PARLIAMENT. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1696, 31 August 1904, Page 69

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 23. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE. The second reading of the School Attendance Bill was carried on the voices without discussion. The bill has already passed the Lower House. POLICE OFFENCES. .The Hon Colonel PITT moved the second reading of the Police Offences Act Amendment Bill, which provides for the proper conduct and promotion of amateur boxing contests and the suppression of professional prize-fighting. After debate the second reading was carried on the voices. LAND DRAINAGE BILL. The Land Drainage Bill was recommitted, and a technical alteration made. The Council rose at 4.20 p.m. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24. The Speaker took the chair at 2.30 p.m. LAND DRAINAGE. The Land Drainage Bill (Hon A. Pitt) was read a third time and passed. CORONERS. On the motion t-o commit the Coroners Bill the Hon 11. Feldwick objected to the proposal in the bill to abolish juries. Tiie bdl was committed. Clause 1 way agreed to, and progress reported. INDICTABLE OFFENCES. The Indictable Offences Summary Jurisdiction Amendment Bill and the School Attendance Bill were committed without amendment, read a third time and passed. POLICE OFFENCES#' The Policy Offences Act Amendment Bill was committed. Clauses 2 and 3 were agreed to, and clause 4, dealing with the conditions of contests, was postponed, to allow the At-torney-General to confer with the Colonial Secretary. The remainder of the bill was passed without amendment, and progress reported. The Council rose at 4.25 p.m. THURSDAY, AUGUST 25. The ‘ Speaker took the chair at 2.30 p.m. COUNTIES ACT AiMENDIvLEN T. The Attorney.-G'eneral, tho Hons W. C. Smith, and J. E. Jenkinson were appointed managers to confer with managers of the House on the amendments in the Counties Act Amendment liill. LAGGING HOKITIKA. The Hon E. C. J. STEVENS moved, ‘‘That, with reference to the table of securities held on account of the Post Office Savings Bank Fund as on the 31st December, 1903, and the item ‘Hokitika Harbour Board Debentures, £10,003,” therein appealing as being overdue on the lit li November, 1890, and as being over five years m arrear of interest, it is expedient that the Council should be informed what steps the Government proposes to take to secure to the Post Office Savings Bank Fund repayment of the overdue loan and interest.” The ATTORNEY-GENERAL stated that tho Post Oiiioo was satisfied there was amply security in this,matter, and that it was not necessary to take immediato steps to enforce payment of the loan by tho Board. Besides the security of rates and rents, the Board’s reserves, 28,293 acres, -were given as security to the Post Office, and were valued, with the timber rights, at £32,391. Tho Board itself was asking Parliament to pass a bill to remove some present disabilities, and to give tjie Board power to deal with its reserves, which it could not now owing to restrictions in the Mining Act and other circumstanoes over which the Board had no control. After debate the motion was agreed to on the voices. POLICE OFFENCES. The Council went into committee on the postponed clause (4) of the Police” Offences Act Amendment Bill, which clause provides that no boxing contest shall be held except by permit granted) on the application of a registered association. The ATTORNEY- GENERAL met the Hon J. Rigg’s objection—that the clause meant giving a monopoly to associations —by offering to insert a proviso that the Colonial Secretary may, subject to suoh conditions as he may think fit, permit any person to hold a boxing contest without complying with the foregoing provisions of the bill. This was agreed to on the voices. The clause passed as amended, and the bill was reported. CORONERS. The Coroners Bill was further considered in committee.

After a long discussion on the appointment of Justices of the Peace to act as jurors, the Hon Mir Jenkinson moved to have tho clause postponed. His suggestion did not commend itself to the Attorney-General, who promised to recommit the hill later if Mr Jenkinson was not satisfied. The postponement, however, went to a vote, and was lost by 18 votes to 7. By amendment of the clause, Magistrates, being at any time unable to act as coroners, were empowered to appoint Justices to act in their stead. Mr RIGG stated his intention of moving for the recommittal of the bill, to insert a new clause providing for the appointment of Justices as acting-coro*-ners» The Hon Mr JENKINSON did not like the idea of a coroner holding an inquest without viewing the body, and the Attorney-General consented to strike out the exemption. A discussion on the strength of a jury resolved itself into another as to whether “inquest” was a better word than “inquiry,” and then centred steadfastly about the alleged clumsy wording of the original act of 1867. Finally, as Mr Twomey was elucidating the verbiage to a weary House, the Hon T. K. Macdonald pleaded for a night’s respite. The Attorney-General was sympathetic, and progress was reported. Tile Council rose at 4.50 p.m. FRIDAY, AUGUST 26. The Speaker took the chair at. 2.30 p.m. ROUTINE. The Council passed the Imprest Supply Bill No. 3 through all its stages, and the Police Offences Act Amendment Bill through its final stages, as a matter of course, and then returned to the contentious CORONERS BILL, which was left unfinished from the previous day. Tiie tangled verbiage of the old-time clause from the act of 1867 again came under review. l The Attorney-General stood consistently by the clumsy words, and only on being persistently persuaded to give way did be point out that the clause was not his at all, but was proposed by Mr Feldwick. At length an amendment was evolved to make a jury not less than six. instead of net exceeding six, as the archaic clause bad it. Then the whole question of jury or no jury was put, and carried in favour of juries by 24 votes to G. Those who voted against the retention of the juries were the Homs Mr Pitt, Sir Maurice O’Eorke, Messrs Bowen, Mahuta, W. C. Smith, and Stevens. When the next clause was called on, the lien J. Rigg declared open war against the practice of perpetuating the old diction of statutes. He moved a similar clause in present-day language, prescribing a fine of £5 for failing to appear as a juror when summoned. Mr Feldwick endeavoured to insert another clause, giving a person charged with an offence in the verdict of a jury the right to demand that an information be laid against him at once. The clause was rejected by 16 votes to 11. When the bill was at length reported, after its stormy passage through committee, Mr Rigg gave notice that ho would move its recommittal, to make the amendments mentioned yesterday. The Council rose at 3.40 p.m.