PARLIAMENTARY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 190, 12 August 1874, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

Wellington, August 12. The interim report of the WardChapman .Committee finds that the charge made by Judge Ward against Chapman is not substantiated, and that in leading the order ex parte for the inspection of telegrams Judge Chapman hadjnot acted partially in Ihe discharge of his Judical duties. Tbe committee recommend tbat tbe Government should make arrangements for periodically altering the; circuits of the Supreme Court and/District Judges. .Tgb day 8 leave of absence was last sight granted to Mr Pyke. Mr Von der Heyde took bis seat. On the motion for the committal of the Licensing Bill, Mr Fox made a vigorous speech, chiefly in advocacy of the prohibition principle of the Bill passed last year. He stigmatised the Premieres Bill as one the motto of which might be : — -Let, those drink now who never drank before, And those who always drank still drink j--- the more. Mr Yogel defended the Bill on tbe ground that the Government had given the utmost attention to the subject in order to remedy the defects of tbe Bill of last year. The advocacy of the bon. member for Rangitikei (Mr Fox) was too enthusiastic to allow bim to take a rational view of the subject. . The discussion on the various clauses seemed to be interminable. • A division was taken on the question whether tha Government should appoint a Licensing Bench or the people Licensing Boards in the same way as Road Boards, when tbe original motion Wag carried by 42 to 20. The allowance of two bars in one house was carried. The bottle licenses clause is only to a PPIy *° those provinces tbat have provided, or shall provide for their issue. . After a great deal of discussion, 23 clauses of the Bill passed witb slight amendments. The House rose at 1.30 a.m. "The resolutions to abolish the provinces in the Nortb£lsland come on . fcr discussion on Thursday. In the House this afternoon the Premier made a brief statement regarding Immigration, its progress during the past year, and tbe proposed expenditnfe for the next year.

Last year 17,513 souls were brought out. Of these, 7503 were brought out under the Immigration and Public Works Act. There were now on the water 14,530, being almost as many as the whole of last year. Although the Government had considerable cause for. dissatisfaction with the Agent-General for not carrying out their instructions exactly as they desired, they were still bound to admit that he had worked zealously according to his own ideas of what wns right, and he bad many difficulties to contend with. But the correspondence laid before both Houses gave all the information oecestary upon tbe Bubject from both pilots of view, and it should be remembered tbat many thousands of miles intervened between those who issued the instructions and tho9e who were to carry them our. The following principal estimates were submitted : — For the Agent-General's department, owing to its great expansion, and increased clerical labor, and the establishment of branch agencies io the United Kingdom, the vote was increased to £12,065. The expenditure ior the introduction and locating of immigrants, including liabilities for immigrants on their way, was increased from £25,000 to £27,500. The appropriation to the different provinces for meeting the various expenses incidental to immigration, and inclusive of advances for works in connection with the location of settlers, including advances for cottages, were ; — Auckland, £17,858 ; Taranaki, £20,125 ; Hawke's Bay, £12,136 ; Wellington, £66,285; Nelson, £11,150; MarSborougb, £16,535 ; Westland, £14,175; Canterbury, £17,121; Otago, £14,175, which, with various other expenses in connection with the depots, steam launches, &c, made a total of £481,161.