PARLIAMENTARY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 181, 30 August 1878, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wellington, Thursday night. On the request of Mr Pyke Mr Curtis' Education Act Amendment Bill was replaced ou the Order Paper for next Wednesday week. A batch of ten Harbor Endowment Bills were read the first time, and notices to introduce seven or eight more were given. Mr Rees' motion for the establishment of seminaries for higher education in the chief towns of the colony was withdrawn at the request of the Government. A long discussion ensued upon a motion by Mr Rees that no harbor should be endowed with money or land until the opinion of a competent engineer was takeu approving of the work. Mr Stout, ou behalf of the Government, said the Government could !not endow those Harbor Boards, or they would have no land left for railways or anything else. After further discussion the debate was adjourned till that day fortnight. In reply to Mr Barff, whose allegations were seconded by Messrs Reeves and Gisborne, the Government promised to enquire into the working of the Jackson's Bay Settlement. On the motion of Mr Manders it was' ordered that the Goldfieids Committee be instructed to ascertain the practicability of amending the Mines Act. Mr Hursthouse moved that all correspondence between the Government aud the Motueka and Waimea Road Boards regarding the Fencing Bill be laid before the House. The motion was agreed to. Eriday. After the House resumiug last night, Dr Wallis moved the second -reading of his Triennial Parliaments Bill. The debate was kept up until the House rose at half past twelve. Mr Sheehan, the Premier, and Mr Stout, who strongly supported the Bill, said it was not a Government measure, and the members of the Ministry would vote according to their private views on the question, but they said that as tbe Bill had been brought down, the House should not neglect to seize the golden opportunity. The following other members supported the Bill in speeches of considerable length :— -Messrs Murrr y-Aynsley, Hodgkinson, Stout, Moss, Rees, and Tole. Those who opposed it were Messrs Bowen, Manders, Thompson, Wakefield, Moorhouse, Pyke, and Turnbull. The debate was adjourned for a fortnight on the motion of Mr Bunny.