THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Evening Star, Issue 3914, 9 September 1875, Page 2

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

[By Telegraph.]

Wellington, September 9. In the House of Representatives, at 2.30 yesterday, Mr Macaudrew gave notice to ask if the Government had a copy of the despatch from the Agent-General, dated August 5, and whether, they would lay the same upon the table.

Mr G. B. Parker asked when the branch line to Waimate would be proceeded with and completed.

Mr Richardson said the plans and everything were ready, ana they were only waiting for the construction of the main line co be so advanced as to permit of the carriage of material for the branch line.

Mr Curtis asked for a production of certain correspondence between Dr Buller and the Agent-General, and its being printed. Agreed to. Mr O’Couor asked when tenders would be called for the Mount Rochfort Coal. Railway, and Harbor Works.

Mr Richardson said it would probably lie three weeks or a month.

Mr T. Kelly asked when tenders would be invited for a section of the Waitara and Wanganui Railway from Sentry Hill to Inglewood. Mr Richardson said the section would be divided into two contracts. He thought tenders would be advertised for in three weeks.

Four weeks’ further time was granted to the Tairua Committee before bringing up their report.

Mr Bradshaw moved—*' That in the opinion of this House, medical practitioners in active public practice ought not to hold the office of Coroner.” The principle was unjust. It often happened that these men were engaged with the (lead when they ought to be attending the living. He knew of several instances where fatal results ensued from medical men being engaged holding Coroners’ |inquests. It also gave them unfair advantage over medical men not Coroners.

Sir Donald M'Lean said the hon. member’s views were in accord with the Government on the matter. They thought it extremely undesirable that medical gentlemen should in all cases be appointed Coroners. Mr T. Kelly wanted the Government to go further. It appeared to him that a great many of these inquiries were held for the sake of fees. The R.M. ought to be the fittest person to hold these inquiries. The Government ought to consider the irhole question.

Mr Sheehan approved of the motion, and pointed out that the Coroners’ inquests in Auckland were a source of great expense to the Provincial Government.

Mr O’Rorke hoped they would not cast a slur upon many estimable professional men (those in Auckland, at least) by passing such a resolution.

The resolution was agreed to on the voices. Mr Williams moved for a sum of money to be placed upon the estimates to put iu order the graves of officers and men who fell iu wars with the Natives. Mr T. Kelly seconded tin motion. It was a national duty that these graves should be kept in order. He thought the motion ought to be made to go further, and in many cases, where Natives fell in fair fight against Europeans, their graves ought to be marked in some way. It would be a means of strengthening that harmony now existing between the two races,

Sir D. M'Leaa said the Government had much pleasure in recognising the motion, and would, without moving the House into Committee, be prepared to bring down a sum of money for the purpose. In the Waikato the Constabulary had instructions to keep the graves hi that district in order. Sir George Grey was delighted to hear what tho Government had intended to do. It had often struck him that, as a great quantity of the confiscated lands had been taken from the Natives by the help of the imperial soldiery, some monuments should be erected : such, for instance, as an orphanage, endowed out of confiscated lands, so as to provide for the widows and children of those fallen, and hand down to posterity the names of brave men who fell in the North in the wars of the Colony. Mr Katene thought the motion should bo made to extend to the Natives who fought on the Government side; as for the Maories who fought against the Queen, their graves were looked after. He agreed witli the suggestions of the member for Auckland City Wost'regarding an orphanage. itlv Wi Parata wanted the motion to apply to all who fell in those wavs on both sides. He thought to do so would have a good effect on those Natives whoso hearts were now dark.

ihe motion was withdrawn, and the matter left to the Government to deal with.

Mr Murray moved that it be an instruction to the Immigration and Public Works Committee to take into consideration, so far as known, the circumstances connected with the loss of the Cospatrick, with a view to recommend what measures should be taken to prevent the recurrence of like disaster. Major Atkinson said the motion was quite useless, as all had been done that could he done under the circumstances. Prompt steps had been taken to limit in future any risk from that cause to a minimum. The committee could not possibly do anything. Legislation in regard to such occurrences was to take place in the Imperial Parliament. The motion was withdrawn. Mr Sheehan moved that copies of all correspondence between Mr J. Sheehan and the Secretary for Crown Lands, having reference to the sale and disposal of the waste lands in the Province of Hawke’s Bay, be laid on the table. Agreed to.

Mr Murray moved—“ That in tlie opinion of this House, the Bill to be introduced for readjustment of representation of the Colony should be based upon the following general principles: That electoral districts having less European population than 2,000 souls, unless such district comprise an area of 1,000 square miles, and also contain a European population of 1,500, be merged into other electoral districts. The estimate of population to he based on census returns. The hon, member pointed out theie wore glaring inequalities that requited to be remedied. There were sixteen districts that had more than the average representation of the Colony. (Small constituencies should not he allowed to have the same representation as constituencies which were very much more populous. The hon. member quoted a number of figures regarding the re presentation of different countries. Sir Donald M'Lean asked the hon. membe to withdraw lus motion. The Government intended to bring down a Dill on the subject, and that would be the proper time to fully discuss the question. Sir George Grey submitted that it was a proper time for the Government to inform the House when they intended to bring down their measure. It was almost indelicate the way they were proceeding. He had heard, indeed, that some gentlemen were in possession of the nature os the measure.—(Mr Reeves : “ Hear, hear.”) He hoped the Government would name the period when they intended to bring the Bill down.

Air Reeves followed In support of the request of the member for Auckland City West, because it was common talk that a certain gentleman was then engaged in canvassing a district which was to be in electoral district, but which the House knew nothing about.—(Name.) He would name Mr Moorhouse, and he knew that gentleman would not waste his time over such a matter unless he had good grounds for so doing.

Mr W. Kelly said the hon. member bad been incorrectly informed of the facts of the case. Mr Moorhouse was not canvassing the Poverty Bay district, because that was the district reterred to. The people of that district certainly asked Mr Moorhouse if he would become a candidate. 1 hey had petitioned the House for another member to represent them. Mr Moorhouse had not yet replied to the request of the people, and was not canvassing the district. Mr Reid said there was no doubt some df the contents of the Bill had leaked out, and that it behoved the Government to bring the Bill down as soon as possible. It would take a long time to put such a Bill through the House. He hoped the House would agree to the motion.

Mr M Glashan said that, probably, if so much time had not been wasted on the Abolition Bill, they might have had their representation measure before that.

Mr Sheehan said that the Abolition Bill would not, m all probability, be put through committee before a month, and then they WQuld have been sitting three months, and, if the Bill was not brought down- sooner, the House could not long be kept to pass such a measure after passing the Abolition Bill. He pointed out the anomalous position of Taranaki having three representatives, when the whole i rovince had not half the population of the Thames.

Mr May was in favor of the population being the basis of representation, and considered the existing arrangement should be remodelled.

Mr O Conor said if the Bill were not brought don ii soon, it would be impossible to give that consideration to it which a measure of so much importance to every resident of the Colony should receive. _ For many years that House hail acted with injustice to a community that contributed more to the revenue of the Colony than any other by not allowing them to be burly represented. He referred to the goldfields.

Major Atkinson asked that the motion he withdrawn, as all was elicited that could be, except a declaration of when the Government would bring down the Bill. That must dc peud entirely upon the progress of public business. If, in the beginning of next week, political business had so far progressed, they might be able to bring the measure down very shortly after.

Mi (Stout asked if the Government would bring clown with the Kill a return of all the returning officers, and the x'oll tor this year, lie hoped the Government would also see. its way to introduce Haro’s system. There was nothing in the Constitution Act to prevent it. Major Atkinson said they would lay the list requested, and the last electoral roll, as well as the population, collected up to the latest period, upon the table. Mr Murray moved the motion with no spirit ot hostility, and would withdraw it as the Government desired.

Mr Curtis moved that L6IG Ills 4d be placed upon the Supplementary Estimates, to carry out a recommendation of the Select Committee on Waste Lands in the matter of the petition of Henry Robert Russell. Russell had paid LII.OOO upon a certain block of land at Hawke’s Bay, but before the negotiation was completed, a Mr Kinross also applied for the same land, on the ground that Russell’* application was illegal. As the Supreme Court decided that Russell’s application was good, and as he had been kept out of land and urmey for twenty months, the committee considered the justice of the case would be met by allowing eight per cent, on his money. The committee also considered that the circumstances of the case justified the amount being charged against the revenue of the Province of Hawke s Bay. Major Atkinson said the hon. gentleman had made out a good case, but lie thought it would be establishing a dangerous precedent to vote sums in this way, without the evidence betore them. He proposed the debate be sojourned for a week, to enable the Government to become acquainted with the whole facts of the case, and consult a legal adviser on the matter.

Mr Sheehan suggested that the evidence should bo printed. Mr Ormond pointed out that the Committee had not all the information before t’aem that * the proper decision of the case required. They should have had all the Crown laud officer#

before them. It appeared to him that the Receiver of Land Revenue had acted properly in declining to keep his office open, because that would have produced the other person (Kinross), who Applied for the land, because it was a_ fait that Russell and Kinross had been watching each other in applying for the land, in order to see if each could not obtain the land without the other making a simultaneous application.

The debate was adjourned to that day week. Sir George Grey moved for all correspondence or memoranda between T. Eustell, as representing the Shortlaud Sawmill Company, and the Government, relating to timber licenses held by the company over Opango and other blocks at the Thames, He belie veil the Government inserted a clause in the Act solely for the benefit of this company. Sir Donald M‘Lean would lay all the correspondence on the table. The lion, gentleman was mistaken in saying that the Government passed any Act for the benefit of any company. Mr Rolleston agreed with what fell from the member for Auckland City West, and bo spoke with a full knowledge of the facts of the case.

The debate was cut short by 5, DO. The House, last night, was mainly occupied with business of little gr neral interest. Some discussion ensued upon the Telegraph Messages Copyright Bill, moved by Mr Harrison. He explained that the object of the Bill was to protect newspapers, or persons who procured news at considerable expense, by preventing that news from being appropriated by papers contributing nothing towards the cost. He referred to the law in Victoria by which the Melbourne ‘Argus’ obtained a perpetual injunction against a certain piratical paper. The Bill protected news for only forty-eight hours.

Mr Reeves said that although the Bill affected the interests] of newspaper proprietors he was not aware that the mover was acting on their behalf. He thought the Bill uncalled for, and that it should have been entitled an Act to protect the Press telegraph agency. He was not going into the way in which the agency business was carried on, but in all probability by the time this Colony was in communication with Europe and America another mode more In accordance with the requirements of the ■Colony would be adopted; and when that time arrived perhaps it would be necessary to protect newspapers .in their rights as far as telegrams were concerned. The Bill now was premature, unnecessary, and uncalled for. He objected to the penalty clauses, as they would fall entirely upon the minor newspapers of the Colony, and he was confident that it was not the desire of the larger newspaper proprietors to pass such a law. He moved that the Bill he read that day six months.

Mr T. L. Shepherd could not understand one newspaper representative saying the Bill was necessary and another that it was not. Evidently more information was wanted on the point, and he suggested that the Bi 11 be submitted to a Select Committee. He thought it unfair for the enterprising papers to boar heavy telegraphic costs ami other papers be allowed to copy from them with impunity. Mr Steward said there was no doubt telegrams ware the most valuable part of the papers, and the Victorian Parliament thought it but right to protect enterprise in that direction. The Bill might not bo necessary just now, but it would be when we were in telegraphic communication with Europe. hie would not like to see the Bill thrown out. The mover ought to have consulted the newspaper proprietors before introducing the Bill, and to give him an opportunity of still doing a® he moved the adjournment of the debate for a week.

Mr Stout was opposed to all monopoly, though he thought there might be a necessity for encouraging and protecting newspapers where they went to great expense in procuring news.

Mr O’Connor, opposed the Bill altogether, Mr Luckie said it was asking for what was impossible. .News was as free as the air, and could not be protected. For instance, what was to prevent his picking up a piece of valuable protected news in the street and introducing it into his speed'/ in that House, and then telegraphing it where'ie li ked as part of his speech ? It was impossible to copyright news, and what good was it i"only-eight hours after ? __ He believed the men ibnr for Grey Valley 'represented the Press Agency in the matter.

Mr Ballance regretted that a conference of newspaper proprietors had not been consulted on the Bill; they- might the n have agreed upon some kind of measurei. He agreed with the principle of copyj right, and said the member for Nelson was wrong in statmg that it was impossible to pi -oteot telegrams. Reuter’s agemty was a case i' a ]ioint: several times that had been made a test question, but Reuter always successfully del ‘ended his right. It was wrong that one paper should take the telegrams of another without/ paying. He supported the adjournment of t' tie debate so that some alterations might be ma ,de in the Bill. *he debate was adjourne d for a week, and the House rose at 12.30.