PARLIAMENT.

Southland Times, Issue 13508, 16 July 1896, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.. [By Telegraph]. Wellington, July 15. Mr Jenkinson moved that the proceedings of the Banking Committee should bo open to the press.—This course was opposed by several speakers, and the motion was eventually rejected by 25 to 8. The Criminal Code Act Amendment Bill passed its final stages. Mr Walker moved the second reading of the Chatham Islands County Constitution ffiill, to form the Chatham Islands into a county.—Mr Bowen said the inhabitants did not desire the change, which was being Iforced upon them by the Resident Magistrate there.—Mr Walker agreed to the adjournment of the debate for. a month to ascertain the truth or otherwise of these allegations. The Council then adjourned. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The report of Private Bills Committee of the Wesleyan Methodist Church Property Trust Act, 1887, further Amendment Bill was agreed to after a lengthy debate. Mr Graham brought up an interim report from the Banking Committee to the effect that the Committee of the House had offered to sit with the Committee of the Legislative Council on certain conditions, but the Committee of the Council had refused these conditions. —Mr Seddon moved that the report be adopted as a matter of urgency. —Captain Russell thought notice should be given of this motion. There could be no particular reason for urgency in this case as they could not possibly expect the commitcee to report till the session after next. —After some diicussion it was agreed that the report of the committee bo considered to-morrow and was made the first order of to questions it was stated—That a Fair Rent Bill would be introduced as soon as the. financial debate was over—That ten estates, amounting to 51,746 acres, weie under offer to the Government in Canterbury ftnd negotiations wcro now in proMr'Seddon called attention, to the printing of the evidence in the Horowhenua case and said a paragraph was inserted which was not in the printed papers laid before the House, Certain maps and plans were also coloured in a w&y that did not accord with tho original evidence and he thought the matter should be referred to the Printing Debates Committee to ascertain who were responsible for these alterations.— Captian Russell said this was a serious statement to make and he hoped the Premier had good grounds for his assertion.—Mr Seddon said the evidence now contained an extract from Sir W. Buller’s speech at the bar of the House last session which was not in the original evidence.— After some discussion the matter dropped. Mr Seddon moved that Major Richardson, DrGillies, Mr T. S. Weston,and Dr Hislop be appointed Commissioners under the Reprosentation Act Amendment Act, 1896. Ho said no one could accuse the Government of naming those Commissioners owing to their political colour as some of them were opposed to the Government.—After some discussion, in which the selection was on the whole approved, Mr Seddon said tho Commissioners would meet immediately. He recognised that some alteration was required in the Electoral Act, and he would bring down an amending measure shortly.—Motion agreed to on the voices.

Evening Sitting. Mr Cornell moved the second reading of the Totalisator Abolition Bill to abolish the totalisator and other instruments of a like kind. He denounced in strong terms the gambling propensities of the present day and said this evil did more harm than drink. He had received sheaves of letters condemning the totalisator and one well known horse-breeder had written to him that the totalisator was the greatest curse in the colony.—Mr Earnshaw seconded the motion and deprecated the gambling spirit of the age.—Mr J. McKenzie agreed that the totalisator was an evil but doubted whether this bill would have any effect on the prevalence of gambling. — Mr W. Hutchison said that for the sake of the manhood of the country the machine should be got rid of.—Mr Pirani held that the State should not legalise any form of gambling and the machine should be abolished. Mr Carroll could not see that the morals of the community would be improved by the abolition of the totalisator. The machine was the greatest enemy bookmakers had and he could not see how its abolition would decrease gambling. There was no totalisator in Australia yet racing in all forms took place there on every day in the year.— Sir R. Stout said a strong point in favour of the sweeping away of the totalisator was that it would decrease the number of race 1 meetings by at least one half. Gambling I was increasing and he .would | support any bill to restrain it f —MrLewissaid the bookmaker in giving credit did young people more harm than the machine which was a cash transaction. He opposed the bill.—Mr R. McKenzie looked upon the totalisator as the most legitimate form of gambling that could be found on a racecourse.—Mr Hogg said the racecourse was no longer attractive since the totalisator was instituted and it was now chiefly the resort of betting men.—Mr Fraser moved a hostile amendment that the bill be read a second time six months hence. On a division the amendment was lost by 34 to 25 and the second reading agreed to. Following is the division list : — For the bill (34)—Buddo, Buick, Cadman, Carnell, Earnshaw, Flatman, Hall-Jones, Harris, Hogg, Houston, Hutchison, G., Hutchison, W., Joyce, Kelly, J. W., Larnach, Mackenzie, T., Maslin, McGowan, McKenzie, J., McNab, Meredith, Millar, Mitchelson, Morrison, Pinkerton, Pirani, Saunders, Seddon, Smith, G. J., Stout, Tanner, Thompson, R., Thompson, T., and Ward. Against the bill (25)—Allen, Buchanan, Carncross, Carroll, Collins, Crowther, Duncan, Fraser, Graham, Green, Gumness.Kelly, W., Lang, Lawry,Lewis, Massey,McKenzie, R., McLachlan, Mills, O’Regan, Russell, G. W., Pere, Stevens, Steward, Te Ao.

Mr W. Hutchiton moved the second reading of the Restraint of Incitements to Betting or Wagering Bill to render penal the inciting of persons to betting or wagering. He said the necessity for such a bill must be apparent to everybody. After a brief debate the second reading was agreed to on the voices. The Property Law Consolidation Act, 1883 Amendment Bill (Mr Buick) was read a second time proforma, and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee. Mr Millar moved the second reading of the Coal Mines Act Amendment Bill. Ho said the bill proposed several amendments in the the Act with respect to the regulation of mines, granting of certificates, employment of youths, ventilation, etc.—After a short debate the second reading was agreed to on the voices and the bill referred to the Goldfields Committee. The House rose at 12.35 a.m.