SECOND BALLOT BILL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13868, 30 September 1908, Page 8

SECOND BALLOT BILL.

COUNCIL'S AMENDMENTS. DISAGREEMENT -THE HOUSE. A SPIRITED DEBATE. [BY TEtEGEATH.— ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Tuesday. In the House of Representatives this afternoon Sir Joseph Ward moved, "That the House disagrees with the amendments made in the Second Ballot Bill by the Council, and appoints a committee, consisting of Sir W. J. Steward, Mr. Lethbridge, and the mover, to draw up reasons for so disagreeing." Mr. Massey regretted that tho Prime Minister had not given his reasons for putting tho motion. He had hoped the Bill would be dropped, but apparently that would, not bo .tholease. Members : understood .tins measure much better now than when it was previously before .the House, and they realised -that tho huge majority of electors wore opposed to it entirely. In order that the electors should have.an op-, portuuity to express their opinions en the question ho would move, "That the debate; bo adjourned for 12 'months." The Bill should be dropped. , Instead, it was to be placed in all its hideousness on the Statute Book.' The effect of the principle or want of principle of the Bill would bo most injurious, and would load to all kinds of political engineering. Ho was glad the press throughout ..the length and breadth of tho country: had protested against the "gag" clause. The newspapers did really good work in pleading t)he public cause and helping to form public opinion. Liberty of speech and the freedom of the press were the, constitutional prerogatives of the -people. . Sir Joseph Ward said ho had adopted the usual constitutional course, and Mr. -Massey i had adopted an unusual one. If the motion of the Leader of tho Opposition .were agreed to the* House would be stultifying themselves. The Opposition had been against the second ballot from the start, because the Opposition relied on .splitting, the vote on tho other side to get their man in. His object in bringing the Bill down had been to ensure majority rule prevailing, lit spite of tho clamour raised over tho Bill, he had received assurances from all over the Dominion that people approved of the woasure. As for the "gag" clause, the grossest misrepresentation had appeared in tlio press in regard thereto. The clause was intended to help tho poor man. Ho had respect for many men engaged in press work in this country, but he was not afraid of them, nor daunted by concerted action on the part of the press to kill the Bill. The Opposition thought it would be against their party interests. As for the press, it could free' v criticise the policy, but was restrained from criticising candidates between the two ballots.

ill-. Wilford made a powerful appeal to maintain that liberty which had been hardly fought for in days long ago. Mi*. Fisher said the most remarkable feature of the Bill was that it should emanate from a Government which had been on the Treasury benches for so many vears. He was certain the majority of members did not favour the Bill. Referring to the "gag" clause, he said the talk about the "gay" was all humbug. Ha then went on to make a violent onslaught on the newspaper press of the Dominion.. Members who opposed the so-called "gag'* clause were courting the favour of enemies thev ought to despise. After further discussion, Mr. Massey s amendment was defeated by 48 votes to 18. On the original motion being put, Mr. Baume said he supported the principle of the Bill, but hoped that tho committee proposed to be set up would disagree with the amendments made, with which he was in complete disaccord. He thought the clause, allowing the publication in newspapers of a " statement of fact" during the interval between tho ballots could bo so manipulated as to undo the whole principle of the Bill. He thought also that tho clause played into the hands of rich men. Ho also objected to the 500 majority proviso being struck out. It was an unconstitutional net for the Upper House to throw out an amendment unanimously inserted by the popular House dealing with the mode of its own election. Mr. J. .Allen quizzed the Government members who supported the Bill, though in their inmost hearts they were opposed to it. It was common report in tho lob-' bias that the vote taken in the afternoon was tho result of an intimation given to the Government supporters that a division was to be treated as a want of confidence voteSir Joseph Ward gave this statement a categoric denial, and said he had not spoken to a single member on the subject of a division. Mr. Allen said the Primo Minister might deny the statement, but, none the less, it was true. ;■'.':■ Mr. 1 Colvin repudiated the suggestion, and said he had never been told how to vote since he had entered Parliament. Mr. Barclay continued the debate, and said the second ballot had been a failure elsewhere, chiefly because of the tremendous influence brought to bear between the first and second ballots. Mr. Tanner said he was opposed root and' branch to tho Bill, but nothing was to be gained at this .stage by further opposition in the House. The Hon. J. McGowan stated that the Opposition was against the Bill because it was dangerous—(hear, hear)dangerous, he meant, to the Opposition. When they said they opposed the Bill, and that the press backed them up in the public : interest, that was too much for reasonable people to swallow. It was not surprising that the press opposed the Bill, because newspapers were most in demand at election times, when they were bought up by the hundred thousand, a.nd freely circulated. Newspapers were prosecuted for contempt of Court if they commented upon cases sub judi.ee, and he did not understand why clause 19 should be called the "gag" because it /proposed to establish the same principle in elections. Mr. Henries said the Government was afraid its own votes would be split. Mr. Seddon would never have dreamed of bringing such a Bill down. He would have said that if lie could not manage his party he would cease to be Prime Minister. He strongly opposed the " gag" clause, and said the whole- measure was one of the most extraordinary ever brought before Parliament. Dr. Chappie .said tho Bill would be so discredited throughout the country that very soon it would be swept off the Statute Book. The motion was agreed to on the voices.