BREACH OF PRIVILEGE,

Otago Witness, Issue 2325, 22 September 1898, Page 26

BREACH OF PRIVILEGE,

The House and galleries were bored with another breach of privilege case to-day. At one time these incidents were interesting, but frequent repetition has now made them dull and tiresome. The case this afternoon referred to the publication in the Dunedin Star of the proceedings of the -Public Accounts Committee regarding over-due mining rents before the committee had reported to the House. The strange feature of the pre sent case was that the offender was no other than the Chairman of Committees himself (Mr Guinness), who frankly confessed that he had given the information, and that he had done so, not inadvertently, as his friend stated, but deliberately. He said the Standing Order which had been broken was more honoured in its breaoh than in its observance, and he wanted to put a stop to this thing. He hoped the discussion would prevent publicity being given to the proceedings of committees in future. Mr Monk suggested that more especially in view of the advent of lady reporters a limitation of temptation committee should be set up to consider howCmembers might be saved from a temptation it was absolutely impossible to resist. After some discussion, the House agreed to a motion that a breach of privilege had been committed, and the matter was then allowed to drop.