PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 31, 5 August 1893, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS

Legislative Council. (pfh pbeßs association.) Wellington, August 4». The Council met at 2.30. The Cheviot County Bill and Ward Conservation of Rights Bill were committed without amendment and put through their final stages. House of Representatives. The House met at 2.30. The Premier gave notice to move that on Monday the 14th inst, and for the remainder of the session, the House meet on Mondays, at 2.30 p.m. for the transaction of Government business ; also that after Wednesday next Government business take pre cedence on Wednesdays. Mr Taylor brought up a question of privilege. He said he had received a telegram from the Secretary of the Licensed Victuallers' Association, of Christchurch, as follows : — "Disgusted with your conduct and disregard of your pledges in voting for Stout's Bill and you have lost all chance of ever being returned again." The Speaker ruled this was not a breach of privilege. It might have I>een so if the telegram were received prior to Taylor's recording his vote on the Bill. Replying to Mr Rolleston, Mr Reeves said Government would be glad to consider the advisableness of providing by exactment, that the Chairmen of County Councils should be ex officio Justices of the Peace for their term of office in the same way as Mayors of Boroughs. Mr Seddon moved the second reading of the Mining Act Amendment Bill. He said the Bill was brought in to ntmedy certain defects in the existing law. Mr Rolleston said this was the most extraordinary Bill that had come before them, and was one of, the most objectionnble character. It was evidently an electioneering trick, and must have been brought down to prevent the Electoral Bill being reached. He saw no reason whatever for passing a Bill of this kind, and he could not see where the urgency came in. Government were simply going to make themselves a huge pawn-shop for the benefit of certain gold field constituencies. The Bill should go through very careful scrutiny, not only by the Gold fields Committee but by the House. Messrs Wright, Taylor, Buckland, C. H. Mills, J. McKenzie, Allen, Hogg, McLean, E. M. Smith, Fraser, Valentine, Richardson, and 3 . Hutchison took part in the debate, and the second reading was agreed to on the voices. Mr Seddon then said he considered clause o so urgent that he would be prepared in committee to strike out the clause relating to advances, and pass the latter portion of the Bill. The motion that the Bill be comn.itted presently was carried on a division by 27 to 22. The House resumed at 7.80 p.m. Iv committee on the Mining Act Amendment Bill on the motion of Mr Seddon all the clauses except clause 5, were struck out. The Bill, as amended, was put through its final stages. The Electoral Bill was further considered in committee and although several clauses provoked an exhaustive discussion no amendments of any consequence were made in the measure. The attempt to give the shearers electors' rights was defeated by 26 to 17, and a proposal to take away from commercial travellers the priviledge of exercising electors' rights was lost by 28 to 20. When clause 109 was reached progress was reported and the House rose at 2.48 a.m.