By Electric Telegraph

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume V, Issue 285, 21 August 1874, Page 3

By Electric Telegraph

(From our own correspondent.) —♦- : Dunedin, Thursday Evening. The City Council have decided to widen Princes-street between Hughes and Harvey's and Police-street. Tenants to be asked if they are willing to submit to arbitration. The inquiry re the collision between the p. s. ' Coomerang arid the ketch Hope, by which the latter was sunk, was held to-day at Auckland. In compliance with an influential requisition, the Mayor has convened a public meeting for to-night, to consider Vogel's resolutions. .. At the meeting of the Waste Lands Board a memo, was read from the Government to the effect that the Tuapeka Hundreds would be proclaimed on September 2nd. Arrangements are made for opening it up for sale as soon thereafter as possible. Milner held a sale of the land behind Driver and Stewart's stores, on the training wall, yesterday. The total arhount realised was £16,600, being the largest amount yet realised on any previous day's sale. Dr. Coughtrey has been appointed Frofes-: sor of Anatomy and Physiology to the University. There will be no San Francisco mail this month. LAWRENCE. A dinner was,given at Williams' Victoria Hotel to W. E. Farrar, of the Bank of Nsw South Wales, on his leaving for England. He was presented with 200 guineas by his friends. Another trial crushing of the cement taken from Munro's side of the Blue Spur yielded at the rate of 15dwts to the ton. , AUCKLAND. Meetings at Otahuhu and Newmarket have passed resolutions condemning Vogel'B resolutions re abolition of the Provinces of the North Island, unless the Government abolishes the South Island Provinces. At Newmarket, resolutions were passed that the land fund be Colonial revenue. WELLINGTON. The Omeo has arrived without seeing the Luna. The Omeo's boilers ure all right, but the certificate having-lapsed, and, she being too pressed for time- to v/tut for a freah one, six pounds were taken off her boilers there. She has sailed for Melbourne/via West Coast. PARLIAMENTARY NEWS. (From our special correspondent.) Wellington, Tuesday. Reeves resumed the debate yesterday by moving the previous question. He was fearfully nervous at the start, and twice almost broke down, but warmed up as he proceeded. The chief objections wero that Provincialism was doing the work well, and that there was no necessity for a change. Ihe othtr speakers

were all members of the Opposition. Thomson, J. L. Gillies, Curtis, lieid, M'Gillivray, and Atkinson supported the motion: Once, when the debate was on the point of lapsing, Macandrew moved an adjournment.- He speaks this afternoon. The debate will finish on Thursday or Friday. The Government will have a large majority—from' tea to twelve, some say fifteen. Wellington, Thursday Evening. In the Council last night the Forests Bill passed .its. second reading; the Dunedin Waterworks Bill and the Regulation of Elections Act were passed; and the Southland Waste Lands Amendment Bill was thrown out by seventeen to ten, on Nurse's motion that it be read that day six months. In the House the debate was re-umed by Sheehan, who made a good speech. He said he might trace the cause of the sudden move' on the part of the Premier to the comet as to anything else. It was comet, and comic legislation. The Government staked its existence on the passage of the resolutions, but the sacrifice was not great, as the House had been carefully canvas.-ed, and forty-eight members were pledged to vote with the Government Taranaki and Hawke's Bay might be extinguished, as well as the smaller Provinces in the South, but he could not go with the Government to the extent they ware now going. The Northern Provinces never sponged on the South. The time would come when the North would assist the South, but he would not boast 'of. it. Because the Premier was overworked, that was no reason why the Provinces should be abolished.

Tribe supported the Public Works Policy, because he believed there was nothing else for the Provinces to do. He referred to the shameful mismanagement of the Public Works by rich Canterbury, and said that central legislation was killed by the presence of Superintendents and their tails. The country was tired of Provincialism. The West Coast unanimously favor the resolutions moved. The new system should be extended to the South, and the country appealed to at the close of the session on the subject. One-half of the members of the present House were recipients, in some way or other, of Provincial money, and therefore they were not unbiassed in their judgment. H the Government were forced to go to the country they wouhl have nine-tenths of the constituencies at their back.

Gibbs supported, and Murray opposed the resolution. The latter charged the Government with having a slavish abject majority at its back.

He was called to order, and substituted the word humble.

Eeader Wood made a powerful speech in favor of the resolutions, and characterised the Opposition as of the weakest character, therefore they were wise in selecting Beeves as their leader. The chief opposition seemed to be that the time was not opportune for organic changes. The answer was that there was no time like the present. The merit, being forced into the present line of action, was supposed to be only uttering a threat to keep Wellington in order, but it was evident higher motives animated the Premier. He did not deny that he had looked on the Public Works Scheme with alarm, but he could not iorget that in 1872 Gillies had told them he did not care to engage in a game of unlimited 100, yet he had done so, and secured all the stakes. He had no doubt a large Baving could be effected with one Government. He claimed Macandrew as a convert to the idea that the present system of double government was a mistaken one. The subject was not being discussed on its merits. What had the land fund, to do with it ? The compact of 1856 was that the land fund should be locally distributed ; that was the Premier's view. Provincialism, as being the only form of Government, did well. But, as time went on, institutions once local became central, and in their turn handed over local government to still more local institutions. If Provincialism were to be abolished to-morrow government would go on as usual. Williamson characterised Wood's assertion about Auckland as unwarrantable. He charged the General Government with squandering money, and having grown .to an agreeable magnitude through the assistance of the Provinces," was now desiring to swallow them up. He believed the time would come when the Provinces must be but not yet. The affairs of the Colony should be allowed to go on in peac and not drift into anarchy. Auckland would not give lip its privileges without a struggle. Another election was approaching. The voice of the 'people on the hustings was stronger than the opinion of the House as at present constituted; •

At 12.25 the House adjourned.. The Opposition were willing last night to go to a division, when Brown rose to move an adjournment, though not with the inten tion of putting up another speaker. . The voices were taken, however,, before the latter rose.

To-day Eolleston tried hard, but without success, to induce the Speaker to rule that the question must, in consequence, be put. Fitzherbert and Stafford are expected to speak to-nipht. ,"''".. This afternoon the speakers were J"!, E. Brown, O'Neill, Shepherd, and Carrington. The speakers all favored the resolutions. If Fitzherbert makes a long speech the division cannot betaken before Monday. So far 21 Government and 14 Opposition supporters have spoken. , '

Immediately on the House meeting at 7.30 p.m. the question' was-put and vote taken, to the general surprise of the public who had attended in large numbers. It was (not?) known before the Speaker went into the chairthat the debate would cometothisabrupt termination. ,3?he result of the division was received with loud cheers.

[We understand from this, although our telegram is rather a hurried one, and some connecting link between Mr. Reeves' amendment and the conclusion may have been lost, that the previous question, being put, was carried, and the Government resolutions consequently shelved.. If we are correct, no doubt our telegrams for to-morrow's > issue will give Mr. Vqgel's statement as to the intion of the Gf-overnnient.—Ed. M.I.C.j