HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10422, 26 July 1895, Page 3

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

THURSDAY.' JULY 25. The Hoase met at 2.30 p.m. LOCAL BILLS. The Auckland Harbour Board and Devonpore Excnango Land Bill and Hawke's Bay Borough Council Reserve Vesting Bill were , read a second time. - ■ The Dunedin Drainage,and Ssweraee Bill .was committed. After a long - diHcu?sion on several clauses the bill was repotted with aD?LT £ entSand read n fchird *ime and P^B£ed h. r»r LAR moved fche second reading of the Otago Dock Act Amendment Bill to aathorwe the OUgo Dock Tcust to borrow money from the bank by way of overdraft and to make other provisions in relation •to tha trust;.—Agreed to. <? Ik%1 k% Pw ai Rtserve« B'". Wellington Suburbs Watre Supply Bill, and the Wellington City Streets Bill were read a second time. The House rose at 5.30 p.m. EVENING SITTING. Tho Hou'e met at 7 30. ■ ' COHON'ERS' INQUESTS BILL. Ths Cr.ronn-s' Inqueots Bill was committed. I On clause 1 being pnt The Hon. W. P. RBBVBS aoked the House to remember that one phase of this bill would cause a permaneufc charge on the Justice department of £1200 a year, and that the exponditare wonld two year by jear as the populo.ion increvoi and inquest* became more lu q I re- dld not ses '* Possible to reduce tho Dumbac of mquesls ; on tht- contrary, tbey were likely to increase. There w « OQe remedy-namely to abolish corooers' juries jltouedier-H.nd he held there WAS no necessity for coroners juries ot all. Th»y should ba able Io trnst their eoroneia to mako an inle!li?ent ! inquiry at inquests without juries. If they ' wnnt on paying people in this way tho cort of I the public Rervice would Jncronseverymateriftllv ' The provision in the bill Io hold inquests in bcjcnied houses would also iuereasa th» cost of administration. He moved that tha B *orb 'tit'p of the bill be altered to " Tte Abolition of Coroners Juric3 Bill."

The Hon. W. J. STEWARD said he had never heard a more extraordinary apepeb. in the House than that jnsfc atlivered by the Minister for Justice. The Blicigter «ictusll r bad not the conra^e of h\a opinions to Viintt dowu s. bill to effect his object, but must try to get it iv on a private member's bill by a side wind, which he thought; was altogether unworthy of the Minister's position. He objected altogether to Mr llceves's proposal, and sjiid thia bill was g*ven time.» passed by the House, and had paßßcd tbo second reading this «e&iion without any protest from the Governtnent. He thought the House was with him in tho urinciple of the bill, and he could not accept Mr Reeve3'i amendment.

The Hon. W. P. REEVES held that the Government hud a perfect right to propose amendments to private members' bills. As to Mr Steward's remarks about want of courage, he was perfectly prepared if Mr Steward reportsd progre3a on the bill to briug down a bill to iiboliah coroners' juries altogether.

Sir R. STOUT said if the Government did not see its way to agree to this bill the proper way would be to move that the Chairman leave the chair. He hoped that coroners' juries would not be abolished as He thought if they were abolished it would interfere with tbe administration of justice. It wss » matter for Ministers to consider whether they could D.fford this £1200 a year, bat a bill should be brought down to abolish coroners' juries straight out. The Hon. R. J. SEDDON hoped Sir R. Stout's advice would not be tekeu, and said' it would be bad after seven long years for the Government to propose to kill the biil in this way. There was some force in Mr Steward's objection to the course proposed to bs adopted, but he thought it was well to take the voics of the Hooso as to whethsr those juries should be abolished, leaving the magistrate to conduct a preliminary inquiry. If that Were done propress could be reported on the bill. After a lengthy discussion. The Hon. W. J. STB WARD said if the Committee allowed the bill to go through be sbriuld

postpone the third rending so as to give tha 1 Miniafcer for Justice time to briog down a bill to sbolifih coroners' juries. Mr Reeves'o Amendment waj lost by 40 to 20 aud tha short title was retained a' it stood. ' At clauoe 2; " Dead house of a hospital to be a public morgue," Mr PINKERTON moved that the chuss ba struck out. The clauso was retained by 35 to 24. Inclanse 3—inquests or inquiry in Hccnfcd houss— Mr G. J. SMITH moved to strike out the words which allowed a licensed publican to be-1 paid £1 for allowing an iuqueat to be held on his licensed pcemicos. The amendment was lcqi by 33 to 20, and the clause passed as printed. Tho remaining clauses were passed without alteration. The bill wan subsequently read a third time and pasood. TiIIIKSHING.MACHINE. OWNERS' HEN BIt,L. This hill wsa cominitttd. In clause 3—-owners of threshing machines to , hay« lien over grsin tbreshod— Mr BUDDO moved to amend the clau6o so as tot to throw the respomibilily of beeping gi'Aiu covered on the contractor. , After considerable disciifision, The Hon. W. J. STEWARD proposed inhtead a new clause to the efftct that when any agricultural or other lien exists on any gr»in threshed by any contractor,and is enforced by Ihe Hence, then such lienee ahall bo responsible to the contractor for tha full cds 6of threshing ouch grain. Bar BUDDO withdrew his amendment, and Mr Steward's new clawse. was agreed to. The bill was road a third time and passed, COAL MINKS BILL. Mr MILLAR moved tbe second reading of th« Coal Mines Act Amendment Bill, which prowdes for accidents in mines being promptly reported, and for check weighers being appoiotud in the int-orcsis of the inun working in mines. . His principal object iv moving the bill, he said, was to enable men who may be injured to get full benefit of tho sick and accident fnnd. He said there was no radical change proposed in it. Mr ALLEN did not object; to the second carting, but would move several amendments in Committee: The Hon. A. J. CADMAN felt Bure that the people who were to be benefited by tnia bill ■w ou!d appreciate it, but although he would not oppose the second reading he did not agree witii all its details. He pointed out sevecal objections ho had to the bill, and said the mover would do well to refer ifc after the second reading to the Gold Mines Committee,, whore, it could receive full consideration by members who were csperieucad on such questions. Mr B. M. SMITH opposed the bill, and thought they were done with bills of the kind. MrCROWTHER thought that if clause 3 wer" pissed providing for the appointment of cueck weighers, that was allthat was necessary. Mr M'GOWAN would oppose clause 3, as it would bring m the foreign element of an industrial union which might have no sympathy ab all with the miners. He hoped the House would carefully guard the iuteivsta of workers as against the interests of uoions. Mr DUNCAN supported this pecond.reading, but objseted to clause 3 applying to all coal mirier Mr HOGG agreed it would be necessary to make somo very radical amendments iv the hill. Mr MILLS regretted to ccc so little interest tairen m mining questions. He suppoited the second reading. Mr CA.SNCSOSB did not koow there was eny demand for thin bill. There were, coal mines in his district, and,he bad never had any complaint regarding the principal act., He did not think it; neces-siry to keep » record of every trivial accident that, ojenrted in a mine, which might lay tho inanager,op?a to a heavy penalty, He hoped the mover would give" his lenAou for unions appointing check weighers, and also whether he would force this b=ll on mines worktd ou the co-operative principle. Mr BI'LAOHCAN supported the bill Mr COLLINS thought there was a good deal to commend itself in the bill, but there were several points in it that required attentiou. Mr MILLAR w&b not wedded to keeping a full record of every accident that occurred, but if it were nob done it might lead to some tiouble afterwards. He was,alao prepared to incert in the ehuse appointing check weighers by unions the words " in the district." Toe motion was agreed to. Ths House rose ai, midnight.