GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XIII, Issue 1559, 4 August 1873, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

[anglo-atjstiulian press telegraph AGENCY.] Wellington, Aug. 2. Mr Yogel, in the House yesterday, stated that the total cost of a cable from Singapore to New Zealand would be one million. The cable between New Zealand and Australia would cost four hundred thousand pounds. The Speaker last night appealed to the House regarding his action in reference to the Post's report of Mr Bathgate's speech. He said he had summoned the reporter to wait on him. The reporter flatly refused. He had also received a letter from the editor, accepting the . responsibility of everything in the paper, and questioning his right .to summon any of his staff. He wished to know what the House desired. Mr Yogel said the House should support the Speaker in checking habitual misrepresentations in reports, but the present case was not such. . The local papers gave very fair resumes of the proceedings, and the present case' "was an error under peculiar .circumstances very excusable. . . ii ' Mr Gillies concurred with Mr Yogel, and said the acoustic properties of the House were such as to excuse; any-mis-takes. ... : Mr Stafford said he had understood the reporter did not flatly refuse, but pleaded engagements, and offered to wait on the Speaker at any other time, which, was a very different matter. Major Atkinson thought the- Speaker should try his right, and the editor should do likewise. He would probably have to do the same. • Mr Swanson thought there was hypocrisy in being so particular about what the Wellington papers said, and in paying no attention to others. Mr O'Conor regretted that the whole correspondence had not been read, when fche matter might look different. The Speaker, in a pet, said he understood that papers in future might make what misrepresentations they liked, and he was not to notice them. Mr Yogel objected to such an interpretation of whitt he said. „,..,

Eventually the Speaker said he would pay no attention to complaints of reports except on a motion that the Speaker do leave the chair. ; ' '..■ The Post Oflßce Act Amendment Bill, the Washdyke and Pleasant Point Railway Bill, and the Bank Holidays-Bill,, were read a second time. „ The Canterbury Width' of Tires Bill and the. Canterbury .W.aste , Lands ; Bill, were committed., ; ! i? ; "f['i The, ■ Nativ c) Councils, Insolvency, Edu^ cation', and' Miners' Franchise Bill's were* postponed. , ri ., ( , r :,,, A Committee was, appointed to consider the Diseased Cattle Act. : , f j In Committee, on the /Provincial Councils Powers' Bill, Mr Gillies thought that all the objects of the Bill would be 2 gained by a declaratory Bill defining the term "Courts of Civil or Criminal Judicature;" The whole difficulty was due to the ambiguity of the term. He gave notice of amendments accordingly, and proposed reporting progress, to take, the AttorneyGeneral's opinion on them. Mr Bunny moved an amendment to leave the Provinces to deal with all matters outside those prohibited in the Constitutional Act 3 .; Mr Fitzherbert condemned the Bill asthe narrowest, most pettifogging, and technir cal Bill that could have been framed. It was evidently drawn by a subalterm, and, as the Government could ' neither make head nor tai| of it, they .brought it into the House to amend. In Committee, Mr Vogel| after speaking on the Defence Bill, said if- the House and Go vernmet desired the same end, he would not object to reporting progress, in the meantime' -a ; better: ; Bill for the purpose than jai; present might; be framed.