HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 95, 16 October 1894, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Tbe Honse met at 2.80. A discussion took place on tbe report of the Public Petitions Committee on the question of the dismissal of Major Brown from the position of Native Interpreter and J.P., because certain actions in connection with the sale of land to the Natives were not considered satisfactory. The Committee recommended that Mr Brown be allowed to resign. Mr McGuire moved to refer back tbe report to the Committee with the view of having an enquiry made before a Judge of the Native Land Court. On division, the adoption ofthe report was carried by the narrow majority of 2, the voting being 29 to 27. Mr Seddon brought up the report of the conference of the two Houses on the Consols Bill, Advances to Settlers Bill, and tho Land for Settlement Bill. The report was to the effect that the managers of the Council and the Honse were unablo to agree as to privilege claimed by the House. Considering the late period of session and exigencies of the position, it was agreed to consider the amendments in the several Bills on tbeir merits. This proceeding is not to be drawn into a precedent or held to be a waiver of the privileges claimed by the House, In the Consols Bill the Council waived its objection in Clause 4, and the currency of consols was restored to forty years. The House accepted other amend* ments of tho Council. It was agreed in the Government Advances to Settlers Bill that the maximum amount of loau should bo fixed at £2500, and that advances should be made up to three-fifths value. The amendment made by tho Council in the Lands for Settlement Bill, Consols Bill, and the Harbour Bill were agreed to. Mr Ward detailed tbe proceedings of tbe conference over the Advances to Settlers Bill. He said the Council had at first proposed to reduce the maximum amount of loans from £5000 to £1000 but it was finally agreed to accept £2500 as a compromise. He moved that the report be agreed to. The second reading of the Hospitals and Charitable Aid Amendment Bill, which enables a Hospital Board to levy contributions for repairs and extensions to hospitals and to compel Boards in which a person has lived for six months in a year previous to getting charitable aid to pay the cost of maintenance, was read a second time.