LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL REFORM.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9008, 15 August 1907, Page 1

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL REFORM.

. SEATS FOR WOMEN. SIR WILLIAM STEWARD'S BILL PASSES THE HOUSE. [Fhom Our Correspondent.] > WELLINGTON, August 14. Sir William Steward's Legislative Council Election Bill came up for its third reading thie evening. The Bill proposes that vacancies in the Legislative Council should be filled by a vote of the House of Representatives, and while the measure was in Committee an amendment had been carried making women as well as men eligible for election. Members were, therefore, interested to see whether the Upper Chamber was to be called upon to face a difficult-q- es .___ _r» .__t.b^ would be rejected on the third ingOn the motion for the third reading, Mr Houston (Bay of Islands) moved that the Bill should be read a third time that day 6ix 'months. Mr Heke (Northern Maori) said that he did not believe in the Bill, but he felt that members were too much in the habit of voting for a measure in the hope that the other Chamber would throw it out. The Leader of the Opposition said that a substantial majority had supported the Bill through its variois stages, and , he believed that the feeli <•),_; of the House was in favour of some reform in the present system of making appointments to the Upper House. He hoped that the members in favour of the Bill would stand firm. The time had been when the Hons R. M'Nab md G-. Fowlds had supported the Bill, but now he supposed their views had ehausfed. The amendment giving women an•opportuuity to secur* seats in th. Council had been supported by __mp members in perfect gord faith but !»t others, he believed, with an idea ot bringing, the Bill into contempt. The Preiftier said that he would vote against the. Bill with a clear conscience, because he . had opposed it from the first. He had voted . deliberately to make women (.eligible for nomination, because he believed that was the proper thing. He had always opposed women being admitted to * the Lower Honse, though logically it was difficult .to see why they should have a vote but no light to a seat. The proposal to admit women to the Upper House gave a good opportunity, however, to test women's usefulness in. a Chamber that was not subject to the hurly-burly of a general election. The general principles of the Bill he opposed because he believed that the .ystem of nomination was more satisfactory. The nominations made in the past had, on the whole, been satisfactory, and party feeling should -.not.' be allowed to produce a change in a system of Grovernment that had produced very good results. He hoped that the House would reject Mr Houston's amendment. He would then vote against the third reading of the Bill. After some further disc .'esion, the amendment was rejected on the voices, and the motion for the third reading was then carried by 35 to 23. At a general meeting of the Christchurch Women's Christian Temperance Union the following resolutions were passed with reference to the discussion which recently took place in the House of Representatives regarding women a 6 Legislative Councillors: — "That, while 1 acknowledging that at the recent discussion ih the House of Representatives as to making women eligible for the Legislative Council, many members of ( Parliament voted in sober earnest for the admission of women to that Chamber, this meeting strongly protests against the unseemly levity with which other members treated the question of conferring one of the ordinary rights of citizenship on women " ; " that this meeting considers that the proper way to put an end to similar occurrences and to uphold the dignity of our women is to pass legislation which will make them eligible for both Houses of tho Legislature" ; "that the resolutions be forwarded to the Premier and Speakers _F __/»+... -Touses."