THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 318, 3 October 1908, Page 7

THE COUNCIL.

SECOND BALLOT BILL. The Legislative . Council met yesterday at 2.30 p.m. The report of the- managers appointed by the two Houses to deal with the amendments to tho. Second .Ballot Bill was read. The managers . recommended, that Clause 19 be /deleted, arid that the Council's amendments in other clauses he agreed to. .. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL (Hon. Dr. Findlay) mcyed that the report be agreed to. ' The Hon. R, A. LOUGHNAN (Wellington) ' congratulated the managers and the Council on the result; attained, and attributed the excision of the " gag;" clause to the protests made in tho Council. The report ;was agreed to. FROMrTHE HOUSE. Tho Infants Amendment Bill, Local Bodies' Loatis Amendment Bill, and Waipuka Block Road Revesting Bill were received from' 'the House of Representatives and - read a first time. The amendments made by the Lower House in. tho Justices of the Peace Amendment Bill and the Harbours Amendment Bill were agreed to. " DEFENCE AMENDMENT BILL. The Defence. Amendment Bill, which deals chiefly with matters of volunteer discipline as summarised in yesterday's Dominion, was read a second •■ time on the motion of the Attorney-General. Its passage unamended was subsequently completed. ' ; ; ADVANCES TO SETTLERS. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL (Hon. Dr. Findlay) moved the second reading of the Government Advances to Settlors Amendment' Bill, which has passed through the Lower House. " • The Hon. W.VW. M'CARDLE (Auckland) asked, when the Government would be able to fully resume lending operations under the Act. , Ho had received many'inquiries from settlers..' Tho ATTORNEY-GENERAL said he understood tho. Minister for Lands was taking all •possible steps to have the urgent needs of settlers met at the earliest possible date. Tho Bill was put through all remaining stages without ■ amendment. • ' IMMIGRATION RESTRICTION AMEND- : MENT BILL; The ATTORNEY-GENERAL ' (Hon. Dr. Findlay) moved tho second reading of tho Immigration Restriction Amendment Bill. The Hon,,J. T.,EAyL.(Otagp) asked if the Minister.; cqiild give any information as to tho recent n lfffgo; influx ,of Chinese. He.; understood'. i;hat .ships had lately been bringing, as many Chinese as wero allowed for." their,' "tonnage, { and ...that,.a ;l . ship - recently .arrived; at"Sydney carrying 90 Chinese, and; tfe's tumbling, over one another in'.their: haste to-be transhipped'to New Zealand. He did not know if tho Act last: year or this amendment .was. tho causp of:the influx, but ho hoped the authorities would ta.ko every caro to restrict the immigration of Chinese. . • .

, THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL replied that public feeling was too well known and too pronounced to admit of any other course being! followed. JJo knew of no great recent influx of Chinese, and lie did not' think ■there was any cause for alarm.' The Bill was put through all its stages without amendment. PALMERSTON NORTH DAIRY SCHOOL. The/ ATTORNEY-GENERAL (Hon. Dr. Findlay), in moving the'- second rea.ding of the Palmerston North Dairy School Reserve Bill, explained that the Manawatu A. and P.; Association had agreed to give up to the Government'two' roods sixteen perches of the. showground for the purposes of a dairy school, and the Government, if the Bill was passed; would discharge from trusts certain other lands of about equal value held by the association and vest those lands absolutely in-.the association. The Hon. G. JONES (Ofcago) said there should be many more experimental stations and. dairy'schools.' ' _ The Hon. J: ANSTEY (Canterbury), in the' course of' discussion, urged that two experimental stations should bo established in the South Island. ' The / ATTORNEY-GENERAL: Members overlook the reason why all those experimental stations are in the North' Island. Education is given according to the need of it.-. South Island farmers know so much that it would be a. waste of time .to try to teach them. (Laughter.) Proceeding, Dr. Findlay. omphasised the enormous extent /to which the. State had become tho educator of the people'in'.their efforts to earn a living. This kind : of. work could not bo extended too \videly_ or too rapidly: Tho Hon. Mr. M'Nab had his heart in and if ho retained his present position lis would do much moro in the matter than .bad yet been done. The Bill was read a second, time, and .was subsequently put' through the rcmainir.f stages without..Amendment. °

/ PUBLIC BODIES' LEASES BILL. Tho Public Bodies' Leasis Bill wasfurther considered m Comhiittee, and on the motion of- the Attorney-General Clause 14 was amended so as to make the Bill adoptive by providing that; all Orders-in-Council under the. Public Bodies'. Leasing Powers Act shall continue iri ; "force'until revoked by Order-in--Council, with the consent of the leasing authority." ' a : The Bill was_ reputed. ■ BILLS PASSED. The Local Bodies' Loans Amendment Bill and.Waipuka Block Road Revesting Bill were put through all. stages unamended. . WIDTH OF STREETS. On tiio -motion to go into Committee on the Public .Works Act Amendment Bill (allowing'various streets to bo made on hillsides), it was suggested by tho -Hon. C. Louisson that the ,BilL should'apply only to Wellington. • The Hon. ,GV M. LUIvE held that other cities needed the-Bill also. The Wellington Hospital Trustees were suffering loss for want of the concession placed in the Bill. After further, discussion the debate -was adjourned, on the motion of the Hon. J. Anstey, and the Council at 5 p.m. adjourned until 11 a.m.-on Monday.