PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1536, 7 August 1901, Page 46

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

THE CORONATION OF THE KING. It is not the intention of the Government to have two sessions next year, as has been suggested. The probability is that Parliament will meet immediately at the close of the financial year on the 31st March, and finish its business at the end of May—that is, if it is decided this session to have the colony represented at the coronation of his Majesty. Tlie Premier, speaking of the-' subject, stated that before the close of the session, the question would be placed before members for discussion. He added that he, while h© Premier, would never go outside the colony to represent New Zealand at any ceremonial if he or anyone belonging to him was to be placed m the position in which be was placed last time. He was not at all anxious to represent the colony at the coronation, he also informed the House, as he would prefer to stay in th© cokmy and look after things here. However, th© question is to be discussed during the session

THE WELLIN GTON-M AN AW ATU RAILWAY. A question relative to the WellingtonManawatu Railway Company was asked on the 30t-h ult. by Mr Field, who wished to know whether the effer made last "year by the company for the sale of its line to the colony had been definitely refused, and whether there were any negotiations now in progress between the company and the Government? The Premier replied thaib members had no doubt seen in the newspapers that the Government had declined to purchase on the terms submitted by tie company. The Government had had calculations made, and contrasting that offer with the amount it would cost

the colony if the line had been bought under the original contract, the Government had come to the conclusion that it would be an advantage to bt y under the old contract as compared with the offer made, the only difference being that if the Government bought the company out, line, and everything else, the company would disappear and the Government would fall into its place. He almost thought that at the

( rat® of interest, it would be better to ! take it under th® eld contract. But ! there was an uncertainty in respect to i assessment under the old contract, and his experience was that the Government generally went to the wall in arbitration, and he was very doubtful about relying on arbitration when the terms were so ambiguous. Mr Field: The Midland railway was all right. „ _

pany was asking too much—five or six per cent. As it saw that shares had been bought at considerably below par, it might be that some people thought that they would make a rise out of the colony; but he was sure they were not going to make a rise out of him. Mr Seddcn added that when the time came ffie would make proposals on this subject. PATEA HARBOUR. The Bill enabling the Patea Harbour Board to borrow £IO,OOO for harbour improvements was read a second time on the 30th ult., on the motion of Mr Haselden, who took charge of bhe measure in th 0 absence of Mr McGuire. Mr Seddon, in supporting the Bill, said it was known positively that harbour improvements were badly wanted at Patea, and he thought that under th© circumstances they were safe in giving the power proposed in the Bill. Mr Leslie Reynolds, added the Premier, was a careful man; and his work was carried out satisfactorily and well according to .his estimates. Mr Fisher supported the Bill, paying a tribute to the beauties and re. sources of the Patea district. As the debate proceeded, its scope widened, the finances of Harbour Boards in general being passed under review. The most singular feature of the debate was that member after member who spoke naively informed th e House that h© supported the Bill before he proceeded to make a long speech delaying its progress. This puzzled Mr Haselden a good deal; but it was obvious that a stonewall was proceeding against a Bill further down on the order paper. One important point was raised by Major Steward, who suggested that in committee an amendment should be introduced limiting the price at which the money should be borrowed. THE LICENSING LAW. “Ther© has been an evasion of the intention of the Legislature,” said the Premier in regard to the removal of licences from one place to another a long distance away, though in the same district. In reply to a question by Mr Atkinson on the subject, Mr Seddon said that on the one hand he had been bombarded with petitions against j any fresh licensing legislation this ses- , sion, and on the other hand he was asked j to introduce an amendment to remedy j this defect. However, it was his duty j to bring down legislation to remedy any j defect in the existing law. The Govern- j ment had never countenanced the eva- j sion of the law which permitted licenses i to be dropped out and taken un again | somewhere else. “I think,” added Mr J Seddon, “that you will have a Licensing j Act Amendment Bill this session, and if i members are moderate, and onlv deal with questions that require amendment, it is probable that it will go through.” RATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES. Th e figures taken from a return show- j ing the voting in the polls taken on the \ question of the adoption of the Rating j on Unimproved Values Act are as fol- j lows, with the addition of Gore, which J poll has been taken since the return was 1 mad© up : —The number of polls *ak©n ' throughout the colony was forty-fire, . and the polls wer e carried in thirty-fonr j districts, and rejected in eleven districts. ; The voting in tlie districts where the pro- i posal was carried was 7010 for and 1605 against. With respect to the polling in J the districts where the proposal was ie- j jected, the voting was more in favour j than against, and this is accounted for | by th© fact that the law required one- • third of the people to vote to make a j valid poll. According to the actual : voting, therefore, the proposal has only j been rejected in three districts by a ma- j jority voting against th e adoption of ! the proposal. THE MANGATORO ESTATE. It is suggested by Mr O’Meara that the Government should acquire the native rights of 11,000 acres at present held under lease by the Assets Board as part of th© Mangatoro estate. He asked Ministers a question on the subject. The Premier replied that neg.o- j tiations were proceeding, but he was uofc j going to bind the Government in the ' matter, otherwise the hands of th© Gov- j ernment might be forced, and a higher , pries would be asked for the land. j THE COUNTIES BILL. j Canterbury members ar© anxiously en- J Quiring when the conference. ®f .road j board s ”to consider the Counties Bill is j to be held. It was suggested by th® Premier recently in the House that the road boards should hold a conference, just as was proposed by the represents tives of the county councils at that time. Mr G. W. Russell asked on Friday to be enlightened upon this subject. The Premier replied that the road boards had had plenty of time, and if they had ( not moved in the matter, it was not the t fault of the House. However, they could J take the opportunity even now of making their views known to the committee of Parliament to which the Bill had been referred. AN APPEAL FOR EXPENSES. One eager member of a road board recently wrote to the Pf'emier appealing to be informed whether the Government would pay the expenses of Road Board delegates to Wellington to attend a oon--Jei^nce_to^consM^.t}Xe.„.jQqu.nties_Bill.-.

on Friday on the incident. “No, it waa not from the West Coast,” replied th* Premier. “From Auckland?” queried Mr G. J. Smith. “No, nor from. Auckland,’* the Premier said, and added, “And I think the bon. member bad better not presg the question too closely,” an observation which caused a laugh at th® expense of Canterbury. ADVANCES TO SETTLERS. Up to the 22nd July last, the number of applications received by the Advances to Settlers Office was 13,624, and the amount applied for was £4,787,608. Th© number of applications authorised to th® same date was 10,451, for the value of £3,437,33-5. The advances have been accepted in 9191 cases, amounting to £2,858,570. The Advances to Settlers Department came very well out of the ordeal of the second reading debate on Friday. So much had been hinted of the determined attack® which were likely to b© made upon this department of the Stat® on behalf of the settlers whose applications for advances were not successful, that th© unanimous chorus of - approval of the management of the office actually came as a surprise. It is true that one or two country members called attention to the fact that there have been many applications which the Board has declined; but, as Mr Seddon pointed out, it would be exceedingly unwis© to lavishly lend money when it is above all other things necessary to preserve a sound finance. One may imagine the roar which would have gone up from one end of the colony to the other if this expenditure had not been confined within strictly safe lines. It is far preferable. that the public should have to complain that th© department is too careful than that there should be ground for any charge against it of recklessnesg and imprudence. The system of advances to settlers is now firmly established in New Zealand. It has passed beyond the experimental stage, and its great results are manifest to anyone who keeps his eyes open. Therefore, it was amusing to hear the speech of Mr Monk, member for Waitemata, in Friday’s debate. Surely, it is late in the day to oppose this system because it is an interference with private enterprise! That argument was exploded a long time ago. Mr Monk made members think of Rip Van Winkle when he gravely put forth this thread-bare contention aa newTHE POWER OF THE PRESS. A strong ligkfc is shed upon the present position of the law of libel by a statement made by Mr Thomas Mackenzie, member for Waihemo, in the course of a speech on Mr Fisher’s Bill on Thursday night. There are many public men in this country who seem to possess a tenacious belief that th© power of the press ought to be ' further restricted that, iu short, the limited rights now enjoyed by the Fourth Estate ought to b© still further curtailed, if not removed altogether. Mr Mackenzie, in his brief speech, succeeded in exposing the fallacy of this reasoning. He illustrated his case by an argument with which New Zealanders have now become familiar. There are certain practices followed in the London produce trade by unscrupulous individuals to th© injury of the great producing classes of this country; and it is manifest that such practices ought to be exposed and denounced. Yet who is to undertake this task? The press, of which we are accustomed to talk as “ the guardian of our liberties,” is hampered by a libel law which effectually prevents it from discharging a public duty of this character. Nevertheless ther© are men. in th© New Zealand Parliament, calling themselves Liberals and friends .of the farmers, who give their votes in the direction of tightening the gag which at the present time effeotually prevents th© press from speaking out in denunciation of evil practices under which the farmers of this country are now being victimised in the London marketJOTTINGS. There is a wealth of humour about th© Hon. J. Twomey which the hon. gentleman does not suspect himself of. His '‘strains of unprepaeditated glee” caused amusement to a number of his fellow councillors on Friday. The general laughter began when Mr Twomey told the Council that often an information for using obscene language caused trouble. “I’ve experienced it myself!” he added; but on hearing sounds of mirth. , he explained that it was as a J.P. be bad been troubled, and by reason of the words of an information. His speech was punctuated with members’ laughter, and he was finally moved to protest vigorously if inelegantly, “There’s a hen about here.” Then the cackling increased to a roar.

“We liave made the law relating to the use of obscene language so stringent that it is now in a large measure inoperative.'* The Hon. H. Feldwich on Friday uttered. the above opinion in the “Legislative Council, and in support of it instanced the. fact that magistrates sometimes refused to enter convictions for the more serious: offence when a man was charged with "both drunkenness and obscenity. ... The Hon. It. Reeves would like to s e© many hundred more perambulators with, children in them pervading the footpaths of the colony. There is to be another Bill this year for a further loan. So the Premier indi*