PARLIAMENTARY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 14325, 15 October 1910, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY.

Per Press Association. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. WELLINGTON. Oct. 14. The Council met this afternoon. INDECENT PUBLICATIONS. The Attorney-General moved that the Council disagree with the amendments made by the House in the Indecent Publications Bill. In clause 3, specifying the oences, the House had added the words: "knowing or having reasonable means of knowing that such a document is indecent." The clause as it left the Council was perhaps a. little too drastic, but in its amended form it opened the door to the very evil they desired to check. He suggested that the House might be induced to agree to make the clause read in the way that would hit the evils aimed at. A more serious alteration was that made in clause 8, which originally provided that the absence of guilty knowledge should be no defence. The House had added a proviso, "unless he proves he took all reasonable means to ascertain the nature, as regards decency or indecency, of such document." It was easy to see how this opened the way of escape. The absence of guilty knowledge was no defence in other classes of offence, and ought not to be in this one. The Act would break down altogether if the clause as amended was allowed to stand. He hoped the Council would support him in getting the clause in its original form retained. The motion was carried, and a committee was set up to prepare reasons for disagreement with the amendments DEFENCE. The second reading debate on the Defence Bill was resumed, and was further adjourned, and the- Council rose. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. SUPPLY—ELECTORAL ROLLS. The House went into committee of Supply. Internal Affairs—£23s,o9B. Considerable discussion arose on the electoral vote, £67 1 4, regarding the uiiumalies of the electoral rolls, and the system generally. -Mr Buddo, replying, the correction in the electoral rolls amounted to 30 per cent. it would be inadvisable to practice cheeseparing economy in connection with the electoral department. _Mr Fisher moved that the item £oUU, lor printing and preparation of rolls be reduced by £l, as an indication that greater freedom should be allowed to the Electoral Commissioners, in order that they might conserve that community of interest which is so essential right throughout a district. Mr Arnold moved as a prior amendment, that the item 'be reduced by £1 as an indication that the present system of compiling the rolls was unsatisfactory. Mr Buddo, replying to Mr Massoy, said" the Legislature Bill was intended to pass this session, and it made provision, not only for purging the rolls, but for an electoral census, that is a door-to-door canvas to ascertain if people on the roll were actually resident in the district. Mr Arnold's amendment was lost on the voices. The House rose at 6.30 and resumed at 7.30. THE HIGH COMMISSIONER.

Considerable discussion took place upon the vote for the High Commissioner's Office, £8375. * Mr Buchanan contended that the Dominion was not getting an adequate return for the expenditure. Mr Wilford wished to see the vote for office equipment, including publications, increased from £SOO to £2OOO, which he would expend in disseminating information regarding the condiditions of labour in the Dominion. The immigration officer ought to he instructed that there was no room for clerks and artisans here. Mr Buddo said that the present was not the time to deal with immigration. Mr Laureuson objected to bringing out people to settle on the land, when the local demand could not be supplied. Mr Massoy said that the debate showed that the administration of the High Commissioner's Office was extravagant. He agreed that it was undesirable to encourage farmers to come to New Zealand because they could not offer farmers a secure tenure. At the item, £2411. Museum, Mr Wilford moved to reduce the vote by 381, as an indication that the Museum should be vested in a Board of Trustees and mi annual sum of £2500 granted for its expenses. The amendment was lost by 34 to 20. Advertising Office, £1439 Mr Massey asked the Minister if the Government intended to pursue the policy of punishing newspapers winch criticised it by refusing such journals advertisements. Mr Buddo said the amount for advertising was limited, and i£ was impossible to advertise in all the papers. After a long discussion the vote was passed unaltered. The item Mental Hospitals, £89,554, gave rise to a. discussion on the wanes and conditions of attendants. Mr Hong moved a reduction of £1 as an indication that tlieir conditions should be bettered, and this was carried bv 32 to 20. (Left Sitting.)