HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 4913, 13 May 1887, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Yesterday. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Replying to questions it was stated :— that the Government could not recommend : a reduction to five Ministers, and that Ministers' salaries -were not considered ' excessive in view of the large demands made on them. That no steps had been * taken to put a stop to glove fights, as they, were not considered illegal so long as a "brei...«-pl the peace was not committed.' That the chargGfuof members.of the Waste Lands Boards in Allckiaiifiu,. Wellington, ... and Dunedin were according to the Land • Act, but a saving might be; effected if fewer meetings were held. Circulars hadbeen sent out to that effect. That tho report of Mr Blackett's retirement from the Public Works Department was utterly without foundation.

: Mr Beetham moved the second reading of the Wellington Harbor Reclamation Bill. Mr Larnach said the Government would not oppose the bill, but he would propose an amendment in committee. —The motion was agreed to. This bill was committed and passed through without amendment. ;

The Nelson Foreshoreßeserve Bill elicited " a lengthy discussion in committee, several members objecting , to .the clause providing that the Nelson Corporation should not ba liable for any mortgage. Mr Bryce eventually moved to report progress, -which was lost by 26 to 21.—Clause 4 was discussed at " much length, Mr Rolleston, Mr Conolly, Dr. Newman, and others strongly, protesting ' against the action of the Minister of •' Mines in declining to read to the House a report of the marine engineer on the matter. —Mr Larnach said that members-asked him. to do what was wrong in principle, and . ke would decline to do it.—Mr Fulton eaid it was the duty of those who had any interest in the welfare of the colony to see that '.the bill did not Mr Rolleston * moved that the chairman leave the chair. He said they should not allow thebillto proceed till the information asked for was l supplied by Ministers.—Mr Larnach said he had read, the-report to. the committee. Mr Bryce asked were there no other reports ? If Mr Larnach replied in the affirmative ho (Mr Bryce) would withdraw his opposition.—Mr Larnach said it was. very unusual to produce departmental papers in the House, and he would declineto produce them.—Mr W. F. Buckland asked who was to pay the mortgage ?—Mr Levestam said the Government would pay i it.—The debate was interrupted by the 5.30 .1 adjournment. - .-■••■' The House resumed at 7.30. The Sydenham Borough Council Empowering Bill was read a third time and -.-■ passed. Sir Julius Vogel moved the second reading of the Women's Suffrage Bill. He asked members not to treat the bill m a frivolous spirit, as he was not proposing it for the sake of novelty. It could , be strictly defended on logical grounda. -He asked members whether the intellectual, powers of women were so much below those of rntsn as to exclude them from the franchise? -' Hβ held that 'vrith. cultivation the intellectual powers of women would be developed quite as highly as those of the male sex. No one could deny that women could speak readily, nor that they possessed thoughtfulness and sympathy, and powers of endurance. These qualities fully made up for their physical inferiority. He could not disguise the fact that if they were admitted to the franchise, admission to share in the Govern- -' niqiit of the country must follow. The glorious reign of Queen Victoria was an argument in favor of his contention. The laws made in the past had not dealt fairly with women, and it was right that their assistance should be called in to deal with matters peculiarly affecting them—in fact, with all subjects of social importance. Man, consulted woman constantly in all ~■ stages of life', and why not on public mat- ■ tersF Of late years the old prejudice , against the appearance of women in public capacities had rapidly been dissipated. Hβ was persuaded that the full emancipation of the female sex would be followed by a vast good to the communty in general. If it were urged that women would become less attractive to men, he would ask what right had the latter to ask women to sacrifice their intellectual capacity to them? It might be asked_ if the justice of his remarks were so self-evident, how was it that female suffrage had not been granted long ago instead of leaving it to this little country to set the example ? The reply might probably be found in the fact that while in Great Britain the franchise qualification was largely a property one the qualification here -was mostlyresidential, and it was only quite lately that women had been encouraged to become property holders. He besought the House no longer to outlaw women.—Mr Moss said that out of his, deep reverence and great regard for women he would vote against the bill. They had not the experience, and ho hoped they never would have, that men possessed.. Their mission was to purify and elevate, and he did not care to see them dragged down by having to become familiar with the lowest scenes of human, life. After a long discussion, the following ■>. division was taken for the second, reading.: —Ayes, 40—Ballance, Barroh; Bryce, Buchanan, F. W. Buckland, Conolly, Cowan, Dargaville, Dobson, Duncan, litzherbert,.F. H. Fraser, W. Fraser, Fulton, Gore, Hislop, Ivess, Jones, Joycei Lake Macarthur, M'Kenzie, Mitchelson, Mont- -' goinery, Newman, O'Conor, Peacock, Pyke, . . Reese, Reid, Rolleston, . Ross, Russell, ' Smith, J. W. Steward, Stout, T. Thompson, Trimble, Wilson. Noes, 22—Bevan,' Bracken, Bruce, Fisher, Guinness, Hamlin, Lance, Larnach, W. J. S.. Mackenzie. M'Millari, Moss, • O'Callaghah, , Pearson, Pratt, G. F. Richardson, Samuel, Seddon, Taylor, J. W. Thomson, Tole, Walker, Whyto. Pairs—Ayes—Wilson, Hatch, Levestam, Hobbs, J. C. Buckland, Fsrgus Cadman, D. Stewart. Noes—Menteath, Sutter, Holmes, Moat, Turnbull, Garrick, Richardson, Kerr.—Sir Julius YegePs name was omitted by an error of the tellers ' frein the ayes. " . - ;