PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7058, 18 July 1901, Page 4

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

(H.B. Herald.) THB SPBAKEE's RULING,

There was every ■ prospect of a lively ! scene in the House to-day over the Speaker's ruling. Mr Napier (Auckland) had presented a petition advocating a trial of Mr Vaile's Zone railway system, and although it was a most unusual proceediisg, Sir Joseph Ward rose to speak on the petition, stating that he had promised Mr Vaile to allow a trial of the system to be made on a section of the Auckland railways on certain conditions. Captain Russell got up and commenced speaking, when he was pulled up by the Speaker, on the ground that debate was not permissible, as there was no question before the chair. Captain Russell stood his ground, and claimed the same right as had been granted to the Minister of Railways. He said all he wanted was to put the other side before the House. Later on Mr Napier put a question, without notice, as to the state of affairs in Fiji. Mr Seddon--made a lengthy explanation of the whole position. Cap-tain-Russell here rose to reply to the Premier, but the Speaker again prevented him, and said he must call on the busi ness of the Order Paper. -' The member for Hawke's Bay again rose to speak, and Sir Maurice O'Rorke refused to hear him. Captain Russell said he only wished to protest against the practice which now prevailed, by which Ministers were allowed to make all sorts of statements without any reply being allowed (Hear.hear) from the-Opposition benches. The Speaker" again stated, with some warmth, that he must call on the ordinary business before that was done. Mr Monk(Waitemata) rose in personal explanation to deny the Premier's assertion that'he (Mr Monk) had started the farmers' union in Auckland. The Premier again entered into a lengthy explanation, which brought Mr A. R. Atkinson to his feet in protest against i the honorable gentleman travelling so: wide of the subject. The Speaker upheld the protest, and he informed the Premier that what he, Mr Seddon, was stating had no bearing on Mr Monk's personal explanation. Mr - Seddon accepted the rebuff with the remark, " I hold my own opinion all the same," and the House proceeded with the ordinary business. (Post.) A FINANCIAL SCANDAL. The Hon Mr Lee Smith hinted, in the course of the debate in the Legis- ' lative Council yesterday, at. a recent financial scandal, which might or might not " come out "—as to tbat, he could not say. A certain company had been wound up without a special resolution authorising the step, and it was found that in the course of its affairs bad debts amounting to from £15,000 to £20,000 —and not worth one-thousandth of' a penny in the £— had been represented at their full value. who was he ? "He ought to be in gaol; that is the only place he ought to be in." This is the verdict pronounced in the Legislative Council yesterday by the Hon J. M. Twomey on some one—"an engineer" who wrote stating that the gold in a certain dredging claim went 16 grains to the yard, whereas subsequent inspection condemned the claim as worthless. " Some day," said the hon gentleman, " I may give his name to show what a swindler he is." But meanwhile that investment is gone. HOW MEMBEES WOULD TBEAT CHINESE. One Chinaman is very much like another (to Europeans at any rate), and several members of the House expressed fear last evening that the trips ashore allowed to Chinese crews under the Chi- l nese Immigrants Bill would lead to resi dent Chinamen impersonating visiting Celestials, and taking their places on board ship. "Brand them," was one of the suggestions put forward. While Mr G. W. Russell was speaking on the subject, Mr Gilfedder interjected, "Earmark them." Mr Russell suggested that Mr Gilfedder be Earmarker-in-Chief. It would be another job for the Government to give away.

THE TRAWL AND THE FISHING INDUSTRY,

Tho Hon. Wm. Jonnings asked the Minister of Education yesterday. " Whe^ ther the Government will cause immediate enquiries to be made as to what effect trawling has had on the various fish-feeding grounds about the coast of New Zealand; and whether trawling is, as alleged by some authorities, detrimental to the spawn, and also to the young fish, which feed about the shallow waters traversed by " trawling-vess«ls ? " Mr Jennings stated that he had been informed that trawling was endangering an industry that gave employment to a large number of men. The Minister replied that the marvellous stocking of the Home markets proved that modern methods had not disturbed the reproductive habits of fish. The Inspector of Fisheries had reported that the absence of fish in certain grounds where trawls were .used was probably due to the migatory habits of fish ; the ova of most kinds of fish were buoyant, and were not deposited on beds swept by the trawls. The Minister added that the report of the Inspector would shortly be laid on the table, and would, ho believed, show that trawling was not responsible for the absence of fish from a particular looality 'at a particular time of the .year. Mr Jennings replied that he had learned that the leaving of small fish for 24 hours in the well of the trawler caused the yast majority of them ,to die.

A QUESTION OF " LANGUAGE." The question of "language" engaged the attention of the House yesterday afternoon—not the ordinary language of commerce, but the more forcible " language", of the Billingsgate variety, which, if used in a public place, endangers the liberty of its user. The question at issue was whether the law should not be altered so as to proyide that persons charged with using such language should not necessarily be sent to gaol, but should, in the discretion of the Magistrate, be allowed the option of a fine. Mr Hogg espoused the cause of the man of " language "—the bullockdriver and horse-attendant, who are supposed to be peculiarly liable to linguistic outbreaks ; while Mr Hornsby posed as the defender of the women and children within whose hearing the terms supposed to particularly moye bullocks are used. Mr Jackson Palmer and Mr Laurenson also found an excuse for Billingsgate—that is to say, they thought there were circumstances in which a'fine would quite meet the case; but Mr J. Hutcheson and Mr R. Thompson fought the suggestion tooth and nail —it was, said the former, a "fat man" proposal! whi.e the member for Marsden charac terised it as an attempt to " screen the foul-mouthed scoundrel who has plenty of money." After a long debate the advocates of leniency prevailed, and now if a man—or a woman—is so careless of the proprieties as to use language which to "frequent and painful and free'" he or she may be allowed to depart 'from the Court on payment of a fine—always supposm., of course, that the Legislative Council take the same view of the matter as the representative Chamber has done.

OLD-AGE PENSIONS. The figures attached to the annual report on Old-age Pensions contain some rather interesting particulars as to the distribution of pensions in the various districts of the colony. Taking first the four chief centres, we find that in tho Auckland pension district there are 1015 Anl ■£ cel' lificates. in Wellington 496, m Christehurch 1215, and in Bunedm 929—differences for which it is rather-difficult to account. The West Coast of the South Island, as in former years, again shows a large number of pensioners in proportion.-to population Hokitika holds the record with 484, Greymouth being a good second with 467, while Westport lags behind with 261, andßeefton has only 139, Of the other places in the colony, Invercargillhas" 540 pensioners, Lawrence 206 Aapier 243, New. Plymouth 230, Oamaru 239, Timaru 144, Onehunga, 281. Palmerston North 159, Thames 266. Wanganui 196. Masterton 81, and Otaki 63. Of the 12,405 old age pensions ,m force on the 31st March last, 10,306 were for the full amount of £18. 267 for £17, 262 for £16, 261 for £15 196 lor £14,188 for £13, 215 for £12, 111 for £11,120 for £10, 74 for £9, 97 for £8, 70 for £7, 56 for £6, 49 for £5,

|3 for £4, 22^ £3, 22 for £2, and 9 for JOTTINGS. In the Legislative Council yesterday petitions were presented from wholesale warehouse employees in Auckland and Christehurch, praying that all mention of warehousemen be eliminated from the Shops and Offices Bill. '" : - . "You're not everybody," said Mr Jackson Palmer to Mr Hornsby yesterday. And Mr Hornsby had to admit the soft impeachment. A delicate referenoe by Captain Russell to the plumage of honoured democracy.—"A. Chinaman can easily disguise himself by rolling his pigtail round his head and placing it under a bell-topper or a cocked hat." Major Steward's Elective Executive Will will come on for its second reading m the House this evening. The prospects of the measure passing this stage reported to be distinctly favourable, and although it is not likely that it will be carried mnch further this session, the affirmation of the principle willbe a considerable step in advance.