PARLIAMENT.

Opunake Times, Volume III, Issue 112, 30 July 1895, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES. Wellington, Thursday. LOTTERIES ACT. A motion by Mr Carnell for leave to introduce a Bill to amend the Gaming and Lotteries Act, in the direction of abolishing the use of the totalisator, was carried by 40 to 19, and the Bill was read a first time. coroners' bill. The Coroners' Inquests Bill was committed. Ou clause 1 being put, Mr Reeves asked the House to remember that one phase of this Bill would cause a permanent charge on the Justice Department of £I2OO a year, and . that expenditure would rise year by year as the population increased, and inquests became more frequent. There was one remedy—namely, to abolish coroners' juries altogether. He held i -there was no necessity for coroners' juries at all, and they should be able to trust their coroners to make an * intelligent enquiry. He moved that the short title ho altered to " Abolition of Coroners' Juries Bill." Mr Steward said the Minister had not the courage of his opinion to bring down a Bill to effect his object, but he must try to get it in a private member's Bill by side wind. He objected altogether to Mr Reeves' proposal. r. The Bill had passed the House seven times, and its second reading the other night had been agreed to without any * protest from the Government. Mr Reeves held that the Government had a perfect right to propose amend- " ments in private members' Bills. As to Mr Steward's remark about the want •'of courage, he was perfectly prepared, if Mr Steward reported progress on this "•-Sill, to bring down a Bill to abolish • Coroners' juries altogether. • -.Sir Robert Stout hoped coroners' juries would not bo abolished. • Mr Seddou admitted there was some force in Mr Stewards objection to the course proposed, but he thought it as well to take the voice of the House as to whether these juries should be abolished. After a fong discussion, Mr Steward said if the Committee allowed the Bill to go through he should postpone the . third reading, so as to give the Minister for Justice ,time to bring down a Bill to abolish the coroners juries. Mr Reeves' ainendmeut was lost by 40 to 20, and the short title retained as it stood. The Bill passed through Committee without amendment, and was subse-. quently put through its final stages. THRESHING MACHINE BILL. The Threshing Machine Owners Lien Bill was committed. A new clause was substituted for clause 8, providing that when any agricultural or other lien exists on any grain threshed by any contractor, and is enforced by lienee, then such lienee shall be responsible to the contractor for the full cost of threshing such grain. The Bill was reported, read a third time, and passed. Wellington, Friday. On the motion that the House go into Committee of Supply for passsing the imprest supply for £302,000. Sir R. Stout, Mr Mitchelson and others complained that the returns under the Public Revenues Act, which the law required should be laid on the table within thirty days of the meeting of. Parliament, had not been furnished to the House. Mr Ward said there was no desire to keep back the returns, and on Tuesday next he proposed to lay all returns on the table that the House asked for. discussion with regard to these returns lasted the whole afternoon, but just before the dinner adjournment the Bill was put through its final stages. The House on resuming dealt with a number of Bills. The mining Companies Act Amendment Bill passed its final stages, and the Nelson Land Bill was read a second time. After further discussion G. W. Russell's Periodical Revaluation of Lands Leased in Perpetuity Bill was thrown out ou the second reading by .25 to 21. The Cemeteries Act Amendment (Cremation) Bill and Employers Private Benefit Society Bill were put through the final stages.