PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 1, Issue 133, 31 July 1880, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

[by telegraph. I (From our own Correspondent.) Wellington, July 30. The House met this morning at eleven, and at once changed its tactics from talk to work. After talking a week over one short Bill, and three days over three clauses, it passed this morning fifteen Bills. The J uries Bill containing 192 clauses, went through Committee in four minutes, and the whole fifteen Bills were read a third time and passed in eight minutes—between l - 25 and 1;33. This evidently means that members mean to' get away, and after talking about nothing, mean) as usual, to pass the Bills without looking at them. It is, however, fair to the House to say that; the Bills rushed through this morning were chiefly consolidation Bills, in which existing Acts were put in more brief and accessible form. Later. The afternoon was spent in talking over the Maori Prisoners Bill, which was passed through all its stages. It simply enables the Government to treat the Maori prisoners lately taken, or any others that may be taken, as they were already authorised, and to retain those previously in custody. Throughout the session no more mischievous speeches have been made, or speeches that more clearly showed how little some of the members care what may become of the pea.ee of the country, so long as they can obstruct the present Government. Such members, however, are in a small minority, and the good sense of the House may be said to be unanimously with the Government in this question. Mr. Bryce did not speak very confidently of the present situation with the Maoris, and condemned, in the strongest manner, the language that Sir George Grey had used, and the wickedness of treating such a subject as a party question.