EVENING SITTING.

Press, Volume XXXIII, Issue 4638, 12 June 1880, Page 3

EVENING SITTING.

The House resumed at 7.30. BBCOND _B—I>XSSS. The Hon.-J. on the debate on the second reading of the Election Petitions Bui. He maintained that in questions of this kind trial by jury would not be as safe as that by a Judge of the Supreme Conrt. Before the Bill passed into law he would consult with the Judicial authorities as to the fropriety of getting those cases tried by two edges instead of one. The motion for the second reading was passed. The Hon. J. TT*t.t. moved the second read—tgof the Corrupt Practices Prevention Bill, _Cc read and commented upon the provisions of the Bill. Dr. Wallis blamed the Government for introducing important measures similar to the present without affording proper information as to the principles of suoh measures. This was not a new BilL it was only.to his mind an effort to perfect the law as it stood. He criticised the provision- of the Bill, jaamtaining that there were no means for defining the various practices at which the p«nalties of the BUI were directed. He then *_t on to criticise the omissions of the Bill, _ connection with which he read the follow-i-g, of which he had given notice that he intended to move as an amendment on the second reading of the Bill, although he would not do to: —" That no Corrupt Practices Prevention Bill will be satisfactory to this House which sanctions payment for the conveyance of voters to the poll, which does not give a definition of ' agency * in connection with elections, and which does not recognise distinction between necessary expenses of elections and those other expenses whioh, though not necessary, are at present legal, and which does not propose to enact that the aforesaid necessary expenses must be paid through;the Returning Officer." Sir W. Fox said that the great aim of a measure _of this kind was that it should be made as inexpensive and also as pure as possible. He was afraid that this Bill was defective in at least one of these respects. The first point he alluded to was that broached by the previous speaker, namejy, the question on conveyances. That was a very serious item in election costs. If an elector would not travel a mile or so to exercise his tote, then he was not worthy of the fraac_ise at all. If the want of a conveyance prevented a man attending, he was better away. It was not loss or annoyance on his part that make him speak in that way. They had got in other respects purely democratic institutions. They had got all but manhood suffrage, and he would —k them not to stultify them-elves by making an election so expensive that it would practically exclude the poorer classes from aspiring to Parliament. He knew of one case in which it cost a candidate as much as £90 to convey a few electors over a hill to the poll. _ A thing fike that was ridiculous, and practically excluded anything but the wealthier classes in an electoral contest. He hoped that the Government would see its way to make some better provision in —tat respect. The closing of public houses on election days was another matter to which he would direct attention. In San Francisco they found no difficulty in doing this. He witnessed an election in that city conducted under these cir■cumstances, and although it contains a population of 350,(300, he did not witness a single esse of intoxication. It was a sad sight to see men about to exercise one of the most «cred privileges with their brains muddled with ——-dealing liquor. The Bui, as it stood, *as —consistent. If one gave a man a sandwich and a glass of water, that was corruption, and would invalidate the election, whereas if *J»y spent £500 for cab hire, that was per«efly kgitimate. Again, it was wrong in ]H—.cipie to put a candidate to heavy exSenses.

Mr Moss could not see how the necessary *erk of an election was to be done unless a <*ndidate was allowed to pay certain reasonable and necessary expenses, suoh as can - ""MSB-, -c. .Mr Thomson supported the proposal for 2_°*mg public houses on the day of the poll. fiss_d that at a general election all elections *houM be fixed for one and the same day. Mr Speight thought the Bfll went in a '"*"7 good direction. A great deal depended Bpon the characte. • of- the electoral districts abett to be const toa&gFy'Aa to the propriety frotherwise of conveyane—, worka* men, whose time was limited, could not *3ad to watte time -revelling to a polling *°ofli at a great distance. They, must either

be prepared to facilitate that man's movement, or else his vote will be lost. Altogether he agreed that they ought to reduce to the lowest possible figure the expense attending these elections. Again, the law gave one man a right to vote in different districts. _ Now how was he to get from one district to another if conveyances were prohibited. He advocated the closing of publichouses on the day of election. The i keeping open of these houses absolutely interfered with the business of the day. Half drunken men came about and occasioned a lot of obstruction. . If these houses were all closed it would give all parties a chance of starting fair. The law as it stood recognised that publichouses may become an obstruction, and power was given under certain circumstances to close them on an election day. The great object was to get a vote uninfluenced by outside influences. He then reviewed the proviso about agents. In some cases it was absolutely necessary that candidates should have committees to gather around them as many friends as they could to forward their candidature. These men were agents, but it would be absurd to class their agenoy as a corrupt practice. Mr Montsohbbt agreed with the proposal to close public-houses, and he disagreed with legalising the hire of conveyances as this Bill would do.

Mr Sbduon contended that the electors of New Zealand. were practically insulted by much that had been said that night. The Anglo - Saxon race invariably looked forward to an election day as a day of pleasure, and they would have some difficulty in rubbing that feeling out. The digging constituencies, with whioh he was more particularly acquainted, would look upon the day as they proposed to make it a most doleful affair, and he questioned if they would take the trouble of knockingo— work and recording their votes at all. He did not see the necessity for interfering so far with the liberty of the subject as to prohibit the hiring of cabs. He did not look upon the closing of publio houses during the taking of the poll as wrong, provided they were allowed to be open so soon as it was over. He would support the Bill.. Mr Tole thought that the Bill was premature, and might very properly be delayed until after the Bill for the. Redistribution of Seats. He did not think it was possible to define with specific accuracy the term agent in all cases that might arise. Eaoh case must be judged on its own merits. He did not agree with the proposal to close publio houses, and he thought that paid canvassers should not be allowed. Cabs he looked upon as necessary. In country districts, at all events, their absence would place the poor man at a disadvantage. H_ opponent would be. able to command the carriages of himself and friends, and if the other had not cabs to fall back upon, he would be placed at a great disadvantage. Mr Rbxd was not in favor of the proposal to close the publio houses. The prohibition against agents and committees was rather too extreme.

Sir G. Gbey agreed with the suggestions made by Sir W. Fox, and thought he deserved great credit for his moderation. The Bill under the care of Sir W. Fox and Dr. Wallis, as representing the two extreme sides of the House, would, he thought, be made into a very fair measure indeed. The Hon. J, Hall, in reply, said that he would be glad if it could be arranged that no drink should be sold during the taking of the poll. It would be out of the question to think that the question of agency could he defined within the f corners of the Bill. That must be, therefore, left to the discretion of the Court. The motion was carried, and the Bill read a second time. THE ASKHT-QB-TKBAL. Mr Geobge asked, without notice, if a | rumor was true that the Government had received a cablegram from England announcing the resignation of the Agent General. The Hon. J. Hall said that there was no foundation for the rumor whatever. HISCBLLAKEOtTS. ' The House then went into Committee on the Taonai Ahauturanga Bill, whioh was passed and reported with amendments. The Regulation of Elections Bill was further considered in Committee. 'Amendments to substitute " person " for «' registered elector " in olause 11, were negatived on a division, as was also a proposal to strike out the words requiring the written assent of candidates. Several verbal amendments were made. A proposal to extend the hours of polling to 7 p.m. was lost on a division by 38 to 21.

Progress was reported, and leave obtained to sit again. The House rose at 12.40.