PARLIAMENT

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LII, Issue 9188, 7 September 1906, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

>m [PBBSS ABBOBIATION.] THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6. The House met at 2.30. QUACKERY AND ' OTHER FRAUDS PREVENTION BILL. Mt Horneby moved the second reading of thk measure, for which, he pleaded necessity, but did not claim perfection. He hoped the House would assist him to make it a useful measure. He had' endeavored to avoid anything of the close corporations order on the one hand and-, the injury of boma fide curatives on the other. He had aimed at the vampires and blackguards who prey upon the ignorant and credulous. He gave several examples of the evils he had discovered, and' acquainted the police with, as evidence, of an infernal traffic that does great mischief. Certain advertisements had been [ withdrawn from New Zealand papers in consequence of some of these representations, but they were appearing again now. The victims of these harpies were to >be 1 found in all the mental hospitals of the, colony. The object of the bill was, ,ip r prevent thei advertisements which kep^, their trade alive. He would welcome, criticism, and he hoped the House would assist his efforts. j ~r Mr Barclay raised a point of order, that people had bean prevented from' entering one of the galleries, whereas r the Orders only gave. power to clear the galleries, not to exclude from them. j The Speaker said ihe had been inform ed before ..the 'House met that certain, matters were likely to be mentioned during the 'passage of this measure, and >he had therefore .instructed . the . orderlies 4a warn ladies .that certain things were likely to be mentioned which it would be undesirable for them to hear. This had kept the ,ladieis' gallery, empty, but he had not given orders to exclude anyone,' Mt Barclay wae perfectly satisfied' with the explanation. The Premier supported the bill. He had heard a good deal about the abominations the bill is earned at during has recent travels. The Postmaster-General of the United States hod enlarged, on the, subject, fiin|ojtai£n^~jiim < Hs«£ fi^liajd^ been obliged to*' secure- legislative Wuctaon for absolutely stopping the delivery through the post office of newspapers and period!- ! cals and circulars containing matter of this nature. Mr 'Hornsby interjected that this djjJI 1 contains such^a provision. ! The Premier was glad to heaT it. He' would 1 say for £he newspapers that when the matter had been brought under their notice by the United States Post Office' some of the leading journals had throws out advertisements worth thousands of dollars. - He went on to condemn the great and growing' ejHJs at which the bill was aimed, evils undermining the peace of families. He hoped the newspapers of the colony ,wouia.«£-operate with all rightthinking men in putting a stop to this abomination. Mr McLachlan attacked Mr Hornsby for his speech, and was called to order several times by the. Speaker. j Mr Sidey supported the bill, and cited a number of reports- and documents in support of Mr Hoxrisby, and pointed ou/t some Committee objections. Mr Hanan congratulated- Mr Hoxnsby on his plain speaking, and pointed out that the measure would catch all those dangerous purveyors of nostrums who escape the operation of the present law. At the same time he thought the bill went too for against the unregistered practitioners. m.t Allan (Bruce)? approved the principle of the bill, but he thought there weste worse things than patent medicines. He dealt at .some lejngth, wish,,thie subject of race* stficade, wßdh/'he" described as a startling fact. The evtfl was national and universal, and wanted the serious 'attention of the ' Goyernmeinfc. The Government, he Bald,' ought to take this bill up, and give it a wider scope and move, comprehensive action. The Opposition, which had never refused help in deeding with social evils, would assist. "Even then the measure would be useless," like maaaiy other attempts made in this country to put down these very evus, without the moat active administration. He would -add, tnat without 'Tousing the moral sense of the nation as ought to be done by its leaders and religious teachers, legislation! | would be ineffectual, as it would -want I the sympathy of the public. He would certainly support the bill, and' he 'hoped that it would be improved by every means within the power of the Legislature. Mt T. Mackenzie liked' the reception the bill had met with, and' added from various sooiroes to the evidence of its. (necessity. He hoped for much irom the proved courage of the officer at the /head' of the Health Department, and said he would vote for the second reading. The Horn. G. Fowlds agreed with the member for Bruce about the difficulty' of administering legislation successfully without the sympathy of the nation. Another difficulty special to this class of legislation lies m drawing the line between beneficial simple remedies and the evils all admit. Mr Hornsby interjected tnat the lone was. drawn in the Bill. The Hon. Mr Fowlds said it wa*rdrawn by making the Chief Health Officer the deciding authority. He would like a less personal method. Tke bill, however, had the favor of the Government, and -would, if it became law, have the best attention of the administration. j Messrs Remington, Poole, Laureneon, j Henries, ' and Barclay supported the bill. ] Mr Massey ha 3 much sympathy with that part of the bill which aimed at evildoers, but he thought its provisions too drastic against' the distribution of simple remedies used in the country districts. The Health Officer was given too much power altogether in this direction.' He would support the second' reading, and hoped for amendment, and would' not ob- j ject to see the Government take the 1 measure over. Mr Heke suggested reference to a joint committee' of Both Houses. After an .hour's further discussion, Mr Hornsby replied, thanking Eon. members for their of the measure, and the bill was read ft second time on the voices. TOTALISATOR ABOLITION BILL. Mr Ell, who moved the second Tending, urged th° House to consider- tfie illegality of the- pos&taoii. The worst gambling machine in the country was encouraged by the Legislature, while restrictions were heaped utkhi n large number of minor gambling evils. The totalisator bad taught many to gamble, youna; people and women who never dreamt of gambling be-

fore its arrival. He cited the example of the President of the United States against gambling in general. He quoted from the judgment of the Christchurch magistrate, a strong condemnation of the totadisator and all its works. Mt Herriesi congratulated the mover on the moderation with which he did bis work. He thought if .his friend would go and see some of the race meetings he would change his mind. He could tell ihjim that the totalisator (jmcreasedi the stakes for racing, and found the. means for improving the grounds. . Was his friend prepared to sweep that away? He assured him that his experience was that the tote enabled the Toeing authorities to keep the sport cleaner and purer. The sport was a thing to consider as. free from all mercenary motives. Surely the hon. gentleman would not go so far as to abolish racing, and racing w<juld be impossible without gambling of some kind, and the totalizator, provided the least objectionable method. Gambling had increased in other .counst/ries wheTe there was no totalisator, as was shown by the Biehop of Hereford's Committee of the House of Lords. , That, Committee found 1 at the, same time .that the betting on the part of racehorse owners had greatly diminished. It was not the machine that, .was at ' the bottom of. f ,the ,evil. It was found the only possible alternative to .the,, clean and honest total?aator was -the, disreputable system with, which v the- bookmaker is, assp-, cuted. He .remembered the f pre-totaliaar f tor t days, ,when .the ,, bookmaker wae -/in . command, • and , he did not v want to see' tlat of things again. '„ -The ,-mimb .r .of bookmakers to t-h» , population waijj far greater, then than it ig now,, and rac-. Ji^-was^lesß clean and less under control." The ,House, adjourniedi at, 11.55.