EVENING SITTING.

Press, Volume XXX, Issue 4077, 21 August 1878, Page 2

EVENING SITTING.

The House resumed at 7.SQ. BJLIS ADVANCED. The Civil Service Act Amendment Bill went through committee. The Sale of Pood and Drugs Act Amendment Bill and Cruelty to Animals 821 passed. ADJOITEHED DEBATE ON ELECTORAL Bill. Mr Ebbvbs would support the the Government measure, as, with a few alterations, rt would meet all the requirements of p>\ eolonv for gome time to come. He waatefc the House to have the qualification, sitetta from an annual value of £10 to £5, sod t^ 9 residence clause altered. Mr Thompson said there was no general demand on the part of the country Jo* manhood suffrage. In considering this <J<W* fcion it should he remembered thatPariiemeo 6 was only a large Board of Works, which for the past year had boen living on tbe Canterbury land fund, and if that had not realised more than had been anticipated, instead, o* » surplus of £100,000, there would have been* large deficiency. Now they proposed tota* property and land, to a large extent, ww«V side by nide, they proposed to introduce nianhood eusrsge—-two propositions that " ll run on all fours. He cowideroJ ma J h suffrage was on ite trialin America toria, and the wisdom of it wae c*" l . question. It wae claimed for him*** suffrage that it would educate the puWtow publi?watter., yet the IQ . hie article on the "Melbourne B*! I *"'.,? plored that the wealthy and cultured etajg Victoria did not tako that interwt m p»ww afiaire that they ought. Could that the same etote ofjaffatrs ensue, here ? Hβ OQwidered'woffi«a«•"J^*

a mere matter of sentiment, and he wonlc vote against this part of the Hill, whatevej he did as regards the rest. Mr RreaEit would support the Bill, as he claimed to be animated by as liberal sentiments as any gentleman on the other side of the House. He disapproved of the Bill oi the member for Waikato as not calculated to produce the result* claimed for it. In the Government Bill he thought the educational test ought to be made more stringent. He alee disapproved of. the special franchise extended to Maoris. No man in the country should have two distinct votes. The system was at once monstrous and anomalous. No man who could not read or write should be allowed a vote. A man so ignorant could only be a pliant tool in the hands of designing politicians. He confessed he was pleasantly surprised to find the Government bringing in iuch a Bill, a* from his cast knowledge of the Premier he expected him to assume a Napoleonic attitude towards the House and country. He was glad that the colleagnee of the hon. gentleman bad some effect in modifying hie ultra-democratic views. Mr Cvvi'HS could not see that the Bill wonld make much difference one way or the other. Still he was not prepared to vote for female suffrage. That clause should not be carried without mature consideration. It

either went too far or not far enough. It appeared to htm that the sex of women ehould be & sufficient bar to women entering that Hotue. In fact he could not treat the subject as serioas. Imagine ench a possibility cc a woman contesting a seat against her husband. He would rote against the second reading unless Government abandoned that clause. Mr Tvssrßzrzx. would snppjrt the Bill, as he thought nothing could be more conducive towards the laying the foundation of a new and great nation. Hβ agreed with the suggestion of the member for Grey Yallcy regarding the household qualification, but the - residential clause he hoped would not be altered. Strangers coming into the country ought not to be allowed to vote at one. As to plural voting, he thought that in view of j the land tax to be imposed, the holder of property in two district* ehould be allowed two votes. Any woman holding property in her own name xna in fairnesi entitled to a VOte, but ehe ought to be debarred from becoming a member of the House. One reason why they ehould hare the widest possible suffrage was became the landed proprietors of the colony were not animated by the sams sentiments ac the wealthy classes at home, and therefore th?y had no other resource but to throw open tue highest offices in the State to every man. Mr ShebeAN , eaid, regarding the women's franchise, Government treated it as in open question. *He for one did Dot approve of it. He believed the women themselves did not want the franchise. He referred to the admission made by the member for Napier, r?girding the Premier in ;introducing better measures than he expected. Thehon. gentleman at the head of the Government always had the'good of the country at heart. He wanted that men should have a voice in the country, not sleep. It was high time the owners! of broad acres were shorn of some of the power they had long wielded, and made to contribute in fairer proportion to the burdens of the comstry.and if they would not do it willingly they would be compelled to-do to. Oα the question of Maori representation, he believed the Maori members of the House gave their votes as conscientiously as other members. No doubt the country was anxious to see the double Maori vote done away with, but the time hod not yet arrived when they could do that. It was wise to retain the qualification based upon rating, inasmuch as it tanght the Maoris and encouroged them to pay rat«. This aystem had been in existence for fifteen years, and he preyed the House sot to abolish it hurriedly. Even if it was only to give the Maoris no cause for complaint, they should not take away the privileges they had been in enjoyment of for co many years. He. believed that in five years' time Uμ Home would be able to ask the Maoris to give up the double vote, and that they would be quite willing to do so. He hoped the Hones would approve this part of - the BUI by a large majority. He differed entirely from the principles of the Bill introduced hy : the member for Waikato, though he doubted aa to its being the real Simon Pure, or was brought in with ',: the -object claimed for it by; the -aaorer. Aβ to the remarks made by the member for Napier regarding the Premier, it appeared to him that no higher tribute could be paid to the Premier than to say that, after addressing thousands in the celonv.he did not do all he said he intended to do. No; he showed his wisdom and zeal for the colony by allowing hie.opinion to be modified by the advice and experience of hie colleagues. He hoped the importance of the measure would secure its consideration upon its merits, and not as a party measure. The debate is continuing.