PARLIAMENTARY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 228, 26 September 1877, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wellington, Tuesday. The House met a 2*30 this afternooon. Tbe Disqualification Committee reported that Mr Fisher was not disqualified, but as the Legislative Council had arrived at a different conclusion in Mr Peacock's case the Committee recommended that a Bill be introduced to set all doubts at rest. Mr Whitaker said he would introduce a Bill for the purpose. Replying to questions Ministers aaid: — (1.) That experiments were being tried at Manakau Heads to check land drift calculated to iujure the harbor. ( 2.) The Government would try to improve the Timaru Railway Station. (3.) The Government were considering the appointment of a Commission on the Hawke's Bay land transactions. In Committee on the District Railways Bill Mr Pyke's clause allowing Counties to construct railways under the Bill was agreed to. The Bill was reported aa amended. The Provincial Lands Amendment Bill was read the third time. Mr Sheehan resumed the debate on the Settlement Works Advances Bill. He moved that it be read the second time six months hence. He approved of the principle of opening the Crown lands to settlement before being sold, but he objected to the House abdicating its functions and giving the Ministry the power to spend the public money as they liked. Mr Stafford opposed giving the Ministry power to determine the expenditure moved, but he strongly supported the opening up of the land before selling it. He would support the second reading, as he thought the Bill could in Committee be made a useful one. As the Bill affected unsettled lands only he did uot see how it could be used by its supporters. Mr Kelly supported the Bill. The system of opening land by roads before settling had worked admirably in Taranaki. Mr Roll sston strongly opposed the Bill as a cmoplete reversal of the policy laid down by the Ministry, whose late chief, Sir Julius Vogel, proposed to deprive local governing bodies of their functions audgive them to the Miuistry. Mr Reid said the provinces had rarely spent money in opening Crown lands owing to pressure to spend the money in settled districts. He regretted Mr Rees' statements about the Government desiring to buy votes, uud members being willing to sell them. The total vote proposed to be taken under the Bill was only £5000, which would be recouped from time to time by the sale of laud. If the present Government could not be trusted to expend this vote it would be better to get a Government which could be trusted thau to reject a useful Bill. Air Kces quoted Mr Reid's speech of last session to show his views then. Mr Delatour supported tlie Bill as a useful oue. The Government could not foresee what lands would require to be opened up during the year. Dr. Hodgkinson opposed and Mr Wason supported the Bill. Messrs Gisborne aud Douglas would only support the Bill if a schedule of works were added to it, but would agree to an amendment (.iiafcthe Government) should ouly expend the money ou the recommendation of the Waste Land Boards. There could then be uo buying of votes. Mr Carringtou supported tho Bill. The House then divided : — Ayes, 36 ; Noes, 3G. The Speaker said it became his duty to give the casting vote, and he did so under great difficulty. He disapproved of the Bill

as framed, but felt it his duty to vote against the amendment in the hope that the Bill would be amended in Committee. Another divisiou took place on the second reading, with the same result, the numbers, however, being 37 on each side.. The Bill was read the second. , " In the Legislative Council, on the motion of the llou. Mr Hall, it was resolved, " That the attention of the Government be directed to the lotteries advertised to be held in hotels throughout the colony in connection with horse-racing." Wednesday. On the House rosumiug the Speaker ruled that the Settlements Works Advances Bill must staud referred to the Waste Lands Committee, as affecting the price of land. Mr Bowen moved the second reading of the Education Reserves Bill. It was proposed to apportion one fourth of all the reserves to purposes of secondary education and to vest all in trustees in each provincial district, who would distribute the proceeds between the education districts withiu the provincial districts in proportion to the population from time to time. The Bill was read a third time and referred to the Waste Lands Committeo. The Chairman of Committees announced that the numbers in the division regarding Cook County being in the Auckland education district were wrong, and the result was that Cook County was now in no district at ail. Mr Bowen moved that ifc be included in the Hawke'a Bay district. Mr Sheehau moved to substitute "Auckland" for "Hawka's Bay," and this was carried on a division by 35 to 32. On the third reading of the Education Bill being moved Mr Bowen, in reply to Mr Gisborne, said that provision would be made for continuing the schools already established in Nelson, Hawke's Bay, and Westland, aa separate schools until tha end of the present year. Messrs Barff and Wakefield protested against the Bill being forced on. Mr Gisborne objected to the Bill aa violating the scruples of one-fifth of the community by taxing them for schools they could not use. Dr Wallis supported the Bill, but blamed the Government for not insisting on the Bill as introduced, and appealing to the country on it if necessary. He blamed the Opposition for making the Bill secular. Mr Travers said that when the estimates came on he would move that instead of the cost of education coming out of borrowed money it be raised by local rates. Mr Kees congratulated Mr Bowen on having 1 carried through a really useful measure. Mr Reynolds objected to the cost of education being thrown on the consolidated revenue, and approved of Mr Travers' suggestion. Mr llolleston thought the Bill fanlty, and unsatisfactory in many respects. He did not sec where the funds to supply the place of the capitation tax were to come from. Mr Lusk thought the Bill was greatly improved in Committee. Sir George Grey objected strongly to the Bill on a large number of grounds; especially j as depriving Nelson, Hawke's Bay, and Westland of systems which had worked well. The third reading was carried by 43 to 16. A further lengthy discussion tood place on the question that the Bill do now pass, and still more on its title, in which the word "further" was ultimately substituted for " better." The Bill was then finally disposed of, and the House rose at 12*30 a.m.