PARLIAMENTARY.

Gisborne Times, Volume VIII, Issue 520, 17 September 1902, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. By Telegraph—Press Association.' Wellington, last night. The Council met at 2.30. The Mining Act Amendment Bill and Fisheries Encouragement Bill passed the final stages. The Opium Prohibition and Bank Holiday Bills were read a second time. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Tho House met at 2.30.

On the motion of Sir Joseph Ward the following Bills were discharged from the Order Paper:—Public Reserves Act, 1881, Amendment ; Habeas Corpus Extension, Products Export, Land Transfer Act Amendment, Rating on Unimproved Values Amendment, Property Law Amendment, and Criminal Jurisdiction of J ustices. All private members Bills on the Order Paper were struck off with the exception of the following Licensing Committees’ Quorum, Absolute Majority Vote, Litigation Act Amendment, and Solicitors’ Bill of Costs.

In reply to enquiries Sir Joseph Ward stated that it was intended to introduce a few more Bills before th: close of the session, among them being the Military Pen t sions, Naval Subsidy, Post and Telegraph Classification Amendment, Land for Settlement, and Workers' Compensation for Accidents Amendment. Sir Joseph Ward moved that a report of the Public Accounts Committee regarding correspondence relative to the payment of a pension to the widow of the late Lieutenant-Colonel Francis should be agreed to. This report agrees to the payment of a pension. In the course of a long discussion that ensued, Sir Joseph Ward promised to introduce a Bill to extend the Military Pensions /• ct.

The discussion was interrupted by the ; 30 adjournment. Midnight.—The House resumed at 7.30.

j After a further lengthy debate, the report cf !-he Public Accounts Committee on the Francis case was agreed to. Sir J. Ward stated that he would take the Public Works debate on Friday next. The Unclaimed Moneys Act Amendment Bill parsed rhetinai stages. Considerable debate took place on the second reading of the Land and Income Tax Bill. Several member? objected to the proposal to reduce the Mortgage Tax from a penny to three-farthings, while others urged that the tax should be abolished altogether. The second reading was agreed to on the voices.