PARLIAMENTRY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 190, 11 August 1881, Page 4

PARLIAMENTRY.

August 10. In tba Legislate Council to-day, the Medical Practitioners' Society Bill and (he Parliamentary Privileges Bill were read a third time and passed. The remainder of tbo sittings were spent in Committee on several Bil!e c The House met at 2,30 p.m. Replying to questions pat it was Btated that after the estimates were passed last year no reduction in rack, or any besides the 10 per cect. had taken place amongst; sergeants and constables in the police force.— ln consequence of irregalarities in postal commanicatiou, laudownera in some cases bad not received proper cotice of the sittirg of Appeal Courts under the Property Assc-esaent Ac* ; but it was understood tbot the shortcoming had been specially provided for. Any particular case, if not co provided for, if mentioned, woul-i be looked into. A fioe of £20 inflicted upoa a butcher for the s:le cf a hars witboift a license, wus in tlsa estimation of the Government n hardship, and steps had been taken to amend the exisiiog law accordingly. The 10 per cent, reduction had been refunded Judgp Harvey ; aod on the representation of ex-Jud^e Weatoa thai he was equally entitled to the refund, the Government h;d acceeded to the ■request, ani the refued had bsen made since. Papers cv the aubject Weie laid en iha table. The following Bills were introduced and read a firat time :— Auctioneers', Appraisers', and Agents,' (Mr Lavin); Protection of Crops (Ms- S-iucders). Mr Saunders moved " That no financial proposals will be acceptable to this House that arc not based oa the strict adaptation of the annual expesditura o" the colony to uraemia, revenue, withoct any assiatsuje from borrowed money, and that do cot aim at the complete separation of colonial and local finance, Bod the entire emaicipition of the latter from the control or interference of! Ibh House." H? condemned tha reckless system of borrowing which had been goiug on, uni arguad that if they bad confieed themselves to their !o»itimate income the extravagance noticeable in the mode of conducting the various departments would never hive sprung up. He sd-Jueed strong coca plaints against the Audit department, which he insisted should be swept awßy, and the whoie work of the department left in the hands tf one moderately paid officer, whose honesty could be depended upon. Mijor Atkinson said th<»t the motion, even if carried, could t fleet no good purpose, inasmuch as it aimed at to practical result. He denied that the works sct-erae had been a failure, HHfithat the principle of borrowing JEjgmyy for the eocstrucion of useful |^HP 8 was open to the cecsure at--999p te^ to be put en it. Reforms necesaary ia the Audit Depsrt|f^gM> but it was neither f*ir cor yet it a fact thai the work of that depngtmgnt bad ehovrn any disposition or SggßfiGg towards aayoua to the prtjadice g9^S- oe public interest. W^B^ r 9 Laotoar expressed sympathy iSBR 1 tQ e motion, but could not coocur |HBhe extrese views entertained by WSb raover 6B *o the impolicy of borHB* iQ g raon.y for ceces3f.ry public Hslbe debate wag interrupted by the *^PBO a^jotirnmecf. The report of the Navy Plymouth Harbor Works was brought ap thu evening on tie House reeamiug r,t 7.30 It ii a very long and exhaustive report extending over eleven fcolscap pages. The report commences by describing iho various slops which have been token towards commencing the barbor work 3, the several estimates that have been formed as to its cosf, and the different plans which have been under consideration from time to time. The report goes on to eb? the Committee find that the lean of £200,000 realised, after the payment of the charges and ccmraisaiocs incidental to floating i», the net sum of £185,366 3* Id, for which the Board has to'provide £14,000 annaaliy by way of interest acd sinking fund; that hitherto the Board has not exercised its rating powers, bnt has paid interest ond sinking fund cut of ]&nd revenue, h&ving received from that source £42,388 ap to the 15th July last, of which £5000 was expended upon works before the Joan was raised, sod £25,(00 is in the hands of the Sitking Fund CocimisBiocer. In addition to the above the Board -shonM re-reive during the next ten years £26 000, being 25 per ceat ot the amount to be receive i on account of land o'ready sold upon the deferred payment system. It is estimated by the Surveyor-G-.tural that the land Bveilfeblo for dispoea! in the future will be as fellows:-— IO.OOO seres of open land at £2 103. £25 000; 100,000 acres of bush at £2, £200,000, the percentage of which payable to tbe Board, would be £56,250, and tbe amount added to tbe £28,500 in the hands of the Sinking Fand Commissioner, and the £26,000 xecc-iveab!e as one fourth of the amount due from deferred payment fiet-.lerfl will give a total of £110,750 exclusive of whatever sum may bo derived from the sele of (he more rugged bush lands a 9 yet unavailable. This amount will suffice to pay interest end sicking fond for a period of eipht yearp, at the end of which time the Board must have recourse to their reting powers. The amoant on wLieh they may levy upon tbe basis of the property a^setsmenf would amoant to about £4360, and admitting the correctness of the assumption that the ancount of the arsestment wonld re doubled in eight years, ■when they will be compeile i to impose this rate, tte annual revenue from this fonrce would be £8720, and tha annual sinking fnnd at this period would be £20,000 plus intereet C 3 against the loan cf £200 COO After hcalyaiDg many of iUn financial comdderatioos, the report concludes by m&kiDg the following reecmtnc-CfJuLio-.-.a : — (l^That the cost of the work to a p- iui a a ked on tbe plan being the a-.ortt-sfc section of the propose* breakwater which woold be ot all beneficial is epiisaated by Sir J. Coode to be £255,800, end that the lowest esiimete p&st-ed on the cost of similar works would be £212,896, therefore .68 the totol amount which

the Board faac available for tbe work does not exceed £115,000, there will be a deficiency on this basis of £97,396 whilst, on Sir J. Coode's estimate the deficiency 'wii! be £150,000. (2) That as the fuud3 at tha dinposal of the Board would on!y suffice to carry the work to a depth of 11 or 12 feet at spring tides, which would practically be of little use for lending or shipping goods, except during fine weather, tbe extension would necessitate further borrowing being author* ised by the Housa and entail a still Itrger burden upon the owners of pioperty within the rating district. (3) That the extension of the work to (uriher point marked on the plan would only render the harbor available for ÜBO by vessels of the size cf tbe steamer Hawea. (4) That the evidence disproves ths supposition that tbe propoaed work would be of special value to tbe Colony as a harbor of refuge, and the work must therefore be regarded as one of a local rather than a colonial character. The Committee therefore considers tbe results from the proposed works would be altogether inadequate to the expenditure required; and 63 but a very limited sum, not exceeding £5000, been expended upon the breakwater, apart from plant, the Cotntnittee recommend the Legislature to at once tak9 steps to stop the farther progress of the works, and take ever ths assets and liabilities, and after providing for the latter, to devote the lac! fond to it* ordinary purposes. After reading the report, Mr Wright moved it be considered on Wednesday evening next. Mr Kelly complained strongly of the treatment lie had received from the Committee, in not being allowed to review the evidence. Several members urged that Wednesday was too early a date to consider the matter. Mr Wright replied to Mr Kelly's complaint, and it was agreed that the report should be considered on Friday week. Sir George Grey, with the consent of the members in charge of thirteen Bills on the Order Paper, moved their postponement in order to allow the Law Practitioners Bill to be proceeded with. Mr Whitaker opposed the motion, which was carried by 43 to 12. Sir George Grey then moved that the Hoose go into Committee on the Law Practitioners Bill. Messrs Stewart, Oliver, Trimble and Whitaker opposed the proposal and the Bill. Messrs M'Donald, Shrimsky Kelly, and Wallis supported both. The motion for going into Committee was carried on the voices. In Committee, Sir George Grey proposed an amendment to restrict the Bill to men, saying he did so in deference to the opinion of others, although he himself thought the time would come when women would be placed on a equality with men in regard to the professions. After some discussion the clause as printed with . the word >f persons " instead of " males " passed by 25 to 14 voles. No important alteration was made in the Bill, and it was read the third time and passed by 26 to 17. The Parliamentary Oaths Bill (Sir G. Grey), and the Kakanui Harbor Board Borrowing Bill (Mr Shrimski) were read the second time, and the Timaru Harbor Board Bill was read the third time and passed, an amendment by Mr Eolleston to recommit it in order to strike out the endowment schedule being ioßt by 23 to The House rose at 1 o'clock.