General Assembly.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume V, Issue 425, 17 August 1880, Page 2

General Assembly.

PAELIAMENTARY ITEMS,

In the Council on, Thursday,

In moving for a report of, the New Plymouth Harbour Board's illegal expenditure, the Hon G. M. Waterhouse stated it was high time Parliament should provide for a better audit, and that local bodies acting in direct contravention of the law as to expending money should be punished. In the House of Representatives, Replying to Mr Bowen as to whether or not the Property Tax is to be relieved in the Chatham Islands, where the inhabitants are not represented in Legislature,and have received no benefit from Public Works expenditure,

Mr Hall said if they admitted an exception in this instance, they might just as well exempt a great many other parts of the colony which had not benefited from the expenditure. He admitted, however, that the Chatham Islands were entitled to some consideration on the part of Government, and as it was not at present included in any electoral district, they proposed joining it to the • electoral district of the hon. member for Akaroa, During the afternoon the house was occupied entirely in discussing the Wei lington Racing Club Bill, which was systematically stonewalled until the hour of adjournment, and is not likely to have a chance of coming up again this session. Sir W. Fo>: led the attack, and, ao usual when speaking on social questions, spoke well. In answer to the thrust made at him by Mr Levin the other day that he

(Sir W. Fox) had ridden in a race many years ago, Sir W. Fox, quite goodnaturedly and very effectively, pointed out the difference between gentlemen riding races for their own amusement and the blackguardism which in these days is associated with the turf. At the evening sitting, the Deceased Wife's Sinter Bill was read a third time and passed by 32 to 13. Members of the General Assembly Expenses Bill;\vas"considered,in Committee. Major Atkinson hoped the member in charge of the Bill would see his way to agree to progress being reported. There was.no chance of the Bill passing, and there were other measures before the House which members were anxious to see gone on with. ~. Mr Mossj hoped the| course proposed would not be butjthat an epportunity would be given record their votes on the subject. He was most anxious to see jjjthis much vexed question finally settled. Mr Turnbull • supported the proposal that the Bill should be gone on with. It would save a great [deal jof annoyance in future. Mr Seddon said he was in the hands of the House. Government had refused to bring in a measure kind, and it was in view of that fact that he had brought the measure down. , , ; The motion for reporting progress was then put and lost on division by 26 to 20. In Committee, . ~ Mr Shephard moved that L2lO per annum be. struck out, and the amount be fixed at LlO5. Considerable discussion ensued as to the amount, most of the speakers giving it as their opinion, that L2lO was by no means too much.

A motion that the Chairman leave the chair was put and carried on a division by 25 to 20. , This shelves the Bill for the present session. : The Municipal Corporations Act Amendment Bill was re-committed, and further considered in Committee. The Friendly Societies Act Amendment Bill was discharged. The Law Practitioners Act Amendment Bill was read a second time. ■ . The following Bills passed through Committee, were reported without amendments, read a third time and passed:— Rabbit Nuisance and Hobson's Bay Settlement. ' . : On Friday the House met-at 11 a.m. The following Bills pasaed through Committee, were reported without amendments, read a third time and passed :— New Zealand University Reserves, Canterbury Rivers Act Amendment, Dogs Registration, Brands and Branding, and High Schools Reserves. The Fencing Bill was partly considered, and leave granted to sit again. During the afternoon and evening sittings, the adjourned debate on the Railway Commissioners' report was resumed. Mr Wright (one of the Commissioners) defended the report against the hostile criticisms it had evoked. Mr Saunders said he could not imagine how a Commission could have been selected with more care than the Railway Commission, and he looked on their report ns being more disinterested than the recommendations made by any select Committee, any Civil Servant, or any Minister of the Crown. Mr Johnston spoke in favour of the Wellington-Foxton line, contending that it had been sanctioned;.by the House, which therefore virtually affirmed the principle that Wellington was entitled to have two railways. Major Atkinson hoped they would see their way to reject the motion of the lion member for Dunstan by a large majority. The Commission was appointed with the full approval of the House; there was not a single objection to the Commission, and yet the resolution was condemnatory.

Mr Montgomery sniil the members of the Commission woro most respectable mon of experience, who worked hard in the work devolving upon them. The ho n member for Coleridge was an expert, and from him above all other men a reliable report was to be looked for. He could not undersland how the House should think about passing a vote of censure upon such men ; if there was anything wrong it was not the Commission that was to blatne, but the Government by whom, they were appointed. He expected a different Public Works Statement from the one they had got ; they knew that money was scarce, but still they expected something more than a mere, string of memoranda. Regarding the sum on hand for the purchase of Native land, he ventured to say there was no such intention on the part of Government to spond that money on Native land. What was intended was to keep it over, and next session when they were about to go to the country that money would be a very neat sum to have at their back. The Hon J. Hall moved that tho debate be adjourned. The motion for the adjournment of the debate was carried on division by 34 to 21Major Atkinson moved that all the other orders of the day be adjourned, so as to allow them to bring on tho " Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Bill."

Mr Pyke objected. Hβ said he had already charged Government with not being able to lead the House; he now charged them with rnisloadsng the House.

The llous-c divided. Ayes, *37 ; 27. Mr Sheehan moved the adjournment;,'of the House. He said that the 'work they were attempting to do was,'absurd. They had been sitting thero£eince£l l a o'clock and committee work [on at the same time. Snch a state of matters had never been attempted in Parliament beforo. Mr Shephard supported the adjournment. Mr Pyke asked Government to say what they really meant, as they sat there and did not seem to know what they were about. The position was a most extraordinary one. The motion for the adjournment was lost en division by 33 to 32. .■** Mr Shrimski hoped Government would give in now that they had only a majority of one. He had been there till 3 o'clock in the morning, and was back at 11 o'clock. It was much too severe. No one man could stand it. Mr Turnbull said it was quite evident no business would be gone on with that night. They had better adjourn. After further discueision, the House went into Committee on the Hoepitals and Charitable Institutions Bill; «, After reading the first two clauses, Mr Hall moved that progress be reported, and at 12.20 the House adjourned.