WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9.

Manawatu Herald, Volume III, Issue III, 12 September 1891, Page 2

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9.

The Speaker took the chair at 2.30 p.m. The Water Supply Bill was read a second time without discussion.

The Premier moved the second reading of the Htamp Acts Amendment Bill, which provides for a tax of li per cent on the totalisator takings at all race meetings, all steamship passenger tickets are liable to duty when over £2, and deeds of gift will be charged duty the same as settlements. It is intended to come into operation in October. ~- •

The second reading was agreed to on the voices.

The Premier moved the second reading of the Property Tax Bill, which was he said, exactly the same as last year. The motion was agreed to* The Minister of Lands moved the second reading of the Land for Settlement Bill. The Bill was, he explained, one to authorise the acquisition of private lands by the Crown, for the purposes of settlement.

After some discussion, the second reading was agreed to on the voices. A motion by the Premier for the second reading of the Palmerston North Hospital Land fc?ales Validation Bill was agreed to on the voices. The Water Supply Bill, and the Property Tax Bill were committed, and passed through final stages.

The Education estimates were considered and passed in Committee of Supply. The House rose at 2 a.m. THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 10. The Speaker took the chair at 2.30. The Premier said that the Bills which the Government would push forward this session were those down to No 21 on the Order Paper. (These Bills are : Greymouth Harbour Board Loan, Thorndon Esplanade, Public Trust Office Act Amendment, Stamp Acts Amendment, Payment of Members, Coal Mines, . v mall Birds Nuisance, Selectors Lands Revaluation, Land for Settlement, Palmerston North Hospital Land Sales Validation, Muuicipal Corporations Act Amendment, Borough Reserves Vesting and Sale, Private Tramways Act Amendment, Naval and Military Settlers Land Act Amendment, Light from Crown Lands Restriction, Lyttelton Harbour Board Land, Rabbit Nuisance " ct Amendment, School Committees Election, Counties Act Amendment). Many of these Hills would not take up much time, unless it was the Coal Mines Bill. The Local Authorities Account and Audit Bill would be held over till next session, seeing that members had not received from their various local bodies an opinion of the measure. The Libel Bill would be brought forward if they had time. — (Mr Fisher : I will take care it takes some time.) — The Bankruptcy Bill, he was sure, would go through in an hour or two, but whether it was brought on would depend on the time at their disposal. All the other Bills would be dropped for the present session.

Mr Wright resumed the debate on the third reading of the Greymouth Harbour Board Loan Bill, and moved an amendment " that the Bill be read a third time this day six months."

At the conclusion of a lengthy debate the amendment was lost by 35 to 20, and the Bill was read a third time, and passed.

In committee on the Stamp Act Amendment Bill, the Premier moved an addition to clause 2, enabling steamboat companies to compound for the yearly stamp duty on passenger tickets sold over £2. — The motion was agreed to on the voices. -• Sir John Hall moved that the totalisator tax should not take effect until after the 31st March, 1892, instead of October of this year, but the amendment was rejected on the voices. — Mr W. Hutchison moved to strike out the clause relating to the totalisator tax — After a lengthy debate the amendment was lost by 89 to 16, and the clause as it stood was agreed to. • A motion by Mr Palmer to insert a provision in clause 5, em* powering the Governor to gazette regulations for the granting of permission to use the tatalisator, was agreed to on the voices.

The House then went into committee on the Payment of Members Bill. The clause was earned, providing that the salary should be £240 for membprs of this Home and

£150 for Legislative Councillors. The division list was as follows :- Ayes, 30. -Messrs Ballance, Buick Cadraan, Carncross, Carroll, Dawson Earnshaw, Fish, Fisher Fraser, Grey, Guinness, Hamhn, Hogg, W. Hutchison, Kapa, W. Kelly, Macdonald, Mackintosh, C. H. Mills, Palmer, Parata, Pinkerton, Bees, R. H. J Reeves, Richardson, Seddon, E M. Smith, W. C. Smith, Ward, Noes, 24.— Messrs Blake, Buchanan, Buckland, Duncan, Dutme, Hall, Houston, J. Lelly, Lawry, T. Mackenzie, McGuire, Meredith, J. Mills, Mitchelson, Moore, Newman, Rhodes, Rolleston, Bussell, t^an, Tanner, R. Thompson, T. Thompson J. W. Thompson. Clause 9, providing that payments should not be anticipated, pledged, nor seized in execution was struck out on the voices.

The Bill Avas eventually read a third time and passed. 'Jhe House rose at 8,30 a.m.