PARLIAMENTARY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 132, 3 June 1880, Page 2

PARLIAMENT ARY.

Wellington, Wednesday. Sir George Grey gave notice of motion for the reduction of the salaries of Ministers.

Mr Gisborue gave notice of motion relative to the Agent-General's recent contest for a seat in the Imperial Parliament.

Sir George Grey gave notice that he would move for a return of all correspondence relative to the discharge of Maori prisoners from Duneiin gaol.

The House adjourned for a few minutes, and on resuming the Speaker reported that the Address in Reply had been presented to the Governor.

Leave of absence for one week was granted to Mr Hirst.

Replyiug to questions, it was stated by Ministers that £20,000 had been paid as succession money in the esta'.e of Rhodes, deceased, but £18,000 had been refunded by order of the Supreme Court. The Government did not intend, to bring in an Education Act Amendment Bill. A sum of £40 had been provided for medical attendance for the Wairoa district on the East Coast. The proclamations in existence were sufficient for preventing the spread of pleuro-pneumonia from the North to the South Island. A circular had been sent to the heads of departments, instructing them to distribute the Government advertisements to the papers independent of all questions of politics, and there was no reason to believe the order had not been obeyed. The Government did not consider any subsidy to be due to the Hannah Mokau; £1000 had been spent upon it by way of mortgage, and as the vessel was not likely to be able to perform the public service for which it was engaged, step 9 would be taken for the recovery of ihe mortgage. The £5,000,000 loan had been issued at 5 per cent, but the holders had the option of converting the debentures to 4 per cent for the £100 debentures. At the latest dates £1,160,000 had been converted, and practically when all was converted, the loan would represent a debt of six millions.

The following Bills were introduced and read the first time :— Fire Brigades, Napier Church Trusts, Hospital and Charitable Institutions, and Drainage.

On the motion of Sir George Grey, it was agreed th« n t all correspondence between the Government and Messrs Sheehan and Whitaker relative to any lands, Native or Government, in the Patatere district should be produced.

Sessional Committees were elected, as also a Committee to report upon the Bankruptcy Law.

The Amendment of the Regulation of Elections Bill was read a second time.

The House adjourned at 4-40 until tomorrow.