WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3946, 18 October 1875, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

[By Telegraph.] (From our own Correspondent) Wellington, Getober 16. The Piako Swamp Sale Committee report tothe effect that the Gov, rnment have power tovalidate the Side to Mr Bussell, and that the works being constructed by th« company areof great public utility, but recommend them, not to avoid the spirit of the Act in future* cases. A string of Pills has been assented to by tins Governor, including the Abolition of Province* Bill. ■ u Thursday night the House sat for nine* solid hours on the .Representation Bill. TheAuckland contingent, led by Sir George Grey, are savage at their defeat on the question of an extra member, and opposed evei y proposition of the Government ; particularly directing their battery against tee proposal to subdivide the hast Ci-ani into two dilricts, talking a portion on to jSapier, ilr Swanson said the .Ministerial support was a reward for Mr Kelly’s thick and thin support of the Government, and Mr Sheehan said it carried it would give him a pocket borough which, witlr the assistance of the Opoliki voters, ho could hold against anybody. Sir 1 iliou Bell was exceedingly iratfli b, cause tire claims of Mataura were overlo ked, Air OVouor was conspicuous for his onslaught on Dunedin. Belying on an article in the * ( osr,’; n 1 .> r Miiam’s estimate of the population as published in the papers of th* Pth rnst., he argued that Dunedin was over represented. Mr Dyke c used considerable amusement by detailing‘to the House the circumstances under which Mr Mirams’s estimate was formed. He asserted that five people to a house was too small. — (Mr Macandrew ; Ten is nearer the m«rk.) • e would not go so far M that, but he believed 25,000 was about the correct estimate of the population of the City. Mr Wakefield asked how it came that the Registrar-General in his vital statistics estimated the population of Dunedin at 19.700 in August last. Mr Bryce carried an additional members for Wanganui, but there is good ground for believing that he succeeded by mistake. Many motub. rs, understanding from the previously-circulated list that Wanganui has over 1,000 electors on the roll, voted with the ayes, but later in the evening it was discovered that by a recent purging of lire roll the number on it is only a lit lc over 700. On the proposal to give Tiraaru an additional m< mbi-r, Mr Mapray, speaking against tune, was persistently bowled down. He talked ot Trmaru in such a strain that Mr Stafford “ felt bound to get up to expose the utter ignorance of the member for Bruce.’ Wbb the divisions ou the clauses of the Bill, to report progress, and to leave tlu- oh nr, there must have been twenty-five divisions during the time that the Committc on the Bill.

Mr Steward Intends asking—(l.) Whether, in accordance with the prayer or the petition from 301 residents in the Oamaru and Waitaki district (including the Mayor and Municipal Council and the Harbor Board), presented on the Uth instant, steps will he taken for the immediate formation of the Waimate branch line of railway, so that it may be ready for the laying of rails concurrently with the at present uncompleted portion of the main line’ (2.) Whether m view of the great public advantage which will flow from the completion of the ludiioh hue, the erection of the bridge across the \\ aiho will he undertaken at the earliest possible moment ? Sii Gror-e (Ji o y, 'Vs-rs B.olleston, Bitz nerbert. bheehan, and others leave for Dunedin by the first steamer after the prorogation to attend the Macandrew banquet. ihe Government Bill dealing with the honorarium is merely a makeshift; it will bo a fixed charge upon the consolidated fund in future. A strong effort will be made to increase the amount to L2OO a-mernber. . , October 18 Th® Legislative Council has so altered Mr Reid s Employment of Females Bill so as to include the whole of Mr Bradshaw’s amendments, as previously telegraphed. tu? he prorogation takes place for eertain on Wednesday afternoon. The Taupo, with membtrs, sails South at 5 p m. on the same day.