PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Hastings Standard, Issue 62, 8 July 1896, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

IN HOUSE A%J» C UNTIL. [Br Telkouaimi.] t Frt'iii our Sj,,-rial < / Wellington, this day. The Premier says the Financial Statement is well under wt...igh, and hi h>:e - to be able to make it on Tu - - ■ V next. '1 he Minister of Education wul move that the Bank's Comm t'< fioj i f'i C o'nieil be the lions. I i '< 7 \ 'd , lvt'iT. Li.or. Arkwright, Tmm,.g . Kelly, Onnontl. Ste". ens, L. Walker, and 'W. C. V,\ Ha r. 'When the matter is discuss! d the Hoi;. J. D. < ond will move to strike out of order of reference clause 2, which deals with the writing-off since January Ist. INNS. The snune of the Conned onlv l.i-te i hit i ijiirt i: >m lday. and t! 1< 11 > i )_, ' h I s - n vue read a third time and passed -Sea Fi-h u V Vn d m Supu e Court Act Amendment, and New Zealand Institute oi rturvevors Ihifs. In n on h >. the < t nd i d i of th ■ Thai < ! r 1, \ ' » h ( n i lies tie pre-ei t at 1 1. l I'\ th \ ni hi < f Education explained that clause 27 H ~i \t 1 the 111-i:i - ot it o-i Mho b - toie Is 1 e i <. 11n business as chemist and druL'cist. Clause :-Jl proG1 d foi li i ( 1 drug sellers, and i n u\ 1 f i the hardships comp i ltd r f under last year's Bill, which p> \ m d business that goes on in country stores in well-known inedit i - ( lausu -IS, among the exemptions includes, ''herbalists" or •' bot n a Jieniists."' (iovernment conNidt u 1 that for the protection of the community prescription' medicines should he hedged round, but the byelaws of corporations would have to be approved by Government. After a few remarks by the Hon. Mr Ivelly, the second reading was agreed to. The Mini-Cer of Mines moved the 1 adir,? of the Gold Duties Act \ i ent Bill, a technical measure 1 I s agreed to. -Ur t row, late secretary to Mr Ward, has been appointed private secretary to the Premier in the place of Mr Gray, appointed to Hansard staff. The appointment of Mr W. B. Edwards to the vacant judgship having been announced to the House the Leader of the Opposition complimented Government on the selection and said, amid cheers, that they had done a graceful act. As complaints have been made of defective reporting on the part of some members of the Hansard stall, the Premier says it is intended in future that each reporter shall mark on the' proofs the work performed by him, and then the competency displayed Ineach reporter will be shown. The four members appointed that day—Messrs Kay, Gray, Hyde, and Cameron—had all had newspaper experience, and were first-class men. Government intend in a few days to move for the appointment of a Select Committee to inquire into the whole management of the Press Association and its dealings with the general public. The terms of the appointment of the new commandant of New Zealand is for five years. It was made on the recommendation of the War Ofhee. In introducing the Reprt sentation Act Amendment Bill, the Premier claimed that the measure was a complete answer to assertions that Government were riding for a fall, and that it was intended to give four additional members to the North Island, leaving the South Island representation as at present. The present basis was to be maintained. The census returns showed the quota under altered arrangements to lie 11,79::) population per member. The North Island would be entitled to 83-76 members, and the South to 36'24. This practically meant that the North Island would gain two and three-quarter members which the South Island would of course lose. In place of one Board of Commission it was intended to have a board for each island so as to facilitate the readjustment of boundaries. In the work of readjustment, greater care should be taken to" have community of interest. Some of the divisions in the past had not been satisfactory (hear, hear). Though it was not included in the Bill, he was inclined to think that the constant chopping and changing of boundaries was not desirable. He believed that with the vigorous Land for Settlement policy which the Minister of Lands intended going on with in the South Island, there would be a cessation of population drifting northward. Clutha- Mackenzie, speaking as a couptry member, thought that three classes" of electorates ought to be provided for—firstly city constituences, with the largest number of electors, secondly, boroughs, with a population of 2,000, with a smaller quota ; and back country districts, with the smallest quota. The area of some of the back districts was almost as great as Scotland itself. The Minister of Lands said that if" the Comissioners went into the question of boundaries and quota there would be no chance of getting a readjustment in time for the next election. Mr Collins agreed with th« member for Ciutha as to the evtl of allowing

ri. i'ok; living in cities to have three vote;-;. In his opinion voting at dectir I<l bo on lv-'identinl j •!•;.]; Setttic I i riion tlic! liiii Sir Robert Sto it i t I 1 :;o re ten i. ion of ( olonel 1 hiuit:i■ , ])r Mi.: . and Mr ' o of Can! vrbury ;:>s non -political m of the cfmiiai' sion, which dre' Air V- li a ;. : thai i'v thret' v.-cro incompetent tuv tho worn. The Premier, in reply, said thui he could not agree to the three gentlemen named being again appoiuted as nonofiieial Commissioners. They were past the time of life which fitted them for travelling about the colony and 11.'wing the boundaries of districts winch they would he required to adjust. It was not a fitting time to law a town v. country light. If the qti -non were raised at a future time, and he was not in possession of the ' "(]' 1 i nhes, then he should struggle as he did in IKNI for an increased quota for the country. Ho far as he could see the general election would take place about the same time as it did three yuirs ago. As to the objections rais< d in the course of the d; bate n gainst plural voting, he thought the country demanded its abolition, and that all the electors should have one vote, and one vote only. A measure to that effect would he introduced before the sc-sion closed. In conclusion, the Premier said that on Friday next lie would place before the House the non-official members whom it was proposed to appoint, and he thought their names would give general satisfaction. The second reading was then assented to, and the Bill was taken as a matter of urgency and passed through Coi tun ill oe without ai it cn d men t. The Criminal Code Amendment Bill passed its final stage. An amendment by Mr G. W. Kelly to make the age of consent eighteen in place of .sixteen, as provided in the Bill, was rejected by 86 to 18. The Premier said that he was in favor of the amendment, but the adoption would mean killing the Bill in tho Council, to which Mr G. W. Russell rejoined, "lam sick of hearing that we must not pass anything because it will be thrown out in the Council. Let us stifle that cry, and if the Council persist let us throw them out." The Premier's Old Age Pensions Bill provides that after the passing of the measure every person attaining tho age of G5 shall be entitled to not less than five nor more than ten shillings per week for the rest of his life, provided he had resided not less than twenty years in the colony, of which the last three must have been continuous, and not been absent from' the colony more than eighteen months. Several means for raising the wind for the payment of these pensions are provided, any one of which following modes Parliament may adopt:—Primage duty on imports, wages tax on all wages and salaries between :30s per week and the income-tax exemption, a reduction of the income-tax exemption, a graduated land and income-tax, an increase of the graduated land-tax, an increase of the death duties by graduation, and by removing the exemption as between husband and wife, or increase of the stamp duties by graduation. The Bating on Unimproved Value Bill was reported from Committee last night with several amendments. The Criminal Code Act Amendment Bill and the Representation Act Amendment Bill were read a third time and passed. Owing to some unaccountable bungle an incomplete copy of the Old Age Pension Bill was put on the table of the House yesterday. An amended measure now circulated fixes the pension at 10s per week. Another point of difference is the wages tax is struck out, and a beer duty ia \. ticket tax, tax on entertainments, tax on mortgage. and the totalisator tax, or such other forms as Parliament may think fit is substituted. In the Council a lengthy debate is expected this afternoon, and the capabilities are that the Hon. Mr Ormond's amendment will be defeated.