PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 771, 1 October 1878, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

In the House of Representatives on Friday night, after 10 'clock,

.Mr. Ballance replying- to remarks against clause 4, said this was the principle "f the Bill, ami if the Covernment were so fond of their seats us to 'urn tail in Committee, tliev would not be worthy of confidence. ! hoy believed this was a right principle, t'-.at the Hoiiseand conntrv were in favor of it. and thev would stand or f:ill by the result. The object of the Government was to promote the interest of the improver of tlvlatid.

Mr. Holleston said the financial pol : ey of the Governnv nt seemed to he without principle, and ho could nt vote for any singlo item. There were no principles in the policy, which was simply a number of the Attorney-General's political " fads." Mr. Montgomery was quite aware of the difficulties of struggling fanners ; but as this was a revenue tax, the House ought not to forget the e were large a'>d valuable properties in'towns aud subuibs which would escape taxation. This was especially unfair in view of the exemptions up to LSOO which had heen carried. However, he would he inclined to let them take the clause as it stood and see how it would work. He adnired the Governm.nt for saying they would stick to their prirri las, but at the same time the Government must recollect they had not brought down su-:h measures as heir supporters had a right to expect, and if thj suppoters fell away they must not blame their supporters but themselves for that. Mr. Wason his principal objection was that if this system of valuation were adopted by the General Government then it would also be a lopted by the various local bodies in the Colony, aud that would be most pernicious in its result. A division was taken on the question that the words proposed to be omitted stand part of the clause. Aves, 41 ; noes, 12. Ayes —E. Baigent, Bdhuice. Biirff, Barton, Bastings, Brandon, J C. Brown, Carrington, De Lautour, Dig-nan, Driver, Feldwick, Fisher, Fitzroy, George, Hamlin, Hislop, Hobbs, Hur thouse, Johnston, Joyce, Kelly, Jlacandrew, Xl'Mimi, Montgomery, Moss, Murray, Nahe, Ormond, Rees, Saunders, *tout, Taiaroa, Takamoana, Tawiti, Tole, Turnbull, Wallis, Whitaker, Wood, Woolcoek. Noes—Beetham, Bowen, Gibbs, Gisborne, Kelly, Ri hardson, Stevens, Sutton, fcwanson, Teschemaker, Wakefield, Wason. In reference to sub-sections 2 and 3, the Hon. Mr. Ballance agreed to their being struck out, so as to leave it to tie valuers to fix the valuation. Mr. Murray objected to this course being adopted, but the sub-sections were struck out on the voices. In reply to Mr. Stevens,

The Hon. Mr. Ballanee promised to re-consider subsections, so as to meet the cases of rauholders whose runs were liab.e to be s ■lected. The clause as amend; d was agreed to. Several clauses were postponed, others were passed with slight verbal amendments, and the House rose at 2.40 a.m. Wellington, September 30. The House met to-day at 7.30. • Sir George Grey presented a petition from the Bay of Islands natives, stating that certain Europeans were preventing duly qualified natives from enjoying the electoral franchise, but chiefly Edward Marsh . Williams. Mr Pvke 'asked whether in view, of the frequent interruptions to telegraph communication the 'Government would cause the wires to be laid in pipes under the surface in exposed places. Mr. Fisher said it was too expensive a plan to adopt. . j In reply to Mr. Barff, Mr. nallance promised a return of the Benevolent Societies in the Colony having public funds at thee- disposal. The Impounding Bill from the Legislative Council was intioduced and read a first time. On the second reading of the Judicial Commission Bill being moved, Mr. Stout said if anything woulu make one vote for the Bill it was the able and argumentative speech of the honorable member for Mount ida; but he would ask the House to consider what the Bill proposed. First of ail, it asked for what the Government had already power to do, viz., to appoint a Commission if there was a doubt as to the power of the judges to imprison solicitors There was no need of a Commission. After going over the principal propositions of the Bill, the hon. gentleman asked was it wise for the House to place in the hands of Commissioners the power of saving that the procedure of the Courts of England. America, and the Colonies, for many ve irs had been in an entirely wrong direction? With regard to the third sub-sect ion of the Bill, which referred to Mr. Barton's imprisonment, he prefaced his remarks by saying that he did not agree with the | punishment which had been meted out. While it was necessary that the fair freedom of speech of the Bar should be conserved, it was of a great deal more im- ■ portai iee to conserve the powers of the Supreme | Courts. A judge should have power to punish for contempt, and the hon. gentle" an pointed out that the Commission asked for must have the power to punish for contempt if it was to have judicial power. •hi the other hand, if the judges made an improper use of the power they possessed, and public opinion revolted at it, there was a barometer which at full indicated pretty precisely the limits beyond which it was not right to go. Mr. liees saw no i eason why the fact of a custom or law being old should be any reason why the subject should not be considered.' The real qnestion was: Was the thing- right ? Such a lame argtnv-nt as that would prevent all reform. The Bill asked for nothing which svould injure the position or weaken the proj>er powers of judges. To -how how necessary it was that tlieie should be some pow.-r of interference with judges, to restrain their powers, he said that it was seen by KngHsh papers that grave scandals had arisen there, "solely on account of the inviolability of the pos ti'on of "a judge ; and in one instance a judge had • ccome imbecile through age. yet he could not be removed. An arbitrary irresponsible power that placed in tine man's hands'the power over the purse and liberty of another was utterly opposed to the spirit of the English Constitution. There was no position so high that it should not be open to criticism. They wore told they should be careful not to cast a slur upon the judges, but if the judges acted above and beyond reproach, a slur could not be cast upon them Nothing was so calculated to lead a man astray, as the possession of absolute po.ver, a power above Parliament, above the Crown, and a' ovc the law itself. He >u\v nothing to object to in the Bill.