PARLIAMENTARY.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IV, Issue 402, 19 July 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

(PBOK OUE SPECIAL EBPOBTEE ) . WeIiLINGTok, Monday morning. The Counties Bill. The Counties Bill is just out. Ifc provides for the constitution of counties and ridings. The schedule gives the boundaries of thirty* . nine counties for the "vvnole colony. The province Of Auckland is divided into nine counties, thus named : Bay of Islands, Wtmgaiei, Marsden, Waitemata, Manukau, Thames, Waikato, - Eotorua, Cook. The Thames will give an idea of the nature of the divisions. Counties may iicorporate. For each county there shall be a cou r oil, not exceeding snven members, exclusive of chairman, all to be elected. Qnalifioations for councillors; to bo enrolled as voter.? on- Highway Board roll. , Holders of miners' rights qualified, •E'lrat counoil to hold oSce for a year; every subsequent council for three years.- Qualification of Voter?, registration ; a id if property rated less than £SQ, one vote : less than £100, two votes ; less than £150, . three! voteaj less than £350, four votes ; upwards, 'five. The chairman to be elected by the elec'ors, not. by the Council. Provision is made for proceedings of council, meetings, &f. Council : may employ officers. County fund to .'consist of rates, tolls, grants from Government, license fees (publicans', hawkers', brewers', pedlars',) residue of land revenue, rents, fines and penalties, money received by wiy of loan. ■ The council may levy rates ordinary aud separately, special rates for interest and. sinking funds. Council may enter in'o rontraots, to have control of roads and .public works generally, and management of markets. Long provisions as to borrowing. The bill altogether consists of 203 clauses. East Coast Election Committee. Threatened vote of Want of Con- : fidence. Tuesday. On Friday extension of time was granted re East Ooast Election Commitlee for a fort«. night. There is little doubfc but that Captain Bead will lose his Beat. r l he Otago, Canterbury, and Auckland committees met yesterday and had a loffjj\conr fore'nce, the fesult of which was a determination to bring down a direot vote of want of confidence. Notice of this will probably be given to-night, and in the meantime coou municatioa is. being, opened with such of the members from other provinces as are suppofed to entertain feelings antagonistic to the Government, or to be open fco inducement, - ; , Tuesday evening. Local Rating Bill. tn the House on Friday night, previous to going into/ Committee on the Local Eating Bill, the Premier stated that the Government intended to amend the clause relative to rating mining property so as to allow Buoh being rated in those iJistriots where such property was ; now liable to be rated, and exempt it in those districts where it is now exempt ; the Government also proposed to rate pastoral property at half its annual value. With regard to the Canterbury runs, leaseß of which expire in 1880, the owners should have the preference of continuing them if willing to pay rentals as from time to time considered fair ; it was proposed there should be valuai tion of runs so that the carrying capacity be ascertained and. new assessment fixed as the House consideed fair, Regarding Dunedin Boards, to have the same power which the Superintendents now had. Considerable discussion on clause 2 ensued as to the meaning of the term " rateable value." The olause was finally amended as follows:— "That the rateable value of any property be that for which it would let from year to year, but shall in no case be less than five per cent on the value of the fee simple thereof : Provided always that in valuing the fee simple the valuer Bhall be guided by the actual selling price and not by the provisions of any Waste Lands Act : Provided also that every person ocoup3'iug Waste Lands of the Crown or other Grown: Lands, for pastoral puvposep, shall be rated only in respect of the annual vain", having regard to the tenure under., which the eaid lands ace held*'*

The Committee got as far as clause 10 with few unimportant amendments, when progri 'twas reported. Financial Arrangemerts Bill. A message was read from the Governor covering the Financial Arrangements Bill, in moving the first reading of which, the Premier explained that abolition will take place on September 29, also that Government are not wedded to boundaries of counties which they* would refer to a Select Committee. The bill proposed to give the Superintendents two year c salary as compensation for loss of office, to come out of the funds of the provinces which those gentlemen conducted. The bill was read a first time, and the second reading fixed for to> night (Tuesday). In answer to a question, the Premier said plans of counties would be in member's hands next week. Auckland Caucus. A caucus of Auckland Opposition members was held on Saturday, when Sir George Grey, Messrs Lusk, Sheehan, and Reader Wood were appointed a Committee to co-operate ■with other Provincial Committees. The position of affairs was discussed generally, but irithout any definite decision being arrived at. County of Tauranga. The Boundaries of the County of Tauranga ara^JKollowß : — That portion of the North Isro!£9Btfch lies northmost o£ the following boundarjj&a line from the Trigonometrical Bluff to tfflrTrig station, No. 43, on Tutamae, produced west to the eea. A line thence to Trig station, No. 18, or Tarai Orahiri, a line thence to the NortlrWesb corner of Opuawhenga, No. 4 block, and the northern boundary of the said block to Helena Bay, together with the Three King's Cavalli, and all other adjacent islands. In the House toiday, Mr Whitakor gave notice that in Committee on the Financial Arrangements Bill, he would move the omission of clauses 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, with a view of substituting provisions providing that after the 29th of September all land revenue should be colonial revenue, the colony taking over all provincial liabilities. The Government gave notice of motion for a committee to consider the proposed boundi ariea of Counties for each Island. Dr. Featherston's Family. The Governor recommended a vote of £3,000 for Dr. Featherston's family. The Premier said that Sir William Power, late Director-General of the War Office, had been appointed Agent' General, pro tern. He epoke eloquently of the. late Dr Featherston. Opposition Caucus. The Opposition caucus held to-day was attended by thiity-eight members. It was decided to ask for further delay before proceeding to discuss the Government policy. It is generally understood that Government will consent.