ' Sf?S P^ ed - He ° b i e <° Min*°nths h% T influence days and "W& h° T V n election by "^s t£! n loa<leist to electors asking ; ...3 n> -vois a certain way. replied that Mr Mas--tiSi - UeDCe at ele ctions, and rv ery^wJf c Propounded was a ■S2«Ti2 Or f Baiy ° nt 0e ' t0 which Mr meS. s r t rted tbat he did not send •esWpt'aV'v • ?otUlectioll with elections Sir Jn f OWn ex Pense. • red that the S reat ** paid f lltieal telegrams sent whetU JwS * notthe n - • - grams are for Ple ° f sendV^edioiTt lnto constituencies before :'- "■**&&* hZ% Wr ° ng " He knew that !? sent into a COD s«- ---•" rith f pe . rtaui promises in con- ■■' I l» «fW election - the senders be- - I*nas^ Prenu « and the of .disclaimed having •^W^'Sk"?** B his am€nd "

meant to apply as much to .Mr Massey when he comes into power, as tp the present Ministry. Mr Moss admitted that he had never seen any of these electoral memo, telegrams from Sir Joseph Ward, but he had seen many from the Premier, in his' district (Ohinemuri) last election. On a division being taken Mr Harding's amendment was lost by 40 to 24. A STONEWALL. At 1.20 a.m. this morning, when that part of the Electoral Bill dealing with i Maori representation had been dealt j with, Mr. Massey suggested, that enough j ! business had been done. Sir .Joseph I Ward would not consent to adjourn, but suggested that the House should go through the remainder of the bill, which was nearly all old clauses from the present law, and unlikely to require alteration. He offered,to postpone consideration of all contested clauses to another day. This was not agreed to. Sir Joseph Ward offered to put the old clauses in a lump, but Mr. Herries objected, urging that the present law was not necessarily perfect. Mr. Massey objected to "legislation by exhaustion," and moved to report progress. The motion was lost, whereupon Messrs. Herries, Reid, and Buchanan, j set up a stonewall, the last-named ing up the reputation which he achieved in last session's stonewall. In two hours only two clauses, 180 and 181, dealing with election petitions, were passed. At 3.30 another parley was held, Sir I Joseph Ward holding out for comple- } tion of that part of the bill dealing with I election petitions, namely, to clause. 187. ■| This time a Government member proved I refractory, Mr. Wood moving to report I progress. Mr. Wood persisted, whereupon Mr. Massey. replying to Sir Joseph Ward's last offer, said he was willing to meet Sir Joseph in the same spirit as that in which the offer was made. Mr. Wood said he would press his moI tion, but when the doors were locked he did not divide the House. His motion was negatived, and work was resumed. ! Clauses 182 to 187 were speedily agreed to. nnd progress was reported. ; The House adjourned at 3.45 a.m.