HOUSE Of REPRESENTATIVES.

Grey River Argus, 23 September 1911, Page 6

HOUSE Of REPRESENTATIVES.

(Per Press Association) WELLINGTON, Sept. I J2. The House met at 2.30. Sir Joseph Ward informeu" the House that ''tihe report of the Elec toral Boundaries Commissiom wou\J not be available beforei Monday.The report of the. Imperial Conlt.rence would be ready on Thursday cv^n in,g .next. The House; went an'to committee on tho estimates. . Mr Massey's amcn'dmeriit to reduce he vote of ,£1,350 for the Legislative Gouinciil salaries Iby five pounds as an indication .that the; Council should -be made elec'ive, was if.urtb.ex considered. Spealoing to the amendment, Mr Masssy said that ho was strongly of the opinion that the elections should be on the proportional representation system. Hon. Mr FbwJds was certain tha' the time was coming" when. the. present system Avould .have to 'be altered. When' tho matter ume to be settled i-b would bei found that the" Upper House could not be elected on the same franchise ".a s ! 'the General Assembly. H e 'thought that a portion of th-ci Council should b'ci nominative to allow rnon: who had done good service for the couiyry to have ci place there.

Mr Jennings beli&ved that the nominative- system had done good work.

Mr Fisher said that if men wore appointed to the Upper Houso for public sciiViice or for their knowledge of public aaffi.r?, there would .not be so much against the system, bu'^ immigrants and pcoplo who had mover uttered a single sentiment in thenr lives had been appointed.

Mr Hcrries contended that the members an the Council now represented tha Premier, because lie ap-podnt-cd them. The same position would apply to any Premier. Mr McLarom held that Mr Massey's amendment was design-cd to catch the unwary. After further discussion, the amendment was negatived on a divbicm by 27 against 22. M.r Hsher then m-oved to reduce the amount >by as an lndicatran .■that the. Upper House should be abolished. The. amendment was negatived by 44 to 13.. Mr J. F. Thomson moved to reduce the item , by as an indication that thri Legislative Council fhoukl be elected by the House of Rcpre-

sen.tatives. \ The House then adjourned. EVENING SITTING. O,n th e resumption of the House in

the ovenmg-, Sir Joseph Ward, speaking- to Mr. Thompson's amendment, sa id that the proposed system would not suit 'the country, and it was idle to move lor an alteration in the constitution on the item in the: estimates. He was prepared, at -the proper time to submit a wall matured and -workable scheme. He would .oppose' the amendment. Mr Massey saiid that if they could net a-mend the. Upper Housei, in which the. majority of the people hed lost confidence- as at present constituted, ha would vote fc ( r its abolition. Hi« idea was that the Council should t'e more independent than -the House. On that ground ha would make the term six years, half the! members rebiirJaq; ©very three years. Sir J. G. Ward i n further .reply pointed out that the different secuoin of the. public -should Jiave a \o:cc in l,hc Upper House, and '.liar =»hi-y had now. He was opposed t 0 fcm- election of a Council, on a sinnMar franchise as the House, and was rto.ic'ly opposed to. a restricted lran"hv;c He was not prepared "to commit himself to a regular batch matter :h:it -I i u!d go t 0 the country. Mr Fraser said ha would !;e <vii!iifying- himself if he voted for the amendment. Mr Thompson's amendment was negatived by 39 to 8. \ Mr Massey asked the Pre-mier i? hn would bring in the promised leg-is-Ja-tion following on the Hine C'i«-nmis-sion making it iimpossiblc for members of Parliament to accept ihs Coornission as far as the -transac-ions' of Government was concerned in or selling land to' the Government. Sir J. 'G. Ward said it was lot the nicest possible thirn/g to legislate, to keep .members straight.- Hp. desired tha,*- the object could be attained "by the alteration of the Standing Orders. Sir J. G. Ward said in -lihe new sys'em lie proposed to introduce charges for one subscribsr >in exchanges not open continuously- -would be> unaltered, for two subscribers up to one mile the charge would 'be £3 10s, for three £A 5s -6d. Subscniibc-rs o>n one mile up to three miles reduced to £3, fc'usiiness ,ocininect/iqns would ibie, .£1 extra. Frc.m three: to five miles ihc charges would bei £1 extra. From three to five miles the charge- was £6 each, plus £7 4s for capital charge for the first year, this to bs reduced £& 8s wilhoiit any charge nn capital cost for thei 'ftrstl year. Ten miles £8 Bs, plus £8 10s against £U 4s he.rtofore. The system will allow settlers -o .get the telephone -at a cheap rate. Assistance will i/el given to private lines. Hen'ntended going farther into the whole question.. The total vote pas~ed. The House rose at 1.50 a.m.