WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23.

Otago Witness, Issue 2685, 30 August 1905, Page 16

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23.

In the Legislative Council on Wednesday the Public Works Act Amendment and Motor Registration Bills were reported from i committee with amendments. The Marriages Validation Bill, making marriags with a deoeased wife's niece or a deceased husband's nephew legal, waa read a second time. In the House of Representatives on Wednesday, after formal business, the Premier gave notice of a series of important resolutions based' on the report of the recent Land Commission, wiiioh (if adopted) will be followed by the introduction of a bill to •effect radical changes in the lease in perpetuity leasing system. Replies to questions and the inevitable discussion occupied the remainder of the afternoon sitting. In the evening several bills were read a second time pro forma, and referred to various committees. The Electoral Bill was considered in committee, progress being reported at clause 79. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. In rejils; to. Jiuestjon^ Ministers sUiied-^

r That the usual number of the " Sued don '" i voucher was printed for Parliament, and no instructions have been given to print any - more. i That the_ assistant chief health officer ? knows nothing of the Normyl drink cure. ) .From time to time a sensation is caused P hy pucli cures, but on inquiry tLey usually - prove without foundation. He will make b special inquiries with regard to the Normyl * treatment, but nothing: has ajjpeared in the ; medical papers, which is in itself an indiea- " i t:on that it has not engaged the serious 1 attention of the profession. 3 Thai ts soon as the hou«?-to-!iouse visit is : finis'jcd the printing of all ihe electoral rolls ' throughout the colony will be commenced. ' , Thnfc Mv Kaihau, M.H.R.. has requested " ! that his reappointnient to the Waikatc* , i Ivfaori Land Council be cancelled, and his ] request will hi giren effect to. ' i That every i-,c=sible «tcp is being; adopted ', "with a view to minimise the evil oLsly grogselling in Ashbuvton. That the Gaming and Lotteries Bill wilt 1 ' i be proceeded with if it is not blocked by. j the mass of other business now before the* : House. \ That the railway rates on firewood are L quite unremunerative. and they cannot be . I further reduced. The excessive prices , I charged by those engaged in the firewood 1 trade, apart altogether from the railway ' ! freight, are a greater bar to the industry ; than any charges levied by the railway. The remainder of the afternoon was occupied in discussing the replies given by Ministers to quGstions. SECOND READINGS. The Mining Acts Amendment Bill (Son. ,T. M'Gowan) was read a second time pro I forma, and referred to Goldfiields and Mine* Committees. The Animals Protection Bill (Sir J. G. Ward) was read a second time pro forma, and referred to a select committee. The Trades Monopolies Prevention Bill was read a second time pro forma, and referred to the Industries and Commerce Committee. ELECTORAL BILL. The* House went into committee on the Electorial BUI. The interpretation clause was postponed. At clause 5, dealing with periodical readjustment of electoral boundaries, Mr MASSEY asked the Government whether 1 it was proposed to make any change in th© method of readjusting the boundaries after next c?nsus. There was great dissatisfaction last time because community of interest had not been considered by the Boundary Commissioners.—Sir J. G. WARD said the Hou&a seemed to think that a change was desirable, and he agreed with that opinion. He would give the matter very serious consideration and would give the House ample time to consider any proposed alterations in the system after the next census was taken. He agreed that the present position was very unsatisfactory, but he could not do anything before that. He would also give consideration to the question of extending the time for taking, the census from five to 10 years.— « The clause was agreed to. At clause 6, which defines rural and urban population. Mr ELL moved an amendment +0 widen the definition of urban population by making- it apply to the ppop'e within £U« area within live mile? of the chief doss

office of Napier, Wanganui, Timarti, and Invercargill, as well a& the cities of Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Welling-ton.-rAt. the,'sub-seotion of the clause which provides - that "after each census the colony shall be divided into electorates. — Mr DTJTHIE moved an amendment to provide that the of the colony shall be taken evei*y ten years instead of every five years. — A long discussion ensued on the' lines of Town y. Country. The clause provides that ths division into electorates shall be on a population basis, with an addition of 28 per cent, for rural populations as compared with urban populations. — Mr T. MACKENZIE •opposed Mr Ell's amendment as being an attack by a town member on the rural districts.—Mr LAURENSON contended that the 28 per cent, quota was anomalous, and not sought by the avez'age country man. — Mr MASSEY, while deprecating the raising of" the Town v. Country issue, acquiesced in- the stand taken by the rural supporters and denied that the' country advantage was as : great as had been claimed. — Mr BAUME ■urged that the Hotiea should not represent pigs and cattle and acres, but human beings. — Eventually, after a lengthy discussion, Mr Ell was permitted to alter his amendment by. making it read within " three " miles, instead of "five" miles of the chief posh office of Napier, etc., and on a division Mr Ell's amendment was^negatived by 43 to 17. — Mr Duthie then altered his amendment to; provide that the division of the colony inio electoral districts shall be made after every alternate census instead of after eveiy census. — Mir MASSEY suggested that if the -census were taken every six" years it would fifcr-in with, our system of triennial Parliaments.- He added that in view of the slow progress that was . being made with the bill the Minister,should 'be satisfied with a short am ending- bill instead of a' consolidating measure. — Mr Duthie's amendment was rejeoted'by'47 to % 17. ' - Clause 6 was agreed to without alteration. At clause 2.6, " adult qualification." Mr A. L. D. FRASER urged that Maoris should be. given, a-n opportunity of registering on thsEuropean roll, and he moved an amendment to that effect. He added that a large num- ■ ber of Maoris had expressed' a desire to obtain this privilege. — Sir J. G. WARD pointed out that Mr Fra?er's proposal, If given effect to, would mean a tremendous alteration in the constitution of the colony. It would mean that the four Maori members would continue to represent perhaps only one-third of the Maori voters in New Zealand. The- other two-thirds would probably ha on the European rolls. A proposal of this kind should be embodied in a eenaraie measm-e.— The Hon. J. CARROLL did nob think this was_ a suitable opportunity to make a chanse in the direction proposed by the amendment. — Mr MASSEY believed the time had arrived when special Maori representation should be abolished, but this amenrlment"Would not have the -pffect aimed at. If a straierht-oui issue could be had he would vote with Mr Fraser. — After considerable discussion Mr Frier's amendment was lost on the voices. — The clause was agreed to. Exception was taken to clause 42, providing that every employer of labour shall aflfbrrl his employees a reasonable onraortutnity o c enrolling their names on the roll, aud, the Minister agreeing, the clause was struck out. . On the motion .of. Sir J. G. WARD clause56. dealine with the entry on a roll of a, woman who marries after being enrolled vra& struck out. Clauses 63, and 61. relating to the general roll, were postponed. At clause 79 progress was reported". TEE ETERNAL VOUCHER. A few days agp Mr Taylor gave notice to ask the Premier whether the colony is being made to pay the cost of the 50,000 copies of the so-called "Sneddon" voucher which it is alleged are being printed and circulated from the Government printing office. To day the Premier replied as follows: — "It seems destined that in resp-ect to this matter erroneous conclusions are bound to be formed. If the honourable member will look at the historic voucher ' lie will find at the foot thereof — ' Fourteenth form abstract of contingencies 50,000/1/1903—815.' <vßut this is the number , of voucher forms originally ordered from the j •printer in 1903, and has nothing at all to do with the photographic reproduction of the aforesaid voucher. The Government printer, informs nic that the ordinary num- ( ber of this paper was printed for Parliament, and no instructions have been received to print more." It is lobby gossip that the main Christchurch witnesses have so far failed to estab- , lish their case at the departmental inquiry i now being held. An effort will be made ■when the Auditor-general's report is presented to have the evidence taken laid upon the table of the House. Mr M'Beth, chief ( postmaster a t Ohristchuroh, and Mr Rodger, ' & clerk in the Chrislchurch office, were .examined to day. ' - STATE COAL MINES. Mr Herriea to-day asked the Minister of Mines whether he intends to introduce legislation bringing the employees in the State collieries under the provisions of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act. The Minister replied: — "The question submitted is one that demands careful consideration. ■ A departmental inquiry has been held into : the working of the mines, and th-c report of 1 the board set up for the pitrposo is now ■ under the consideration of Ministers. The j

3 1 business already on the order paper almost ; " precludes the possibility of legislation in '' respect to State coal mines this session." I , LEAKAGE FROM TELEGRAPH i. , OFFICES. 3 Mr Lawry asked the Postmaster-general i if he" intends to cause inquiry to be made - info ."the alleged leakage of information as f to the contents of telegrams from telegraph 3 offices in this colony, with special reference - to the ' Christchurch office. The Minister . replied % that this matter is now under coni sidexation. I QUALIFICATIONS OF PLATELAYERS. Replying to Mr Kirkbride, Sir Joseph b Ward stated that owing to the increasing 1 importance of tho railways it has been - found necessary to fix a standard height and t lay down other conditions which have to be I complied with by candidates for employment 3 in the railway service. The standard height > has been fixed at sft 6in, owing to it having J been found in actual experience that men of i" kss height are not able to readily see shunt- . ing, signals, and are therefore not suitable " for the department. Platelayers are eligible > "for transfer to other branches of the railway >i,.,servico after they have served a certain > period in the department, provided they r • are qualified in other respects, and it is therefore as essential to fix a standard ; height in their case as in the case of ' engine- drivers, porters, or other members of the department. j RAILWAY LOCOMOTIVES. [ Sir - Joseph Ward to-day informed Mr . Millar that it is his intention, so far as ■ practicable, to apportion between Addingi ton and Hillside" Workshops, and the other ; workshops in the colony,- tho building of ; locomotive engines. OLD-AGE PENSIONS. In answer to a question by Mr Mosa regarding the payment of old-age pensions before the Christmas holidays, tha Premier to-day stated that the amount payable on the Ist" January will not have accrued duo until thai date, and the law does not allow of payment being made beforehand. The post offic3s throughout the colony will bo open on the 2nd January, on which date payment will be made. THE AUCKLAND HOTEL CENSUS. The Minister of Justice made the following reply to-day to Mr Lawry's second question on the subject of the Auckland hotel census which was carried cut by the Temperance party oi> September 10 last : — Seven males and two female wore arrested for drunkenness in Auckland on Saturday, 10th September last. The ages of the males were 26. 27, 32, 34, 35, 50, 52, and the females 23 and 30 years. No arrests for drunkenness were effected in the city qx suburbs of Auckland on Sunday, 11th September last, and from general observation it is believed that drunkenness amongst the young men of New Zealand is decreasing." The other part of Mr Lawry's question was as follows: Whether the Minister will take steps to ascertain tho names and status of the persons who acted as ■enumera.tors. for the Auckland Prohibition and Temperance League on iho night of 10th September, upon whose report Mr Spragg bases his allegations, and 1 what ' reliance may be placed upon the information gathered in the way indicated in Mr Spragg's letter to the Premier, dated 29th July, 1905? The, Ministerial answer to this was as follows: — "'lt is not within tho province of the Minister or tho Police Depart- ' menfc to make inquiries such as those sugi gested by the lion, gentleman, and it will be obvious io him that I am unable to express any opinion as to the reliability of the information obtained in the manner indicated in the letter referred to." ANGORA GOATS AND NOXIOUS WEEDS/. Replying to Mr Jennings, who asked whether the Government would obtain a [ report on the value of Angora goats as ! -weed-exterminators, tho Minister of Agriculture stated to-day that it was well understood that goats browse freely on blackberry and other noxious weeds. Inquiries would' be made further into the matter, and such information would be supplied to landowners as was likely to be of benefit to them in this direction. SLY GROG-SELLING AT ASHBURTON". Mr M'Gowan (Minister of Justice) states that the report in the' Lyttelton Times alleging that sly grog-selling was prevalent at Ashburton was noted, but the accuracy of the statement mad© therein is much doubted, considering the secrecy adopted by sly grog-sellers to preve-nt detection 1 after so many convictions (41 since July, 1903) being recorded again.st them, and the constant endeavours made by the-, police to bring such offenders to justice. It is untrue aiid unjust to say that sly grog-soiling is carried on openly as alleged, and every possible step is being adopted with a view to minimise the evil. TOURIST DEPARTMENT NEGATIVES. The Tourist Department hag .at great expense secured a large collection of negatives of New Zealand scenery. Sir Joseph Ward to-day intimated that the department's scenio photographs arc at tho disposal of any and every person on exactly the same terms and conditions. No distinctions whatever are made, and no special privileges granted, but there are a certain number of pictures which are not givn out ■

l io ihs public, and which are reserved for j the special work of the department. ENGLISH OWLS WANTED. Mr Millar asked the Minister of Agriculture if he will make inquiries and asccvj tain whether the English and American owls are instrumental in keeping 1 down , small birds, and, if so, will he take steps to | import some to this colony? The Minister ( replied that the introduction of these birds , is deemed desirable, and the question of \ importing' some wiil bo considered favourably. OTAGO RAILWAY MATTERS. In connection with the Dunedin-Mosgiel i line, arrangements for commencing tho ; duplication works are well in hand, and it i is more than probable that a conunencemeni I will bo made by -6th, September. Provision i has been made for siding accommodation ; at Kensington on a. more extensive scalo i than now exists if it be considered neces- : eary to make it, but from the department's I point of view there is some doubt whether any provision should be made at all, seeing its _ proximity to the Dimedin goods yard. It is quit© impossible to say just now when the railway siding at Caversham can be completed. It is not intended to interfere' with the sidings at Caversham for some time to come. JOTTINGS. Mr Hawkins has given notice to ask the Premier— (l) Whether it was by his instructions that the report of Judg© Ward on tlio Meikle case wap. printed by tho Government Printer at the public expense ;■ (2) How many of these reports were printed, and tho cost of such printings (3) Whether it was by his instructions that a large number these reports were handed to W. J. Culver, J.P., general secretary of the Liberal and Labour Federation, for distribution throughout the colony ; (4) If such a method of distribution was adopted at his request, will he inform the House whether he gove e.uch instructions as Premier o£ the colony or merely as the president- of a political organisation? Mr Taylor is urging the Colonial Secretary to introduce legislation limiting tho weight of a sack of wheat to 2001b, and providing that no sack weighing more shall bo carried over tho New Zea'and Railways after the Ist January, 1907, to permit of the manufacturers making tho "necessary alterations in the size of their looms. Mr Hcrdman is inquiring from the Government—(l) What reasons the Auditorgeneral has supplied for his failure to complete tha audit of the balance sheet and statement of accounts of the- Slate coal mine, required by law to be submitted to him for audit before tha 28lh April last; (2) If i,o reasons have hpon fnrnished by the Axiditocgeneral for the non-completion of the audit, what are the real causes of the delay; (3) Is there any prospect of such balance sheet and statement of accounts duly audited being laid before Parliament, this session. Mr Ell wants the Colonial Secretary to take the necessary steps to have prohibited th© taking or killing of the kingfisher and tern, both of which birds are becoming very rare in many parts of New Zealand. I