PARLIAMENT.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 19057, 20 July 1927, Page 12

PARLIAMENT.

CONTROL OF ELECTIONS.

SEVERAL NEW BILLS.

(IBRTDGID FMSS AS3OCUTIOS WSPOIT.)

WELLINGTON, July 19,

The House of Representatives spent the whole of the afternoon in a discussion on recent events in Samoa (reported elsewhere). When the House resumed at 7.«JU r> m the Lands for Settlement Amendment Bill was introduced by Governor's Message. _ The Hon. Mr McLeod said the first material amendment was an alteration in the constitution of the Board, tbe whole of the members now being members of the Public Service. Another amendment was to provide for'the tacilitation of the purchase oi a leaseholder's interest in improvements, rreviously there was difficulty in financing this and it was now thought best that the' State should levy these interests out of the Lands for Settlement Fund When the Child Welfare Amendment Bill was introduced, the Hon. Mr Wright said the Bill was divided .into three parts. Part 1 dealt with private institutions where children were housed ; part 2 dealt with Children's Courts in a way, he thought, that wonld lm- ' prove the administration of the Courts, and part 3 dealt with miscellaneous amendments of the main Act. Referring to the Inspection of Machinery Act Amendment Bill, the Hon. Mr Anderson said the Bill was highly technical, to bring the law into line with modern changes in machinery. Next year he hoped to bring down a consolidating measure. When the Shops and Offices Amendment Bill was introduced, the # Hon. Mr Anderson said the Bill contained a number of amendments to the main Act, but he proposed to refer the Bill to a committee, where a full explanation could be made. Other Bills introduced were the Noxious Weeds Amendment Bill and the Horticultural Diploma Bill, empowering the granting bv the New Zealand Institute of Horticulture of diplomas to those whom they thought fit to receive them. Electoral Boundaries. In moving the second reading of the Legislature Amendment Bill, the Hon. Mr McLeod said the most important change proposed in the Bill was the setting up of a permanent Electoral Boundaries Commission, consisting of the Surveyor-General, the Government Statistician, and the Chief Electoral Officer. Separate North and South Island Commissions were m be abolished. By this means he hopcu to save some £7OO on each occasion that the boundaries were altered after each census. The Commission would be required to divide the Dominion, into electoral areas by the same method as at present. A number of other amendments to the present Electoral Law were designed, with the object of improving the system. Employers who failed to allow their employees a half-holiday on election day were liable to a fine of £5, instead of a maximum of £5 for each employee, as at present. The Minister explained, that the provisions with regard to the enrolling of electors had been tightened up, and when the Bill got into Committee he was prepared to give every consideration to a number of suggestions which had been thrown out by members. Mr H. G. E. Mason (Eden) said the Minister had given a very inadequate explanation of the Bill. There were some parts of it with which he was evidently not familiar. In some respects the Bill was dangerous, especially that part which brought the Governor-Gene-ral into the question of settling electoral boundaries. There was no provi-sion-in the Bill which provided that an electorate must be wholly within the North or wholly within the South Island. As the Bill stood; an, electorate nright'be partly in each Island, and that was not desirable.

Mr Harris (Waitemata) urged that better facilities be given to seamen for recording ther votes, especially those in the New Zealand Navy. Mr Forbes (Hurunui) wanted to know when the Government proposed to fulfil its overdue promise that some better system would be substituted for the abolished second ballot, but he did not expect the method of election would be changed till the Government was changed. He thought the time had arrived when there ought to be some regulation of Party funds. At present a candidate was limited by law, but there seemed to be no limit to the amount a Party might spend in the interests of its candidates. There should be some reasonable limit fixed, but it was not in the Bill. Therefore the Bill was more remarkable for what was not in it than for what was in it.

Mr Lysnar (Gisßorne) thought the old form of Boundary Commission was better than that proposed in the Bill. It at least left no suspicion of political influence.

Mr Bartram (Grey Lynn) congratulated the Government on providing for voting by hospital patients. He suggested that political articles in the Press should be signed by the writer. Mr D. Jones (Ellesmere) urged a return to the old system of - absent voters' permits, as the one used at last election made it almost impossible for returning officers to carry out their duties.

Mr J. A. Lee (Auckland East) urged that petitions against electoral boundary proposals should be notified in the Press, in order that all interested parties should be made aware of what was proposed, and what was objected to. He supported the suggestion that a limit should be put on the expenditure of ! Party funds. ■ Mr Hockly (Eotorua) argued that candidates' election expenses were fixed at £2OO twenty years ago, and although the purchasing power of the sovereign had been considerably reduced, the amount still stood at £2OO. He suggested that the amount should be raised to £3OO. Mr Jordan (Mannkau) urged that the Union Jack should be excluded from Party propaganda. It should be preserved as the national flag, and not appropriated as a Party flag. • Mr H. E. Holland (Buller) contended that when a Party issued large advertisements in the interests of a particular candidate, the cost of that advertisement should be charged against that candidate's election expenses. The advertisements issued last election in the interests of the Prime Minister alone must have cost not less than £2OOO. The Hon. Mr McLeod, in reply, Baid he instructed his officers.to prepare a Bill dealing with two vital points, viz., the size of the Commission and the system of postal votes. The clause dealing with the city and urban areas was put in at the request of the Chairman of the Representation Commissions, and had no purpose except to aid Commissions in their work. Personally, he did not care whether the clause was retained or not. No exception had been taken to the proposals regarding postal voting except as regards the regulations to be made, but that was a matter that could be easily adjusted. The electoral rolls of the country were in excellent condition, and the country could, if necessary, go to an election in

three weeks. The position of compulsory registration was also good now. At first there was a little laxity, but a few convictions in each electorate had brought people to a senße of their duty» He was quite prepared to accept an amendment on the subject of election petitions if a suitable one could be put forward. He knew there were disad-» vantages in all systems of absent voters' permits, and he did not know how those disadvantages could be got over. He was, however, prepared to consider this and other points, on which he had an open mind, when the Bill was in Committee. The Bill was read a second time on | the voices, and the House rose at midnight.