THE COUNCIL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 893, 12 August 1910, Page 6

THE COUNCIL.

PETITIONS. When the Council resumed yesterday, The Hon. j. E. (Wellington), on behalf of. the Public - Petitions Committee (which had reported on Wednesday : that. a number' of. anti-gambling petitions referred to .it had been found to' be informal fui- various reasons), moved that nino of. the twenty-seven petitions ehouldvbo referred .to the Government for consideration. .'Most of the petitions were from the Auckland province, and recommended the suppression of gambling and the abolition of the bookmaker.' : The', committee thought it would be wise to refer the formal petitions to the Government for the purpose of having something done. A committee did not usually make Tecommendations on petitions when their .subject matter was before Parliament, l)ut in this case the question was only before the House in an. indefinite way. t The petitions which wero 'not irregular would be dealt with later on, probably the following day. • •

The Hod. W. Bl.'.Tni AN- (Auckland) thought people should know that one man could not sign a petition on behalf of a 'number.of people, as appeared to have been dono in sbmo cases. l The'habit of pasting one sheet, on to another and leaving on the printed heading was also wxong,. and ' each sheet a 6eparate petition. The erasing of names was another informality.* Much troublo and expense could be saved if the'public knew tiicso things. The Hon.-6. JONES (Otago) urgod.that tho motion be amended-'by the insertion of. the words ."favourable consideration." There was, • he said. really nothing: .. to show-,that the petitions; were not quite genuine. There ..was a huge movement against" tho. great 'vice of gambling one end of tho-Dominion to the othei. This vice was eating' the heart out of our social, moral, and.-economic existence. There was* nothing before Parliament at present to sliow, that, the Government was going ;to 'take any . action, : but ho. hoped and believed something: was to bo done. He. .trusted that the small word "favourable," which would be just'enough and not too inu'ch, encouragement, to the Government, which was; going to attempt to dp away with the vico of gambling, would be reinserted by the Council. It had been in the resolution when it was in committee, and had been thrown out by one vote only. He therefore' moved that it be relnserted. • ' ' • •

-. '{h? motion was. carried as amended, the petitions named being f referred to tho Government for favourable consideration.