POLITICAL GOSSIP.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11110, 31 October 1901, Page 5

POLITICAL GOSSIP.

(sPßcur. to "ran rasas."} • WELLINGTON, October 30. CRIMINAL COD© AMENDMENT. The Criminal Code Amendment Bill, as amended by the Joint Statutes Revision Committee,, contains a number of new clauses dealing principally with the plea of justification, in answer to an. accusatirat for publishing a defamatory ÜbeL The most important new provisions are as fol-lows;-—"A person does not commit a orinra by publishing defamatory matter on the invitation or challenge of the person defamed thereby, or if it is necessary to publish it in order to refute some other defamatory statement published by the last mentioned person concerning the alleged offender if such defamatory matter is believed to be true and is relevant to the invitation, challenge, or the required refutation, and the "publishing does not in manner or extent exceed what is reasonably sufficient tor the occasion. An information for an alleged defamatory libel shall be taken 'before a Stipendiary Magistrate only. No criminal prosecution for defamatory libel shall be commenced, if in the Supreme Court, without the order of a judge of that Court, or if under the Justices of the Peace Act> 1882, without lie. order of » -Stipendiary Magistrate. Every person accused of publishing a defamatory libfcl u»f plead that the defamatory matter published by him is true and that it was for the public benefit that the matters charged should be published in the manner a-nd at the time when they were published. If whea such plea of justification is pleaded the accused is convicted the Court, may, in pronouncing sentence, consider whether his guilt is aggravated or mitigated by the'plea." A SCENE. There was a scene in the House shortly after midnight. The Premier was fighting very hard against applying the provisions of t»ba Arbitration and Conciliation Act to the employees of the proposed State coal mine, and Major Stewswdhad let things get somewhajt out of hand. Mr Meredith referred to the Premier's having twitted him with having been a Sunday school teacher. He said he was still a Sunday school teacher, and added that be would rather fifty times be a Sunday school teacher than a West Coast publican. He. was not prepared to be bullied or bounced or bluffed in any shape by the Premier. Mi Seddon, rising with apparent heat, said the hpn. member had come to him hi his capacity aa member* of a Board! to which, ha belonged, and had asked him to make hitn a present of six thousand pounds. {Cries oJ • "Oh, oh"). The Premier said it was w, and he had the correspondence by him. ' Mr Pirani rose to a point of order. What* he asked, had the Glentui "estate to do with this Bill? The Premier went on speaking. Hβ told Mr Meredith that se faa* as the Premier was concerned he had his (Mr Meredith's) measure fully well. Mr Atkinson now rose to s, point of order. This, he said, was not a personal explanation. It was a personal attack. "The Premier said this was not tibe first time he had stood on the floor of the House alone and vindicated hamself and his" position. Hβ was quite prepared to do it now, and to take them one and all. They need make no mistake about it so far" aa he was concerned.' He would A not have motives thrown out to him. It peared to him that no consideration was shown-to the Premier on the floor of the Hbuse. • • Mr Meredith—"!L6t the Premier consldei other members of the House." (Hear, hear.) . -■ Mr Seddon—''The Premier is always respectful to members of the House!" With this 'final remark the scene ended. JOTTINGS. The Labour Bills Committee, reporting on 152 petitions signed by ftf49 person* objecting to the Shops and Offices Bill, report that as no each measure hae been referred to them by the House they have no recommeadatioto to'makfc. ' . .Mr Millar wishes the Colonial Secretary • to/extend the same concessions to members of Friendly Societies ordered to Hanmer . sanatorium as. are at present, granted to members sent t<; Rotorua, and to grant special train fares for such persons. Mr T. Mackenzie in drawing the attention of the 'Minister for Public. Works to a paragraph in the Oimetchuroli "Press" stating that the men engaged on the road works at Miiford .Sound . took dogs and guns with them, and have destroyed a number of kiwis, kakapos, and other birds. "The Premier's, promises are like birotillers' kisses; they ain't worth & shilling a shipload";—Mr Geo. Fisher. Mr Herriea to-day, asked. ttie Minister for. Bailwfcya whether his attention, bad been called to the I fact that the. Government railway time-table, is , being interleaved with advertisements, and whether he would .take, etepa.to remedyVtha inconvenience thus, caused by putting the advertisement page* either at the beginning; or end of the book. The Minister agreed that the inter-leaving was & nuieanoe, ■ and explained that he had already given instructions for the weeding out of these interleaved, advertisements as thecontracts expired. ' '; * Iα reference to' the petition- of John Scott Meyers, of Marshland, Canterbury, tfie M, to Z. Petitions Committee state that petitioner has no juat grounds fox complaint and no claim for further inquiry. ■ ■ Mr Collins ' wonta the TostmasterQeneral, in accordance with the .request of a large'number of business firms m the cifcy of. Christchurch, to provide increased postal and telephone facilitfes by opening a poefc office- and telephone bureau in the ■vicinity of the Clock Tower. * Mr Meredith is to ask the Government whether, seeing that th*> Canadian Government is approaching the Federal Parliament with the view of arranging for a reciprocal tariff between Canada and the Ctnranon\re&Wb,. they intend taking action in the interest , of the producers of the colony with the view of bringing aboat a reciprocal tariff -with the Commonwealth,