PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

Kumara Times, Issue 1511, 1 August 1881, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

The Goldfields Committee (the Wellington correspondent of the Dunedin Morning Herald states) have resolved to recommend the complete construction of the Mikonui water-race, West Coast. The estimated cost of finishing the work is £7OOO, and the time for its completion five years. The committee reported that the work will be directly and indirectly reproductive. A recommendation of the Goldfields Committee made upon the case of the West Coast petition applies also to goldfields in Otago, circumstanced like Maerewhenua and Tinkers Goldfields. The Wellington correspondent of the Lyttelton Times, telegraphing Thursday night’s proceedings prior to the division on the No-confidence motion, reports;— “ Mr Seddon said that there was too much government. They had some 800 governments in the colony, and they had far too little common sense. They were surrounded on every hand by evidence of misrule, evidence of incapacity, and other evidence to show that they were not faithful to the trust reposed in them by their constituents, and the sooner they went to the country and allowed the electors to return men fit to do the business properly the better. In 1879 the amount administered by the borough councils was £1,200,000, and the expense of that administration amounted to £300,000. Such a state of matters was utterly absiyd. In Westland the amount was £51,000, and the expense of administering that fund £12,000. Such being the case, it was no wonder that they could not find money for needed public works. He condemned the property tax, and denied the statement made by the Treasurer that it had been contributed freely. They had collected it with their hands as it were to the throat of local industry. He insisted that mining machinery ought to have been exempted from its operations. He propounded a scheme for local government, based on the proposal that the colony should be subdivided into local districts, with only one local governing body called the local council, administering all local matters—police, education, surveys, railways, prisons, mines, and justice excepted; the boundaries of these districts to be fixed by commission • the present provincial districts to be subdivided into five ridings. Referring to the Bills under consideration he said he supported the rating proposal, but found fault with the Roads Construction Bill. Under existing circumstances he thought it would be unfair to stop borrowing. He would give bis vote with the view of sending the Mouse to th’e'country. He would therefore vote for the amendment,”

The same authority states that, after the division, Mr Seddon moved—“ That the Bill be committed to-morrow week.” He should now support the Bill. In the House on Tuesday last, replyto Mr Seddon, the Hon. Mr Rolleston said, in justice to the Hon. Mr J. Bonar, they will cause a report to be prepared, showing the outlay on the Government buildings at Hokitika since the abolition of the Provinces and by whom paid ; also an inventory of the furnituie on the said premises at date ; also, what amount of that furniture there is on the premises at the present time. On the 28rh tilt., the order paper contained 44 notices of motion, 53 bills

in various stages, and 3 suspended debates. 260 petitions have so far been presented, and 112 papers laid on the table.