THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Evening Star, Issue 3919, 15 September 1875, Page 2

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

[By :ei,egraph.]

Wellington, September 15. In the Legislative (-ounoil yesterday, The Auckland Improvement Bill w, a pitted. Dr Menzits asked Dr Pollen wh< thor th« public vaccinators have been appoiD'e i in aU districts appointed under sections 91 of the Public Health Act, 187& Dr Pollen replied in the affirmative. Mr Waterhouse moved for a return of moneys which had been advanced, ami suhsi dies granted to private companies, under the goliifieldß clauses of the Immigration and Public Works Acts, such return to specify the amount advanced ; or granted, to each company, and extent to which the obi gallons iii'i-osed by the Government in making such grant or idvauce, havp been fulfilled. Agreed to. The Tir.naki Waste Lands Bi 1 was further considered ii> Committee, and elicited considerable discussion.

Mr Robinson strenuously opposed it,' and objected to the leasing of the forests ? f at a shilling an anre as the minimum rate.

Sir John Richardson also opposed it. Mr : .:<";r!rison moved, as an amendment, that the chairman report progress without asking leave to sit again.

Mr vVaterhouse was for improving the Bill in Committee. He believed the Bill would tend to censerve the forests.

Sir John Richardson pointed out that when the land was cleared of timber by the purchaser, he would have a good agricultural land for a long lease, at 6d per acre. Me would place the upset price at 6s per acre. Mr Robinson's motion to report progress was lost.

"1 1 Ponar then proposed to amend the leasing >y inserting the word "seven" instead of twenty-one years. A division waa taken, 'the motion being carried by 15 to 8. After a lengthened Mr Bonar proposed that the price per acre be 3s instead of Is. The motion was not put, further consideration of the subject being postponed till the day following.

The Aucklhnd City Endowments and Reserve Bill was read a second time, and referred to a Select Committee.

The Goldnelds Act Amendment Billjwas read a third time and passed. The Kakanui Harbor Board Bill, and Timaru Municipal Council Empowering and Waterworks Bill, were read a second time. The House met at 2.30 yesterday. Mr Steward brought up the report of the Reporting Debates Committee, which was real. Attached to the report was a memorandum from the Government Printer, stating the printing of members' speeches as supplements, though not expensive, was rather inconvenient if many demands were made in that direction, and would seriously retard the printing of 'Hansard,' unless morettype weie procured.

Major Atkinson gave notice to ask leave to introduce another Imprest Supply Bill. Major Atkinson moved the postponement of the Abolition of Provinces Bill till to-morrow at half past two. ' Agreed to.

The House moved into committte, and the ?^J?!SSf r u aßked * t A* t . aBUm not needing L 250.000 be granted to Her Majesty in addition to the amount already granted. The Bill was ordered Jo be reported to-morrow. There was no MinisterH Statement made regarding the arrangemen s pending between Government and the Opposition. Mr Basstian asked the Postmaster-General if 11« Government will make provision for n mail service to Gore aud Matauia, the railwav beimj now open to that township; also, if ft is the intention of the Government to make provision at an early date for telegraph communication being opened to the township of Gore and Mataura. Mr Reynolds said arrangements had been made by which a d.dlv service was to havp been commenced yesterday. lie wan not aware however, whether- the service had been commenced. The second question was answered in the affirmative.

The Oamaru Gaswerks Bill was passed. I he Hawkes Bay Volunteers Grant Bdl was discharged at the request of the Native Minister, whoiintiniated that the chums for woioh the Bill was intended Would be better met another way. The second reading of the

Fraudulent Debtor* Bill, fill's of Sale Bill, • t'tmp fee Bill, were npoi-ied with amendments.

Jhe Treasurer intimated that the Superintendent of Auckland had made application to carry on the public spools of that Province. for which, they were officially informed, there was not sumcK-nt, m<■:->, yto carry on. They had been requeued v.. :.dv;vner I 1,500 at once and L 5.000 mrr,- would b» ehorliy required! The Government proposed. uoleß« the Committee directed otherwise, to rnaVa the necessary advances, pending ttie t\u-,u;itWß decision -is to low the publf d'.-p-tvtmei»t»of AuckItii ! Province were to i><- earri-ii on.

>.iu the adjourned debate on the Debtors and Credito-s Bill.

Mi Sheehan hoped the Committee would strike out chums by wiicii nil future earnings i>f >.• bjr.ik.upt. '-eve mtu >(~ Uab'c. Mr Cu*.liijcii.~.-ii Hi.'i .'.-r \\ tb ■' Up;vrted the Hume view.

Mr J. E. Biown (Aidisey) a k \\ a further adjournment, us members' mil d< had been too much outiupi' d the lsmt w. ok to consider the Jiili, otherwise he must o>>pos> it. Vir Pe.ti'cw sippoi ed 'he Bill strongly.

Mr Boweu replied, a;.,. ( ; xpie«se<i his eatiafacnou at H'ei >v ■«< BUoi-g an opinion favorabl- to t:»e genera! prine id of tha Bill. It •vats cbar ih-t. the »-;<>n-e ihon.uht private tr;i.t»K:-.,ctiou- jiiji.-.* -<-u debtor* :md creditors sh<>u;d !;e <!-:■{( it (b.~ '>e!,iveen tliemselves, beioie ih'r .•'-•..•■t,'*)^'- 1 >.■- :h.- !'..iiu was invoked, -.;>'- zo y\v. Ai\ • id -,8 i • u'.ii ui' pus&ibte. to all otiici;« • ids w;i-, • !v .•>]" the Scotch svstem.

>'h- IhT was re.id a. second aud ordered to Ik- co;iim> b'eii en Fri ay

Mi Bower? moved Vie second reading of the of Both- ind De.i-ths i-ill, which he said w\s a coiiHolidatini; Bill, and provided agaiust the i tss of recor Is (a frequent occurrence), by compelling duplicate record* to be kepi—one m the 1 distric where the registration > akes place, and another at the central office. It also enabled people who neglected to register to do bo within twt< yeans.

Mr Reid wanted a clause inserted to enable persons who, from whatever cause, neglected to register during the yearly Hays of the Colony, to do bo now: but he thought six months' notice would ho enough. He saw no necessity ror two years, which wjw likely to encourage laxity in registration.

Mr Uuthbertsou took a like view. There was no doubt there were a great many children in the Colony who were unregistered, and, in a gieat many instances, through no fault of their parents. He theief.nv stroi.gl.y urged thatsupp'ementary registration iitts should be opeaed ; to do so would confer a great boon upon many families. H» knew the vis inertia of the departmental offices would be opposed to this, but that could be overcome.

Mr Wales suggested a clause should be introduced to correct errore made in previous registrations.

Mr Bowen said there were many difficulties iu establishing a precedent against the advico of their own officer* with regard to supplementary registration. They ojuld not rind that suuh a latitude h.id been grar.teJ in any other country. The Government would, however, consider amendments of lion. members. The Kill wa» lead a second time. Mr Bowiii moved the second reading of the Mania;;e Act Amendment Bill.

Mr .Stout }«-kill if the Government would not insert a provision to enable the Resident Magi t: ate to marry, and also to allow the .Registrar-General to license any person to marry, because there were many persons in the Colony beonginir to sects whose religious ottkiators were not entitled to be called reverend, an:.; lie thou s 'm, it desirable tbey should be placed up'in fi.e i-.unu footing as regarded celebrating marriagea as geitiernen who were culled reverend.

The House went into Committee on the Klcctric Telegraph Bill. Clauses Ito 19 were pa-*ed M-ithout alteiation. vileged c:>mmunie.itioii« conveyed by telegraph n<»t to be .ieeinud maliciously published." Mr ;stout moved that the'clause be omitted. He held that a libellous tol.gram passing through the telegraph office was virtually published by the fact of the operators being aware of the con. ems.

.V'.r Pyke took the Bame view. There was nothing but a sense of honor to prevent telegraph operators from divulging what came under the'r notice They were not bound by oath or otherwise not to clh ul#c. Mr Murray Mip;.mi,<d the clause. Mr Fitzherbert said the of telegrams was a ,-übjec which required the best attention ot the Govfrr.nient, b-cause the public, he thought, had some right to complain of the secrecy of their messages not having been respected as it should have been, u

• r Reynolds was not a*are of such a thine. He thought the secrecy of the telegraph department was as rigidly observed as it was well possible to be.

That, and subsequent clauses we r e passed without ampudment, and the Bill passed. Mr Boweu moved tin- s> cm>i reading of the Stamp Duties Act without comment, having introduced the Kill to the House previously. u Ur Almriy said ihe Bi!i was a device to raise revenue under the guise of supplying a public convenience. He objected especially to the Htamps upon mortgages. Mr George M'Luan abo took objection to that provision, though he agreed with the Bill as a whole.

Mr Von der Heyde said that if the Bill was not intended to r.-.ise revenue, there were several impositions which ought to be dispensed with.

Mr Stout suggested that a schedule should be printed, showing any variations on the vld law as compared with the present Bill. This would facilitate the consideration of the Bill in Committee.

Mr Bowen agreed with the suggestion. The other objections taken weie matters for consideration in Committee. ihe Biii was read a second time. The Native Mini ttr at 6.30 moved the adjournment of the Mouse till 2.30 to-morrow, as there was little business upon the Order Paper. Agreed to, and the House adjourned.

Laßt night, after the adjournment of the House, the leaders of both patties met to continue the abolition negotiations, and it was finally resolved that the Abolition Bill should come into operation one day after the first session of the new- Parliament. AU factious opposition will now be withdrawn, and the BUI be considered in committee on its merits.