PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 340, 21 October 1879, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

On Thursday afternoon- the nsual small artillery of questions fired at the Governroent Benches. ' Among others, OoL Trimble was greatly exercised in his Inind as to the proceedings of a-Mr Joshua Jones. It was elicited that -he was "to some sektehti" an:agent of, the Government in a Native district, also that he was in process of acquiring a lease of a large tract of land in;the ISng country. : > Tfbe oflly bther question of any pnblic importance was the following, as it bears on one of the alleged "jobs" of the late Government:—

MrSutton asked —(1) What amount had been paid since July 1 last to Messrs Guthrie and Larnach for a supply of railway iron and railway rolling stock, and .what' amount is still owing on the same account? (2) Whether the arrangement ; was a private one, or was it open to public competition? . (3) j ,W,bether;they will lay before the House all correspondence be- . tween Government, the Agent-General, or any other officer, and Messrs Guth'rie and Larnach in reference to* the supply by that company of railway material ? The Hon B. Oliver replied (1) £12,445 .17s 6d; "(2) by publietenders duly advertised ; (3) Government had no objection to do as requested. The remainder of. the afternoon sitting was occupied in debating the question of a petition against the return of Mohi Tawbai, who. it was alleged, was disqualified by reason of having been a Native, Assessor at the -time of his election. - At the evening sitting, after a few private Bills had been disposed of, Major Atkinson appealed to "his hon. friends opposite " to allow him to go into Committee of Supply, and'hoped they would not insist on bringing forward any motion which would have the effect of retarding the granting of supplies. , i A (long debate ensued, at the end of whicn the position remained unchanged. The Government, they are in a minority, dare not take a division on any point. • At the same time they nttejly refused to consent to a time for t&king'the debate on the No-confidence motion. .The consequence was, the House adjourned with nothing done. ' , , On Friday afternoon a lengthened debate of a purely technical character' took place oh'the , question of the appointment of a committee to try allegations contained in the petition of Newman against the return of Dr Wallis and Mr Hurst.

Eventually it was agreed that the names on the Committee should be left to be decided bythe:ElectiqnPetition Committee. The petition against' Sir Grey's return for ChrietCDurch was next brought up. Mr Hislop stated technical objection grounded on the fact that the' declaration accompanying the petition 'had hot been stamped in the terms of the Act. The objection was overruled. The Speaker announced that the Hon. E. Bichardson, the petitioner, had named Mr Moorhouse to represent him. Sir George Grey named Mr Downie Stewart, and the Speaker appointed Mr Fulton to be Chairman of the Committee of Enquiry. The remainder of the' Committee to be struck next day. I At the evening sitting the Native Minister (Mr Bryce) made i bis statement. Ti He distinctly stated that he had no charges. . whatever to bring against Mr- Sheehan, but criticized the systehy of personal Government which had prevailed in Native affairs. Hβ would be for doing away with the Native Department as a department. He would relegate the Native schools to the Education Department. Native roads,' &c, should be placed, not nominally, but actually, under the Public Works Department, and the vole appropriated by Parliamentary authority. Native pensions he would place under the Colonial Secretary's Department. Then again, the Maoris gbpnld have.some means; of placing their ■fands-before , the public for sale, either by a Waste Lands Board or otherwise. The Board could provide for the survey and sub-division oi land, together with a small per centage for opening .up land by roads. The- net balance could then be handed over to the Maori owner.; H» would also provide; means ;for .investment, so that the Maorf might have an opportunity of making' , permanent provision' for himself. The&,-however, were bis ttwn sentiments, arid had not been fully; considered aeyet in 1 the Cabinet! These were his views, on the 1 point; if members approved;, of them, good, and;- well; if. nojt knew the course to-pursue. ',"■'". "".',' • Mr Sheehan admitted ; the present Government had support. It was jqst sufficient to give them a decent minorityr Mr Bijyce bad made a fair statement They had beenltold a deal about perepnal Government; but the fact was merely a name. Every minister in; the exercise of the duties of his department exercised to a certain extent personal Government. It was true that,the ideas of the Maoria were more extravagant than they had been years ago. Hβ thought that was simply a natural result of the present.condition of affairs. He defended the policy of members of the Government going amongst the Native tribes.' In conclusion, he warned Mr Bryce: If he attempted to carry out ill that he proposed, the result would be incalculable. If the impending struggle resulted in the Government-retaining their seats, he would give Mr Bryce every ance in carrying what might be fairly* esteemed a sacred cause when referred to this matter. Major Atkinson urgeifT th'al? the moral standard set up by the- late Government was simply one put in comparison with that of a previous Government. They

never met one of'the cKarges brought against them; but always referred'; back for what Had been pre&besso*rsT He denied that the Govdement of 1675 had spent more m6riiey on lfift'T)egar<;ment" than the late-Gov6rimient h.4d;done.*"The whole aim of -the 'Native Minister was to show that Parliament should be left wholly to the Ministry. .' .--V-* ". .••:-■•'-. -' ' Mr Thomson spQke. in;.defeDce of the remarks made-by SheehaTi v - - n .. . i-.,' r.;. ■ Major Tβ Wheoro'ina'de a few remarks, after which the House Wse at-1 a.m.- ' - -