PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1764, 15 October 1879, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

[Bt Telegraph.] [from our correspondents.] WELLINGTON, October 14. Mr Macandrew tried to introduce a vote of no confidence as an amendment on Mr Hall’s motion to introduce his Qualification of Electors Bill, but the Sper-ker ruled him out of order.

Sir George Grey made several attempts to make an attack on the Government on the pretence of speaking to a point of order, and failing that moved an adjournment of the House, but the Speaker firmly put him down, and would not allow him to make his attack on any false ground. The question arose whether, if Mr Hall’s Bills were rejected, any similar Bills could be introduced this session. The Speaker ruled that they could not, if rejected in that stage. Mr Hall has divided the Electoral Liwa into several separate Bills, dealing with each subject by itself. His Qualification of Electors Bill is only a Bill of five clauses. It gives only two qualifications, namely, a £25 freehold that has been held for not less than six months, and a residential qualification by a residence of twelve months in the district. Public officers are to be appointed whose business it shall be to see that everyone is placed on the roll. There is nothing very new in the Prevention of Corrupt Practices Bill, except that the names of persons convicted are to be placed on a separate list, to be entitled the list of persons disqualified for bribery, treating, or undue influence, which last mentioned list is to be appended to the roll of electors, and be published therewith for three years. The House agreed to take the financial statement at 7.30, and a most important and startling one it was. The Electoral Bill has been prepared by Mr Whitaker, and is incomparably more liberal and better calculated to place every man in the colony on the roll than ever presented to the House by the Grey Government.

Sir M. Hicks-Beach, in a despatch dated June 24th, thanks the Governor for the readiness with which the colony acquiesced in the use of the cable which was about to be employed for a duplicate service with Australia, to secure telegraphic communication with South Africa.