PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 81, 3 October 1893, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

■ ♦ Legislative Council. (per press association). Wellington, October 2. The Council met at 2.30. The Electoral Law Amendment Bill was put through its final stages. Iv Committee on the Conspiracy Law Amendment Bill, a new clause was added by 18 to 11 to prevent men employed at gas and waterworks from suddenly leaving work without notice. Progress was then reported on the Bill. The Stock Bill was read a second time. House of Representatives. The House met at 2.30. The debate on the Midland Railway proposals occupied the whole afternoon, and consideration of the question had not concluded when the House took the dinner adjournment. Mr Guinness's motion for the adoption of the report of the Public Accounts Committee was lost by 31 to 17. Mr Seddon then moved the amendment of which he gave notice last week, granting an extension of time to the Company for five years and giving tho Company debentures in lieu of land grants. He said he bad no fear of the threatened litigation, but he held if the contract was not modified the credit of the Colony would be affected at Home. He admitted that a great mistake had been made when the Colony agreed to allow these works to be undertaken on the land grant system. The House divided on Sir Robert Stout's amendment that the contract be adhered to, which was lost by 24 to 26. The amendments made by the Legislative Council in the FJectoral Law Amendment Bill were disnjjreed with, and Messrs W. Hutchison, Guinness and Seddon were appointed to draw up reasons. Mr W. Hutchison resumed the debate on the Midland Railway, and moved an amendment referring the proposals of the Company to the New Parliament. A division on this amendment resulted : — Ayes, 27 ; noes, 27. The Speaker gave his casting vote with the noes and declared the amendment lost. Mr R. Thompson moved that the first paragraph in Mr Seddon's resolutions referring to the substitution of debentures for land grant be struck out. — Lost by 29 to 28. The Magistrate's Courts Mill was read a third time and passed, nfter several amendments were made.