Parliamentary Notes.

Hastings Standard, Issue 113, 5 September 1896, Page 2

Parliamentary Notes.

IN HOUSE AND COUNCIL. [By Telegbaph.] (From our Special Correspondent.) Wellington, This day. In the Council the Private Benefit Society's Amendment Act, Shipping and Seamen's Amendment Act, and the Government Advances to Settlers Act were read a first time ; and the third reading of the Gisborne Harbor Board Empowering Bill and Female Law Practitioners Bill were agreed to > without debate. The Loan Bill gave rise to a very short debate. The Minister of Education, in defending the vote for £200,000 on the goldfields, said that a great deal of English capital was now being induced to invest itself in this colony, and it was advisable, therefore, that something should be done to open up the goldfields. The Hon. Sir G. Whitmore was o£ opinion that the only reason for borrowing was to complete railways, and for this purpose only a paltry £250,000 - had been provided. The total amount of one million was not so much as he would have expected necessary ; but, while the Bill did not commend itself to him, he would vote for it. The only other speaker was the Hon Mr Kelly, who considered the Woodville line the most pressing railway work in the colony, and who defended the vote for the improvement of the thermal spring surroundings. The second reading was then put and a,greed to on the voices. On the Law Practitioners and New Zealand Law Society Act Amendment Bill coming on for its third reading, The Hon Mr McLean moved to discharge it from the Order Paper of the Council, as they had passed the Female Practitioners Bill (Hon Mr Bolt) dealing with the same sxibject. The motion was lost by 17 to 15, and the third reading of the Bill agreed to by 16 to 14. The Minister of Agriculture told Mr Flatman that Mr Gilruth, the Veterinary Government Surgeon, who wag in Sydney, had been instructed to visit Queensland and make all '.enquiries regarding the tick plague, and it was hoped that his report would reach the Department here in about ten days. The Premier says he is pained to admit that a case which had come under his notice proved very conclusively that extortionate legal charges had been made in connection with Native land transactions without the costs being submitted to taxation. Some protection should be afforded to the Natives in this matter, and his own opinion was that some one should be authorised to tax the legal coats charged to the Natives ; the costs to be rendered void if they were not taxed. The Minister of Railways cannot see his way further to reduce the railway freight for dead meat, as he considers the rates are already very low. The Minister of Mines thinks that the question of appointing separative inspectors for gold and coal miMfcwill have to be faced shortly, andwKk on the West Coast of the South Island something of the kind will have to be, done.