PARLIAMENTARY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 205, 29 August 1873, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

House ,of Representatives. •'.. . L',~''.J .'."Wellington, August 29. In the House last night, after the Premier had moved the second reading of the Provincial Loans Bill, Mr Gillies said the House would accept the suggestion to adjourn the debate to', give time for the consideration of the new proposals. The debate was accordingly adjourned till today. The House went, into Committee on the Licensing Bill. Clauses 17, 18, and 19 were passed. A long discussion took place on Clause 20, which waß eventually passed, giving applicants for licenses the right to appear by agent, on a medical certificate being produced. Clause 23 was amended bo as to make the refusal of a license compulsory on a memorial being signed by. not less than two-thirds of the adult residents of the district against the same. After a long discussion, the amendment was carried by 21 to 11. Mr Seymour complained that his name had been put with the ayeß on the division list as to the Wanganui Shires Bill, when he wanted to vote with tbe noes. The tellers and others said that Mr Seymour was asleep, at the time, in his seat. They tried to wake him, when he said , " Vote, with the ayes," and the vote was reported accordingly.: Mr Seymour said he remembered nothing of it. He knew lie had been asleep. The matter caused s6me : amußement, and the-subject dropped. • , . A motion by Mr Collins, that the House take into consideration the petition oi Ruben Waite, presented last session, caused a debate, which waß interrupted by the hour of adjournment for dinner. -'/"Mr Fitzherbert will present a petition to-day, frpm Messrs Brogden,, praying for relief * for loss* , incurred in intro- : duping immigrants on the ground : ;!|ii(i) Because tbey entered into the performance of the work. in, the belief that the Government or. .the Agent-Generallwould-not do anything to prejudice the firm; (2) That the firm had no reason to believe that the Government would vary the terms upon which they would carry on immigration as regards money payments; (3) That the Agent-General led the firm to, Relieve there would; be no difficulty in recovering the ..passage money, &c, from the immigrants; (4) That the firm was led to understand ithat "-"ihe extent of the works to be entrusted to them would require the full number J bf men named hi the immigration agreement, whereas the works entrusted to tbe firmywere not sufficient to employ the; men actually introduced, and the firm was put to the expense of maintaining the mWn, 1 thpug-i th'ejr. had no works ph, which tqeippfoy 'them;' (5) After making the agreement with the firm, the AgentGeneral-, -altered, the terms upon- which Government immigrants were to be introduced, and reduced the amount to be paid by the latter much below the amount, the firm was obliged to charge, in order to rejpay.tbemseiv^s the actual cost incurred; (6) The Agent-General actually sent out Government immigrants: in the, same ship with the firpa's immigrants under terms much Below the terms required from Brogden's immigrants, thereby rendering l the latter disappointed ; (7) A large number of* the firm's immigrants deserted their employbaent chiefly on account of the difference in,' the amount they had to pay for their passages/ The total number of. immigrants introduced by the firm was ' 1296, only 219 of whom remained in the service of the firm. The rest deserted; (8) The firm cannot trace those who deserted without very great expense, and the ]aw renders their proceedings abortive; (9) The;colony liad the services of a large body of men to the serious bes of the firm. 2-10 p.m. Mr : Fitzherbert presented to-day the petition frpm Messrs Brogden, respecting thp immigration- contract. They had brought out a iarge nuoiber of immigrants, many of whom had passed from their control,; ithey being largely losers thereby. They attribute the fact to the alteration of the conditions tinder which the Government, bjrpught out; immigrants, some of theirs coming out with Mr Brogden's in the same ships at, lower: rates. They pray ihat justice may be\donei