LATEST TELEGRAMS.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 1072, 13 July 1874, Page 3

LATEST TELEGRAMS.

Peb Anglo-Australian Press Telegraph Agenc?.] GENERAL ASSEMBLY. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wellington, Friday Evening. Mr Water-house's motion, " That there be no further increase of loans," was postponed till Tuesday. HOUSE OF REPRESEXTATITES. Wellington, Friday Evening. On the House going into Committee, to consider a resolution for an Imprest Supply of £250,000, for payment of salaries, and cany ing on the work of the Government, the Hon. the Premier said there was no urgent need, but that he only asked for an Imprest on the ground that money then spent was spent without authority. In connection with this question, the Premier intimated that an alteration m the present ' practice of not discussing the Estimates until after the Financial Statement was brought down was exceedingly desirable for promoting the despatch of business. The present practice was without precedent. Another usage had grown up of late years, of members abusing the privileges of debate when m Committee of Supply, by talking upon every conceivable topic, whether relevant or not. The Speaker said that many great changes were being made m the Imperial Parliament, where, owing to what was regarded as almost the impossibility of overtaking public business, the privileges of members m regard to private business had to give way before the superior claims of public affairs. He hoped to be able to propose on an early date as near an approximation to the present practice of the House of Commons as would be deemed advisable. The Hon. the Premier m moving the second reading of the Electric Telegraph Bill, explained that its chief object" was the making of more effective provisions against injury to telegraph lines, and protecting officers of the department from actions for libel m sending libellous telegrams. Ho thought a telegraph officer should bo looked on aa a piece of mechanism. The most important part of the bill, however, was m regard to calling for telegrams for the purpose of inspection. The Act provides that telegrams should be producible only on the consent of the sender, or receiver, with the excepcion of certain cases, where telegrams shall be producible on the decision of the Commissioner of Telegraphs. It was very hard to have to bring m such a measure at all, because it had not been found requisite to do so m other countries. It was clear that a practice had lately been growing up m New Zealand of attempting to make the telegraph office a medium for obtaining legal evidence. Not long since, a great innovation was made by an order of a Judge of the Supreme Court to inspect all telegrams, without particular ones beiii" specified. The Premier referred to the case Macassey v Bell, to show the danger of the practice of ordering the production of telegrams, by affording an opportunity for a legal practitioner fishing out something upon which an action might be founded. It was obvious, by the conduct of the judges at home, as shown by several recent cases, that they determinedly set their faces against the practice of ordering the production of telegrams, and had positively refused to grant orders for that purpose. It was unsafe to allow the matter to rest m its present unsatisfactory state, and the whole question should be finally put beyond any doubt by legal provision. Their principal object should be the placing of telegrams on the same footing as letters. He hoped the time was not far distant when facsimile telegrams would be sent by a process which should not require the operator to read the telegram at- all. The plan had already been tried oh a small scale successfully. The Hon. W. Fox said he hoped the Government would at once secure the public by laying it down that telegrams should not be kept, for if so, as the Premier said, they would soon not have copy of telegrams at all. It would be better to recognise the principle at once. It was desirable that some precaution should be taken to prevent the secresy of telegrams being violated. At present operators were liable to heavy penalties for divulging the contents of telegrams, but there was no penalty upon any third person outside the department who became acquainted with the contents of any telegram and divulged them. He would move an amendment that would remedy this. It was— "That the Government should also endeavor to devise some means by which the primary offender m divulging telegrams should be traced, even to indemnifying the party giving snch information, as was done by the commissioners appointed to inquire into trade union affairs at Sheffield." Major Atkinson said the House was agreed as to t'lie necessity of such a bill ; but it seemed to him, if the desire was 'to assimilate the Telegraph department to the Post-office, a good plan would be to compel the operator, as soon as ever the message was taken off, to enclose it m an envelope addressed to the person, and then put it m the Post-office. Mr T. B. Gillies said he would not oppose tho second reading, but lie thought tho measure contained a considerable amount of what, he called panic legislation. Ho failed to see any great necessity for legislation m the matter, because the general practice of the judges at home was decidedly against the ordering of the production of telegrams, except m a veiy rare case. He thought the suggestion of Major Atkingon simplified the whole question, and it ought to receive the consideration of the Government. The debate was adjourned till Tuesday. The Hon. Mr Reynolds has given notice of his intention to move the House into Committee of Ways and Means on Tuesday to consider the following proposition : — After July 1, 1875, to make the duty on colonial distilled spirits 7s per gallon ; after. July 1, 1876, 8s ; and after July 1, 1877, 9s per gallon. Mr Wakefield has given notice of his intention to propose a Property and Income tax. Leave of absence was given to Messrs Luckie and Creighton for ten days and to Messrs Montgomery and Rolleston for a week.