BILLS BEFORE THE HOUSE.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 4065, 12 June 1882, Page 2

BILLS BEFORE THE HOUSE.

The Gonatitutioa Amendment Act, 1882 (Sir George Grey). — This Bill proposes a course to be followed in case of difference between the two branches of the Legislature, the provision being that when a Bill making an amendment in the Constitution has passed either branch of the General Assembly, and has been rejected by the other branch, or has been by it so amended that the branch of the Legislature ia which such Bill originated does not pass the same as so amended, and w'len in such a case a resolution has been carried by a majority in the branch of the Legislature in which the Bill originated adopting the amendment proposed in the Constitution which was embodied in fie original Bill, the Speaker of such branch of the Legislature shall transmit the said resolution to the Governor. The Governor shall thereupon cause the said resolution to be sub mitted to a plebiscite, which pUbhclte sh.ll be taken at such time and in such manner an the Governor shall, by proclamation in the Government Gazette, prescribe ; and, if a majority of votes of the electors of the Co'ony for members of the House of Representatives thereof shall be recorded in favour of such resolution, it shall operate and have the same force and effect as if the same had been enacted by the General Assembly of New Zealand in Parliament assembled. The Employment of Females and Others Act, 1881, Amendment Act, 1882 (Mr. M. W. Green). — -It is proposed that the original Act shall extend in its definition of the term " employ" to the delivery of goods, parcels, messages, and no female, young person, or child shall be employed for more than eight hours in any one day, with the following exception: — Nothing in this Act shall be deemed or taken to prevent — The employment of females in retail places of business where goods are exposed for sale on Saturdays only, or on the day immediately preceding any public holiday, up to eight o'clock in the evening. Provided that females so exceptionally employed sbaU not be employed for more than eight hours in any one day. For the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the Act, any person duly authorised may enter and inspect any factory at any time if he shall have good reason to believe that the provisions of this Act or of the said Act are being infringed. The Protection of Telegrams Act, 1882 (Mr. Feldwick). — It is proposed that telegrams printed in any newspaper or other printed paper published in New Zealund shall not, without the consent of the j person so publishing them, be printed or published by any other person until after the lapse of thirty-six hours from the first publication ; such publication to extend to the substance of such telegram or any extract therefore. A penalty (not defined in the Bill) is to be levied on offenders, and protected telegrams are to be headed " By Electric Telegraph — Copyright," and bear the date and hour of receipt. For the purposes of the Act, the time of publication of morning newspapers shall be deemed to bo 3 a.m., and of evening papers 5 p.m. Proof of receipL of message and of wilful wrongful publication is thus provided for: — " In any prosecution under this Act the production of any document which purports to be a telegraphic message, and which contains the intelligence published in tho newspapers as aforesaid, and which has been delivered to some person entitled te receive the snme by the proper officer of the Electric Telegraph Department, shall be pr'tma fade evidence that the message published as herein-before described in any newspaper is a message within the inuaning of this Act, and proof that any person in or is acting or appears to be acting as editor, sub-editor, or manager of any newspaper in which there has been any publication contrary to the provisions of this Act shall be prima facie evidence that such person has wilfully caused such wrongful publication." Proceedings under the Act must commence within one calendar month after the commission of the alleged offence.