The Weekly Times. "Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri." MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 1867. NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 33, 12 August 1867, Page 199

The Weekly Times. "Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri." MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 1867. NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT.

We continue our abstract of proceedings iu the General Assembly. On Thursday, July 25, in the House of Representatives, Mr O’Neil asked if it were tlie intention of the Government to appoint an Assistant Resident Magistrate for Auckland. Mr Stafford replied that the Government was not prepared to do so. Mr Campbell drew attention to the fact that the sinking fund of the loan had been invested by the Crown agents in the Cape of Good Hope and other debentures, instead of those of our own colony, entailing a loss of £2,000 to the colony, and asked if the transaction was made at the discretion of the Crown agents, or by the direct action of the Government ? Mr Fitzherbert replied that the Government not knowing the state or prospects of the money market, and acting by the authority of Parliament had given authority to the Crown agents to invest as they thaught best,' and they had taken the course alluded to by Mr -Campbell. He thought the fund might be advantageously used in buying up our own securities, and that the Crown agents were interested in placing other securities in the market. Mr Campbell observed that when New Zealand securities could be bought for 93 they had given 107 for those of Ceylon. Mr Travers moved for a committee to enquire and report on the working of the telegraph system of the colony, and enumerated several faults and defects in the system, as the expense and slowness with which messages were transmitted, averaging only 211 words per minute. He also instanced other faults, such as defec-

tive materials used in construction, errors in direction and design, and inefcient employes. ] On the question being put. Mr Ormond wished to know why the telegraph towards Napier had been carried a distance of more than 100 miles round the coast, instead of 40 by a more direct route ; and also why it was taken round the coast towards Auckland instead of by Taupo, Mr Hall, in supporting the motion, said that considerable improvements had already been made ; but admitted that the defects complained of existed. The line was carried round the coast to Napier to avoid heavily timbered country, which could not be fitted for the route without incurring, great, expense for clearing, and round the coast to Auckland that it might be available for a country more likely to be settled by Europeans, and where less difficulty was to be apprehended from the natives. Motion agreed to. The subject of the late aspersions cast on the Colony, Governor, and Ministers by Colonel Weare, and the despatches consequent thereon, was brought before the House by Major Heapliy, V.C., who moved for a select committee to enquire and report on the best steps to be taken to obtain tbe establishment of such regulations as shall prevent a recurrence of such proceedings. He read an abstract of the despatches and of the letters of Colonel Weare, and showed that the course adopted by the Minister for the Colonies in assuming that communications made privately and indirectly reflecting on the actions of Her Majesty’s Representative or the Colonial Government, unsubstantiated byfacts, were made in good faith, and to be seriously acted on, was to say the least peculiar, and such as no one in that House could agree with. The Governor had reposed confidence in the Assembly, and he called upon the House to reciprocate that confidence by taking the .steps proposed in the resolution.. Mr Dillon Bell seconded the motion, though he did not., think it would lead to any practical result in repressing a desire, where it existed, of casting such unfounded calumnies on the colony. It would be well for the House to express views that might be taken up by an advocate in the Imperial Parliament; and he would direct attention to the manly tone taken by the Governor and Ministers in regard to the aspersions. Mr Ludlam and Mr Stafford having spoken to the motion, it was agreed to.

Mr Reynolds moved the second reading of the Disqualification Bill, which provides that no salaried officers of the General Government shall sit or vote as a member of the Legislative Council, House of Representatives, or any Provincial Council, or act as a Superintendent of a province, under a penalty of £IOO. Its object was to secure the purity and independence of Parliament, and to guard its independent authority. Mr Stafford opposed, Although he would be willing to support such a measure affecting that House alone, even to the exclusion of all persons who had an interest in the revenue of the colony, but not affecting the other branch of the Legislature. Mr Cracroft Wilson, in speaking to the motion, thought that provincial funds should he included as well as those of the General Government, and he would exclude, every person in receipt of any such salary. If this principle were adopted he would support it, and in committee he should move a morality clause, excluding all persons who had been guilty of certain offences. After a lengthened discussion, the second reading was negatived by a majority of 6 ; the numbers for it being 20 j against it, 26.

On Friday, 26th July, in the House of Representatives, after some business of minor importance, a decision of some consequence was made by the Speaker upon the question of a petition presented by Mr Harrison from a. Wanganui settler whose property had been taken possession of as a military position. The Colonial Government had, it seemed, nothing to do with it,, and application for redress had been refused by the War Office, which had referred the petition to the Colonial Government. The petition, asking for compensation, and having certain correspondence attached, was informal. and could not be received by the House; but the matter could bo brought before its notice in other ways, as by a member moving for copies of the correspondence, which Mr Harrison gave notice he would doon next sitting day. Leave was given to Major Heapby to bring in a bill for the repeal of certain Acts relating tothe management of waste lands in Auckland, and to make other provisions regarding them. A discussion also took place on a motion of Mr Reynolds, for the repeal of sections 15 and 16 of the Audit Act, which provides that members serving on the Audit Committee should receive a payment of £4O each. Upon a division being called, the numbers were

found to be equal, 22 members voting on each side of the question : and the Speaker, according to ordinary practice, to leave the matter as little disturbed as possible, gave his casting vote with the Noes. A further discussion, and one of some length, took place on thg. motion of Mr Reynolds,. “ That it be an order of the Huuse for

the session that no select committee be authorised to summon witnessesbefore it who may reside at a distance of above ten miles from the city of Wellington, unless on special leave of the House first given.” He’ (Mr Reynolds) believed the practice was calculated, if unchecked, to lead the: colony into serious expense. An hon,. member might move for a select committee, and summon his personal friends, so that they might have a cheap trip to Wellington and back.. The motion was ultimately negatived, on the voices.

On Tuesday, July 30, in the Legislative Council, the question of theinvestment of the sinking fund of the £3,000,000 Loan was brought for*ward by tbe Hon. Mr Johnston, and ■answered by the Hon. Major Richardson much in the same way as had been before done in the other House, that it was not in the power of the Government to give \ satisfactory reason for the investment having been left to the discretion of the Crown agents. He read the letters that had passed between tbe agents and the Government, and he thought the proper time for a discussion on the matter would be when the Council was considering tlie question of the consolidation of provincial loans. Mr Holmes moved for a committee to consider tbe best mode of obtaining full information regarding the industrial pursuits, of .the colony when taking the next census. He said that tbe information was much needed. At the time of last harvest it was supposed that Canterbury and Otago had grown more grain than sufficient for the supply of the population, and the price had ruled so low as to bring about the ruin of many farmers. Large quantities of grain had also been exported at great loss, and before the season was over it was discovered re-impor-tations must take place at a large increase of cost to meet the actual requirements of the people ; such an unfortunate state of affairs would have

; feeenT’impossible with the proper statistical information at hand which it was the 1 object of his motion to obtain,’’ and'which was in existence at homft in America, and in other colo-

nies; The'motion was agreed to. On the motion of the same hon. gentle* man’; a committee was appointed to consider the advisability -of endowing scholarships to enable leading pupils of public schools in the colony to obtain an University education in the United Kingdom, or to establish universities in the colony, with power to a committee of the whole House. He said it was to fee deplored that boys were from some eause removed from school before teachers had an opportunity of testing their capabilities ; and additional inducements should be offered for their remaining longer at school, either by offering scholarships in the ordinary schools of the colony, or establishing them for’ a few of the very best scholars in a university at home. The youth of the colony should be taught how to take a place in its % councils or to follow the learned professions, and it was the duty of the Council to assist in supplying the means. The Hon. Mr Menzies, in seconding the motion, said the institutions of the colony were open to any who distinguished themselves by ability, and amongst the boys now playing on the streets there might be future legislators of the colony; it was therefore the duty of the Council to provide such facilities for education as would fit the rising generation for such future

duties. He advocated the sending boys home to learn the manners and habits of thinking and acting there, which were different from that with us, and calculated to be of advantage to them. In the House of Representatives the principal portion of the sitting was occupied with the discussion of the Representation Bill and the Local Government Bill; the for-

mer of which was read a second time, but on the motion of Mr Stafford that it be committed next sitting day, an amendment was moved by Mr Moorhouse, that jt be committed that day six months, which amendment was, after much discussion, carried by a majority of seven, the feeling of the House being that there was no actual need of increasing the number of members, and that part of Westland needing some representation was no argument for increasing the number of Auckland members. It is probable that the whole question of representation will shortly be taken into consideration, with the object of reducing the number of Representatives and their redistribution. Of the Local Government Bill, the discussion was of too much importance to be dismissed in the short space available to us now, but we propose to recur to the subject in our next.