N. Z. PARLIAMENT.

Otago Witness, Issue 1947, 18 June 1891, Page 24

N. Z. PARLIAMENT.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17.

The Council, met at 2 30 p.m. - THE CBIMINAL CODE.

The' Criminal Code Bill was read a first time, and the second reading fixed for Friday.

. BEFOBM OF THE COUNCIL. The Hon. P. BUCKLEY said iff had been 'represented to him that the second reading of the Legislative Council Bill should not be taken that day. He was always pleased to consult the convenience of bon. members, and therefore he moved that the Council 'do now adjourn. ' He had bfien told that the Government should make a call of the Council for the consideration of thiß bill, but'this oourse always caused individual inconvenience, and therefore he was averse to adopt it* He proposed postponing the second reading in the hope that by next day there would be a larger attendance.

The Hon. Sir G, S. WHITMORE expressed the opinion thas the Council at present was a moderately full Chamber, and therefore the second reading might be taken at once. He was glad the Government, however, had decided not to mako a call of the Council.

The motion of the Colonial Secretary was agreed to, and the Council at 3.15 adjourned to the following day. The House met at 2.30, p.m. BEPLIES TO QUESTIONS.

Replying to Mr Smith ( Waipawa), The Hod. Mr CADMAN said he was afraid the Government could not bring in an Amending Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Bill this session, but the subsidies would be continued for the present, year.

. Replying to Mr Palmer, The Hon. Mr REEVES said the question of again assisting public libraries was under the consideration of the Government. ,

Replying to Mr Hutchison (Waitofcara),. The Hon. Mr REEVES said the Government had no intention this session of interfering with the licensing laws. Replying to Mr Hutchison (Dunedin),

The Hon. Mr BEODON said the permanent employes of the Government at present received a Saturday half holiday, and were paid for 48 hours' work, although they only worked 45 hour?. The same_practico also prevailed with respect to oasual employes. The Government would take steps .to confine the week's work, as far as possible, to six days, maintaining the freedom of Sunday from toil. They would also urge this matter on the Railway Commissioners, so as to put a stop to any unnecessary Sunday traffic.

THE SPEBREY-ATKINSON "CHARGES.

Mr THOMPSON (Mursden) moved the adjournment of the House to enable him to refer to the Atkinaon-Sperrey charges of last year. He spoke at some length on the whole question relating to the charges be made against the late property tax commissioner, and the attitude taken on them by the late Premier. He s f rocgly condemned the administration of the Property Tax department in the past. Referring to the letter which the late Premier bad written respecting the charges he (Mr Thompson) had made against the late Mr Sperrey, he challenged Sir H. Atkinson, or any of his friends, to prove the charges he had made in that letter against him, and if theyvdid prove them he (Mr Thompson) would resign his seat in the House. He regretted the member • for Hawke's Bay was not present, but he considered that as an honourable man Captain Russell was bound to call on the l&to Premier to substantiate the charges he had made against him (Mr Thompson )in connection with this matter. If they did not do so he would leave the House and colony to judge between himself and the late Government.

NEW BILLS.

The following bills were introduced :— Bill to Confer the Electoral Franchise on Women, Book Purchasers Protection, Counties Act; Amendment, Lunntic-i Acb Amendment, Imbecile Passenger Act Amendment, Bill for the Reeonstitutioo of the Otago University Council,' Bill to Permit City and Borough Councils to Insure

Buildings Against Fire, Industrial Conciliation, Bankruptcy, Juries Act Amendment, Artificial Manures AdulteratioD, Appraisers and Auctioneers.

CAPITAL AND LABOUR.

Mr BEES moved — '• That, having regard to the increasing tension between the interebt3 of capital ftud labour throughout the world, the Government bs requested to open correspond* ence with the different Governments of all •English-speaking communities, with the view to the appointment of a conference to consider the relations between capital, labour, and the State,. such conference to meet at the forthcoming Chicago Exhibition." He strongly urged the House to agree to the motion, ss the question should commend Itself to every member in it, and lie pointed oat that the misery and suffer' ing caused by the recent strikes in this colony were still being endured b^ many people in New Zealand. It was only by public discussion and going down to the bed rock of the whole question that a remedy could possibly be found for reconciling the relations between 6dpltal and labour. He contended that labour unions* however strong they might be,- mtist give way toem-< ploy era of labour, as it was impossible f oi unions' to prevent work being carried on as long as employers could obtain' non-union - labour •& against union. The proposal therefore w&f one, he submitted, that should be adopted, and he felt sure some, such aotion would .solve the present labour difficulty.- „

Mr BARNSHAW seconded the motion, and said he felt sure the Australian colonies would gladly join the New Zealand Government in appealing to the mother country on this most important question. He denied that he and other members represented any class interest/ They represented what was a most important interest — naniely, the mass of h'um'snifcy. After the peculiar warfare between labour and capital that had just taken place in- Australia he was sure tffoae colonies would join in staoh 4 •proposal as that advocated by MrKees, Care Jwould have to ba taken in sending representatives to such a conference. It would be unwise to send anyone intimately connected 'with unionism, nor would it do to fiend employers of labour, but whoever represented 'this colony should have some knowledge of social economy.

Mr O'CONOR had no hope whatever of achieving any good by passing a motion of this kind. He should like to know what this Parliament was for except to deal with questions of such a nature, and they would not advance the relations between labour and capital one iota by sending representatives to Chicago. -He gave aft credit to Mr Rees for his integrity and nobleness of sentiment, but considered he was entirely mistaken in the way he proposed to deal with this great question, ■ The Hon. Mr REEVES said the Government 'did not propose to offer any opposition to the tnotion, as they did not see What 'possible harm 'could result from it. They might possibly 'commence by opening- communications with the 'Colonial Office, but he. felt sure the united Voice of the' Austral wian colonies would have some weight at Home. He did not at all agree 'with some members that the present motion jwasawasteof time; If no other result Came ■from the discussion, a sense of relief would be 'experienced by hearing the ' iriodefate tone (adopted by the labour representatives dtitihg 'the discussion. He regretted that 'they bad jno remarks on the Question from those membera Iwho might be regarded as employers of labour. •He deprecated strikes as' much as anybody, 'and considered that, as a rule, they resulted .'disastrously to the working classes. ' Employers, ■he thought, shouW endeavour to meet the men 'reasonably, if possible, and by this means strikes 'might be avoided in many instances. It was the duty of the House io take up these great 'social questions, as the. time was coming when a 'great part of their time would be taken ' dp 'in discussing, them. He did' nob .say the -proposed conference wduld settle the question of capital and labour; but he' thought if {conferences of this kind were -established they •might expect a result even more important than that of the recent Berlin congress.

The motion was agreed to.

PABTY GOTBBNMBNT. ' Mr O'CONOR moved—" That a committee be 'appointed to inquire and report as to the form 'and working of executive governments elsewhere, with a view to such modifications of the existing system, of government in New Zealand. s jas will diminish 1 the evils of the present party j system'; the committee to consist of Sir J. 'Hall, Captain Russell,- the Hona. Messrs Bryce ■and Ward, Messrs Palmer, Newman, Buiok, jSaunders, J. W, Thomson, and the mover." 'He spoke at some length on the motion, urging on the House the absolute necessity of some change being made in the direction he proposed. — Agreed to. , THE EEECTOBAL BILL. ''■ Mr TAIPUA resumed the debate on the 'Electoral Bill, urging that consideration of the bill be postponed till the portion of tbe measure relating to Maoris was translated. ' Ths Hod. W. P. BEEVES pointed out that the part of the bill affecting the Native racd was only a small portion, and there would be 1 full opportunity of discussing that poition before the bill got into committee. Besides the House had not yet got to the second reading of the bill, and other members might' desire to speak on it* The speaker urged that Mr Taip.ua should formally move the adjournment of the debate if he wished for a postponement. Mr TAIPUA moved accordingly, bat the, adjournment was lost by 35 to 31. Sir G. GREY could not help feeling that the bill was one for which the Government deserved every credit. He desired, however, to see one or to amendments inserted. His wish was that the qualification should be amended so as to provide for females voting for the election of membera. He hoped to see those changes made in committee. He objected 'to any return of convicted persons being made to returning officers, and thought that on the completion of their sentence they should again be capable of , exercising the franchise. The Hon J. BRYCE agreed that the bill was a consolidatiog measure and had little bub praise for it. He differed from Mr Guinness, however, as to the representation of minorities, aud asserted that in many cases little more than half of the community was represented by eleotions. He failed to see why electoral rights should not be extended to the whole of the community as well as to the seameD, bubhe approved of the bill as a whole and would give the Government every assistance in carrying it. Mr Buick had referred to voting on stations, ami stated that employers would find out how men had voted. He (Mr Bryce) thought it was a mistaken idea on Mr Butck'a part. His opinion was that in the case of a large number of men being of opinion that their employers would coerce and dismiss them for voting in a certain direotion they would almost certainly vote in the opposite way to that desired by their employers. Referring to the principle of one-man-one-vofco that was carried out in the present bill, he should not object to a residential qualification being the only one allowed. He was fully in favour of giving women a vote as he thought they had every reason to believe it woold improve their elections.

Mr MACKINTOSH also (supported the bill, but he thought the question of female franchise

should be dealt with separately. He approved of the proposal with regard to the purging of the rolls and thought the plan proposed by the bill would be the most effectual way of doing this. The bill was a practical measure and should be dealt with in [a practical manner by the House.

Mr S COB IK MACKENZIE (Mount Ida) thought the bill was one they might fairly approve of, and was evidently intended by the Government to improve the electoral laws of the colony. He could not, however, approve of the proposal to strike off the names of those who do not vote at elections. That was distinctly an illiberal proposal, and he was surprised to see such a proposal coming from a Government which professed to be Liberal. An elector bad an undoubted right to abstain from voting if he so desired, as it might happen that he could not vote for either candidate, and for exercising this right he was to be punished by being struck off the roll. He should like to know whether the Premier was willing to extend the principle and compel members of the House to vote, or if not to send those members back to their constituents. With respect to one-man-one-vote, that principle had now been brought into altogether undue importance. The colony had now got it, and they were not likely to lese it, but it was a great mistake to elevate it to such importance. He objected to the proposal to limit the registration of electors to one district but he thought nobody would object to the clause providing a public holiday on polling day. If a holiday were declared, however, publio houses also might be closed on the day. As to female franchise, no one denied that women were intelligent enough to vote, but they did not desire the franchise, and it was nonsense to talk of depriving women of the right to vote when they never asked for it. There was no doubt whatever that such a course would result in tbe duplication of votes, as in nine cases out of 10 women would vote in the same direction as their hatbands. With a few exceptions he should be found supporting the bill.

Mr KELLY (Invercargill) alao approved of it, and considered that if women were allowed to vote it would vastly improve the class of members in the House.

Mr PINKBRTON congratulated the Government on their bill. He was in favour of female franchise, and he denied the right of any person to assert that a woman should not vote because she was a woman. The seamen's vote might well be extended to other persons who were at present debarred from voting.

Mr HALL-JONES moved tbe adjournment of the debate till next day. — Agreed to. ■-'-■■ The House cose at 10 30 p m. CHAIRMAN OF COMMITTEES.

This question is still undecided, but I am in a position to state authoritatively that the Government have offered tbe position to Mr Perceval, and that he is being strongly urged by the party to accepMfc, as it would clear away all difficulties and render everything smooth sailing. Mr W. 0. Smith is leaving no stone unturned to further his own candidature, and if Mr Perceval refuses the position it is considered doubtful whether the Government could induce their followers to ignore Mr Smith's past loyal adhesion for a member of the Opposition party. It is feared that Mr Perceval, for private reasons, will decline the appointment, but no final reply has yet been received from him.

FEMALE FRANCHISE.

A card has been pricked by a member, who is strenuously opposed to female franchise, and be finds that a majority of at least 10 to 12 in favour of female franchise is certain. As this comes from a resolute opponent of the change, it may be accepted as correct. I hear that the enthusiastic promoters of the change pat their majority at a considerably higher figure, so that the measure is virtually safe in the Lower House whatever may be its fate in the Legislative Counoil.

THE STOCK DEPARTMENT.

The Hon. G. F- . Richardson has given notice that a return be brought before the House (1) giving details of thousands of the pounds spent in each year by the inspectors of the Stock department without any control whatever from the head officer in Wellington, as stated by the Minister of Lands at Palmerston South; (2) the names.of the inspectors who (as this House has been assured by the Minister of Lands) actually dwelt in their own houses and charged rent for them, the amounts so paid, and the dates of such payments; (3) also the names of the inspectors who were actually charging and being paid for the hire of thair own horses, and the dates and amounts so paid, such return to cover the financial years 1889-90 and 1891.

MISCELLANEOUS.

Mr Joyce invites the Government to indicate what steps they intend to take to secure the assembling of a convention in Australia, as desired by the Governor-general of Canada, to discuss the question of reciprocal tariff treaties between the Dominion and the colonies of Australasia.

Mr G. Hutchison, who is a barrister, caused some amusement in the House to-day by addressing the Speaker as " Your Honor," afterwards correcting himself by exclaiming " Your Worship." The bill of Sir J. Hall to give the electoral franchise to women was read a first time to-day. There were some "noes" when the question was put. The second reading has been fixed a fortnight hence.

Those who profess to know something about the House of Representatives say that more petitions are received from Auckland than from any other part of the colony.

The following chairmen of committees have been appointed: — Public Petitions Committee, A to L, Mr T. Thompson; Public Petitions Committee MtoZ, Mr Fish ; Local Bills Committee, Mr Rees ; Petitions Classification Committee, Mr Blake.

When Sir G. Grey rose to-night in the House he was received with applause. In speaking he stood behind Mr Houston, who then heard for the nest time a speech from Sir %}eorge Grey. The bill introduced by the Hon. G. F. Richardson regarding the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors provides for the incorporation of that association, and deals with the constitution and powers of the council, the qualification for membership in the institute, the purchase of land, and so oi>.