WOMEN & PARLIAMENT

Evening Star, Issue 16912, 9 December 1918, Page 6

WOMEN & PARLIAMENT

MR M’COMB’S AMENDMENT SHELVED. The Prime Minister (Hon. Mr Massey) informed the House on Saturday night that ho proposed to ask it to deal with tho amendment put into the Legislative Council Amendment Bill under which women wore made eligible as members of Parliament. He at first thought oi asking the House to appoint managers to confer with tho Council, which disagreed with tho amendment, but he now thought that course was not necessary. He preferred to ask the House not to insist, on its amendment, which, he _ considered, had be°n inserted in the Bill in a manner slifditly irregular and_ unconstitutional. This was a great constitutional question, ami ought not to be carried by a sidewind. It ought to be part of a separate Bill, and he gave the House a promise that it would have an opportunity of considering this important matter next session, either by resolution or by Bill. The Minister of Finance eaid he favored women sitting in Parliament but he wanted to see the change brought about in a proper nmnner. 110 also f:i%ored vernen being put into tho Legislative Council. They could not be worse than some of tne present members of that branch oi the Legislature. , , r , T AD M’Gombs rebutted Mr Masseys statement that the amendment was unconstitutional, on the ground that Mr Speaker had ruled it in order. In declining to ask for a conference, tho Prime Munster was pursuing an irregular course, iho Legislative Council had already passed a resolution that women should be eligible to sit in Parliament as soon as the House passed a similar resolution, and it was the Council that was out of order in going back on the Prime Minister’s decision. The Prime Minister, in replying, said the House had not had an opportunity to properlv consider tho question, and somo members did not know the amendment referred to Parliament and not meicly to tho Legislative Council. Though technically in°order, the amendment was improoor, irregular, and an unconstitutional

OHO. • i j r -rv On a division, the House decided by ol) to 18 not to insist on its amendment. Following is the division list :

Ayes (30). Noes (18). Allen Anstoy Ballard Craigio Colvin Dickson, J. M C. Dickie Dickson, J. S. Fraser, P. Field, W. H. Hornsby Fraser. Sir W. M'Calhun Darns M Combs Homes Parr Hudson Payne Hunter Poland £r igs fX s. o. Mac Donald Stewart Malcolm ' Sykes Mander ialbot Massey Veitch Myers. Wright Newman, B. Nos worthy Pearco Pomare Rhodes, T. W. Russell Scott Smith, R> W. StidhamUrn Wiird Young AGGRIEVED WOMEN. A deputation of protesting women in regard to tlio Council's action with respect to Mr M'Combs’s amendment waited | on tho Loader of tho Council (Sir F. D. Bel!) on Saturday. The deputation wore introduced by Mr Downie Stewart, M.P., and the speakers were Miss M. E. Goad (president of tiro Women Teachers’ Association), 'disc M. Nidi oils (who spoke on behalf of university women graduates), and (Miss E. Howes (representing the kindergarten institutions). Sir F. D. Bell, in tho course of his reply. said; Although perhaps _ fully acquainted with the general politics of the country, the deputati m were evidently not acquainted with the n ethod of dealing with constitutional questions in a constitutional way. There was only one way in which a groat constitutional question, such as that proposed, could ho dealt with, and that was by tho bringing down of a BUI which would he fully debated and

considered by both Houses of Parliament. Instead of the. House sending up a Bill to the Council which tho Council would have passed, it had taken an advantage, which the deputation evidently did' not know w>aa an unfair one, of a Bill amending a. technical defect In the constitution of tho Council. Tho Hon-o of Representatives bad taken the advantage of tacking to lb an amendment which the Council had not had a proper opportunity of considering. The matter before the Council was not that of women's right to sit in Parliament at all. Upon tho question of women sitting in Parliament neither the Council nor the House had had a proper op[x>rtmiity of discussion. It was a matter of a great constitutional change. It was obvious that .if a Bill had boon sent up from the whole House it would have passed the Council as a matter of course. Hie only matter tho Council would have considered was whether tho nominative principle would be applied, not by the electors, hut by the Government of the day. The Council had. never denied that If ’it was right for women to sit in the House they should have tho same right to sit in tho Council. Was there not the greatest possible difference between tho rights of women to submit themselves to election and the right of an unpopular Ad-nnubtratin-n to appoint women to whom women objected to kit in Parliament? It was an absolute and accurate fact that if tho Lower House had passed a Bill granting the right of representation to women that Bill would have passed tho Council without any question or objection. The House had endeavored to effect a constitutional change- by a. course which had given neither the Council nor the House a proper and constitutional way of dealingwith the question-. He hoped that when women did como into- Parliament they would see that on the eye of a General Flection a great constitutional change was not made except by constitutional methods.