PARLIAMENTARY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 153, 29 June 1881, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

Wellington, Tuesday. The House met at 2 30. Mr Weston, tha member for the^ Grey Valley, waa introduced by Me39rs Reid and Reovas, and took bis seat. Mr Wright gave nolice to move for the appointment of a Committee to ' enquire into the financial p< aibion of the New Plymouth Harbor Board ani its relation to the public creditor. Mr Ballance gave notice that he would aek the Government if they intended introducing a measure to amend the Dog Registration Act in the direction of reducing the tax. Replying to questions, it was stated tha 1 the Government had no funds in hand belonging to the deceased Mr Birch, aud could not undertake to erect a monument over his grave unless they had a surplus after paying hia creditors.— lnepsctors Pender and Buck ley had been appointed piior to Inspector Moore, consequently the latter was the fijst to be reduced in rank under the retrenchment ' policy .—The Government would, in framing: its financial propotals, take into consideration the suggestion of restoring the. capitation allowance to Volunteers, and arranging for annual encampments of Volunteers in each provincial district. — The Imperial aa'horities had been appealed to with a view of getting provision made for united action on the part of the Australian Colonies in bringing to justice men who desert their wives and families.— The names of the telegraphic operators who struck work in New Zealand )bad been sent to the Australian Colonies with the sanction of the Ministor of the day. They were only the ringleaders in tho strike, and their conduct bad been calculated to endangar the public safety as well as to inconvenience business, inasmuch as that tho safety of the railway system depended upon the efficient working of the telegraphic department. — Steps were beinc taken to rescind the proclamation of 1878 reserving land in Canterbury, so as to throw it open for settlement.— Government had not considered the propriety, of establishing ft School of Mines at the Thames. A school of that kind had been established at Dunedin, and it bad not provod a success.— Government had not come to any final deci>ion respecting the amendment of the law dualing with juvenile offfinders. — No corres-pondence-bad' taken place with tha Home authorities regarding the parcel post system. The railway department had the question of ptrcelt delivery under consideration, but they bad arrived at no decision on the point Mr Jobmton moved the second reading of th« Regulation of Elections Bill, and said it was similar to tbe Bills already twice before the House, and embodied the amendments made by the House in them. Its leadinp principles were the extension of tbe hours of polling to 8 p.m., the substitution of. written for peraonal nomination, and providing for the representation of minorities, so that when three members were to be elected no elector should vote for more than two. . .A. considerable debate ensued, - whieb.. was interrupted by tbe dinner adjournment, The House met at 730. The Premier stated that 24 members had intimated their wish to visit the Dubedin Exhibition and the Hinemoa would leave on Thursday. The debate waa continued on the Regulation of Elections Bill. Mr Saunders objected to the abolition of open nomination. Mr Bunny thought its abolition would decrease the* cost of elections. He was in favor of a single vote. Mr Levestain thought that open nominations should be retained even if the Bhow of hands were abolished. He objected to the clause requiring a £10 deposit from candidates, as, if the principle were oace admitted, tbe amount might be raised soaa to exclude all poor men. Mr Swanson supported open nominations j aDd the show of hands. He thought a man j thould have a vote wherever be had property. He believed Hare's system to be a good one. . . . . ; Mr. Reeves gave the Bill, a general support and so did Mr Barron. The Bill was then read the second time. The Licensing Bill vraa further considered in Committee. Of the postponed Clauses, Clause 13 was struck out. Clause 14, 15, and 16 were passed. " A very long discussion ensued on Clause 17, relative to licenses in Native districts. Mr De Ltiutour moved an amendment to render it penal to supply Natives with liquor in Native districts, but it was negatived on s division by 36 to 28. Clauses 18 to 22 (also referring to Native districts) passed with unimportant amendments. Clause 27 (providing for various forms of licenses) was amended in accordance with the previous decision by striking out " family hotel," « bottle," and "billiard table" licenses and inserting an Accommodation House license. Clause 43 (providing that all application and objections be heard in open Court) was passed. In Clause 62 (providing that in Native districts ten adult male or female Natives may object to the granting of a license) the word " five " was substituted for « ten." Clause 72 was amended so that the Chairman could grant packet licenses at any time whatever, or wholesale licenses after seven days' notice. Clause 93 was verbally amended. Clause 96 waa struck out. \ Mr Pitt's Accommodation House definition clause was adopted, also a new clause by Mr Barron impoing a penalty for the use of falie labels by bottlers in the colony. Progress was reported and the House rose at. Mo a.m.

Among the papers laid on the table of the House yesterday (says the Post) were a series of ten scientific publications, which have taxed the plant and skill of the Government Printing Office to their utmost. They comprise an aggregate of nearly two thousand closely-printed pages, besides numerous wood cuts and engravings of a-costly character. It will be sufficient merely to enumerate the titles to show how generally useful aod interesting they must be to the common run of humanity. Fifst there is " Paleontology of New Zealand— part 4— Corals and Bryozoa of the Neozoic Period ; netffc comes " The Annual Report of Colonial Museum and laboratory,' 1 then "The Meteorological Report," "Manual* of New Zealand Coleoptera," " Catalogue of New Zealand Diptera Orfchoptera and Hymenoptera," "Handbook of New Zealand," " Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute," " Reports of Geological Explorations," and finally " Studies of New Zealand Students, Subjects Capsella Bursa pastoris and Vicia Faba." Members may peruse these with interest, but grocers will find the pages rather small for butter wrappers. From time to time we hear of the proceedings of erratic religious bodies such as the Hallelujah Chorus, and the Salvation Army, at Home ; it is but rarely, however, that colonial towns are made the scene of outdoor demonstration of religion. For some' time past, this city has proved an exception to the rule, for about once a week a number of men and women parade some of those 'streets which are chiefly taken up with private residences, "'• singing hymns and choruses as they go. Occassionally they make a halt, and treat the particular neighborhood to eight or ten minutes of by no means had vocal music, and having obtained a member of listener*, someone with a stentorian voices gives a general invitation to attend a certain place of worship. The somewhat unseasonable proceedings are not always productive of the most pleasant results as the chorus singers have no more than one occasion been treated to a considerable quantity of as well as more offensive missiles. Some one wrote to Horace Greeley inquiring if guano was good to put ou potatoes. H> rßid it might do for those whose tastes bad become vitated with tobacco and rum, but ht pre!e- ed grtv/ and butter. Why is a bid song like a false argument ? — Because it is an absurd-ditty. When is a ship like a pair of shears ? When she is a clipper.

We are told that « General S was always coolest ou the point of attack." Most people are hottest when on the point of a tack. Postal cards are enormously popular in the United States. In the second week of last October the Parsons Paper Company, manufacturers, shipped fifteen millions of them, weighing 63 tons, and from last July to September seventy-two millious of them were sold. One hnndred and sixty miles of water-races between the Rakaia and Asbburton are to be constructed, for the purpose of giving a permanent supply of water to the Canterbury plains. Some 60 milts of this distacce are already constructed, anl 100 are under way Strong complaint is made at Gisborne of the treatment to which some of passengers by the s.s. Rotomahana were recently subjected. The Rotomahana arrived shortly after midnight, and. there being no appearance of clanger in crossing the bar, the lifeboat was taken out, but, it appears, with great difficulty, and not until several seas had been shipper!, and the passengers' lxiggage damaged tliereby The lifeboat tried to take the bnr, but could not, and was equally unsuccessful in endeavouring to make the boat-harbour— a circumstance that Las only happened two or three times in twice as many years. Failing this, the boat returned to the ship, and the passengers retaken on board, where they waitel until the time of the Rotomahana's depart lire, about 2..30 a.m. At this stngc, it is stated, the passengers [were ordered into the boat, and, failing to go, would probably bave been taken on to Auckland. But adds, the lo.al paper, a worse fate awaited them It being decided that it was unsafe to try to land until daylight, Captain "Bonnet and Mr Hart did their utmost to make everyone as comfortable as circumstances.woukl permit on board the lighter, where some 40 men, women, and children had to remain, perishing with cold and wet, some three or four hours. Eventually they entered the harbpur about 6 o'clock —Pest The worst of men are human— sometimes —as the following incident goes to prove : A burglar entered a house in which a mother was sitting up with a sick child. " Sir," she said to him in a whisper, as soon as she could compose herself to speak, "there is nothiug of value in this house except that child's'life, at least to me, but you may find otherwise. Here, take my keys, search everywhere, take what you want, but speedily and without noise, I implore you.'" She handed him the keys, and placed her finger on her lips and pointed to the door. The burglar moved quietly away, turned and said in a low voice, "Is he very sick?" " His life hangs on the continuance of this sleep." " Then he will recover for all the noise I'll make," the robber answered, laying down tbe keys and noiselessly taking his departure, but absolutely nothing else. Mr Hutchison, one of tbe members for tbe City of Wellington, appears determined to pave the way for the abolition of tbe game laws. From bis place in the House, the hon. gentleman recently tabled a notice of motion to tbe following effect :—•" That subject to tbe reasonable restrictions of a mild law of trespass, and tbe prohibition of a necessary close season for birds — known as winged game— and for freshwater fish, it is advisable that all Acts of tbe General Assembly and Orders in Council based thereon interfering with the liberty of people in shooting/eras nature, or catching fish, by requiring licenses -or otherwise, should be repealed, and this Government is requested to introduce tbe legislation to give effect to this resolution," The recent report of Mr Burcbard. director of the Mint in tbe United States, contains a valuable resume of tbe production of gold and silver for 1879 and the two previous years. The total yields Were : — 1879— gold, £21,073,139 ; silver, £16,207,644. 1878— gold, £23,806,217 ; silver, £17,468,700. 1877— gold, £22,789,435 ; silver, £16,208,135. Total— gold, £07,668,791; silver, £49,835,876, or a grand total for the three years of about £156,943,000. The lion's share of this enormous production was from the United States, the yield of gold and silver in which during 1879 was nearly equal, being £7,779,971 of tbe former, and £8,162,000 of the latter. Australia comes next with a production of £5,813,645, all in gold ; and she is closely followed by Russia, which furnishes a tolerably uniform annual supply of about £5,400,000 of gold, though but a small quantity of silver. The Mexican yield is almost entirely silver, value £5,400.000. There has been a considerable falling off in tbe coinage of the world during 1879 from that of the previous years — the coinage of 1879 being in value £41,457,477, while in 1878 it was £69,955,000, The Brisbane Courier lias tbe following :— An envelope before us tells a story full of pathetic asseveration and vfry mournful interest. It is addressed to " The proprietors of the Courier," and contains au advertisement from Ne*- Zealand. Across tbe address is printed in dull red letters, " Preserved from wreck Tararua." The paper has been wet. the stamp having come off, and the enclosure showing a tendency to adhere where folded. But for tbe notice on the back, one might have fancied, bad one's attention been drawn to these minutisc, that the postman had been caught in a shower while delivering it. And this is all tbe effect on this fragile piece of paper of the fury of that awful nieht and day when a great sbip was smashed up like an eggshell, and that crowd of human beings each of whom was capable of destroying this between a finger and thumb, were swept into eternity. The reflections in "Maud" upon the tiny delicate^ shell which the resistless sea has cast up uninjured upon the bfach seem very appropriate to this envelope bringing its unimportant contents safely to hand from such a scene of anguish and terror.