PARLIAMENT.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 293, 4 September 1908, Page 9

PARLIAMENT.

; \ THE MUNICIPAL FRANCHISE. MR, FISHER'S BILL KILLED. HARBOUR boards and borrowing. The-.most .interesting Parliamentary event ' .of /yesterday afternoon was; the; killing of tho Municipal .Corporations. Aot Amendment .Bill by tho Legislative Council. This was - tho little Bill with-which. Mr. Fisher, sought .to make the Parliamentary-franchise apply to municipal elections. . It passed through the Lower House'with the assistance of tho Prbmier.'. lii' the Council yesterday Dr. Findlay.-, repeated the Government's endorsement, and.justified it on tho ground that tlio existing residential qualification • amounted to pretty much the samo thing as the Parliamentary' franchise, if only : people ; cared to qualify by moans of-a sort of legal subterfuge. When Mr. Kennedy Macdonald, , after denouncing. the Bill as uncalled-for, crude and badly .drifted, concluded by moving that it be read'a' second timo six months henco ' tho debate became animated.' There was a . strilnng; contrast, between Captain Tucker's claim that ..property aiono should control municipal affairs and 'the contention .of Mr. - Jones, Mr. Barr, and othor members that property's contribution' to the local revenue 1 was.drawn from tenants, who were therefore equally-with the : owners entitled to .voting power/ -The Bill was thrown - out' by 22 i votes to seven; The Council agreed to the ■ second''readings of-tho' Destitute Persons ■Amendment Bill and the Counties Amendment/Bill, and made some progress with local .8i115.;.. • '... . v - The Houso the ; whole: of. the aftorroonrand ovening in passing local Bills. All 1 the Bills'on the Order Paper (ten) wero completed.' 'In the evening Mr. Laurenson b'roko out .in a denunciation of the large borrowing conferred on harbour boards in the past , day or two, , and said the country .becoming "borrowing mad" and "going ■Di for a financial drunk." -The Primo Minister; Mr. Massey, and other members re°plied. j Subsequently a number of "small Government Bills were put through various stages. • The House rose at 12.20. '