General Assembly.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 423, 10 August 1880, Page 3

General Assembly.

PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS. A v. » In the House of Representatives on Thursday, the interrupted debate on the Wellington Racing Club Bill was resumed, Mr Hutchison moved as an amendment —i' That the Bill be read that day six months."

•■i Sir W. Fox supported the amendment. He made some very seveVe strictures on the practices of the Turt. It was, resorted to \by very questionable characters for equally questionable purposes. He denied that it tended to improve the breed of 1 horses, adding that if it did improve the of horses, it destroyed the breed' of men. It did not improve the breed of horses, for as a matter of fact the breed was every year deteriorating. They could find nothing but mere scrubbers nowadays, which could not do more than 30 miles a day. j That: showed, despite all that had been said to tha contrary, that horse-racing was doing nothing towards improving their horses. It was not horse-; racing that attracted the masses, but the saturnalia attending i„ Criticising the Bill, he pointed out that the Club might appropriate the land for the purpose of paying its debt, or, in other words, discharge all the questionable liabilities. It might choose to contract with thimhloriggers, black-legs, jocley boys, and other questionable characters who frequented these racecourses. , ; .< - Mr Ireland supported the amendment, and in doing so described horse-racing as an ?'immoral pursuit." In reply Mr Levin said that, in, looking over the files of Wellington newspapers of 1857, he was astonished to find the- name of Mr W. Fox, a prominent steward and ( member of the Race Club. That Mr Fox arid Sir W. Fox, who,they, had just .heard denounce this sport in such graphic termsi were strange to say, one -and the same person. He alluded to the fact to show the value of the elegant denunciation thoy had heard against horserracing. . The motion for the second reading was carried by 22 to 16.

The evening sitting waa entirely taken up .with a discussion on the Deceased Wife's Sister. On the motion to go into Committee on the Bill three Maori members spoke. They all agreed that the measure proposed was a reversion to Maori customs. For this reason one of thorn supported and two opposed tho measure. Mr Tamoana said it came to this—that European members were reverting to Maori customs; therefore he would not support the Bill. Mojor Te Wheoro said he would support the Bill because he said it reminded him of tho Maori customs of the old days. Nothing gave him greater pleasure than to see the Europeans come round to their cußtoms. Mr Tawhai also testified to the fact that this Bill coincided with the old Maori customs. Having brought forward a Bill of this sort,, he thought the Members supporting it should call themselves Maoris; still he would vote against the Bill. The Bill said to him a« a Maori : return and go b<ick to your old customs.

< The House divided on the motion for going into Committee—Ayes, 4G ; Noes, 14.. ; • * In Committee — Clause 2.—Major Harris moved that the word; " deceased "be struck out. The motion was negatived. Clause 2.—Major Harris moved—" That the wbrd "sister" be struck out and the word i" grandmother " substituted." Mr Moorhouse, who was in charge of the Bill, remonstrated with the mover of these amendments. MrWallis said the 46 of a majority no dohbt represented a majority of the male population, but the remaining 14 who voted on the other side represented the female population. They knew who was at the back of this movement, and they were determined not to allow a measure so conceived to be carried out successfully. He asked them to postpone the question until women had the franchise. When that was done he would be content to see the Bill come to a division.

The talk went on till 2.40, when on the suggestion of Major Atkinson it was agreed that the third reading be taken on Thursday next, at 7.30. The Bill was then reported without amendment, and the House rose. On Friday evening in tbe House of Representatives, on the motion for going into Committee of Supply. Tho Hon. R. Oliver deliverod his Public Works Statement. After which ■Mr Macandrew, in suggesting that the House do now adjourn, and referring to the statement just made, said he was disappointed, but not greatly surprised. Had the lato Government been allowed to remain in office he believed that no inter-ruption-would have taken place in the prosecution of the Public Works policy of 1870. He thought that tho best thing they could do at present was to adjourn and think the matter over. The Hon. John Hall said that the Government was in the hands of the House ac regarded the question of adjournment. He thought, however, that they should go on with Rome other work. He hoped that hon. members would, in the discussion that must necessarily ensue, show how it I was possible to go on with their Public

Works policy aB they had been doing years ago. There was this difference between their present position and that of the preceding two They knew the real state of affairs now, whereas two years ago they did not. rMr Barron directed attention to a motion standing in his name, re the withdrawal of the subsidies to local bodies which had] lapsed. He .con'ludel by moving thai these subsidies be paid up to theer.dof 1881. The Hon. Major Atkinson said that if the motion had been coupled with a proposal to double tho property tax, then it would have been worth while discussing but with an empty exchequer it was impossible to find the wherewithal to pay a sura of ,£300,000. He advised that the motion should be withdrawn, as the payment of subsidies simply meant.additional taxation. The motion was ultimately withdrawn and on the motion of the Hon John Hall the House adjourned. ; «! .: