PARLIAMENT.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXI, Issue 3, 19 August 1911, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

(Per Press AssociationJ Wellington, August. 18. Tiie Legislative Council met at 2.30 and adjourned until Wednesday, for lack of business on the Order Paper. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Electors! Boundaries. Sir W. Steward asked that the House be afforded an opportunity ol discussing the Representation Commission’s report at an early date. Sir James Carroll said discussion must necessarily arise when the report was submitted to the House. It. could not lie discussed now, as the Commission did not conclude its duties until after the objections had been heard and dealt with.

Mr Massey said that a large majority of the public understood that the report was final, and that no alterations could be made in the boundaries. Ho asked the Government to make the matter clear to the public.

Mr Hanan considered the House should have the earliest opportunity of discussing the report. Mr Allen suggested that the method of fixing representation should be altered, as the South Island appeared to bo making no progress with population. Representation might be made stable there, and where progress was being made, as in the North Island, tiie present system could still obtain. The Hon. G. Fowlers said it war. quits possible, if Mr Allen’s plan were adopted, the change in boundaries might bo much greater than when they were losing seats. There was only one way to get over the difficulty. That was to divide the Dominion into areas and group them. Mr Massey asked if maps or plans, sotting out the proposed boundaries, had been issued from the Survey Department. Prior to the Representation Commission meeting, the suggestion was that the boundaries were already prepared when the Commission mot.

The Hon. R. McKenzie said there was nothing in the contention that the Survey Department had prepared maps of the boundaries for the Commission. Maps wore prepared showing the population in counties and townships, but they showed no boundaries. Mr, Massey: Were maps prepared showing the boundaries? Mr Fowids: Decidedly no. Mr Myers said, one part of the procedure concerning the Commission that Iso took strong exception to was that licensed houses were moved into nolicenso areas, and vice versa. Sir James Carroll explained that at present there was no report to discuss. As to the statement regarding the maps, he could give it an emphatic denial. The matter then dropped. t

Various Bins. x r'iy’C T •wr-'T rOT * , Mr Laurenson gave notice to introduce the Universal Saturday Half-Holi-day Bill. The Mining Amendment and Coalmines Amendment Bills wore read a second time pro forma. The House went into committee on the Mental Defectives Bill. Several machinery amendments were made, and a new clause was added fixing the air space for patients in institutions before a license was granted. The Bill was reported as amended.

Tlio Friendly Societies Bill was committed and reported with an immaterial amendment. The Hon. J. Millar moved the second reading of the Patents, Designs, and Trade Marks Bill. There was, he said, a general desire for the uniformity of the law dealing with patents throughout the empire. Now Zealand was behind other countries with regard to patent laws. Ho would give full particulars of the Bill in committee, when the different clauses could be dealt with. The Bill was read a second time! The Hon. 11. McKenzie moved the second reading of the Stone Quarries Amendment Bill, allowing one hour instead of three after a shot, and milking a technical alteration. The Bill was read a second time.

"ho Gaining Act. The Gaming Act Commission's report came up for consideration. Mr Massey said he didn’t know the Government’s intentions in the matter, but ho hoped any amendment that would be made in the Act of last year would ho on the lines of the Bill introduced by Mr Jennings. The diiriculty seemed to have arisen over the

small clubs, with one annual meeting each, net having been represented on the commission. The Hon. J. Millar said the Government intended to stand by the Commission’s report,. Parliament had desired to pass a measure reducing the number of days of racing; and the number of permits. In due course the Government carried out the will of Parliament and set up a commission, which was composed of fair and straightforward men. Now the Government was asked to deliberately increase ihe number of racing days. Tiie debate was adjourned. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m.

The Hon. J. Millar continued the debate on the Racing Commissioner’s report. In his opinion the Commission had been amply justified in everything it had done. The report showed that some courses were more (it for farm horses than race horses. The Commission'had done more to improve racing than anything else l ad done. The report ought to bo given a fair trial, and, after twelve months, the whole position could he icviewcd. They had taken a new departure, ani he asked the public to approve it. Ho lead found out that Messrs McVey and Nolan had been country clubs’ delegates for years. This" was an answer to the suggestion that country clubs bad not been represented on the commission.

Mr Hardy contended the Commission 1 had acted unfairly and unwisely. Mr Field said that the country | clubs should have consideration, and j tills they had not received. Tho ; whole wish, of Parliament had been, i ignored by the Commission, i Mr Poole said the effort to intro-

duce legislation to nullify the Act of last session would not ho looked on favourably by the public at large. Mr Jennings maintained that if tho Commission’s report was analysed, it would ho found to be not worth tho paper it was printed on. Mr Davoy said no one could say that tho report was in accordances with the Act. Mr Pearce said one of the intentions of the Commissioners seemed to have been to drive the country people into the towns. Mr Wright held the report to he one of the most valuable ever laid on. the table of the House. The Hon. 11. McKenzie said it would be a great advantage to pure racing if a great deal of the totalisator betting died out to-morrow. He was prepared to give the report of tho Commission, a trial for a year, though, personally his sympathies were with Mr Jennings’ Bill. He could not imagine that the House would go back cm what it had done last session.

Mr Buick hoped that last year’s Gaining Bill would not. bo repealed, and so allow bookmaking to be again legalised. Mr Fisher said ho would like, to see country racing preserved and would like to sec race meetings decreased proportionately in town and country. Mr Laurenron said he would like to sec the totalisator wiped right out. With reference to the Commission’s report, if the Commission had been composed of five Archbishops or fivo bookmakers or five spielers they could not have pleased every one. Mr Colvin entered a strong protest against the way in which country clubs had been penalised. He had intended to move “that in tho opinion of this House the report of the Racing Commission is not in accordance with the spirit of tho Gaming Act, 1910, under which they were appointed, and that the report, bo referred back to the Government for review of the whole position in the interests of country clubs which have been unduly penalised.” In view of the temper of the House, however, he would refrain from doing so. Messrs MacDonald, Seddon, Smith, and Stallworthy continued the debate, which was concluded at 10.40, and tb« House thereupon rose.