PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7660, 19 June 1896, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Pips? '■] : : k (HBBAiif Special Rbportbb. ) • BiC'iiV I i -"_ ■ "' WEiitmoTON, last night. Ip^i,-'/"'' / • rara GAMBLING. EVIL. |g£V-The junior member, for .Dunedin is to the |fe fore with a measure which- is aimed at the igVsnppresaion 'of. racing.' The objeot of Mr g|;W.> Hutchison's ; Bill, restraining the incite|p,;inent's*to betting or wagering, is to prevent jfel, nridne apace being given by the newspapers lEjto racing news, and to prevent their publiahH5 ing betting odds ; to forbid the insertion of ; r raoing advertisements,'- and to ' make an : -. attempt) to prevent the circulation of ti printed matter from Australia dealiog with ';.-" " Consultations." ?,-- '.' 7, THE MARRIAGE ACT. ■^'.-MrPirani is asking whether Government , ; - will introduce an amendment to the Marriage - ' Aot making it optional for the Colonial Secretary to appoint anyone as an officiating , .minister, and also to permit any congregation " of fifty" persons to appoint one of their ; number to celebrate marriages without it '.being necessary that such person should be the officiating minister of such congregation. '. - The member for Palmerston explains that ■ . ..the first part of his question has particular -Preference to the case of Mr Worthington, of { of Truth fame, and the latter to the //.Plymouth. Brethren congregation. He is a Bill to give effect to these '" matters. ... OOBONERB BILL. .. The Coroners Bill, the second reading of which was moved in the Council by the Hon. Mr Walker, amends the present law by abolishing coroners and deputy coroners, coroners' fees and coroners' juries, and viewing the body, and provides that . magistrates, and in their absence Justices of the Peace, 'shall conduct enquiries into deaths and fires. Inter alia it also gives power to coroners to commit for trial withont sending to the Magistrate's Court. ; Medical men who have attended a deceased person shortly prior to death, though allowed to be present at the post mortem, must not take part therein. Publicans a fcmile away. from the morgue must receive r^dead bodies, or they are liable to a penalty - not exceeding £5. The Hon. Mr Shrimski once again objected . to forcing publicans to take in dead bodies, and intimated that he .would attempt to have the clause excised. The Hon. Dr. Grace thought it was a very serious thing to confer on any Justice powerß • such as were given by this Bill, to confine in gaol any person he may have suspicion of on . account of evidence, brought before him as coroner. The Government seemed to him to > be in too much of a hurry to abolish the safe- . guards of individuals. ■ ..The Hon. Mr Kelly admitted the revolu- . tionary charaoter of the Bill, but said the powers given under this measure were not so great as under 1 the Justices of the Peace Act).:

v . The Hon. Mr Pharazyn considered the : qualifications of Justices did not fit them for .' coroners, but otherwise he approved of the

/'.. The Hod. Mr Bowen agreed that a reform -:' of the present system was necessary, rb the form of collecting a coroner's jury was a farce, but he thought it might be better if a ; i. |nry- of three or four householders were formed to assist coroners. He agreed with , -making Magistrates coroners, bat was against I >giviDg so much power to the " great unpaid," :. as to whom be expressed his surprise at the '<"f easy going manner in which they frequently 'administered the law. „;.7>i The Hon.. Mr Feldwick considered that in of the way localities any respectable •?-'-'- resident should have power to hold inquests. ',':-.- The second reading was agreed to on the r^Ybicea.- ■ . ''■-. "■. ." • -■ - : : ~i ",.'. . :■ BABY FABMINGf. y;-..The. lnfant Life Protection Bill, like the ? . last mentioned measure, repeals existing law, ''and in introducing it the Hon. Mr Walker i said it enlarged 'the protection of the present ",; :■. law in the matter of baby farming, the neces--0 isity of which had been shown by a notorious ■'»?■; case down South. 't'-Vx The pnly other speaker was the Hon. Mr ■'Stevens who objected to the atmosphere of ■■ Vthe police, which permeated the measure. He 'believed a better plan would be to have :'': ' : the inspection in the hands of matrons or t female inspectors, which would give a more "-■■-. effective management of this question as a 1 whole. They would make a certainty of t knowing whether children were well treated -in infant' homes, .which no policeman could ; be expected to be able to get at. 'X i ■ . .The Bill wag read a second time and referred ■ with the former measure to the ;; Statutes Revision Committee. : -.-\. ...". ' ■ . , CHEAP DEEDS. '%K* The private member who has probably r,?'' introduced and passed more Bills than any , Mother member is Major Steward, who is now iir to' the fore with a measure to cheapen the f -cost of.deecta and instuments of mortgage. -s'The Bill provides that the Colonial t : . -■£ (Treasurer .shall have printed forms which 1 shall be on sale at money order offices and t; ''shall bear, a stamp duty proportionate to C : the amount of mortgage at a rate of 2s Cd V' -for every £50. ; ■'-, -"• ;•- . JOTTINGS. '.'v-- In the- Legislative Council the Govern- •■■?" ment are bringing forward the Adulteration :,'■; Prevention Aot Amendment, and the ■ : .Medical Praotitioners Regulations Act Amendment Bills. .-■'■'- The Premier said there is a usurer in Wellington who ten years ago started business as a pawnbroker with £600, and this man is "now worth £12,000, clear of all liablities, ' and yet members would persist in saying " there was do usury in the colony. '• > New Zealand, according to the member ■'";" for Ashley (Mr Meredith), ia destined by - r .- God and nature to be " the first flower of ■: the ocean and the first gem of the sea." ' /"- The ■ control of Norfolk Mand by New .>. .Zealand, troubles Sir G. Whitmore, who ■ thinks it a singularly valueless dependency ' ' to add to this colony, and he has a motion ,*.'-' km the Order Paper calling for copies of all i correspondence on the matter, as he thinks parliament, should have a voice in the ■'- matter. -•■': - On Mr Buchanan's quoting certain land , ■ administration statistics from the North Otago Times, the Minister of Lands ejacu- ■ ; lated " You' cannob believe a word that ■; ' paper says." •< Ihis' effete ceremony belongs to a bygone age;"— Mr Meredith on the. opening of ■" ' Kkriiainent. . '. -' The Government intend proceeding with ■• the Makohine viaduct on the North Island "- trunk railway by co-operative labor, but I ■-;• new tendsrS will be called for the ironwork. '-i- : ' Sir B. Stout aaya there are over fifty gross mistakes in English in the illogical and " -nngrammatical address put into the mouth I "oi Lord Glasgow by Ministers. - . The -County Franchise Extension Bill, "which the Hon. Mr Carroll is introducing, 1 ■ gives the franchise to holders of gum-digging V" licenses. : , "The hon. gentleman is getting too pure ,'" to Jive in a political atmosphere; be will - want a pair of wings and a golden orown ' shortly. '>-The' Premier on Sir R. Stout, who retorted that a golden orown was more • s than. £he Premier's mining syndicate was I likely w^gst out of the colony. Wellington, to-day. .--'■" ADDRESS-IN -REPLY DEB ASOS. ' t Little interest seems to be evinced in the i.' Address-in-Reply debate, and many members : 'are fast coming to the conclusion that it is one of- those Parliamentary excrescences ■V: • whioh might advantageously be dispensed '.'-■■ The first speaker at yesterday afternoon's '•'*• sitting was Mr Buchanan, who attacked the :';"'' Government policy, especially on the cheap '■:' money scheme and the land for settlement % Vpolioyj while. he also condemned Mr Seddon's v acceptance of a seat on the " little German ■■•:.' band " and among a foreign money syndicate. %K • A -poor exhibition of forensic ability was •■:' - given by Mr Carnell, whose object in taking i; - the floor appeared to be to make a violent p7' personal attack on Captain Russell and " the r : / twelve apostles of Hawke's Bay " associated S : ' -.with him in regard to the Heretaunga block. f ; ;.;fc '^.(This brooght Clutha Mackenzie to his fee f'p&vtibh ft complaint, that his worthy leader had |i%-~ 'been attacked in a most shameful manner by ppjs-jj, c elect of S prohibitionist crowd, who was X; : not worthy of occupying a seat at a Road fef: Board - meeting. He deprecated the hon. [«%'gebtlemen ipdulging in personalities towards fitif Bis neighbor, .and declared that it was time KS|Sthenteinl>er)|or .'papier 'was taught to respect p^tbe dignity of Parliament. followed, and took out his full BS?jjsai^.^hioh brought u» up to, the. dinner &• .adjournment, but the member for Masterton »S;' : {n4iirraHings did not manage to escape the »*v® ; Aotiog'Speaker, who pulled him up rather Mgghaiply'fprlimpating personal motives to his

Dr Newman attacked the land administration, and Mr Collins urged the establishment of a State bank, and contended that those instrumental in deceiving and misleading the country in connection with last session's banking legislation should be impeached. Mr Ward began by complaining that there was an organised attempt on the part of the leading members of the Opposition to induce the Legislative Council to restrict the investigations of the Select Committee on banking affairs, and to prevent inquiries being made into the past accounts of the Bank of New Zealand. He vigorously defended the Advances to Settlers office and made brief references to the finances of the colony. He denied emphatically that the increased revenue from Customs duties was due to alterations in the tariff. Of that increase of £79,000 for the year £40,000 was from artioles on which the duties were unaltered. As to the surplua he contended that it could not be denied that the revenue for the year had exceeded the expenditure. After the supper adjournment Mr Allen denied that the Opposition wished to hide anything regarding banking matters, but would like to see everything made clear. They questioned, however, whether anything could be made clear by a committee of the House set up by the Government to try the Government's action. The scope of the inquiry should not be into the past, but as to the effect of the banking legislation and the influences which led to the appointments of Messrs Watson and McKenzie to the Bank of New Zealand. The debate was adjourned at 12.10 a.m. till this afternoon. A SINGULAR RULING. In the absence of Sir Maurice O'Rorko from the House, Mr Guinness continues to preside over the House, and a ruling of the Acting-Speaker very nearly led to a scene during the afternoon. Mr Buchanan had accused the Premier of robbing the small settlers by taking away £85,000 of sinking funds on local bodies' loans, when Mr Seddon raised a point of order as to whether the term "robbing" was Parliamentary. Mr Guinness ruled it was not, whereupon Mr Buchanan withdrew it. The Premier then rose to make a personal explanation, and Captain Russell jumped to his feet with another point of order, remarking that it was highly irregular. Mr Seddon persisted in his right to explain, and Mr Guinness ruled that he was quite in order in making a personal explanation. "In the middle of another man's speech ?" queried Captain Russell, to which tho member for Grey replied " Yeß." Sir Robert Stout here rose and said no member had a right to interrupt another member with a personal explanation, but^the Acting-Speaker held to his ruling, and Mr Buchanan had to resume his seat while Mr Seddon had his say. There was much comment in the lobbies afterwards over the Aoting-Speaker's singular ruling.

THB STRIKE AT BEEFTON. Apropos of the strike at Reefton, I learn that the Premier and Mr O'Regan have communicated with Mr Ziman and the secretary of the Reefton Miners' Union urging that a temporary arrangement be , arrived at whereby work may be resumed pending a settlement of the dispute by the Westport Conciliation Board, the wages to be paid to be based on the award of the Conciliation Board. THE VACANT JUDGESHIP. The latest tip is that Mr W. B. Edwards will be the new Judge, and that an offer has really been made to him ; but Ministers say no decision has yet been come to, and decline to confirm the rumor, THB MINISTERIAL FLOCK. That dissension exists in the Ministerial ranks is undeniable, but as a general election is close at hand the supporters of the Government are not likely to break out in open revolt. Many members, however, declare their intention of standing on the independent ticket, and curious developments are certain to be witnessed when the new Parliament meets. It is stated that the Premier adopted a most conciliatory tone at Monday's caucus, and that he admitted that Ministers were there to follow the behests of their supporters. This is a marked contrast to Mr Seddon's attitude last session, when he put down his foot over the tariff proposals, with the result that some half-dozen recalcitrant spirits were whipped into line in two or three days, THE COLONIAL BANK. The ex-chairman of the Colonial Bank directors courtß the fullest inquiry into the position of that institution's past management and its relation' to the recent legislation. The Hon. Mr McLean informs me that he will in the Council strongly support the setting up of the proposed Select Committee, which he thinks would serve the same purpose as a Royal Commission. TIIE BANKING BUSINESS. The feeling against the appointment of a Select Committee on banking appears to be gaining strength, and it will be staunchly resisted in both Chambers. THE DEBATE. The Premier has determined to close the Address-in-Reply to-night, and, if necessary, will insist on a late sitting.