HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVII, Issue 225, 20 September 1906, Page 5

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

NEW BILLS. Among tne new bills read s first time I were the Workers" Dweiiinns Art Amend- ' ment (Hon. Mr Millar;. Offensive Pub- J lications Act Amendment (Hon. Mr I 3lr-Gowan i. and Back Shares Transfers Bills (Hon. Sir -Joseph Ward. AMATEUR LAWYERS. Mr Laurenson (Lyttelton | moved the second reading of his Law Practitioners . Act Amendment Bill, by which he sought to enable any person of good character !■ to prosecute or defend actions in New j Zealand Courts if authorised ir. writing by the party he renresented. There was no discussion upon the bill, which passed I its second reading by 52 votes to 20. ELECTTrE I_*_ECUTTTE. Sir William Steward fWaitaki! moved ' the second reading of his Elective Execu- j tive Bill. He prefaced tiie introduction of a time worn bill with the remark that I -Lome was not. built in a day. It had j been introduced ten times, and should. ! he urged, be'"brcurrhr. In by the Govern- | ment. During the discussion which followed the bDi was advocated by several Liberal members on the ground that if the Cabine-'- was elected hy the House the individual position of each -linister would be strengthened. A possible diffi : cuity was explained in the shape of members being elected who differed seri- j ously on great questions, and the im- ! portance of a. Cabinet Minister having colleagues with whom he could work was emphasised. Sir William Steward, in rsply. express- ' ed agreement with a member who asserted that if the principle of election had been in operation ar. the be.__iniag of the session it- would have resulted in appointing practically the same Cabinet, i as that, which now administered the colony. The bill wa,s thrown out by 32 votes to 20. GOLD DUTY ABOLITTO-N. The second reading of Mr Colvin's Gold Duty Abolition and Minn." - Property Rating Act could not be taken, as ! - it affected the revenue, and should have been brought down by Governor's mas- j sage. LAND VALUATION. Mr Earkbride's Government Yaiua- | tion of Land Act' Amendment Bill *was j considered in G-__n±Dtee and reported ' ' 'with slight amendment. ; NOXIOUS WEEDS. _The_ Noxious Weeds Act Amendment i : EHI. introduced by Mr R. McElenzie. k was further considered in Ccmmirtee. Mr Witty (Ei-carton; moved an amend- j', ment providing that the local authori-T , ' should clear roads of noxious weeds ii 11 a majority of the ratepayers petitioned ' i to this-effect, but this w-as rejected. Mr i', Tanner (Avon! wished to -empower local C autfa-riti-s to levy a. special rate for ''■ clearing, and the House occupied over ' : ■ an hour in discussing this. A motion to ■ ' report progress at II o'clock was- lost. ' ■ and the discussion continued apnarently ! ■ with the object or* talkxng- out "the bill, i ' Twenty minutes later progress was re- ' ported. The House then adjourned, ! '