LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 168, 17 July 1908, Page 7

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

The Legislative Council, met at 2.30 p.m

THE NEW COALFIELD

The Hon. Mr BEEHAN moved that the attention of the Government be called to the reported discovery of an enormous seam of coal near Huntly, Auckland district, and that; the Government make inquiries, with a view to acquiring the property as aVSiate coal-mine for Auckland /and other places. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL intimated that inquiries would be made. The motion was agreed to. LEAVE OF ABSENCE. - Leave of absence for a week was granted to the Hon. Mr Anstey, <6wing to illness in his family.. PURE; MILK. The Hon. Dr COLLINS gave notice to ask the Government .if they would communicate with the authorities in Chicago, asking if the statement were correct that they had established a y distribution of sanitary bottled milk, and what was the cost to the consumer ; further, would the Government consider the establishment of an up-to-date dairy on the S,tate farms, with a view 'to supplying pure milk? 1 MEIKLE ACQUITTAL BILL. This Bill was committed, read a third time and passed. INCORPORATED SOCIETIES» BIEL. This Bill was made the order of the day for Wednesday. ' INFERIOR COURTS PROCEDURE. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the Inferior Courts Procedure Bill, ■which repeals section 76 of the Judication Act (removal •of technical defects) and certain similar provisions in the Justice of the Peace Act, and substitutes more extensive provisions for the purpose of preventing the proceedings of inferior Courts _from being invalidated by technical and formal errors. "InferioY Courts" means any Court but the Supreme and Appeal. Courts.' Dr Findlay briefly reviewed the Bill, claiming that it was a, most necessary measure, not only in the interests of the Law Courts but of the people of the Do- ' minion. He paid a high tribute to the criminal law of New Zealand, which was more advanced than that of any other country in the world. - The Hon. Mr KELLY mentioned the case of a young woman, who was recently conVicted of stealing a purse and sentenced to a term of imprisonment, and compared this with instances of assault in which fines of 25s or some such amount were inflicted. From this it appeared to him that efforts were made to protect pro-

perty and not the individual. The Hon. Mr SAMUEL thought ' ' that ihe District Courts, which were doing good work, should be exempted from the term' "Inferior Courts." ' The Bill was one eagerly looked for by • legal men. .- The. Hon. Dr FINDLAY said that he was not averse to the District Gourts being placed on the same designation as » Supreme * and Appeal Courts under the Bill. to the Native Land Courts, it was questionable whether they should be exempted, and before the Bill reached Committee he should like to' have the opinion of the legal Members of the Council. The second reading was carried, and the Bill ordered to be committed next day. DECLARATORY JUDGMENTS. The second reading of the Declaratory Judgments Bill was moved by the Attorney-General, who explained ■'that provision was made under the measure to enable local bodies to determine their right to borrow by taking proceedings .in Court, and said that it wojild be of assistance to trustees, who had at times to take risks at their peril. ( > The motion was agreed to, and -' committal made the order for next day. CORPORATIONS' CONTRACTS. The ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading of the Corporations' Contracts Bill, which provides mainly that all contracts by Corporations in future shall be. governed, by the same rules which govern like contracts between individual persons. The motion was agreed to. The Council rose at 3.30 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. THE BARE MAJORITY. A further batch of petitions was presented, asking, for the bare majority in licensing polls. UNEMPLOYED. Replying to a question, the Prime . Minister said that there was plenty of work on the Government works in .•■ the country for "the Auckland unemployed if they carfed to apply. FIRST READINGS. The following Bills were read a first Jtime: Wellington Harbour Board Reclamation and Empowering Bill, No. 2 (Mr Wilford), Waimate North County Bill (Mr Major), Destitute Persons Act, 1894, Amendment Bill (Mi- Fisher).' ■ ; FINANCIAL DEBATE. Mr REID resumed the Financial ■ Debate. He said that Ministers should visit their constituencies more often than~once every three years. He advocated quinquennial Parliaments. The tightness of the money market was due to the borrowing of lecal bodies. He supported the backblocks roading policy, the increase of the naval subsidy and the special land settlement proposals. The prosperity of the Dominion was. due chiefly to the ... prices of the staple ,/, commodities, for which the Government was not responsible. The public debt was increasing at- too great- a rate, but the proposal to borrow £1,----250,000 was justified. The low rate of interest here showed that the people were unwilling to invest money in ■ industries, but preferred gilt-edged •securities. Mr Reid then made some references to bimetallism, and said that if-silver were legal tender to any amount, gold stocks would not be depleted, and "the rate of discount would be kept down. Mr FLATMAN said that he had never heard the Government take credit for a rise in the prices of the stai>le commodities. The Opposition had no grounds for claiming credit for Liberal measures. They were inconsistent in their criticisms of the Government's financial policy. The dominant note of the Budget was sounded in the statement that the prosperity of the Dominion continued. The worker should beware of Onposition sophistry. He supported the special land settlement proposals. L>

rigation should be paid for by the seotler, and not by the-Government. Jrle. referred'- to the progress of railway,, construction, and complimented the Hon. Mr Hall-Jo'nes..on^;Hsy brilliant administration of the public works. V'i'he Arbitration Act must be amended in the direction ci: guaranteeing industrial peace. Mr ALLEN (Bruce) referred to the previous speaker as the Government's ''corner man." He asked if the Government were proud of the Arbitration Act. He did not believe in putting the forking man in gaol. It was bad policy to raise land valuations in order to borrow more money. The Government had borrowed from the Post Office and Friendly Societies, and repaid £800,000 Imparial guarantee debentures with borrowed money. The State coal-mines were losing concerns. The expenditure on irrigation in Central Otago had long been promised. ■ Replying to the allegation that the Opposition voted against all Liberal measures, he referred to 'education, female franchise and so on, which came ■.■from, his side of the House, The Finance Minister had blundered in estimating ways and means by omitting to carry forward his balance of £152,553.