PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10578, 6 October 1910, Page 1

PARLIAMENT.

(Per Press Association.)

Wellington,-October 5

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. ; The Council met" at 2.30. i> —Church Bill.— < The Wauganui. Church Acre Bill (Mr Callan) was rea'd a third 'ltime and passed. . —A Magistrate's Statement.— i Mr Jones asked : the-Minister of Jus—- [ tice whether ;the:-,experience ot. the. poi lice inspectors justified the recent r«- | marks by Mr Day, Si M., that there ! are more temptations to drink m 110i license areas and that liquor is kept m I every house, and more opportunities'forsecret drinking l)v dipsomaniacs. _ Mr Jones said lie had no doubt Mr-Day did not mean alt lie said. There were agood many schemes afoot, to defeat, the" law in no-license districts. Whatever the defects ot no-license there .was nodistrict where, it obtained that desired to go back upon it: ■ ' Dr FmdJav said he.had communicated with tile various police inspectors. . Inspector Keily • (Christchurch) thought prohibition was a failure; Inspectors O'Brien (Dunedin) and Culleji (Auckland) disagreed with .Mr Day's remarks, and Insijector -Mitchell (Invercargill) favored the open bar with the abolition of■ "shouting"-and barmaids.

Dr Findlay then - read a' statement showing'th-e amount of liquor sent into no-license .districts during the past year, the totals being: Beer 360.261. gallons, spirits 23;271 gallons, 25,944 bottles, and 526 cases, lnvercargill consumed the greatest quantity of both beer and spirits, the figures being 72,733 ■ gallons of beer and ; 4s3o gallons ol whisky. —Second .Readings.—

The following Bills passed their second reading: Nelson City Drainage Loan and' Empowering, Aid to Public Works,: and' Land Settlement. • ■■.'■

—First Headings.— ... Government Railways AmendmentDefence Amendment Act, 1910, and Education Amendment Act, 1910, were read a first time." : The Council then rose.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ' The House resumed at 7.301 p.m. —Replies to Questions. — Replying to questions, "(Ministers stated: . •• : ■ - ■ . ■■:

Tliat it is hoped to introduce a Libel Act Amendment Bi}l this session,. but much depends on the progress of the public business. ... ■ -

That reports have been recently leceived through tlio High Commissioner on various: schemes of insurance against unemployment: instituted or proposed in different parts .of Europe. This -information is being gone into with a view to steps being taken in the Dominion as early as possible. That * the Government has in hand measures which may result in an extension of trade with Canada. .

That provision is being made in llie Eduoation Act Amendment JJill now before; the House for placing the finances of school committees on a more satisfactory footing, but it >\ L as not-intended to 'make the provision retrospective.

—Destitute Persons.— - > The Destitute Persons Bill was read | a second time pro forma. J -—Crimes Bill. ; - • ■ The House went into Committee .on the Crimes Amendment Bill. : : At clause 3, providing for a reformat tive : sentence,-after the expiry of the ordinary* sentence, Mr Russell objected to such drastic! power being granted, to Judges. He moved to' amend: the clause so & to provide: for the Crown Prosecutor drawing: an indictment „ against a. convicted person as being an habitual criminal, : arid ; if on trial such'.person .s found guilty of. the- charge, then the Judge may order his detention for reformative purposes! Mr Millar, who was in charge of the Bill, could not accept the amendment. There" was "nothing in the; clause to interfere with the Probationers Act-. Prisoners had a right of appeal once in not Less than'' three months. After considerable discussion the amendment w®-negativ-ed oil the voices. The House divided oil clause 4, which gives power to.a magistrate, after summarv to impose a period of detention not ..exceeding three yearsby w« v of reformative detention." . ' The clause was retained by 36 to 31. The- remaining clauses were passed without amendment. Several new machinery clauses were inserted, and the Bill was reported, with amendments. -—lndecent Publications.—

• The Indecent Publications Bill was jtaKto,-in>Coinmitee and passed without 'ameiuhneiH, and reported. ; Animals Protection. — • The Animals Protection, Aliieiiduieiil Bill:-was taken in Coinaiiittie. - Some !discussion .centred round cylinder shooting, which was prohibited under clause .9.;,

Several members, were against doing away with cylinders for duck shooting. Mr Rhodes moved that nothing in clause 2 shall prevent .the use of cylinders 011 Lake Ellesmere. • 'The amendment was rejected by 42 to 15. ■ • it- '' On-the motion of Mr./VVitty clause 4 was amended in the direction of allow-' -ing jfciie"' Minister to grant permission to hold native game for a longer period than seven days for exhibition purposes: only. •• At the instance of Mr Eangihiroa, the Minister moved to add a proviso to the clause exempting native game called hauhau from the provisions..of. the Bill. * "On a .-division the amendment was affirmed- by 32 to 25. ■ Mr Witty moved to add a!new clause allowing persons -to. kill stoats and weasels except where acclimatisation districts claim protection for these animals.

.Mr Allen moved to strike out the words "in--any part of New Zealand" from the proposed, new clause. ■■ Mr "Witty ■ agreed to this. - On &• division the clause s as amended 1 / was passed by 27 to 21. ; . ; . On the" motion of Mr Buddo, it was decided-• to ■ substitute an .ralternative clause- providing' that the Minister for 'A-griculture may suspend the operation of the -law protecting- hares. ; . •• ■•A'■ new* • clause, proposed by Mr Phillips, prohibiting the shooting of wild; animals or birds on Sund-a.y was defeated ,on the voices,arid the Bill was reported as amended.

: • —-Factories Bill. —r . The Factories - Amendment Bill was read a 'second' time pro forma", and the, House lose.