POLITICAL NOTES.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 850, 15 June 1888, Page 16

POLITICAL NOTES.

The seqond debate on the Custom ß Duties B.ill, wit.h'qil its innumerable interesting essays qn Protection and Freetrade, -went on till qhortly ufter 12 o’clock on Wednesday night, when it was. adjourned, on the motion of Mv O’Qallaghan, aud was to be resumed next day, It is hoped that a division will soon be taken.

At a meeting of Freetraders held on Wednesday there were fifteen present, aud Mr Reetham presided. The object of, the meeting was to consider what course the party should take with reference to the tariff, and after discussion it was decided to appoint a committee to go through the tariff and make a report, on whic h the party will base their line of action. The committee, which wilj rsp.ort either to-day or to-moryG.w, ’consists of Messrs Withy, Bwvhhi Macarkhnr and Maoken^iq,-

Tho Wellington Woollen Company’s Faotory at Pitone was cited by Mr Moss, in the 1 course of the debate ou the Customs Duties ! Bill, as an" illustration of th% beneficial , effects of Protection. Betug * interrupted I on'ce or twice by MuMarehanfc, Mr Moss said h’e' wpuld' fikq that'honorable member to go' | p.vey.tie Woollen Factory at Pitone. “ I’ve ibberi there,'” said Mr Marchant, “and there are only women aud children employed there.”. Mr Moss promptly and warmly denied this. There were a great many people employed at the factory, fie‘ quid—many of" them' strong, healthy young women, who ' would,, "o.thefYtiso, ' perhaps, have ; had, no '’empildymenV Moreover, there j we’ye around the faotory 5.4 house's, built | within the l'ast two years, where 54 families were comfortably settled. 'Surely this' must !be beneficial. ‘While he was" speaking MiMoss had handed t,o him' a piece . f the Company’s tweedy which fie handed round to ; members,'by whom, l’ unfierstaudj' i,t was | generally'praised,

"fihe pubfic of the citizens of WellingtQn on the, j,uveni,le immorality of the city, vy.hicfi has" been before, the" Public. Petitions Committee for some tirpe, has beep fully discus-etl by tfie Coipmittce, whq have unanimously decided to, j;eaptumend tfiqt the. age. o.f consent bq raised to" 16„ afid that oxtefided pe.wois fie given to. the police with yegqrd to. tfieir right O.f acoesu to hou,sea of ifl-fame, which, they recommend should be registered hy the City Qouueil. It has also been agreed ta recommend that the Contagious Diseases Aot be enforced in all the large towns in the Colony. With regard to this latter question, the Committee were divided io opinion, Messrs Joyoe, Buxtou, and McGregor being agaiust it, and Messrs Taylor, Anderson, Bruce, and Grimmond being in favor of it. There were a considerable number of witnesses examined in support of the petition. The evidence of the police went to show that although there were not more than some half-dozen girls under the age of 15 living in houses of ill-fame, it came within their knowledge that there were a large number who lived vicious lives in a secret way. Of this class Captain 'Ross l , of, the Salvation A piny, give ifc’as Tiis opin’iom that there wore fully 100 young girls under 16 who were "leading immoral lives 1 . A member of the police force in his examination put the number of this class down at fromso'toCo. Other witnesses stated'the number' within- their knowledge ' at from 30 1 to 50. The petition did' not" atate, as has 7 been incorrectly alleged, '’that there Vera “hundred's eff young girls” op 1 tlih streets in tbdeity,'' but that theft) wevo S large'number. The eviSqnce of competent V^i'tiUqSges' v? e fit ta prove the truth of Riiateificint, The successful issue so far of the pr-syeft af the petitioners; is largely due to the" uhtiring efforts of Mr G. Woodward, who has'spared no pains or expense in obtainirig reliable " information to lay before, tfie Committee,

The National tyomen’s Christian Temperapee Union of New Zealand (Christchuroh) have petitioned -Parliament, praying that provision may be made in the Electoral Bill for granting female suffrage.

A petition from Kopai Tarawa and other Natives residing at Greytown was presented on Wednesday. They pray that certain lands which they allege are theirs may be returned to, them.

Mr Ormo.nd remarked in the conrse of his speech Wednesday nightthat the Speaker, Sir Harry Atkinson, and himself were the senior members of the present Parliament, all three having entered politics in 1861.

A return of New Zealand pensions has been laid on the table, The total

amount is £29,737 per annum, classified <»s follows :—Civil Service, £21,971 £2140,; Civil List (Native), mainder in various . small .sums being,distri. buted among a, number of miscellaneously! classed recipients: Q.