PARLIAMENT

Northern Advocate, 26 July 1923, Page 5

PARLIAMENT

TUKIE , FRITTERED AWAY

IK CAPTIOUS DISCUSSION.

MINOR REPORTS THRESHED OUT.

(Special to "Northern Advocate.") WELLINGTON, This Day. An example of how the time of Parliament may be wasted was given as soon as it met yesterday afternoon, when members indulged in an hour, -and a half of discussion on the report of the committee on a petition recoinanehding that legislation be introduced to enable'compensation to be given to « Wellington resident as: agreed upon between- him and . the City Corporation in .connection with taking portion of his land for street purposes.

The Leader of the Opposition (Mr *T. M. Wilford) opened the discussion. Tii the course of a long speech he ridiculed the idea of legislation in such a cas€), which should be -met, -he said, -by « clause in the Washing-up Bill. '• Reports of the Petitions Committee afterwards came in for loAg discus- ■ sioais, in which members of the "Opposition and Labour Parties freely join- • -©d. The petition of a man who asked that his name be expunged from the ■Court records in 'connection wi:th an affiliation case -many years ago was the subject of representations from Labour members that the Government should abrogate itihe 1 functions of the despite a disclaimer by the Minister of Justice (Hon. C. J. Parr) that the Courts er joyed the respect of Parliament and the people and had j of' investigating cases itiha.t were not at the disposal of Parliament. It was during this discussion that Mr Wilford come into conflict with the Speaker. The Minister of Labour {Hon. G. J. Anderson) remarked that it was refreshing' to hear the Leader of the Opposition saying that the Government should acquiesce in all recommendations <of the Petitions Committee, Why had not' Mr Wilford granted the present petition when it was before him as Minister of Justice in 1916. Thd Xeader of the Opposition continually interjected. The Speaker checked "him, saying that he had allowed courteous questions and interjections, but would not tolerate argumentative interjections, and if the inember continued to disregard his warning ho would take stern mea-

gures. The Liquor and Gaming questions lad an echo in petitions on which reports came from the Committees. A Xaiapoi resident and 38 others asked for the licensing of bookmakers under control of the Racing Conference, Irot the Committee made no recommendation, in view of policy being involved. - A petition for legislation to amend ballot papers to enable corporate control of,the liquor traffic to be brought in met with a like fate.

WOMEN JUSTICES. How the two Houses may be as wide apart as the Poles was demonstrated: in the Legislative Council yesterday, when the Women Justices Bill passed in the House of Representatives got a mixed reception. The Hon. T. W. fiislop (Wellington) in introducing the Bill quoted FlorenceNightingale and the Salvation Army as instances of women overcoming the Tepugnance of their sex to sordid surroundings in the cause of duty. FeW of the 4000 Justices in New Zealand ever sat on the Bench, said the Hon. O. Samuel (New Plymouth), who stressed the courage and hardship involved in the duties of suppressing riots and holding inquests. Although he felt that women were likely to fee guided -more by the heart than the head, he thought that as the Lower House had twice passed the Bill the Council might risk the experiment and do likewise.

The Hon. W. Earnshaw (Wellington) referred to the countries that had offered women equal facilities with men as going downhill, and the spectacle of women living in luxury through their own effort and men ■without wives was to him a real social danger.

. -The Leader of the . Council, Sir Francis Bell, said he could not see the logic in supporting the Bill merely bcause it had passed the Lower House. To subscribe to such a doctrine would rob the Council of its self-re-spect as a thinking body. They were t>y no means the tame subjects of the other branch of the Legislature.

Other arguments were tliat the elections showed that the women of New Zealand did not desire women representatives in Parliament, and the Council' should save women from themselves. After a mixed reception of the Bill the debate was adjourned.