PARLIAMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 4167, 5 July 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

[Bt TeleobaPh.]

(From our Special Corresponde d)

„ Wellington, July 5. The House of Representatives met yesterday at 2:30 p.h*. . I I* o Opposition dro istriiiiiirlg cVcry nerve, to get Jianatana inducted as member for the Eastern electoral district. The Committee to which the mot ter on Mr Macandrew’s mot ion was referred at.cT an hour and .a-half's sitting yesterday and without taking any evidence, came to a resolution, ties.irs Tole and Micandrew disagreeing, recommending the immediate issue of a fresh Writ The taels brought out prominently by tbc discussion were that owing to floods no poll was held ,?■ . cerl!im booth, V. hereby a large number ot natives—-one tube, in fact, numbering 300—were i.rcveulcd from recording their votes. Also tba; Karmana only beaded the second highest candidate by ave votes, and that if the irregularity just meuMoimtl bad not occurred, neither of the two highest candidales was likely to be returned. Also that the returning officer only endorsed the return as n 1 * A 61 ’ tubing the best legal advice in different par.s of the Colony—the Government refusing to advise him in the matter. n Sir George Gi\ y accused the officers of the Land i unerase Department of taking an active part in emotions, in cudeavu-irg to secure the return of uoverunjent caudidujtes, and said it. wns well .iiioivu that the Government would do all they cou.d to get Karitiaua defeated because of the action be took Inst j car. Mr Mncaedrcw regretted that ho knew of one id urmng officer who, had he seen his wny to supporting the Government, would not Lave’been dismissed.

. [ } r ’'tout followed this up by ; ay in <• Mr Reynolds ;;..l wrii 'eu to the Government «.omp ainiug of the o.ti oa of the returning ttflicer nt Port Chalmers at the general cloetiou, to which Mr 'Reid, on receiving a copy of the complaint, wrote that if the Govern-

raent were diseatuA«d with his action they were at liberty to aouibbd rus resignation—to Which the reply was that his resignation was accepted. This gentleman Lad held the position for ten Jfears, and the impression of the people of Port Chalmers and Dunedin was tnftt if this returning officer had declared the show of hands to bo in favor of the mill. he would be return mi? officer ®bll. Mr Stout also said the people of Riverton had been told, as were those of Wanganui, that if they returned ministerial candidate* they Would get some thousands of notes of lauds as a harbor endowment, hut if they did not they had better look out. Bowen strongly defended the returning 0 .5 0^ 8 “ om Sir George Grey’s insinuations, and said the Government had not the slightest feeling in the matter.

Mr Reynolds characterised Mr StoUt’9 observations both in reference to the Port Chalmers election aim the Riverton Harbor Endowment as without foundation. (Mr Stout: "Oh”) It was that he (Mr Reynolds), oh bis return to Wellington, wrote to the Colonial Secretary that he believed the returning officer at Port Chalmers to he incompetent to fill the position. He was borne out in this by a large majority of the people both in Dunedin and Port Chalmers, and a portion of the Press opposed to his candidature contained paragraphs reflecting on the fil&nhCr in which that officer performed his duties. Everyone who was present at the nomination ! h - e A a , rc< \ In th « firßt the returnS* * au ] f: e sfcow 0 f I'ftndg did hot Indicate ; ng .°* Which showed he was 0,8 “ had rcad the Act be must Y ns bound to obey it and take the of when the show Was called for. The ° e . r . wa? ToM, blit not by him (Mr Reynolds) that it musthe taken, and then he decided in favor Of his (My Reynolds’s) opponent. He did not say a word, being satisfied t8 let things go, but other Barnes pointed out that the returning officer was mistaken, and suggested that the show of hands had better be taken over again, which r 8 an , d , a similar declaration. * Reynolds) stood by perfectly passive, and lest the returning officer should be pulled off, ns there was a disturbance at the time, be demanded the poll. He considered it was his duty to call the Government’s attention to the officer’s inoompetency. The member for Dunedin had no right to say the Port Chalmers people were under the impression that had not a Minister been stand- ®? v c ? r . would have been continued in office. .Mr stouthad informed the House that newspaper paragraphs were written by persons who were promment members of Mr Reynolds’s committee: but this Mr Reynolds denied, saying that they were written by reporters sent down from Dunedin. Mr Stout immediately gave notice of his intention to move for the correspondence between the Government and Mr Reid. dn replying to Mr Larnach’s question whether the attention of the Government had been called to the condition of the Supreme Court buildings at Dunedin, and whnt steps they intend to take to provide suitable buildings, Mr Richardson said two years ago a vote was taken for the purpose of affordmg additional accommodation, but then there was the question raised about the site. Last year it was represented to the Government that if a vote was taken for L 1 ,500 the present court-house might be made to answer the nurpose for some years to come. The vote, was taken, and after the session, from conversations he had had with Judge Williams and the reports sent in as to the condition of the buildings, no action was taken by the Government, it being considered better not to expend that L 1 ,500 as it would be mostly thrown away. They merely spent sufficient to keep the building water-tight, and enable the business to be carried on until they could see whether more accommodation would be available after the changes that are about to take place.

Mr Bees gave notice of a string of motions for to-day, among which are one for a return of the number of days on which the Governor resided on his private property from the year 1861 to 1867: for a Committee to inquire into whether any members - f the Legislative have, by being interested in certain agreements or transactions with the Governmont. infringed the terms of the DiaqualifioationAct: and for returns showing the number of warrants exercised by the Crown in if s prerogative of mercy from 1862 to 1867, and the number of warrants for death issued during those periods. . ~ r Stout asked what steps the Government intended to take with regard to the arrest of VYiniftta,

Sir I). M’Lean was explaining that he had rover att ended, and would not attend a meeting at which fftmata waa present, and that all the statements mat ke had done so were quite unfounded. He was also stating that the Government hod done alHn its power to apprehend the murderer, when he was cut short by the usual adjournment at 5.30. At the evening sitting the 4 olonial Treasurer brought down the Financial Statement, which appears In another portion of this paper. Immediately on the conc'.nsion of tlo Budget speech Sir J. Vogel moved the resolution with which it concluded.

After half an hour's adjournment Sir G. Grey complained of the injustice of raising the price of laud in Auckland and not in other parts of the Colony. Nothing tended more to convince him of the necessity for the two islands each dealing separately with such questions, Ha said the Colony ought to have them dealt with by persons acquainted with the natural circumstances of the country rather than by the Government proposal. Then followed an insinuation that two friends of the Government interested in the Piako Swamp had some conception of wbab was going to be done.

This brought Mr Whitaker to his feet with a denial.

Sir Q.Qrey then spoke of the proposal ns iniquitous nnd not acting fairly towards Auckland, which had no good land, and he moved as an addition to the resolution, “ Provided always that should the purchaser be dissatisfied with such increase he shall be entitled to have his purchase-money returned with interest thereon.”

Sir J. Vogel explained that flie object merely meant to protect the country from injurious speculatisn, and in no way committed the Honse to approval of it or the reverse. While willing to give an assurance that any amendment should be embodied in the Bill, he said there was’no necessity for it in the resolution.

Mr Aynsley suggested that the purchaser should elect within a month of the end of the session, which Sir J. Vogel thought reasonable. The Otago members violently opposed the resolution, Mr Macaudrew saying it meant a practical cessation of land sales in Otago from this lime forth. It was ill-timed, ill-considered, and should have beoa postponed till after abolition was effected. Five-sixths of the representatives of Otago were opposed lo it. It wns very hard indeed that it should be forced on the Province by representatives from other parts of the Colony, without knowing what they were doing. If carried, it would seriously impair the land sales of the Province, and be felt it his duty to say that much, and felt it was a great mistake. Messrs Stout and Reid spoke ill tt Similar strain, the latter moving a resolution that it should only apply to Kelson, Hawkes Bay, and Wellington. On jn’eSslhg it to a division, 18 voted with him, and 45 ilgitlnfX Mr Stout then moved that progress bo reported with a view to getting the lauds put up for sale by auction, and deferred payment lands exempted frOm the resolution. Mr Macandiew painted out to bis colleague the in idvisabili'y of prolonging the metier, Seeing that the thing was aimed entirely at Otago and pere'stod in against the protest of five-sixths of the tngo representatives. Mr Reid, pressing for a reply to his question if the resolution was intended to apply to ’and set apart os of sp. cial value and sold by auction, received a reply from Major Atkinson in the affirmative. Mt Bastihgs strongly supported Mr Reid, saying it would be most diSafitroUs in its effect upon the working of the land laws of Otago if the suggestion wanot given effect to.

Sir J. Vogel replied that the resolution was not intended to apply to deferred payments, and special lauds Would not b6 affected, because he was told such lands could not be put Up for less than 255, which was the price of land in 0 tago. The Government proposed to raise it too. Mr stout next proposed that it should be intimated to the Otago and Southland Laud Boards that the resolution did not apply to deferred payment or Special value land, he hearing through Mr Reid that the latter Class bl land was saleable at 21s an acre.

Sir J. Vogel said the Government could not accept the nmc> dim nt, as 25s was the limit intended when they W&to to have a regulation for the whole Colony without excepting any particular part. The resolution was plain on its faro, and the member for Dunedin should be content with the assurance of the Government.

This, amendment was negatived by 18 to 42. Sjr Q. Grey withdrew bis amendment. Sir nckf, moved the addition of the following words: —" i’lovidrd always these resolutions shall not affect lands leased or sold on deferred payments.'’ In illustration of his argument that deferred payment settlers paid little attention to the law, he referred to Mr Thomson’s action in not issuing leases to leaseholders in the Ileriot Hundred

Thereupon Mr Andrew gave notice that he would at a future date move for a committee of inquiry on t his subject. The Government accepted Mr Bastings’ amendment, which was agreed to : and at 3.15 this morning the House adjourned. Ou the first: division Messrs De Lautour, Joyce, Macau drew, Shriinsri, Thomson, Hlslop, Lumsden,Hodgkinson, and Stout, voted with the ayes ; Messrs Bastings. Laninch, Mandcrs, M’Leau, Pyke, Reid, and Reynolds with the noes.

ABOUT THE LOBBIES.

(From ottr. Special Correspondent.)

Several notices re the Californian service have been tabled Sir J. Vogel asks for a'committee, consistiuc of Messrs Macandvcw, Curtis, Carrington. Grey. Hunter, R -y; olds, Stafford. Seymour. Rolloston, 'Whitaker, and the mover, to consider what altercations, it auy, should ho mace_ m the Californian contract. Mr Ormoud wants information ns to why tho City of Sau FranciscD did not call at Nb pier, and if it was intended to enforce penalties.

The Petitions Committee report re the petition of George Bunics, bailiff at Dunedin, that he should pb reimbursed all the money proved to, have been collected by him after office hours cn May 29 last, when his office was broken into and moneys stolen therefrom, Ihc Public Works Statement will show that the raviw ■ys will cost more than was anticipated. r.‘, 2 r * I,en, V B secession to the Ministry Is not icoua. upon a 6 bringing any strength to it. The Ministry intend appointing a Political AttorneyGeneral. Mr Button’s name has been freely mentioned as likely. It is known that the appointment was offered during the recess to a prominent Auckland man.

Mr Mncandrew voted against the Government 011 'Jhe second Biako Swamp division la*t week. HOrapel'a are not able to form definite oPluiOaß «n tbe Budget. The goldfields members are dissatisfied; saying the promised subsidy is withheld, and they are only given what already belongs to them. The Auckland section say they regard the land proposals as the first step towards securing the Southern land fund for the Colony.