HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXXXVII, Issue 11734, 11 September 1902, Page 5

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The House met at 2.30. PETITIONS. A number of petitions werts presented praying for the extension of the railway from Culverden to the Upper Waiau. THE MOORE CASE, Sir William Russell gave notice to ask the Colonial Secretary why the ordiaoy course of justice was intei'fered with in the case of Moore, sentenced recently at the • Supreme Court for threatening the life of Sir Joseph, Ward. CROWN SUITS ACT. Mr. Guinness asked 'leave to introduce the Cxown Suits Act Amendment Bill. The Bill provides for extending the time from six months to three years during which a subject can sue the Crown, doing away with the provision that the permission of the Department should first be obtained before a suit can be brought in an inferior Court, andl defining what is a confidential State document. , Sir Joseph Waixl opposed the motion, contending that the measure was introduced to cover a specific case, and! would enable a person to run riot through State document®. It would give rise to no end of untenable action against the State, and was certainly not in the intereits of the country. • . The debate was continued by Messrs. Barclay, T. McKenzie, Atkinson Fisher, M. Smith, and McNab, «nd vas interrupted by the 5.30 ad)jourim«iit. The House resumed at 7.30. ELECTORAL BILL. In committee on the Electoral BiU, considerable discussion took place on the interpretation of the clause defining "candidate." On the motion of Sir Joseph Ward, it was agreed, by 47 to 17, thao "candidate" means any man who has been nominated as a candidate for a seat m the House of Representatives, and in, part 5 hereof includes any person who has declared his intention of becoming a candidate for the House of Representations in any electoral district. An amendment was carried in the.definition of a half-caste, "who is defined as "an adult, one of whose parent* is a European and the other a Maori or their descendants." On clause 3, sub-clause 2, Mr. Palmer moved as an amendment that every House of Representatives shall, unless the General" Assembly is sooner dissolved, continue for a i^ericd of four years. On the amendment being put it was tost on the voices. Mr. McNab moved an amendment to clause 5, providing that members! of the Representation Commission should consist of members of the House of Representative*, td be chosen by : the House.

CABLES,