HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Southland Times, Issue 3783, 6 August 1880, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

■■■■■■:■' THUBSDAY, ACO. 5. The House. met at 2.30 p.m. Mr Dick laid pn the table correspondence ■ relative to the defective railway waggons called for by the member for Cheviot. Mr Stewart presented a petition from residents of Dunedin protesting against section 78 of the new Licensing Bill. On -beingTead, it was found' that the petition spoke of the measure before the House as tyrannical,' unjusfc, ftnd unconstitutional. Mr Dick asked the Speaker to rule if the language was respectful^ ' whereupon the Speaker said the proper course was to move that it be not received. T ; V " '■; " ; :; . ; . On the question being put that the petition be received, the response was in the affirmative. „ Mr Hall moved that the House, sit .to , morrow morning at 11 o'clock for the purpose of disposing of certain bills.-^Agreed to. . . . . ; Mr Brown moved that all committees be allowed to sit during the sitting of the House. — Agreed to. ' In : reply to; Mr Adams,: Mr ,E>ick said he expected to proceed with the" Licensing Bill in a very few days. 7 The Taranaki Iron Smelting Works Land Act, 1874, Amendment Bill was reported,' read a third time, and passed: The interrupted debate on the Wellingto» Racing Club Bill was resumed by Mr Hutchison, who moved as an amendment that the , bill be read -that day six months. Sir W. Fox supported the amendment. He made some very severe strictures on .the patience of the House, which was being sorely tried by very questionable characters for equally questionable .purposes, He denied that racing tended to improve the breed of horses, adding that if it did improve the breed of horses it destroyed the breed of men. But it did riot" improve the breed of horses — as a matter of fact, the breed was every year deteriorating: They could not find anything but mere scrubbers now — horses that could do no more than thirty miles a day. That showed, despite all that had been said to the contrary, that horse-racing was doing nothing towards improving their horses. It was. not horseracing that attracted the crowd; it was the saturnalia attending horse-racing that attracted the masses. Criticising the bill, he pointed out that the club might shuffle outof paying its debts— in other words, it might avoid> the . discharge of all.,, the questionable liabilities it " might choose to contract with thiuibleriggers, blacklegs, jockey boys, . and other questionable characters iwho • frequented . these racecourses. Mr Ireland supported the amendment, and in doing so described horse-racing as an "immoral purpose." In reply, Mr Levin said that in looking over the files of Wellington newspapers of 1857 he was astonished to find the name 'of Mr Win. Fox figuring as a prominent steward and member of araeeclub. That:. Mr Fox and Sir Wui. Fox whom they. had just hoard denounce this sport in such-' graphic terms were, strange to say, one and the same person. He alluded to this fact to show the value oi : the elegant denunciation they had heard against horseracing. The motion for the second reading was Carried on th> vote .by 22 to 16, and the "bill was then read a second time. The following bills wore also read a

scond time;:— lnch Clutlia Act, 187 ft, .mendment Bill ; ChristHmrch District (iainage Act, 1376, Amendment Bill. "■"Mr Murray moved that it be an instrucoti: to the iSlandin" 1 Orders Committee to ifc« int. i consideration and report as to tlic disability or otherwise of framing 1 a tnnding Order to provide that to secuffc ;n:ator uniformity, simplicity) and utseulnpsa in the,ssatute Jaw of the .colony. ,a \uliamentary Committee should be aplointed to act jointly or separately with * iniilar committee of the;- .Legislativu jouncil, and to be known as the " Legisafctve iGouuiiittefej'Mo which^ahall beje erred for consideration and report all bills >r proposals to amend, alter, or add to the itatute law of the colony, and that before my such bill pass though the final stage n the House it should be again revised by ;he joint committee. — Carried." •Mr Wright moved for a return showing he nature- of existing arrangements for the jurcha.se of materials- in Great Britain 1 or .•lsewiiere on account of the Public Works Department, also the amounts p:ii.l during he last two yearj w.iddr such arrangenants by way of salary, feeis, or commission, and the names of the recipients. — Carried. Mr Wright moved for a return of the correspondence between ' the Stores Department, Christchurcly and Mr Conyers, Mr A. 13. Smith, and Guthrie and Larnach, relative to the supply of galvanised iron. — Carried. ■:•■■■• The House adjourned at 5.30, resuming at 7.30 p.m." ■'-■-'- On the motion for going into Committee on the Deceased \y ife's Sister . Marriage Bill, Mr Bo wen, in objecting to the bill, said that it would dissolve much of the social relations -which existed at present, and would import a great deal of unpleasantness into domestic relations. Mr Tomoana said that before missionaries came here this was the law; now, however, marriage was carried on on a- different basis. Those Maoris who married their deceased wife's sister were.. those- who ignored the Church.- He would ask members not to consent to this bill* They had other matters of more importance, to attend to. It came to this, that European members we're readverting to Maori customs, therefore he. would not support the bili.;, \ . '" "T ■" ! . MrFioainftVied^and Mr i-«undon seconded, that the bill be committed "that" day "six months. Mr Hall could: not: iflnd that there was any solid argument in favor. of the restriction. In this House similar measures to this had been passed always by increasing majorities.: -The only objection worth considering was the social inexpediency. That difficulty Had not beenr conspicuous in the v&t; majority of the cotmtries^ in which the. law had been adopted. Great Britain, was Sow almost the otily pbr tion of the British limpire where the restriction;, was maintained. .If at J was ;an objection to have a deceased wife's sister in one's home under these conditions, then it must be argued that all females were to be excluded from the household of a widower. • • : ■ •■■ Dr Wallis said they had learned, fronfthe Maoris the true nature of thia proposal that it was .an attempt to revive practices rejected, by, the Maoris when jWy ceased to b,e savages. This proposal gave, him the idea that their ' civilization^ wair-pretty much like a tide: it irose to a, certain height, and then it . reverted/ tp the" s^ate from which it, emerged. They should pass the women's franchise, .and allow, .that element to: have a say en the subject.; P , Major Te Wheoro wonld supperfctbe-billj because 'it' reminded fcjp&rof the; Maori customs of : the old dajgl ' Nothing- gave him greater pleasure than tO'eefrEttropeans come round.tb their customs. Mr Tawhai also testified to the fact that this bill was connected with the old Maori ' cttßtbmlß.i I Having' prclught forward arbill of this sort,. he thought the members. tupporting it should call themselves Maoris. Still,' he would vote again* the bill. The bill said to him as a Maori — " Return ! Go back to your old customs." THef JHouse divided on '•'fhe> motion for going into committee— Ayes, 46;noespl4. The House' then went into cominitttJe. : Clause 2— Majoi 1 Harris moVed thaii ; tha word /deceased" be struck out; .'Kejga tivedl.. ,. . . ;.. . . .-. '-„'.:■' ..' Major Harris then moved that £he ; \srord "sister" be struck, out, ancf the word " grandmother V- substituted..,^ ; > Mr Moorhouse r who was in charge of the billy remonstrated with the imovet of these amendments. -''"' •- : f Mr Murray said tlrat the question had [ been debated in that House "over and tfvei again, and he hoped the minority who were opposed to the bill would show a proper respect for the opinions of the majority, and hbt throw 'frivolous obstacles in£ the way. . r * *• The amendment was negatived on the voices.' ■'• •■■ '•"''■■■"■ •- ' '■ ■'■i\---'A' : } Dr Wallis said he had done more marrying than any other man in New Zealand, and : he' was therefore in expert ■on ! Jhe point/ He thought it : was ' very necessary provision should be made' for a man marrying his niece, and he moved that the words ..'.". or , neice".' .jte, inserted after V sister.". l"he amendment wag put and lost on the.V.oices* Dr Wallis then- moved that progress be reported; Motion lost on a? divisibM by 12-to-41t -■ - -—. .-•■■- r--rrr" -» Mr Thomson mored an amendment to the.jeffept.that.'the bill, be ngbjrctrospective^' ♦^"-•-■- 1 - '• -^■-^:ilMr Pitt said he would , supporl j-the amendment, inasmuch as the bill $fe it stood would make persons legitimate who , were .at present illegitimate. ,TJ^e result ' of that would be to dispossess perspns if property to which .the law had hitherto considered them entitled. , ■_ ■. Mr Seddon said that he believed /the provision' referred to had been/ made to meet a particular case. He was confirmed in that opinion by 1 the fact that the ' Council in passing the bill this year reversed the decision arrived at by it iri 'previous years. He would therefore "support the amendment, : , , < - i > v^ Major Te' Wheoro Buggested that afjthiswas evidently the adoption of a Maori custom it was necessary to have the children legitimised ' -tattooed, in order that they be made Maori according jco strict Maori custom. ; .. .■',.-..■:•:. Mr Dick reminded the House that while . the bill might be abused by certain unprincipled persons, there were a great many who had honestly espoused then: deceased wife's sister. . Then, again, theVe ' were many who came froni colonies where the law was in .force, and it was very hard that the offspring- of such persons should be regarded as illegitimate. . , :-> Mr Thomson argued that by tliii retrospective, legislation iiymy persons would ba deprived of possessions they at present enjoyed. In that case they otnight. look forward that these parties would come to that House seekiag i#fc Compensation for the loss caused to raim. On a division the- amendment was lost by 40 totl'. '•■••■ •:•-■■ Mr Spejght mqyed tl| a,t progress be: re* pbttfed. It was evident enough that iiert were some, diffictrttres in the bill. **He spofee in ihe-Shterests of the bill itself . Mr Pitt supported! i-he proposition, stafing ' tlmt it was, necessary that the course to be followed "should 'be further considered, otherwise*'- th^ lneasuro would not receive the "Roy iil assent -"*"" ! Mr'MaQandrew also supported; the proposal ou the ground that important rights of property were fatal. Mr Pitt moved the striking out of the words of the clause " lawfully inherited,'*' and substituting the words " would have inherited but for the passing of this Act. 1 Mr Hall said that the large majority in favor of th'o bill Was- a guarantee that it was thejwish'of the country that this

measure should pass. If a delay wer agreed to for the third reading, that shouli be done <m the distinct understanding tha this factious opposition would cease. Mr Speight said that he wished it to b distinctly understood that he would kil the bill if he got the opportunity, wli-ti.-it i&j the third reading or not. Lr Maoandrew believed if the countr were polled to-mo'rn>w it would bo foum that It was either indifferent to it or els against Vi. ' They had no represcntatioi from the public, and if they had anythinj to say on inc. point they would have take: some means for making itjknown. He de murred to the assumption that the measun was demanded by the country. ilr Die.-, complained i»f Hie. oppositioi sb >wj) to the bill, contending that tin large majority voting for the mensun showed conclusively that it was dviiKindc by the country. Mr. Slight said the bill Lad been brought in, not in compliant •■• with tin wishes of the country, but in compliance with the demands of 'a few. H= - demurred to be charged -vitli fa lions opposition, but at the sini'i' time he stated he would ivmain up all night rather than see such a measure passed. Dr \V.il ; is said the 40 f>f a majority no doubt represented a majority of the male population, but the remaining 14 who voted on the other side represented the female population. They kuew who wan at the. b:uk of this movement, and they were determined not to allow a measuieno conceived to he earned out successfully. He. aßked U;em to postpone the question until the women had the frnnehise. When rhut was done lie would be content to gee the bill coHieto a divi.-ion. At 1 a.m. the debate had not concluded. Mr Seddon was then spunking at great length. __^_^__^___ —