PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10628, 3 December 1910, Page 1

PARLIAMENT.

(Per Press Association.) LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. - .■ Wellington, December 2. r ' Tlie Council met at 2.30. , j —Municipal Corporations.— ' The Muufcipal Corporations Bill was recommitted in order to consider certain new, clause? proposed by the At-tofney-Gfenerar. ' These- provided that heavy licenses ;shall be extended to any district within five miles of the boundary of a city, for financial adjustment on-the alteration of boundaries, I and for the appointment by municipalities of special constables. The new I provisions were agreed to, and the Hill passed'. • -.. —Bills.—

The Government Railways Act Amendment (No. 2), the Mining Act Amendment, -and 1 the Coal Mines Amendment Bills passed all their final stages unamended. Libel Bitf.— I)r Findlay moved the second reading ol the Libel Bill. . The discussion which followed indicated General approval of the measure, together with a new clause which the Att.ofney-Goiior.nl proposed to intrudui.e, providing for a libel being dealt 'Viih sumniarilv 1)v a Magisti ate. Ln committee .the new clause \v~.s adopted as follows:- —(I) The indictable offeiice-;'of publishing a defamatory «bel or criminal deiatnniion within the moaning of the Crimes Act, 1908, shall a.'so be an ."ileiice punishable on summary conviction beloie a Magistrate by a fine ol £IOO or hv imprisonment lor three months. (2) In any such summary proceedings it sliall be a good defence thai the defamatory matter published by the defendant was true aii'l that the publication thereof was for tfc public benefit, but 110 evidence of ihe truth of such matter shall be admissible untiland: unless the defendant proves /tiia'tA the matter _so published: 'to/ ; ; iie>itri;e the publication thereof .juiyforjjlie public_ benefit. . (3) An information for any ofienee punishable on snmmJii'Y conviction under this section shall be'taken and heard before a. Magistrate onlv. and no such prosecution sba-11 be commenced without an order of./, a ■'magistrate, and notice • f intention to applv for such order shall be given to £1)6; defendant, who shall have the opportunity of being heard against the; application.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The House met: at 2.30. —Public Works Statement. —

Mr Massey resumed his speech oil the Public Works Statement. -He laid stress oil .the necessity for constructing the East poast railway, especially the connecting link between Pararoa and the main" line.

Sir ..Joseph Ward replied to Mr Alnssey's strictures on the water power schemes. He recognised that thcundertaking was important, calling for the exercise of caution. Though the populntion of the Dominion was small, it was commercially active, and he ventured to say that as the result of putting the water scheme into operation the country would insist on all the proposed systems being carried out. Sir Joseph Ward went 011 to refer to the five million loan, which had been floated 011 favorable terms. He denied the suggestion of Mr Massey that the Bank of New Zealand had underwritten the loan. The great financial houses of England considered the Dominion so satisfactory that they had underwritten at 3w per cent., when the Bank of England rate was 5 per cent. The loan was a good thing for the Dominion. .The Premier read out the returns of the revenue for the period of eight months ended the 30th November, 1010, showing that the increases in the various departments are as follows: Customs £247,773, stamps £158,289, Post and Telegraph £10,869, laud and income tax £12.387. beer duty £1606, railways £154,976, .marine ' £2017, territorial £31,408. The decreases are: Registration and other fees £7OB, miscellaneous £2658. The net increase for the seven months ended 31st October, 1910, is £117,171, ami the total increase for the eight months is £640,930. He predicted that a lower rate of interest- would prevail in the near future than had been the case for the last seven er eight years. This would lead to increased industrial activity. Concluding, Sir Joseph referred to railway construction. and condemned the .suggestion that, the lines should be carried out in a. piecemeal fashion. The system now being followed was a sensible one. Thirty miles of the Stratford-Ongarne line would be constructed in 2v years. The House resumed at 7.30. The debate on the Public Works Statement was resumed. Mr R. M'lvenzie, replying, contended that the sanitary arrangements at the Runanga mine were as good as any in the Dominion. The result of the clause inserted, in the Coal Mines Act relating to sanitation would probably be the closing of the mine altogether or an increase in the''cost of coal. —Amendments. — Amendments to the Land Settlement Finance Bill and the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Bills were introduced bv Governor's Message. In the former Bill clause 8 (providing for an assurance fund) was struck out, and in the latter Bill amendments were made making Mr Justice Sim a Judge of the Supreme Court to go 011 with the hearing of any dispute notwithstanding any irregularities in the "framing of the dispute.