GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1023, 5 October 1877, Page 3

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

[By Telegraph.] [per press agency.] LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wednesday, October 3. EDUCATION BILL. Clause 8 of the Education Bill was postponed for further consideration on the motion of Colonel Kenny to strike out the 2nd subsection of tho clause. The subsection referred to reads as follows : —ln payment to the Board of every district of a sum of £3 15s for each child in average daily attendance at a public school, such average daily attendance to be computed in manner prescribed by the regulations. The Hon. Dr. Grace will move the following amendments: —In section 13, subsection 1, line ten; After the words “the day of,” to insert “determining the;” also, in subsection 2 to add tiie following words : “ Together with the total number of votes each such person shall have obtained at the nomination election by the Committee;” also, in subsection 3, line three, after the word “have,” to insert “from the total aggregate of the number of votes set opposite the names of such persons respectively in tho list returned by the several Committees;” also, in subsection G, line one, to omit all words after “every election,” and insert “and nomination whatever under this Act shall be by ballot, at which the cumulative principle of voting shall be enforced. Every electing householder, member of committee, aud member of Board shall have as many votes at each election and nomination as there arc persons to be elected or nominated respectively, and shall have the right of giving all or any number of his votes in favour of o c person, and the remainder to any other one person or more persons, or of distributing his votes among the several persons to he elected in numbers and in manner as he shall think lit” ; in section 63, lines eight and nine to omit: “ Either by show of hands or by ballot as shall be determined upon by the said meeting,” and to insert in lieu thereof: —“ In the manner prescribed in section 13.” The Hon. Mr Miller is to move the following amendment in clause 29, line two : —To omit the words “and inspector’s.” The Hon. G. Buckley will move the addition of the following new clauses : —“ (1)

The committee of any school may set apart one half school day in every week, during which any minister or ministers of religion, or person or persons appointed by them, and approved by the local committee, may impart religious instruction to such of the children on the books of the school as may belong to his or their religious denominations, provided that no child or children shall bo allowed to attend at such instruction, except on a written request to that effect addressed to the teacher by the parents or guardians of such children.” “ (2) Whenever twenty-five or more householders in any education district, shall signify in writing to the Education Board of such district their desire to be constituted into a separate body for educational purposes, it shall be the duty of the Board to convene a meeting of such householders for the election of a School Committee in the manner provided in part 3 of this Act, and it shall be lawful for the Board to grant the Committee so elected such aid in books, school apparatus, and money, as the Board shall deem expedient, or at the option of the Committee such aid may be granted in money, only inclusive of the value of such books and school apparatus as would otherwise be supplied by the Board ; provided always that every such committee shall provide a schoolhouse or schoolhouses to the satisfaction of the Board and shall appoint and pay the teacher or teachers of such school or schools, every such teacher having first obtained a certificate of competency, as provided in section 44- of this Act: provided also that all books used in any such schools shall be approved by the Board and that in every respect wherein no special exception is made in this section, every such school shall be a public school under this Act, and subject to the provisions which this Act makes for the conduct, management, and inspection of public schools, and that every such school shall be open to all children between the ages of five and fifteen years without fee or payment of any kind.” The seventh clause of the Bill was altered in Committee of the House so as to give power to the Governor to appoint a general inspector only, leaving the other inspectors to be appointed by the local bodies, but in Committee yesterday the Council amended it so as to read—“ The Governor may from time to time appoint and remove a Secretary to the Department of Education, and such Inspectors of Schools and other officers as may be deemed necessary.” Thursday, October 4. In Committee on the Education Bill, the Hon. Dr. Grace withdrew his amendment as to cumulative voting. A number of Otago Bills were read a first time, and two Otago Bills were passed. The other business was purely of a local character.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thursday, October 4. In reply to Mr Stevens, Major Atkinson said that he had already indicated in the Financial Statement how it was that he proposed to administer the Christchurch and Timaru Hospitals. The matter was still under consideration. In reply to Mr Ballance, Major Atkinson said that when the vote for the Agent-General was before the House ho would state the intentions of the Government regarding Sir J. Vogel’s retaining office. The Government had not, directly or indirectly, promised-the appointment to anyone. Mr Fox asked whether, since perusing the depositions, the Government had expressed to the Resident Magistrate at Christchurch their sense of the impropriety of his summarily disposing of the charge against Needham, after hearing the same with closed doors, the said charge being one which could not have received a less sentence if sent to the Supreme Court, and might have led to a conviction for a more serious offence.

Mr Bowen said he thought the Magistrate had committed a serious error of Judgment, but with the best possible intentions and a desire to do the best. He did not think the Government should take such extreme steps as to interfere with or reprimand a magistrate for a mere error of judgment;. On the motion of Mr Thomson, the Disqualification Committee was instructed to inquire into certain circumstances connected with sale of the Luna. The debate on Mr Pyke’s Central Otago Railway motion was resumed. Mr Manners thought the Committee’s report was very one-sided. He would support Strath-Taieri lino as far as Clyde, but ho urged also the extension of the Kingston line to Cromwell. Mr Pyke, in reply, said the facts he had originally stated had not been answered. He had done for Mr McLean what Mr McLean had not been able to do for himself - that was to gain the approbation of his constituents. At the same time, the telegram to the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce was not intended for publication. Mr Pyke’s motion was carried and Mr Lumsden’s amendment negatived by 37 to 20. On Mr Sheehan’s motion, a Select Committee was appointed to consider the question of Railway Extension in the north of Auckland. The debate on Mr Larnacb’s motion to establish an Imprest Stamp office in Dunedin was resumed. Mr Bowen opposed the proposition, on the ground of expense and the difficulty of exercising due control if there were more than one office. He thought the demand unreasonable, and that no inconvenience really resulted from the present system. Mr Reynolds opposed the motion, as his experience of the Stamp Department showed how inconvenient a multiplication of Imprest offices would be. Mr Reid opposed the motion. The motion was lost on division by 36 to 30. After some discussion, the debate on Mr Larnach’s motion that the Government should fully insure in local offices all Government Buildings was adjourned, to enable the Government to prepare a return of the value of all Government Buildings.