POLITICAL NEWS.

Manawatu Standard, Volume X, Issue 1461, 22 September 1885, Page 3

POLITICAL NEWS.

A letter lias been received from Mr Maearthur, M.H.R. enclosing a copy of the Local Bodies Contractors Bill, which as our member says, is not exactly all he could wish; but is, nevertheless, avastim provement m the present law, The period of the session prevented any attempts at amendments which might have , caused the Bill to be dropped altogether. The whole question will come up next session, but this whitewashes all past transactions except when suits have been commenced and then reduces the penalty to £20 m all. It has been hard fighting to get the Bill through both Houses as members are most unwilling to take up , new Bills, at the end. of a session, and on the first introduction the Bill was greeted with a storm of. "Noes " before they knew what it was about. It will be noticed that the original. Bill has been divided into two, one^ dealing : with all local bodies, and one with the local Bill, which was nearly getting thrown out n the Upper House, as the Speaker ruled it was a local Bill, and as such should have been advertised. Our member succeeded, however, m getting them to suspend the Standing Orders and let it through. J [The Bill referred to will be found reproduced m full elsewhere. |