GENERAL ASSEMBLE

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12592, 7 September 1906, Page 9

GENERAL ASSEMBLE

(TRtTS ASSOCIATION TKLECIUM.)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

TIICRSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

AFTERNOON SITTING. yh* Hotiso met at 2.30 p.m. BALLOT TAPERS ASTRAY. Mr FISHER brought under tho notice <rf *'>*•> Hou.st) a leading article in the Napior 'Daily Telegraph' , of two ago, in which it was stated, that .-the editor possessed a paper purporting to be a wrapper of voting papero used during tlio recent local option poll- • ing in the IJuller district. It was .stated that a runu bought a pair of boots at W«ie anu '» tnat tno bootmaker wrapped up the boot* in tho wrapper aforeJaid, and that tho buyer of the boots forwarded the document to the editor of the "Daily Tt-legraph. , ' Mr Fisher thought there ought to be an enquiry. Tie PIIEMIEII said it came ins a eurprifie to the Government that a bootmaker had been able to wrap up a oairof boots for a cu.stomcr m a wrapper of voting papers. Tho matter would certainly be enquired into. ilr MASSEY : "And, the result reported to tho House?" , The PREMIER- said tho result would, of oourse, bo reported to the House. FIRST READINGS. The Advances to Settlors Consolidation Bill and the Goal Mims Act Amendment Bill wero read a first time. QUACKERY PREVENTION. Mr HORNSBY moved the second reading of the Quackery and Other Frauds Provention Bill for which ho pleaded necessity, but did not claim Urfection. He hoped the House- would assist him to make it a useful measure. Hβ had endeavoured to avoid everything of tho clobe corporations order on the one hand, and tho injury of bona fide curatives on tho other, lio had aimed at tho vampires and blackBiiards who preyed upon the ignorant and credulous. He gave several examples of the evils he had duvcorerod, and representation* had been made to tho pohco on • the subject. Certain advertisements " had been withdrawn from New Zealand Dftpore in consequence of some of these representations, but they wero appearing again now. The victims of thceo harpies were to bo found in all the mental hcepitale of the colony. Ihe obiect of the Bill was to prevent the advertisements which kept their trade

•* Mr BARCLAY raieed a point of \ order, viz., that people had been pre- ' Ttfitwl from entering the galleries, ' whereas the Standing Orders only gave power to clear tho galleries, not to ex- • elude people from them. The SPEAKER eaid that he had been informed before the House met that oortain matters were likely to bo mentioned during the debate on flue Bill, and ho had therefore instructed the orderlies to warn Indies that certain thinau were likely to be mentioned • which it would be undesirable for them to henr. This had kept tho ladies gal- - kry empty, bub he had no* given orders to exfludo anyone. Mr BARCLAY said ho was perfectly satisfied with the explanation. Th,> PREMIER supported the Bill. Ho had heard a good deal about the abominations tho Bill was aimed at during hi* recent travels, fho Fost-mastor-General of the United fctntcs had enlarged on the subject, jnforra- , ing him that ho had been, obliged' to secure legislative sanction absolutely stopping the delivery through the post office of newspapers and periodicals and circulars containing matter of thifl ' nature. , , ~ Sir HORNSBY interjected; that tie Bill contained such, a provision. The PREMIER said ho was glad to ' hear it. He would say for the newspapsra that when, the matter had been brought, to their notice by the action of the United States Post Office, some ' of the leading journals had thrown out advertisehiente worth thousands of dollars. He went, on to condemn, the great ared growing evil at which the Bill was aimed—evils undermining tho peace of familiee. He hoped the newspapers of the colony would co-operate with, all right .thinking men in putting a stop to this abomination. Mr JAMES ALLEN approved of the principle of tho Bill, but he thought there were worse thinge than patent medicines. He dealt at some ' with t'he subject of race suicide, which he described as a startling fact. Th« evil was national and) universal, and wanted tho serious attention of all Governments. The Governmont, he eaid, ought to take this Bill up and give it a wider scope and more comprehensive action , . Tho Opposition, which had •never refused* 'help iii dealing with social evils, would) assist. Even then - the measure wonld be useless, like many other attempts made* in this couirrtry to put down, these very evils, without most active administration. He would add that without raising the moral sense of the nation, as ought to be done by ita leaders and religious teachers, legislation would be difficult, ac it •would wamt the sympathy of tho „ public. Hβ would cert airily support, the Bill, and he hoped that it' would be improved by every moans within tho ' power of tho Legislature. Mr FOWLDS agreed with; the member for Bruce about the difficulty of - administering legislation, successfully -without the sympathy of the nation. Another difficulty special to this cfase of legislation, woe in drawing the lime " between boneficlal simple remedies and the evils all admitted. Mr Bornsby remarked that the ling was drawn in the Bill. Mr FOWLDS eaid it was drawn by

making the Chief Health Officer the de- - ciding authority. He would like a kss jxwaomal methca. The. Bill, however, lud the favour of tihe GoveTtrmevnt, and would, if it became law, have the beefc attention) of tihe administration.

Mr MASSEY said! ho had much sympathy with that part of the Bill which ' wae aamed at evil doers, but he thought its provisions too drastic against tho distribution of simple remedies uscvd in the country districts. The Iwattih officer wae given too much power altogether in. this direction.. He would support the eecoivj reading, and would not object to the Government taking tho measure over. Messrs Hnll-Jomes, Herriee. McLachliui. Sitloy, Hanan- T. Mackenzie. Remington, Poolo, Laurensou. Heke, Flatman. and >lison also spoke, tho -tcmo of their speeoh*e being d-stmctlv ', favourable to the principle of the Bill. ' The &>b»ite Tvae interrupted by tho dinner »djDif?nm«nt.