PARLIAMENT ARY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 207, 1 September 1877, Page 2

PARLIAMENT ARY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wellington, Friday. The House met afc 2.30 this afternoon. Mr Carrington, as a matter of privilege in reference to Sartoris and Downs' affair of last s.ssion, read letters between himself and Captain Borrer and others as to the charge made of his having been promised a commission. This had done him a great wrong. He desired to put himself right with the press of the colony, and read declarations from the parties concerned that he had never been promised any remuneration. Mr Stafford also read a letter from Capt. Borrer entirely exonerating Mr Carrington. Replying to questions, the Government said no fees would be charged iv future for iuspcctiug survey maps. The Government would bring in a bill to amend the Dangerous Goods Act. Major Atkinson refused to answer a question by Mr Rees as to whether any compensatiou had beeu paid by the Government for the block of bind referred to in the Oamaru Mail article, for which Mr George Jones is being prosecuted; and if so, how, when, and to whom. On this some discussion arose, but nothing was done. The Thames Water Supply Bill was introduced. A resolution was passed that for the remainder of the session the House meet on Mondays. Mr Curtis resumed tbe debate on the Education Bill. He considered it generally a very excellent measure, making education free, secular, and compulsory, without pushing those principles to extremes. He thought reading the Bible and the Lord's Prayer should be left to the decision of the local committees. He would move amendments to assimilate tbe Bill to the Nelson system in regard to religious instruction ; that system worked well, and both Catholics aud Protestants were satisfied. The Catholics would suffer serious hardship under the Bill as it stood, and he only proposed reasonable concession to their feeliugs. Mr Barff thoroughly agreed with Mr Curtis. The Nelson system worked admirably in Westland, and the House by adopting it would avoid creating ill-feeling between the denominations. Mr Gisborne said Jews could not be expected to read the Lord's Prayer nor Catholics the Protestant Bible. He approved of the State giving secular education only, but the amendments proposed by Mr Curtis would (lo justice to a large section of the community

who would not infringe the principles of a pnreiy secular education by the State. Dr Henry would support the Bill if it was amended as Mr Curtis proposed, but not otherwise. ( Mr Wakefield thought Education Boards unnecessary, aud if not dispensed with, the mode of election should be improved. He would strongly oppose the religious clause, which proposed Protestant, not secular, education. The debate was interrupted at 5.30.