POLITICAL GOSSIP

Evening Star, Issue 9833, 23 October 1895, Page 4

POLITICAL GOSSIP

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WELLINGTON. October 23. the Half-Holiday. Last night’s sitting of the Council was -occupied entirely with the Committee Stage of the Shops and Shop Assistants Bill. Toe 'clause amending the principal Act was struck out and replaced oy new clauses recommended by the Labor Bills Committee. The main differences between these clauses were that the new clauses added " messengers and persons employed to deliver goods ifor closed shops ” to the class of shop assis’tants, and exempted chemists from closing <m the statutory half-holidays, while another new clause was included to* the effect that on the requisition of a three-fifths majority of the shopkeepers in any city or borough desiring that all shops in that city or borough should be closed On Saturday at 9 p.m. the Minister should cause this to be dene. In these added clauses a section including | the bar of a hotel, under the definition of shop, did not appear, no that it ihas been struck out of the Bill.—Mr Peacock moved to amend the principal Act byexempting “ small goods pork butchers ” from the compulsory half-holiday, but this was tost by 14 to 11. —Mr M‘Lean next moved an amendment the effect of which would be to disallow all exemptions irom the compulsory half-holiday.—Mr Jennings asked that an amendment ef so sweeping a character should be postponed.—A motion by Mr Peldtvickl to postpone the clause was lost by to «(*, and Mr M’Lean’s amendment was pal and lost on the voices.—Mr Rigg then moved to strike out the subsection allowing persons selling machinery for harvesting purposes to keep their shops open on the halfholiday during harvest • time, in older to sell such machinery, but this was negatived on the voices.—Mr Peacock next moved a new clause te allow “ small goods pork butchers ” to open after d p.m. on the half-holiday in order to allow them to dispose of their perishable goods. This Was lost by 14 to 10.—Mr Bowen then moved ah amendment to the effect that when a shop is ■“run 7 ’ in connection with a factory, both bring on the same premises, the owner should be allowed to close both on Saturday, instead of keeping the shop open and the clerical staff employed on the weekly half-holiday for the factory, and vice r'-n. The amendment was carried on the voices.—A new clause proposed by the Labor Bills 'Committee, allowing a threefifths majority of shopkeepers to close all shops at 9 p.m. on Saturday, was then considered. —Mr Bonar moved to alter the hour from 9 to 10 p.m., but this was lost on the voices.—On the motion of Mr Feldwick the hour was made optional—either 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., as stated in the requisition of the shopkeepers.—Mr Reynolds moved as a new clause; “ The provisions ef this Act shall apply to all officers of the public service, as also to all local bodies but it was negatived on the voices.—Mr MacGregor moved as a Dew clause: “That in the event of any day other than Saturday being appointed as the closing day for shops in aay district, the shopkeeper who carries on in connection with his shop a factory shall be allowed to elect any other day in lieu of Saturday as the day on which he shall close his factory.”—This was negatived ou the voices and the Bill reported with amendments. A Rebellious House.

There was an unusual scene in the House yesterday afternoon. The business began with the introduction of the Criminal Code Amendment Bill in the name of Mr Mills, which provides for granting leave to counsel for Chemis or any other convicted person to apply for a new trial. Leave to introduce the measure was accorded by 37 to 26, and it was ordered to be set at the head of Friday’s Order Paper by 33 to 30. The Ministry were So incensed at a private member’s fad being allowed to have precedence over Government business at this stage of the session that they determined to block the formal motion ■appertaining to remaining Bills. Accordingly, the House was divided on the introduction of the Leased Lands Acquisition Act Reservation Bill, in the name of the Minister of Lands, but the motion was agreed to by 36 to IS, and over the Premier’s Native Reserves Act Amendment Bill, which was permitted to be introduced by 51 to 15.—1n the course of the discussion, Captain Russell said that members were being told in the lobbies that the steamers were to be retained on Saturday night to take them to their homes, yet here were the Government permitting the session to be unnecessarily prolonged by allowing a private member’s Bill to be proceeded with.—Mr G. W. Russell took Ministers severely to task for bringing down in the closing hours of the session Bills which might reasonably have been disposed of weeks before.

A Diiimlltt Bill* In moving the second reading of the Public Reserves Sale Act Vesting Bill, the Minister o! Lands explained that it was introduced to enable Mr John CoUin, of Dunedin, to bring an action in the Supreme Court to have revested in him part of a reserve near the Water of L-nth, which, by the legislation of four sessions ago, had been vested in the Dunedin Corporation. Several years ago the Water of Leith ran over this piece of land, and it seemed at Mr Colvin still retained the riparian rights.—ln supporting the measure Sir R. Stout said that there were others than M r Colvin whose rights had been interfered with. These property-owners had been interested in this piece of land for over twentylive years, and, without notice being given to them, an Act was passed in 1891 making the land a City Corporation reserve. When in committee the Bill shoujd be amended so as to place those other persons in the same position as Mr Colvin.

A Strong Protest.—Thr Opposition leave Ministers a Very Free Hand. Under the new Standing Orders the House can go into Committee of Supply on Tuesdays without an intercepting motion or debate, and the Premier last night stole a march by going into committee on the Public Works Estimates without permitting a debate on the Statement. This proceeding evoked a stormy speech from Sir It. Stout, who objected to being “ gagged ” in the manner described. —The Premier said that while the Standing Order was in existence any Government in office would take advantage of it. There was no policy disclosed in the Works Statement, and therefore nothing to discuss. —“What about the Midland ’ Railway ?” "queried Mr Allen.—The Premier replied that that matter had been already discussed this session, and £5,000 had been voted.— “ Without law,” interjected Sir R. Stout.— The Premier made answer that the money had been voted and spent under the law of tie House.—As a protest against stifling the ordinary Public Works debate, Sir R. Stout moved to report progress, which Captain Russell supported, saying that unless the motion were carried he should not take any part in the discussion of the Estimates.— The Premier explained that two opportunities would be afforded of ventilating grievances before the session closed. These would be on the Appropriation Bill and on the Supplementary Estimates, which he promised would not be taken IF on a Tuesday.—After considerable debate, in the course of which several Ministerialists deprecated the new departure, the motion to report progress was lost by 37 to 26. Thereupon Captain Russell and the entire Opposition, as also Sir R. Stout, Messrs Earnshaw, Buddo, and G. J. Smith, walked out of the Chamber as a further protest, and took no part in the discussion of The Works Estimates, which went through without alteration, though Mr Pinkerton moved to reduoe the salary of the Under-Secretary for Railways by £IOO, which, however, was lost by 25 to 15. The Liquor BUI. On a request being received by the Legislative Council for a further conference on the Liquor Bill, Mr Reynolds moved that Captain Morris, Messrs J. Kerr, H. Feldwick, J. Rigg, and the mover be appointed managers, to which Mr Feldwick proposed as an amendment that the managers be Messrs Pharazyn, Kelly, Walker, Ormond, and the mover.—The Hon. Mr Shrimski said that the members of the previous Conference had given way upon some very important amendments in the Bill. They had thrown to the winds everything but those points which clashed with their own interests. He referred to the questions relating to clubs

tod He asked if these gentlemen were to go back to the Confer* enoe—these men would sacrifice the interests of the public in order to conserve their own interests. The Council was doing a wrong to itself by its action in this matter. ■“• Mr Kelly held that previous conferences had kept to matters of principle, hbd had given way only on points of small importance. It would ne an unconstitutional thing to send gentlemen to a conference who were determined hot to give way in the slightest degree, fie considered that the Conference had done its bqst ftnnot the circumstances. He Was Of 'opinion that the party to whom eh many points were surrendered by the Council’s managers, but Which refused to allow the QoUnCil to keep the provisions relating to clubs and Bellamy’s, were not Sincere in their demands. —Sir Ceotge Whitmore upheld the action M the Conference, and denied that the gentlemen representing the Council had been influenced by personal motives.— Othef hcu. members thought it unlikely that thn Council’s managers on the. Conference had been influenced by motives ot a personal character. —The debit's continued for an hour and u-haVt, when a division resulted in Mr Reynolds’s motion being lost by 23 to 10 and the amendment of Mr Feldwick being carried by 31 to 1 (Mr Shrimski). Thu managers arc therefore Messrs Ormond, Pharuzyn, W. C. Walker, Kelly, and Feldwick. On the molten of Mr Feldwick it was resolved that the conference be held at 10.3P tbitj morning.

Teachers’ Appeal Court.

When the Public School Teachers’ Incorporation and Court of Appeal Bill was in committee in the Council yesterday the Hon, Mr Montgomery moved a new clause providing that a copy of every rule should be forwarded, within fourteen days after being made, to the registrar, and allowing the Minister to disallow any ride which he considered unfair f6 tKe general body of teachers m a district. This was agreed to on the Voices, and the Bill reported.—On the motion for the third reading Mr MacGregor said that the Bill as passed wohld prove utterly valueless to the teachers, who had looked forward to it as one that would give them relief.—The Bill was then read a third tirAc and passed.

Jottings.

“ Don’t tell lies,” hissed the member for Clutha across the floor of ,the House in the course of a speech by the Premier yesterday afternoon. The expression was immediately withdrawn, and regret expressed for its being used. The Premier was pressed yesterday by the Opposition to indicate when the Bills were to be slaughtered. The Premier replied that if measures were absolutely necessary members would block them.

Mr Crowther saya that when members return to their homes they will have a poor and lame story to tell of the session’s Work. Mr John Wright, hon. secretary of the New Zealand Natives’ Association at Auckland, has forwarded this telegram to the Hon. W, D. Jennings“ Your action in reference to offering facilities for young fellows in New Zealand acquiring maritime training has our entire sympathy.” The Colonial Secretary made complaint yesterday that in addition to the abuse which had been heaped upon the Council by certain “rags of papers,” on a recent occasion, when leaving the Chamber, he had had his ears polluted by, abusive language showered upon himself and the Council by a well-known Prohibitionist who had been listening to the discussions in the Council oh the Liquor Bill. The language he had overheard was of such a character that he could not repeat it there. " “ It would have paid this country to have sent the senior member for Wellington (Sir R. Stout) on a roving commission to the South Seas. The only time that members were able to show what good work could be done was when that hon. gentleman was engaged on private business in the South Island.” Thus the Premier on Sir R. Stout.

The exodus is beginning. The Hon. E. Mitchelson, Mr Millar, and others leave for their homes on Friday. The Lime Lands Acquisition and Reservation Bill has been merely introduced (the Minister of Lands explains) for circulation during the recess. The second reading of the Agricultural and Pastoral Statistics Bill (to enable these statistics to be collected earlier in the year than is the case at present) was agreed to in the House yesterday afternoon without debate.