ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 282, 31 July 1874, Page 3

ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

. In this column we intend, quite independent of order, to take up the leading results obtained or sought after by the Representatives in Wellington, independently of our special telegram's, upon the reports telegraphed to the Dunedin 'Star,' a paper that has apparently spared no effort to obtain the most reliable information. The Assembly has now got well into harness—the Legislative Council waiting to gather excitement in their massacre of the Bills sent up by the Lower House, notably amongst which will, we suspect, be the Loan Bills—yet to be fought through the Assembly—and the Deceased Wife's Sister Bill, which Mr. Waterhouse will probably play foster parent to, and consequently lose.

Let us take first the birth and death of the Goldfields Bill: Tt suffered through its first reading; was read; indeed, a second time •with only one dissentient voice—we suspect Mr. J. C. Brown—Mr. Pyke seconding the Bill with pleasure, because it was a great improvement upon the Bill of last session as it was simpler and less cumbrous, and no doubt when amended would prove a great boon to the mining communities of the Colony. So far so good; and the effulgent parent chuckled in hope over the egg so near and yet so far from the hatching. The Goldfields Committee had to report on the Bill, passing the following motion:—" That, in the opinion of this Committee, it is not dean-able to pass a new Goldfields Act until the people of the districts which it affects have had full opportunity to consider it; and that the Committee recommend that any measure for the amendment of the Goldfields laws should be prepared by the Government as early as possible after the rising of Parliament, and copies forwarded to the members for Goldfields constituencies for circulation in their respective districts." The following voted for the resolution:-—Messrs. O'Neill, Sheehan, Gibbs, O'Conor, White, Shephard, Pyke, Brown, Harrison, and Thomson; against, Mr Shepherd, being the only dissentient, refused to vote.—On the Goldfields Committee report being read, Mr. Shepherd moved the committal of the Bill on Wednesday, and said. Mr. Pyke's supporting it in the House and then endeavoring to kill it in Committee fairly illustrated Avhat his (Mr. Pyke's) political career was likely to be. The Goldfields Committee was setting the House at defiance by a motion in Committee, moved by that pillar of political wisdom, Mr. J. C Brown. —The following lively, little scene then ensued: Mr. Shepherd protested against the seven men as incompetent to understand the question, and of voting necessary legi»latif>n. —Mr. O'Conor said Mr. Shepherd arrogated to himself the position of being the only Goldfields representative when be was re-

jected by part of his constituency. He protested against Mr. Sheplvrd's.hectoring and bullying.—Mr. White said Mr. Shepherd's attack on himself was coarse and vulgar, and such as no other member would use.—After some debate the Bill was discharged; at least, one account says so. ' Another, however, having the look of probability about it, says the Bill was withdrawn. It is not much matterj certain it is, it died.—During.the final debate Mr. Yogel; asked if it was desirable for the House, in the face of the report of the Goldfields Committee, to order the Bill to be committed. It was no criterion of the character of such a Bill if the House good-naturedly did not oppose the second reading of it. The matter had passed out of the control of the General Government, and if they were to be called upon to amend the existing system it could not be. done in a haphazard manner in the middle of the session. These questions required much consideration and extreme caution. It Avas a difficult matter to get two Provincial Councils to agree upon Goldfields questions. He would recommend the hon. member not to press for. a Committee on the Bill.—Mr. Macandrew said it waa quite cloar, from the observations of the Premier, that the quicker the House abrogated all control in these matters the better, as it had shown itsutter incapacity to deal with them. It had been amply demonstrated that a Goldfields Bill which suited the Thames did not suit Otago and Westland.—Somebody—not a regular correspondent—evidently a friend of the member for the Dunstan, sent off the following indignant Press telegram, no doubt not forgetting to let the magic words " collect" be put on the message: "The members, especially Mr. Brown,- have again intrigued against the Bill. Mr. Macandrew warmly supported the Bill. Mr. Pyke, who, on the second reading, spoke of it as a good Bill, and said that he would assist to pass it through Committee, turned completely round and strongly opposed it. The Bill is again delayed by the disunion and jealousy of the Otago Goldfields i members."

During Mr. Bichardson's Public Works Statement he specially alluled to the Goldfields water works, stating that the estimates for Goldfieldswater-supp'y works, which w re mostly based on information supplie 1 by the Provincial Governments, had been greatly exceeded. The great increases of cost had been on the Waimea, Nelson Creek, and Thames races, while the Mount Ida race and sludge channel would be completed at a cost very little exceeding the estimate. £30,000 had been appropriated for this class of works. There had been expended £95,937, and there were liabilities amounting to £201,454. No more works of the kind would be undertaken until time had pro Fed how far those in hand had succeeded.

The Becond reading has been agreed-to of the Otago Waste Land Act Amendment Bill, which Mr. Shepherd did not introduce. Mr. Mervyn gave notice of his intention to introduce a clause to extend the limit of holding to 320 acreß. Mr Sheehan moved—" Tliat it ia desirable a readjustment of reprpsentation in this House should be.made, to take effect at the next general elections, and that the Government should take into consideration the question during the recess with a view of the preparation of a properly-matured measure, to be submitted to the House at its next session." On this motion the closest division of the session wa« taken, Mr. Vngel burking it by moving Hie previous question, a process which, carried, is fatal to the question before the House. ,-- Otago, with the exception of Mr. Shepherd, voted against the Government. Why, is not very clear.—Mr. Vogel said the Government did not wish to evade the question in any way. They were quite willing to consider it during the recess: r—This doeß not look like a dissolution. ~-.- -••'• ~.-.-■

Members' allowances has cropped up again, the ' Tablet' stating that it is to be proposed to give members £3OO per,year apiece, a proceeding our contemporary protests against strongly.' Whether this be so or not we do not know—the matter is to go to a Select Committee, who will report. A middle course—a : procrastination of much—financial statement such'as Mr. Vogel has made could not be expected to' give; any, general satisfaction. Cleverly enough, it has' appeared to have avoided dividing the House into two parties of opinion.—The Auckland members do not like the idea of being treated as paupers, and claim a fight to have more consideration than the. Government gives to them, whileOtagoandCanterbury, whose conf tributions to the revenue are half those of the whole Colony, feel slighted, and consider themselves held back in the race of progress, so that sluggard Provinces may have an opportunity of coming up with them. The Premier is a staunch opponent of the Deceased Wife's Sister Bill. He is said to have spoken strongly against the Bill at the third reading. It was quite true, lie said, that a similar Bill had been passed in other Colonies, but it was chiefly owing to the large amount of pressure in individual" cases There ought only to be only one law for mar riage, and it would be quite time enough to alter the present law when the Imperial Parliament did so. A great deal of misery arose from irregular marriage>'~laws, such as the Scotch. He would disuade members from disturbing sociul relations in the Colony. He would like to see New Zealand attractive to all those persons who had desired to marry their deceased wife's sister.—Mr. Fox took a contrary view. He said it was only the preponderance of the ecclesiastical element in the House of Lords which kept such a Bill from becoming the law of England.—Mr. O'Neill moved tlwt the Bill be read a third time that day, six months— A division was then called for, the result being—For the Bill 24 ; against it 17. The Bill was then passed.