HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XII, Issue 279, 24 November 1877, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wellington, Friday. The House met &t 2*30 this afternoon. In reply to Mr Kennedy, Mr Macandrew said the survey for a railway between the West and East Coasts of the Middle Island would be continued until finished. In reply to Mr Cox, Mr Macandrew said £200 would be placed on the Estimates to meet the report of the Petitions Committee in the case of Captain J. C. Johnstone. It was resolved by 45 to 15 to eifc tomorrow. The amendments made by the Legislative Couu4l in several Bills was agreed to. Those made in tfce 3»£ana\vatu Land Orders Bill and the Education BUi were not agreed to, and after considerable discussion a conference was asked for on each. Saturday. The IJouse went into Committee of Supply laat nigiifc, and a considerable number of departments were passed. On the weather j reports department a long discussion took place, Messrs M'Lean, Burns, Kennedy, and others urging the abolition of the department as useless for forecasts, Messrs Ileynolds, Shrimski, Atkinson, Orraond, and others maintaining its usefulness. The items were passed. In " Law and Justice " there was a long discussion over several items. Mr Sheehan Stated that the Government regarded the

votes on the present estimates simply as departmental totals not to be exceeded, and said they would re-arrange the items as they found desirable, and would save as much as possible. A reduction of £4000 was moved in the Militia and Volunteer estimates, and agreed to. The Colonial Architect's department was reduced by £200. On the Constabulary estimates Mr Reynolds complained of the southern police being armed with rifles and made a kind of military force. Mr Eowen said that by converting the Middle Island police into a constabulary reserve, or trained body, available iv cases of emergency, the Government had been able to dispense with 200 men and a number of officers of the Constabulary, thereby savins £20,00') a year. * b Mr Sheehan said the Government would give their best attention during the recess to demilitarising the force and restoring it to its former status as a purely civil one. Mr De Latour drew attention to the hardship of not paying policemen on the goldfields more than those in towns, where the cost of living was so different. Mr Sheehan repeated hia promise to look into the matter, and to make the fairest use of the total available, by re-arranging the rates of pay, number of men, &c. After class 10 on " Railways " was passed progress was reported and the House rose at 140. a.m.