A MENACE TO PROPERTY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 327, 14 October 1908, Page 4

A MENACE TO PROPERTY.

DEFEATED BY THE UPPER HOUSE. Ail end-of-the-session incident which has scarcely received the attention it deserved was the killing, by the Upper House, of tils Thames Borough Gas Bill—a measure which had.had a troublesome career in "another place." The Hon. J. M'Gowan,, who introduced it, hoped by means of it to enable, the borough of Thames to set up gasworks of its own, or, as a likely alternative, to cause the local gas company to sell oil what Mr. M'Gowan called reasonable terms. When members came to examine the Bill, many of them ; recognised in it an invasion of. the rights of private property, and as such likely to have grave effects far beyond the boundaries of the borough of Thames; The Bill was referred in the ordinary course to the Local Bills Committee, which reported that it was a private Bill. It was then sent to the Joint Committee on Bills, for this point to be dccided, and on the casting vote of the chairman (Mr. R. M'Kenzie) this body declared that it was a local Bill. The matter was debated in the House when the report was presented, and there was some plain speaking as to the nature of the measure. , The. Hon. J. A. Millar came out, as a forcible opponent, of tlio tactics being pursued by his colleague. He Quoted the Standing Orders, on which lie is an acknowledged authority, to 6how that the Bill was a private Bill, and should be dealt with under the far more striiigent procedure followed in the case of such measures, , and he arguod forcibly that the company, having been obliged to obtain its powers by means of a private Bill, would be, aijd iv ulicqnstitiitionallj if those poVers" wore)' tampered' with by meaiiji, of, a, local. Bill,, 51r,;flrppfrHji"d(?clafed that "the company' liafl had a monopoly, for 35 years. It transpired during ' the debate that the Law Draughtsman and the Counsel to the Law Drafting Office had stated that the Bill was a private-Bill. However, the momber for Thames stuck to his guns, and tlio report was adopted by 31 votes to 29. The Bill went, back to the Local Bills Committee, and was ajjain reported to the House, this time amended so as to exclude from its operation the area which constituted the Borough of Thames when the company obtained its statutory privileges. The question was debated again on "local Bills day" last Friday, but again Mr. M Gowan was obdurate. He got the Bill restored to its original form and faesed. - As soon as it reached the. Council, the ouestion of local Bill or private'Bil! was raised by the Hon. Sir. Callan. The Speaker,, after taking time to consider, ruled that the measure was a private Bill) and could therefore only procecd that session if the Standing Orders applying to the case were suspended. A debate 'ensued, ending in the killing of the Bill through the defeat by 17 votes to 11 of a motion to suspend the, Standing Orders. "The Council has justified its existence," was the comment of one member.