PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

Evening Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2201, 27 May 1870, Page 2

PROVINCIAL COUNCIL.

At to day's sitting, Mr Ashcroft brought up tho interim report of the Private Petitions Committee in the matter of tho petition of Christina Cameron, mother of Mr Cameron, Government Surveyor, who lost his life at Preservation Inlet, and recommended a grant of L2OO to the petitioner ; and a report of the same Cammittee on the petition of John Sibhald. On the latter petition, the Committee reported having arrived at the conclusion that the petitioner had a right to complain of injustice so long as one building for public entertainment is placed under the Licensed Theatres Act, while others are lint ; and tho committee considered the propriety of recommending the repeal of that Act, but, from regard to public safety and public morals, they could not recommend that course. The only satisfactory alternative appeared to the committee to be to retain the monthly license fee of L 5, but to authorise the issue of licenses for a single night at ss, and then bring all places of public entertainment under the Act ; that for this purpose a Bill should be brought down to amend the present Ordinance, so as to provide for the carrying out the recommendations of the committee, and to allow, in certain cases, entertainments given for the benefit of public institutions to be excepted. The ball opened with a passage of words between Mr Ashcroft and Mr Haughton, arising out of the fact that the first gentleman's motion on the subject of retrenchment was placed at the bottom of the order paper—in which Mr Aschroft certainly got the worst of it. The debate was resumed on Mr Mitchell’s motion for the excision of standing order No. 9, providing that a question for division shall be put without discussion, and No. 10, as to the mode of proceedure if the motion be carried. Before the question was put, a number of hon. members w.i’ked out, so as to secure a count out, but the motion went to a division, and there being no letters for the poes, it was declared carried on the voice*. Thereupon Mr Hay protested that he had called Mr Speaker's attention to the state of the House before the vote was taken, which was denied hy the Speaker. Then arose a scene, the Council for a while resembling more a bear garden than a deliberative assembly. Captain Mackenzie, amid cries of “chair,” moved that the vote be again taken. The confusion became worse confounded, it being impossible to tell what was being said, or who had possession of the chair. Mp Hughes got up, but the gallant captain told the member for the goldfields that he was not to be put down, and advised him not to lose his temper. After an hour’s noisy discussion, the Speaker’s ruling, that the division could not be again taken, was carried.