General Assembly.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 804, 14 July 1870, Page 3

General Assembly.

In the Legislative Council on the Ist July Ihe hon. Mr Johnston asked the Colonial Secretary the reason for which the Go' vernment commuted Walter Tricker's sen* tence iustead of granting him a free pardon ? The hon. gentleman briefly recapitulated the facts of the Tricker case. Mr Gisborne, in (reply, said Tricker's original sentence having been commuted by the Governor to penal servitude for life, under the royal instructions allowing of a pardon being granted subject to conditions, all that the Government could do on a late occasion was to remove the condition imposed on the previous pardon, which condition was penal servitude for life. No olher course was open. That was a technical answer, but he might add that if the Government had possessed the power they would not have advised a free pardon to the convict. After referring at some length to the facts of the case, and the powers of ,the Government, he said the Executive considered themselves in the position of a Scotch jury, which was enabled to bring in a verdict of not proven That was the decision arrived at, and on that decision the convict was released. In the Legislative Council on July 7, the hon. Mr Seymour was to ask, —"Whether the Government intend to take any steps to assist the existing local industries ■of New Zealaud, and to encourage the establishment of new ones ?" In the House of Representatives Mr Haughton has given notice of motion to the following effect:—"That this House is of opinion that it is desirable that newspapers addressed to Publio Libraries, Athenaeums, and Mechanics' Institutes within the colony should pass free through the Post Office." In the House of Representatives, on July 6, Mr Harrison presented a petition from certain inhabitants of Wanganui, praying that the House refuse to pass the estimate for the Governor's salary, save for such time as will allow his Excellency ample time to confer with the Imperial Government on the subject. —Petition rejected on the voices.