GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2250, 5 September 1891, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. ■Wellington, September 1. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. FACTORIES BILL. The Factories Bill was recommitted. The provision in clause 51, conferring upon inspectors power to suspend the operation of clause 50 defining the hours of labour of boys and females was struck out, and a new proviso was inserted giving permission to boys and females to work three hours per day overtime for twenty days in the year.

A new clause was added to the Bill, providing that the Act shall not apply to any factory and workroom which may be under the control of the Railway Commissioners. The Bill was reported as amended, and the third reading fixed for next day. SHOP HOURS BILL. Dr Pollen resumed the debate on the motion for the committal of the Shop Hours Bill. He designated the Bill as unnecessary and oppressive, and expressed a hope that it would be thrown out.

Mr Skrimski moved that the Bill be committed that day six months.

Mr Wilson would like to see the Bill committed, not on its general principles, but in order to secure one half-holiday during the week and aiso proper accomdation for employes. He was opposed to closing small shops at six o'clock. Mr Stewart, Sir George Whitmore, Mr McLean, Mr Pharazyn, Mr Acland and Mr Reynolds spoke in opposition to the Bill.

The debate was adjourned till the following day. The Council rose at 5. p.m. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. on Thursday. FACTORIES BILL. The Factories Bill passed its final stages. CUSTOMS AND EXCISE DUTIES BILL. The Committee on the Customs and Excise Duties Bill recommended that it be allowed to proceed. WORKMEN'S LIEN BILL. Mr Buckley moved the second reading of the Workmen's Lien Bill. The motion for the second reading was carried by 24 to 5, and the Bill w*s referred to the Labor Bills Committee. SHOP HOURS BILL. The adjourned debate on the motion for the committal of the Shop Hours Bill was resumed, and the motion for the committal was lost by 24 to 8. SELECTORS' LAND REVALUATION BILL. The Selectors' Land Revaluation Bill passed through Committee without material amendment. The Council rose at 6 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. , The House met at 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday.

THE ELECTORAL BILL. The Electoral Bill was further considered in Committee. The interpretation clause, which contains a provision relating to female franchise, was postponed. Clause 6, qualification of electors, no person to be registered in more than one

district. / Mr Rees moved an addition to subsection 1 so as to provide that leaseholders should have the qualification of voting as well as the person possessing a freehold.

This was carried by 33 to 29. The Premier then moved that the whole sub-section, which provided for freehold qualifications, be struck out, as the proposal just carried would lead to great confusion. The motion was agreed to by 32 to 20. The sub-section was therefore eliminated from the Bill.

' Sub-section 3, no person to be registered in more than one district. Mr Palmer moved that the words " no person to vote for more than one candidate at any election" be added.

The Premier said that this would not meet the view of members, as the provision for giving three votes at the city elections was contained in the Representation Act, and a question of that kind should be dealt with by an amendment of that Act.

Mr Palmer's motion was lost by 31 to 21.

The clause was added to the Bill. The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. and resumed at 7.30.

Clause 7, Maori representation, provoked a very long discussion, the clause being eventually postponed so that it might be more carefully considered by the Maori members.

During the discussion Mr Carroll strongly appealed to the Committee to put the Maoris on the same footing with respect to voting as the Europeans, for he felt convinced that the time was coming when special representation for Maoris would be abolished altogether. The Premier said that this was too great a change to make at the present time. He had frequently, when he was Native Minister, asked the Maoris themselves whether they were in favor of the special representation being abolished, and in every case he found that they were unwilling to accept such a change. Clause 51, return of notice to be evidence of a person having left the district. Mr Hogg moved an addition to the clause that a list of the names of persons struck off the roll should be placed outside the Registrar's office, and kept there for one month. ( Agreed to. I In clause 63, voting by seameiij '

Mr Duthie moved to add the words "and other persons temporarily absent from'their electoral districts."

Lost by 29 to 13. A motion by Mr Fish to add the words "and commercial travellers" was also negatived.

Clause 74, day of polling at general election to be a public holiday, elicited a lengthy discussion, the clause being retained as part of the Bill by 24 to 17. Clause 122, the number of votes to be ascertained on the close of the poll. Mr Buick moved that when the number of votes does not exceed forty the deputy returning officer shall seal the ballot-box with his own seal and deliver it to the returning officer. Carried by 16 to 14.

Mr Buckland moved to report progress. The amendment just carried, he said, would destroy the Auckland electorate, and he regretted very much that the Premier in order to please one of his supporters should vote for such a clause as this. Under this proposal in some districts they would have to wait for a fortnight before the result of the elections were known, and who was to say that the ballot boxes would not be tampered with?

After discussion the Premier pointed out that the Bill would have to be recommitted, and it would' then be open to any member to move that this particular clause be struck out. <

The remaining clauses passed with slight amendments, and a new clause was postponed. Progress was reported, and the House rose at 1.30 a.m. The House met at 2.30 p.m. on Thursday. THE CASE OF MR JUSTICE EDWARDS. Captain Russell presented a petition from Mr Justice Edwards, praying the House to take his case into consideration. auctioneers' bill.

Mr Seddon brought up the report of the Managers of the Conference on the Auctioneers Bill. The report was to the effect that the Conference had agreed that auctioneers' fees should be paid to the local body of the place where auctioneers have their usual place of business. The conference had also agreed that account sales should be rendered in fourteen days after saleinstead of seven. Mr Seddon moved that the report be agreed to. The debate was adjourned. LOCAL BILLS. A number of Local Bills were put through their final stages. The Hotise adjourned at 5.30 p.m* an resumed at 7.30. FEMALE SUFFRAGE BILL. '■ • The Female Suffrage Bill was considered in Committee. Clause 2—Electoral franchise conferred upon women. The Premier wished to say that this was not a Government measure, and it was no part of the Government policy. The Government were, in fact, not agreed on the principle of the Bill, and Ministers would vote in different lobbies on the question. Speaking for himself he was in favor of woman suffrage, and of this Bill. As to the date when the measure should come into operation, Sir John Hall wished that it should come into force in 1893, but he (the Premier) was in favor of postponing its coming, into operation till 1894. He held that if the Bill were given effect to at once there would be an immediate demand for a dissolution in order to enable new constituencies to be formed. He did not think it should be followed by a dissolution, but that course was urged even by members of the House. He intended to put the Bill on the statute book this session, but he thought they should postpone its operation till after the next general election, as it was very desirable that the country should have an opportunity of expressing an opinion on it. He did not think that the country would reverse the decision of the House. If the country decided against the Bill, it could be repealed, but if not it would remain the law of the land. After further discussion clause 2 was passed on the voices.

Mr Blake moved that the Act should not come into operation until the 31st March, 1894.

After considerable discussion Mr Blake's amendment to extend the time till 1894, was'lost by 27 to 22. The following is the division list oit Mr Blake's amendment:—

Ayes, 22 Ballance, Blake, Cadman, Carncross, Carroll, Dawson, Duncan, Fish, Fraser, Fisher, Hogg, T. Mackenzie, J. Mackenzie, Parata, R. H. J. Reeves, W. P. Reeves, W. C. Smith, Swan, Taipua, Taylor, Valentine, Ward.

| Noes, 27—Buchanan, Buckland, Buick, Earnshaw, Grey, Hall, Harkness, Houston, W. Hutchison, J. Kelly, W. Kelly, McDonald, Mackintosh, Meredith, C. H. Mills, J. Mills, Newman, o'Conor, Rees, Pinkerton, Richardson, Rolleston, Shera, Saunders, Tanner, J. W. Thompson. Wright. Pairs For: M. J. S. Mackenzie, Rhodes, Hamlyn, T. Thompson, Guitmess, Lawry, Valentine, Seldon. Against: Joyce, Russell, R. M. Smith, Mitchelson, G. Hutchison, McGuire, Wilson, R. Thompson. A proposal that the Bill should come into operation in 1892 was lost, and on the motion of Sir John Hall it was agreed that it come into force, in 1893.

In reply to a question, Sir John Hall said the Bill made no distinction between Maori women and Europeans. Mr Carncross moved a new clause enabling any female elector to be elected a representative for the House of Representatives.

After a lengthy discussion the clause was carried by 30 to 24. The Bill was reported y;ith amendments.

On the motion for the third reading Mr Fish said that the Bill had not been carried on its merits, and there was not a real majority of the House in favor of it. Mr Carncross said that he had proposed his amendment iii order to make the Bill distasteful to the country. The Bill was read a third time and passed. The House rose at 1,15 a.m.