THURSDAY, AUGUST 6.

Otago Witness, Issue 2579, 19 August 1903, Page 33

THURSDAY, AUGUST 6.

In the Legislative Council on Thursday the Law Practitioners and Law Amendment Bills were reported from committee with amendments. The Counties Act Amendment Bill, which, has passed tho other Chamber, was read a second time, pro forma. y In the House of Representatives on Thursday the Shipping and Seamen Bill was introduced. The Borough of Gore Electric Powei and Chrwtchurch Tramways District Empowering Bills were passed. Two Wellington local bills were read .a second Lime. The Electoral Act Amendment and Marriage Restriction Removal Bills v/ere -cad a second time pro forma, and -c- r st~ed to tho Statutes Revision Committee. The Dramatic Copyright Bill was aiso lead <i second time, but the debate on the second reading of t.he Law Practitioner? Bill ivas interrupted by the dinner adjournment. The evening sitting was taken up with the debate on the Elective Executive Bill. The second reading was eventua^y defeated by 36 to 21. LAW PRACTITIONERS BILL The Joint Statute? Revision Committee has made two important amendment? hi the Law Practitioners Bill, ; ntr<xlucsd in the Upper Souse by the Government. Tn clause 2. regarding he admission ->f English practitioners as barristers o~ "•ol'crpore in lew Zealand without further examination it is now provided thai they rar only be admitted a' barristers if they are already barristers, o? -« lolicitora if ihey ire already solicitors. Clause „', .egarding British !.o]icitor6 beiDg,' admitted as barristers and the counting of practice ;n; n the United Kingdom as practice in Hew Zealand for the purpcoes of -ectior, 2 ol ths s.-ot or JB9B, has beep struck wi. COAJ FOR GOVERNMENT STEAMERS. At Wellington and Westporl varying from ]s 6d to 4s per ton are being paid in excess of the lowest tenders for the supply of coal to the Government steamers. The engineers of the Government cteamers report that 14 tons of Westnort :oal ire equal to 16 tons of Grey coal, and that the value of Blackball coal is 10 'jer cent, higher tlian Brunner. The masters of the steamers were instructed on the 4th June, 1902, ;>hat the coal which is the mc/.-A economical is to be used, taking into consideration price, quality, ana suitability for the Work ,-c quired. Very little screened coal is used. CROWN TENANTS AND uAND BOARDS. Crowi tei-anta «t Tokarahi, Otago, have petitioned p-aymj, that such tenants chould be accorded the privilege of electing ? proportion of members of the Land (Boards >f the colony The Lands Committee has considered the question, but uas no recommendatior to make, s he question in :>ne of policy. MENTALLY iMJnCIENT CHILDREN. A return, oi. 'h*. notion if Mr Ell, laid on the table -jf ihe House to-day, shows that there are 27 children under 15 yeara of age in tRe asylums for the insane. Of this number 17 are between 10 and 15 years of age. The number of mentally deficient ohildren under the ontrol of ihe industrial schools ie 51 THE ELECTIVE jiXiiCUTTVL. The debate on the Elcotive Executive Bill was, on the whole, rathei dull. The Premier became quite demonstrative in hip apee-ch, end predicted all manner of calamities, including a severance of our connection with the Mo-thei Country, '( the elective Executive came intc force. He had evidently gone to some trouble over the matter, for he had prepared lists of Ministries tfiat might be appointed under the elective system. The first and, perhaps, therefore the most probable wae: —Seddon, Ward, HallJones, Sir William Russell, Duthie, Mass,ey, Carroll, and M'Nab. He had included himself in this Ministry because several members had said he would be included in any Ministry that might be appointed. It would be a strong Ministry, no doubt, but amon.g those men there would be irreconcilable differences. Then the Premier proceeded to say that the country party might be stroig in the House, md they might have a Ministry like the following: —-'Massey, Bollar.l, M'Lachlan. Symes, Fraser Herrie3, and Parata. There might be a cosmopolitan Ministry, such ao Sir William Steward asPremier, and Messrs Ell, Taylor, La-wry, Fowlds, Tann-er, and Kaihau. The Prohibition party might be strong in the House, and they might have Mr T. Tavlor an Prime Minister, and Messrs Bedford, Fowlds, Vile, Aitken, Ell, and Wi Pere. An outspoken speech was delivered by Mr Bedford, who said it was a bad thing for the country that any man should have the power possessed by the Premier. The Premier, h» declared, owns the House. Ho owns the public t>rvice, he owns the Council; he has far too much patronage. Probably, ho said, the strongest argument against the present system of fanning the Minihtery was the present Ministry itself. On a division the second reading --as negatived by 36 to 21 The following is the divi«irn lift: — AYE 3 (21).—Messrs Aitksn. Bedford, Buddo, E.I, Fisher, Hernes, Kirkbride, Lang, Laurenson, Mander, Massey, M'Lachian, Mos3, Reid, Steward, Tanner, Taylor, J. C. Thomson, J. \V. Thomson, Vile, Witty. Noes (36).—Messrs E*. G. Allen, Barber, Baume, Bannet, Buchanan, Carroll, Duncan, F.eld, Flatman, W. Frasrer, A L. D. Fraser, Hall, Hall-Jones, Hanan, Hardy, Hogg, Houston, Lawry, Lethbridge, Lewis, Major, M'Gowau, R. M'Kenzie, T. Mackenzie, Millar, Mills, O'Meara, Parata, Remington, Rhodes, Rutherford, Sed-don, Smith, Symes, Witheford, Wood. Paihs.—For the bill: Me=srs Arno'd, Fo\v!d3, M'Nab, Davey, Duthie. Against the bill: Mr Wi Peje, Sir W. R. Puissel), Messrs Millar, Kaihau, and T. Mackenzie. [The names of Messrs T. Mackenzie and J. A. Millar appear on both the list of " Noes" i and among the " Pairs."]