Summary of Proceedings of the General Assembly, from July 5th to July 26th.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IV, Issue 189, 19 August 1854, Page 10

Summary of Proceedings of the General Assembly, from July sth to July 26th.

We break off the report of the Debate on Responsible Government to give our readers the fullest summary we can obtain of the last news from Auckland, Teprinted from the Wellington Independent. We regret that it is so unconnected and unsatisfactory :— In the Legislative Council we observe no debate possessing the slightest general interest. It had been occupied chiefly in passing Bills, without much discussion, which had originated in that house, or which had been brought up from tho other. It is, however, worthy of remark, that on one occasion it suspended the Standing Rules in order that a Bill, legalizing the sale of grog in the Legislative Buildings, miirht be passed through all its stages in one day, which was done accordingly. In the House of Representatives on Tuesday, July 4th, his Honor I. E. Feathers!on, Esq., and Mr. Travers, took their oaths and their seats as members of the House. POSTAL COMMUNICATION. On Wednesday, July sth, Mr. Travers moved that a Select Committee, consisting of Mr. Weld, Mr. J. Wakefield, Dr. Featherston, Mr. Cutten, Jilr. King, Mr. Taylor, Major Richmond, and the mover, be appointed to consider and report upon the best means of establishing and maintaining regular postal communication between the chief towns and the various outlying districts of the colony. wakefield's -uisreporting. Mr. Sewell at considerable length spoke of the inaccuracy with which the reply of the hon. member for the Hntt (Mr. Wakefield) on the debate concerning the exemption of Auckland from the New Zealand Company's Debt, had been reported by the press. THE GOV£BNOR'S LETTER TO THE BISHOP. Mr. Carletoii moved for a return of the correspondence between Governor Grey and the Colonial Office on the subject of the publication in the Southern Cross of Governor Grey's letter to the Bishop of New Zealand, relative to the Missionaries and Land Claimants. Motion put and carried. On Thursday, July 16th, nothing particular occurred ; on the following day, Friday, the House was occupied mainly on a discussion relative to the inaccuracy of the newspaper reports. Subsequently Mr. Cutten obtained a Committee to enquire into the best mode of procuring reports of the proceedings of the House, after which the House adjourned until Tuesday, the 11th. WASTE LANDS' BILLS. In the House of Representatives on Tuesday July 11, Mr. Wakefield made a prepared speech of three hours length against the second reading of "the Waste Lands' Bill." He eulogised the new poor law, quoted De Llome, attacked bis hon. friend Mr. Sewell, commented at length on that gentleman's letter to the Duke of Newcastle, did not think a ministerial crisis would be dangerous, doubted (as we think with some show of reason) whether we had got responsible Government, showed that he would be ready himself to take office, and regarded with dissatisfaction and positive alarm the unhappy condition of the Nominee Council, which seemed to him to be treated as if it formed no part of the Legislature, — grounding his argument chiefly on the point that the Bill was an evasion. Mr. Sewell replied in an able speech, after which the House divided : for the second reading 20, against it 10; the bill was then read a second time. The House then adjourned. GRAND JURORS. On Wednesday the 12th, Mr. O'Neil according to notice, asked the Head of the Executive Government in this house whether it were the intention of the Government, during the present session, to introduce any measure for defining the qualifications of persons eligible to act as Grand Jurors in this colony, and said —Sir, my reason for asking the question which has now been read from the notice paper is simply to ascertain from the Ministry if it be the intention of the Government to prescribe some form to enable the Sheriff, 'to summon with some degree of precision, those who have a right to be on the Grand Jury. We have no ordinance to regulate the constitution of Grand Juries, and the mode of selecting them in this

place has given rise to some unpleasantness, and a good deal of dissatisfaction. As the law at present stands, every thing is left to the caprice of the Sheriff, and in some instances the same person is made to serve both on the Petty and Grand Jury ; an anomalous state of things which ought not to be allowed to exist. I therefore, thought it my duty to draw the attention of the Executive to the matter. Mr. Fitz Gerald said that he was unable to deal with the subject at present; but that it was a branch of a subject now under consideration, viz., —the reform of Supreme and Petty Courts. Law of Marriage. Mr. Forsaith, in a speech of some length, asked leave to bring in a bill to regulate the Law of Marriage in the colony. Seconded by Mr. Weld, and the bill read a first time. Steam. On the motion of Mr. Wakefield, a resolution in favour of the establishment of steam communication between the Provinces was unanimously carried. Empowering Bill. On the motion of Mr. Sewell, and after a short discussion, the Empowering Bill was read a second time without a division. On Thursday, July 13, nothing of local interest was brought forward.' On Friday the Revenue Bill was read a second time, and on the motion of Mr. Fitz Gerald, an Address to the Queen on the war with Russia was unanimously adopted. Business of the Session. Mr. Fitz Gerald said, that early next week he would lay upon the table, a series of papers connected with the expenditure of the colony. He signified his intention of moving certain resolutions respecting the acquisition of land from the natives. And of asking leave to bring in a bill for quieting titles to land. The question was of such complexity and difficulty that ministers would be guided by the house. With Courts of law he did not propose to deal till next session. In the meanwhile, and as a temporary measure, the Supreme Court would, if possible, hold sittings in every part of the colony. Should it be found impossible to extend the Supreme Court to all parts of the colony, a greater jurisdiction should be given to the inferior Courts. A new set of rules for the Supreme Court would be incorporated in a bill to be introduced next session, but this was not a subject for hasty legislation. Consideration of the Customs, and of the Bank of Issue, would be postponed till another year. Mr. Merriman then gave notice that on Thursday next, he should move for leave to bring in a bill to amend the Resident Magistrate's Court. Mr. Hart brought up the report of the Vaccination Committee, which was read and adopted. Superintendents' Empowering Bill. The Speaker left the chair, and the house went into Committee on this bill. Some discussion took place as to whether the different clauses of the bill should be first considered, or the schedules ; after some time had been engaged in considering the first and second clauses, both of which were eventually deferred, it was agreed that the schedules should be considered first. The only alteration made during a debate which lasted two hours were the transferring the License Amendment Ordinance, and the Destitute and Illegitimate Children; Ordinance, from schedule B to schedule A. The schedules and the first clause were read and agreed to. On the second clause being read, Mr. Macandrew moved that the house be counted. There being only eleven members present, the names were taken down by the clerk, and the house adjourned. Waste Lands. On Tuesday, July 18, Mr. Wakefield brought forward a series of resolutions, which he wished to be introduced into the Waste Lands' Bill, professedly in favour of the working settlers, which were ordered to be printed. Mr. Fitz Gerald remarked that they implied that the Provincial Councils when once they got the administration of the Waste Lands into their hands, would not do justice to the class of men which the hon. gentleman wished to take care of. Mr. O'Niell thought that there was too much disposition on the part of some hon. members of that house to disparage the Provincial Councils. He could not speak for tbem all, but he could for that of Auckland, which was composed of clear-headed practical men, who

with a good deal less talk, got through double the amount of work than even that house itself. So far as he had been able to jud»-e of the Provincial Councils, he thought they might be safely entrusted with any thing that could be entrusted to that house. Mr. Munro thought that if the Provincial Councils were such efficient bodies, aud could get through such an amount of work as was described, the sooner the General Assembly was swept away the better. A great number of amendments ou this Bill in Committee were discussed, rejected, or withdrawn, except the following:— Mr. Picard moved, as an amendment, that the following be added at the end of the first clause, " Provided also that it shall not be lawful for any terms of purchase, pasturage, or regulations, to be made or issued, by which any such land shall be sold or disposed of at a less price than ten shillings per acre, except by way of public auction in blocks not exceeding 320 acres in any one block." The Committee divided on the amendment -. ayes, 16 ; noes, 10. Amendment carried. Mr. Hart moved as a second amendment, that the clause so amended be left out, and that the words from the words " Provided also " as in the original clause, with the exception of ten shillings, instead of five shillings, do stand. The Committee divided on the amendment; ayes, 7; noes, 20. The Committee then reported progress, and the house adjourned. On Wednesday, July 19, Mr. Merriman obtained leave to bring in a bill to amend the Registration of Deeds' Ordinance. Debentures and Parliamentary Grants. Mr. Travers moved that returns be laid on the table showing Ist, the proportion in which the money raised by the issue of Debentures in New Zealand was expended in the several settlements of Auckland, Wellington, Nelson, and New Plymouth ; and 2ndly, the amount of the Parliamentary Grant for New Zealand for the years from 1845 to 1853, both inclusive, and the proportion in which the same has been expended in the several settlements of Auckland, New Plymouth, Nelson, Wellington, Canterbury, and Otago. He wished for the returns, before the New Zealand Company's (Auckland) debt was considered. He thought thelargest portion of the debentures had been expended for the benefit of Auckland ; very little for Nelson. Nelson had received but little of the Parliamentary grant. He wished for each settlement to have a claim out of the General Revenue for any deficiency in the amount of Parliamentary grant each settlement was entitled to. He also wished for a return of the gross amount of the revenue and expenditure in the different Provinces. He did not offer an opinion on the justice of exempting Auckland from the New Zealand Company's Debt. She ought to be able to show that she bad not had more revenue expended for her benefit than had been raised in the Province. He moved for the returns to enable him to judge of the fairness of exempting Auckland from the New Zealand Company's Debt. He could not give an opinion on that subject, till he saw that each of the Provinces had justice done to it. Mr. Kelham wished to know why 1845 was taken, as from 1841 to 1845 a considerable amount of surplus revenue had been sent from Wellington to Auckland. Mr. Travers would, with the consent of the house, amend the motion, by inserting from 1841 to 1853. Mr. Fitz Gerald said it would be impossible to obtain a return showing what purpose the debentures were applied to, although it would be possible to tell where they were issued:— agreed to. Barristers and Solicitors. Mr. Carleton moved that a bill to enable Barristers and Solicitors of the Supreme Court to act as General Law Practitioners, be read a first time : agreed to. Bill to be read a first time, ordered to be printed, and to be read a second time on Friday next. Legal Estate Bill. Mr. Travers, at the wish of the Government, agreed to postpone the second reading of this Bill. Empowering Bill. The Speaker left the Chair, and the house went into Committee on this bill. Mr. Merriman in the chair.

On the second clause being read, Mr. Travers moved an amendment, the first part of Which Mr .Fitz Gerald adopted, as it evidently supplied an omission, which had been left out in the Bill. The clause as amended was agreed !to. ' Schedule B. was discussed at great length, Mr. Travers objecting to the delegation to the Superintendents of many of the powers arising out of the Ordinances mentioned in this Schedule. On the motion of Mr. Picard the Building Societies' Ordinance ; Ordinance to increase the efficiency of Constabulary Force; and Dog .Nuisance Ordinance, all of New Minister, were added to Schedule B. : The remainder of the clauses and the preamble having been agreed to, The Chairman reported progress, and the .House adjourned till Thursday, at ,12 o'clock. New Zealand Company's Debt. On Thursday, June 20th, Mr. Hart obtained f leave to defer the Report of the New Zealand Company's Debt, until August 3rd. Pensioner Debt. Mr. Wortley moved for a return showing whether any part of the debt incurred on account of the Pensioner's Settlements has been paid by the colony ? If so, out of what fund the payment has been made ? And what the instructions from the Colonial Office are at present with regard to the debt on the revenue of the colon}', and— For a Return of the Expenses incurred on account of the Pensioner Settlements up to the present time, and that the same be laid on the table of the House. New Zealand Company's (Auckland) Debt. Mr. Wakefield brought up the Report of the Committee appointed to inquire into the justice of Auckland bearing a share of the New Zealand Company's Debt, and moved that the Report be read. We have only room for the two concluding paragraphs, which are as follows:— " It appears to your Committee that, according to the direction of the House to them by the terms of their appointment, the question referred to tbem is one of justice only, excluding considerations of legality, of technical right, of convenience, of expediency, and of policy, your Committee accordingly have limited themselves to the single consideration before them. "Viewing the question in the light in which, as aforesaid, it has come to them from the house, your Committee are of opinion that in justice, .the Province of Auckland ought to be at once relieved from bearing any portion of the Company's debt." Waste Lands. The House went into Committee on the Waste Lands' Bill, and was occupied the greater part of the morning sitting—chiefly discussing amendments proposed by Mr. Fitz Gerald. One which excited special interest was the following proviso, proposed to be added to the first clause ;— " Provided also, that it shall not be lawful in any such terms of purchase, or pasturage, or regulations, to include any stipulation or agreement to the effect, that any part of the proceeds of the Waste Lands included therein shall be appropriated to any specific purpose whatsoever." After a long and animated debate, this was carried by a majority of 18 to 10. The House re-assembled in the evening of Thursday, when the Waste Lands Bill in committee again engrossed the time of the sitting. Mr. Mackay, as Chairman of the Select Committee on the Tariff, presented a Petition from 57 merchants of Auckland who had in the last year, paid duties exceeding £30,000, praying that the House will legislate this Session upon the subject of a reform of the Tariff. Mr. Picard presented a Petition from the Provincial Council of Nelson, complaining of certain grants of land, by Sir George Grey, in that Province, to the Bishop of New Zealand, for school purposes, in connection with the Church of England, as a serious infraction of the principle of religious equality with relation to the State, and praying that the House will take steps to obtain the recall of such grants. On Friday, July 21, Mr. Mackay gave notice that he would, on Thursday next, move a Resolution declaratory of the opinion of the house, that it'is expedient to legislate this Session on the subject of the Tariff in accordance with the petition from the Merchants of Auckland to that effect.

Expenditure of the General Government. Tuesday, July 25. This day Mr. Fitz Gerald laid on the table a return of the expenditure which had been incurred by the General Government up to that time, and gave notice that on Thursday he would move for a Select Committee to consider those returns. [These returns have not reached us ; but we understand they exhibit the most shameless extravagance on the part of the government; while they are so mystified and unintelligible, that it is almost impossible to make head or tail of them, except the wasteful and reckless profusion of the resources of the colony, of which every paper exhibits damning proof."7] Waste Lands' Bill. The Speaker left the Chair. The House went into Committee on this Bill. Mr. Wakefield moved in clause one, after the word " thereof," at the end of the eleventh line, to insert the following-words:— "Provided always that a certain portion of all such waste lands shall be set apart as.' working settlers' land,' and such terms of"purchase so to be made and issued as aforesaid, shall be.subject to the provisions hereinafter made in respect of ' working settlers' land.''' He said that he was not aware how the Government would receive this amendment; but the subject he hoped would meet with the serious attention of the House. He was aware that the amendment which he had proposed would alter the character of the Bill. The manifest object of the first amendment was to save one-third of the waste lands of the colony from speculative monopoly,—to prevent further waste of the public lands of the colony. What he wished was this; that the reserves should|be a reality, an actual reserve of one-third of the waste lands for bona fide settlers ; and this object would be attained by the public boards provided for in a subsequent clause. (Here the hon. member quoted largely from Mr. Sewell's letter to the Duke of Newcastle relating to the administration of the Waste lands.) He admitted that an open court or board would be a new thing in this colony, where the people had lived for fourteen years under an absolute despotism ; but the course which he proposed was one under which every man could demand bis rights openly before the public. He had confined himself to a single object, the securing of land for actual settlers. An objection might be taken at the outset, —that it might be impossible to distinguish working settlers from other classes of settlers. If an applicant came to him and said, " I am a settler on land," it would make no difference to him how he was dressed ; he j Would ask him on his oath if he intended to work on the land ; and if he did, he would at once give him his location ticket. This he thought was not dissimilar to the letting of land with a purchasing clause. But this, it might be said, was class legislation. (The hon. member here went at great length into the different kinds of class legislation which existed in | England. The Savings' Banks, the National | Schools, the ten hours' Factory Act, the Poor j Laws, and the Parliamentary Railway Trains, serving as illustrations.) The hon. gentleman opposite had introduced a clause into the present Bill benefitting a small military class. Most of the members of that House belonged to the speculative class, (no, no,) rather than to those who worked with their hands, (no, no,) notwithstanding the noes such was the fact; it behoved them to be careful of the .interests of the working class. He had attended a meeting principally composed of men of the labouring class, a few nights ago in Auckland ; he came away from that meeting with a feeling of melancholy, (hear, bear); they appeared entirely without aim or guidance, (hear, hear,) appearing to know they had power somewhere to rule the country, but did not appear to know where it was or how they could use it to advantage, (hear, hear). The adoption by the house of these amendments, would be the means of bringing many immigrants from the mother country to this colony, on the understanding that onethird of the land was reserved for tbem, and safely kept from , speculator. The Provincial Councils would be unable to'resist the demand, that the lands of absentees or non-occupants should be taxed, not for the sole purpose of making roads, but in order to compel them to sell. This had already been done at Wellington. Another object of the amendments was to prevent a rise in the price of land through mo-

nopoly. Through these there would always be a supply in the market. He expected objection to the details of his amendments, but if they were not good, he would say mend them. He hoped the debate would not be choked by a motion for division so as to exclude reply. He had perceived, since the gold discovery in Australia, and Sir George Grey's proclamation, that it was no longer possible to restrict the sale of lands by price alone; it was useless attempting it, and he therefore wished the present means to be tried. If he had shifted his ground, it was because monopoly had done so; and he wished to meet monopoly face to face, on every side. If ministerial influence should prevail against the amendments in that house, he was convinced that they would be only the more popular elsewhere. Mr. Porter said, that he still believed it impossible to draw a line between working and other settlers; he h'mself had ploughed day after day, and his son was ploughing now.— (Hear, hear.) Hefwould sooner see the amendment applied to the whole, rather than to a third part of the waste lands. (Hear, hear.) On the Tamaki nearly the whole of the settlers were freeholders. In the limited district of the Hutt land might not be able to be obtained, unless the hon. member would divide his own large allotments, (hear, hear,) so as to enable settlers to obtain land. Mr. Carleton made a clever speech against the amendment, expressed his preference to the labouring over the trading classes, and would himself have no objection to work if it would not take him from his books. He confessed that the proportion of working men in the constituency which he represented was very small. Mr. Fitz Gerald confessed to having been a little taken ,by surprise by the tone of argument adopted by the hon. member for the Hutt. He would not take objections to details, but go at once to the principles of the measure. He thought his hon. friend was going to stand up as the working man's friend, but it appeared that he was the working settler's friend. Between the two positions, there was a marked difference. This, as proposed, was not a class measure, ffor it included the nobleman's son, as well as the laborer. After 'going at length into the subject of class legislation, my hon. friend has swept jJthe whole of ,his former arguments away by saying that none in the colony were oppressed. To introduce distinctions among men in a new colony, where all were upon a footing of equality, would be going back a century. The resolution required 'that onethird of the land should be reserved for the working settlers. He went very much farther still .(bear, hear.) He would reserve the whole (hear, bear). He would not sanction two-thirds being given up to speculators. That was why he had introduced this .bill, proposing that the Provincial Councils should be consulted as to the management of the waste lands. But this amendment declared an absolute distrust of those Councils. He should place bis opposition to the measure on the ground of its being uncalled for; and on the necessary inference, that two-thirds of the land was to be given up to speculators. The most intimate friends of the hon. member could not tell what his (Mr. W.s) opinions on the land question werej^ they were changed, but notjin that bouse. They were changed when he came to New Zealand. The arguments which the old opponents of the hon. member for the Hutt bad always relied on, were now adopted by the hon. member himself: that the high price system might be good, but that it was impracticable in a colony. The objection to a high price was this ; that so much land came through private hands at a low price, that it was impossible to obtain a high one. His hon. friend had long since complained of land being too cheap on account of so much being in the bands of private persons. The hon. gentleman had advocated a high price. (Mr. W. •' No, no.") Well, then, a sufficient price, (hear, hear), and now he declares that no price at all is sufficient. Again, he objects to a reservation of one third of the land for a single class of settlers. In his (Mr. Fitz Gerald's) opinion, these reserves would not answer their intended purpose. He possibly might not object to a public board. The administration of the waste lands had been left to the Executive Government; but should the house be of opinion that some such provision should be made, be would not object to it. (Hear, hear). He .hoped the house wuuld

not depart from the principles of the bill by adopting the amendment' Mr. Picard spoke at length in favour of the principles embodied ifa'the amendment; he -would have supported'it as a resolution, but tnust oppose it in its"present shape. Mr. Travers opposed the amendment, he wished to see free'trade in land.

Mr. O'Neil said, before the committee was inflicted with another speech, he wished to say that he felt very great' pleasure in supporting the amendment, because no measure could be more conducive to the interests of these islands, than that of selling land on a secure system of credit to real working settlers. Even if the amendment went further, by offering free grants of land to industrious families, it would have his support, because he thought every reasonable effort should be made to get dotted over the ■country such useful settlers. Mr. Gledhill did not wish to keep any of the land from the working settlers ; though he could see no necessity for class legislation. If any man was independent in New Zealand, it iras the labouring man. This was a plausible scheme: (hear, hear,)'he had full confidence in the Provincial Councils: he could trust them to manage the waste lands; he did not wish to take a third out of their hands ; he must therefore oppose the amendment.

Mr. Lddlam could not support the amendment; he would support it in its proper place, if it was introduced into the Provincial Council.

Mr. Fobsaith conceived that his position was this—if he voted in the affirmative, he expressed his concurrence in the principle involved in the amendments, without binding himself to approve of all the details j and he would remind hon. members that those who voted against the first clause, would declare themselves hostile to the policy of amendment. The course of the debate had not been very satisfactory, as many of the- sentiments" expressed had excited in his mind a good deal of surprise, and some pain. The hon. member for Lyttelton, to whose speeches he usually listened with unmingled pleasure, had not in this instance spoken with his wonted candour and perspicacity. He had objected to the amendment- of the hon. member for the Hutt, because they left two-thirds of all the land open to speculators, and contended for his own bill, because it secured all the land for the working settlers. This was not a fair statement of the case. The bill in reality offered no guarantee that any portion of the lands would be secured against speculators, and because of this, the hon. member for the Hutt proposed to secure at least one-third. The object of these clauses was to afford facilities to men of small means. The State in fact mortgaged as much of the capital of the Colony as was represented by the land they selected, at a low rate of interest, for five years, but by doing so, the state puts these men in the way of becoming producers, and thus not only the capital but the general revenue of the colony was increased. This was denied by Mr. Fitz Gerald and withdrawn. The hon. member for the Hutt had formerly urged upon the Ministry the adoption of some fixed definite principles—and if they had consented, these clauses would not have been proposed, but they refused to adopt the suggestion, and brought in a bill which afforded no guarantee that any portion of the land would be secured from the grasp of speculators, therefore these amendments were proposed, and he should certainly vote for the policy they embodied, reserving his right to suggest such alterations in the details as he might deem necessary.

A rather animated discussion arose on a point of order between Messrs. Wakefield & Sewell, which was eventually decided by the Speaker in favour of the latter

Mr. Sewell said, as he was now in possession of the committee, he would say if they were to take the debate on this clause as an abstract question of whether they should, or should not protect the working settlers, he would vote for the amendment, and against every one of the clauses. They had agreed on the bill before the house, as one which protected the interests of the working classes. The hon. gentleman threw discredit on the Provincial Councils. He says in his amendment that the Provincial Councils were not to be trusted, and therefore he would take one-third of the land from tbem. He did not think the discussion was altogether waste of time; they had devoted one day to the consideration of how they could protect the interests of the working settlers. It was also the interest of the colony. They wanted all

the population they could get of every class. Having studied in the school of his hon. friend, aud he thought they had come to the conclusion in that school, that land must be sold at an high price, (No, no,)'or else a tax must be put on it. But now they had a new scheme, the crowning achievement of his hon. friend. He objected to the term one-third. If the house agreed to the resolution, he would move that it be the whole of the waste land. Again^who are the working settlers P Not the man with a blue shirt or a blouse ; it might be a man with a black coat. He must be an occupier. His hon. friend wished to bind them for five years ; the working men would refuse land <>n these terms. Then there was another test, besides the five years' occupation;—the oaih. They were to require certain conditions, tnd ask if the working settler would agree t > them, on oath. But there is even something more; other rules were to be framed by the Governor. The marrow lies in this last part ;;tbe miserable, base, despised Provincial Councils, were to carry out this scheme; but his hon. friend sought to make out to the colony, that he is the patron and guardian of the working classes, from the General Assembly and Provincial Councils. He was convinced his lion, friend knew that that House would not adopt the resolution.

Mr. Forsaith—The hon. member for Christchurch (Mr. Sewell) had misrepresented both his sentiments and his language, he would not say designedly, but very dexterously. He had not to the best of his recollection even used the word " abstract," as asserted by the hon. member, and certainly had not put the matter in any other light than had been agreed upon by the hon. member himself, >•'in his explanation with' the hon.- member for the Hutt, at the commencement of the evening's debate. He had attempted also to show that he (Mr. E.) had. thrown;discredit and distrust upon the Provincial Councils. He could not congratulatethe hon.< member on his prudence in this matter,. for mis (Mr. E.s) sentiments, on this subject tf ere so well known, that the imputation would notattach itself to him,vbut recoil on the hon; iriernher himself. He maintained that the bill did. not give the power to Provincial Coun-cils,-but only the semblance of it. The power was really in the hands of an Executive that was, as far as ministerial responsibility in the true sense of the term was concerned, neither one thing nor the other. The hon. member had charged him with inconsistency, but if it was chargeable at all,' it was the honourable member himself that had been inconsistent.

Mr. Sewell said the question of the.price of land was not under discussion, that would be a question for the Provincial Councils.

Mr. Habt said, when these amendments were first he thought it desirable they should be printed, and taken seriously into the consideration of the house, but the difficulty was how to recognise the working settler, and he had not yet heard any thing which did away with this difficulty. He did not conceive the clauses in the bill would do away with speculation, and he did not believe they would practically work. He must oppose the amendments, as they certainly would lead to an almost endless amount of litigation. . Messrs. Ludlam and Gledhill having said a few words in explanation, Mr. Wakefield moved the adjournment of the debate till to-morrow.—agreed to. REVENUE BILL. This bill was read a third time and passed. The house then adjourned 'until Wednesday, the 26th, on which day the amendment of MrWakefield's on the Waste Lands' Bill was negatived by a majority of 20 to 10.

if again successful in the samec/ass^m? 1' entitled to two-thirds only of tte %£ c of* §"?,!'*?t rer?aininS third will be given t' the third best in the same class.]' PRIZES. Horses. Ist 2nd 1. For the best draught Stallion in fl P| IZE the colony h**^*^^^^^^,.^^ 5 n s' ! 2. For the best draught Mare in foal, or with a foal by her side 5 o 3 n 3. The best Stallion for hackney purposeSv^vw. i,i avw*~ww«_^^ in o ' 4. The best Brood Mare for hackney purposes, in foal, or with foal by ker side WWW w. vvv , 5 0 30: 5. For the best Colt or Filly foaled between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31, 6. For the best Colt or Filly foaled between Aug. 1 and Dec. 31, 1853 5 o 3 0 Cattle. 1. For the bestßull^v—.ww. , 5 0 3 o 2. For the best Cow v*w-~~~, 5 0 3fj 3.' For the best yearling Bull 5 0 3 0 4. For the best single Heifer under 3 years old ~www>—, ww -«_-,wwv. 5 0 3 0 5. For the best three Heifers under three years old W w>ww«-^w.vww, 5 0 3 o Sheep. 11 For the best imported Ram«v™, 5 0 3 o 2. For the best imported Ek»,™, 5 0 3 o 3. For the best pen of [5] Rams, bred in New Zealand 5 0 3 0 4. For the best pen of [5] Ewes, bred in New Zealand ~—. 5 0 3 0 5. For the best pen of [5] Colonial UrcQ. XVa.IIIS iwwuvmvwvmvww\vmvwn%\\i 5 0 3 0 6. For the best pen of [5] Colonial UTCU -Ci WCO fVWWWif|AAAA^WV%WV\AAVWW« 5 0 3 0 7. Forthe best pen of [10] Hoggets 5 0 3 0 [Prizes will be offered at the autumn Show for the best Fleeces of Rams, Ewes, Hoggets, and Lambs.] Pigs. 1. For the best Boar in the colony, being over 12 months old .^^. 3 0 2 0 2. For the best Sow in the colony, being over 12 months old-™, 3 0 2 0 3. For the best pen of [5] Pigs under 12 months old,~v„x~ 3 0 2 0 There will be a Ploughing Match for Horses and Bullocks, for which prizes will be offered. Prizes will also be offered for the best descriptions of Potji_tky exhibited. Particulars will be given in future advertisements. Parties intending to exhibit are requested to give to the Hon. Secretaries 14 days' notice previous to the day of Show of the Stock which they propose to exhibit. The Committee being desirous of ensuring as large a Show as possible, invite the exhibition of any extra Stock, for which they will provide accommodation. N.B. The present funds of the Society being inadequate to meet the expenses of the Show, donations for this purpose are solicited from all parties who feel interested in the objects in view. Donations, and yearly subscriptions to the Society, (£1 per annum, now due,) will be received by the Treasurer, W. G. Bkittan, Esq., Christchurch, and by the Honorary Secretaries. C. Davie, \ Hon. C. B. Fooks, / Sees, Christchurch, August 7th, 1854. .__