PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4552, 22 October 1875, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Thursday, October 21. The Council met At half-past two o clock. The Hon. the Speaker read messages from the House of .Representatives, expressing their final concurrence in certain Bills, and he then read the following synopsis of the "business of the session Of the Bills introduced into the Legislative Council—twenty-one in number—eix were rejected and fifteen passed. Of those fifteen three only were subjected to any amendment in the House of Representatives. Of the Bills sent to the Legislative Council from the House of Representatives—eighty-eio-ht in number—forty-four were subjected to amendment in tbe CouncU ; fourteen were rejected or lapsed ; and, with three exceptions, the whole of the amendments made by the Council were accepted by the House of Representatives without alteration. MESSAGE FROM THE GOVERNOR, (r<o. o.) The following list of Bills which have received the assent of his Excellency was received and read:—Goldfields Act Amendment Act .(No. 1), Stamp Eee Act, Invercargill Public Offices Site Act, Wellington Reclaimed Land Apt, Clutha River Conservators Board Act, Napier Harbor Board Act, Moeraki Harbor Board Act Otago Harbor Board Empowering Act, New Zealand University Powers Act, Provincial Appropriations Extension Act,' WeEington Hospital Loan Act Amendment Act (No. 2), the ReE-rious Charitable and Educational Trusts Act Amendment Act, Commissioners of the Supreme Court Act, Registration of Electors Act, Auckland Harbor Foreshore Grant Act, Immigration Band Act Amendment Act, Martin Grant Act,-Stamp Act, Auckland Waste Lands Act Amendment Act, Goldmining Districts Act Amendment Act, Onehunga Reserves Act, Public Libraries Powers Act, Otago Waste Lands Act Amendment Act, Disqualification Act Amendment Act, Dunedin Corporation-Borrowing Powers. Extension and Debentures Act, Immigration and Public Works Act, Lodgers Franchise Act, Employment of Females Amendment Act, Public Revenues Act, Representation Act, Riddell Grant Act, Railway' Companies Act, Friendly Societies Act Amendment Act 1875, Outram Electric Telegraph Station Reserve Act, Davides Succession Act, Invercargill Municipal Council Empowering and Waterworks Loan Act, Imbecile Passengers Act Amendment Act, Evidence Further Amendment Act, Wellington Education Reserves Act, Municipal Corporations Amendment Act, New Zealand Presbyterian Church Act (No. 2), Oamaru Town Hall and Gas Works Sites and Recreation Reserves Act, Debtors and Creditors Act, Wellington Rivers Act, Fraudulent Debtors Act, Licensing Amendment Act, Greytown and Masterton Public Park and Cemetery Reserve Management Act. ’ . A few private Bills were also received. The Council then adjourned for fifteen minutes. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Thursday, October 21. The House met at the usual hour. AS EXPLANATION. Mr. LTJCRIE made an explanation regarding something which had appeared in the report of the Public Accounts Committee. It was to the effect that what had taken place between Mr. Bridges and himself had been at the bank, where he (Mr. LncHe) had occasion to go on business. He made the statement in order that it might appear there had not been any written communication. MESSAGE FROM THE COUNCIL. A message was received from the Legislative Council with the Bills passed by it yesterday. . - - --- PUCLIO PETITIONS. The report of the Public Petitions Commit-’ tee, presented by Mr. Kelly, was referred to the Government. THE CABLE. In reply to Mr. O’Neill, The Hon. Mr. REYNOLDS stated that the steamer Edinburgh had left for New Zealand with the shore ends of the cable ; and the other portion would he here some time this month. With regard to the particular point to which the cable would he attached, the Government were not at present in a position to say, but the Luna had gone out for the purpose of reporting not only regarding the Australian cable but that of Cook Strait. Mr. J. C. BROWN asked Ministers for information relative to the arrangements to be made for the mail service. He thought it highly desirable they should have a mail once a fortnight. - , The Hon. Mr. REYNOLDS referred Mr. Brown to papers laid on the table, and reminded him that the Government had not only to meet the requirements of New Zealand but also those of New South Wales. NEW SESSION. In reply to Mr. Kelly, The Hon. Sir DONALD McLEAN said the Government desired to arrange for the new session of Parliament at as early a date as possible. In reply to Mr. McGillpvray,Sir DONALD McLEAN said it was the intention of the Government to prepare a local Government Bill during the recess. ADJOURNMENT. A message was received summoning members to attend the prorogation, and the House adoumed. THE PROROGATION. In order to Afford increased accommodation the seats at the end of the Legislative Council Chamber were removed, and chairs were placed in their stead, leaving an .avenue for the entrance of those who were to take part in the ceremony. These chairs were occupied by ladies, as were also the galleries, the attendance of the malekind being comparatively small Before three o’clock all available space was occupied by spectators, and members of the Legislative Council had taken their seats. At three o'clock his Excellency the Governor entered the Chamber, being accompanied by Lady Normanby and other ladies, the aides-de-camp, the officers of H.M.S. Sappho, Colonel Lion and Captain Pearce. A few minutes after his Excellency had taken his seat, the Speaker and members of the House of Representatives entered the Chamber, and The Speaker delivered the following address : —May it please your Excellency,— I present to your Excellency, on behalf of the House of Representatives, the last of the measures which it has been our privilege to pass in the fifth Parliament of New Zealand. Among the measures of the session now ending the most important is the Act for abolishing the provinces, whereby the Constitution under which this country has been governed for nearly a quarter of a century is fundamentally altered. We owe it to the freedom which the Imperial Parliament has from time to time conferred upon us to settle for ourselves the form of government best suited to our wants, that we have been able to make so great a change by virtue of our own constituent powers. But we have not deemed it right that this change should take full effect until the country shall have expressed its will at the general elections; and in order to obtain a better assurance of that will, and a fuller representation of the people in the next Parliament, we have increased the number of representatives to the House of Representatives. In the meantime, however, the Assembly having thought fit to prohibit the Provincial Councils from meeting again, it has been necessary to secure the maintenance of provincial services, by continuing the existing appropriations of those Councils beyond the terms at which they severally expire. We have also felt it incumbent upon us, at the termination of a Parliament elected to give effect to the Public Works and Immigration policy, to reviewall the appropriations made for that purpose during the last five years, to bring these finally to a close, and to reappropriate aE the sums necessary to complete the services hitherto authorised. So that the next Parliament, freed from permanent laws of appropriation, and freed from any doubt as to the amount new available for each service, may vote in future, by annual grants, whatever sums they may choose to.be applied to any service in any year. I

now present to your ExceUency this new Immigration and Public Works Appropriation Bill, as well as the annual Appropriation BEI for the Royal assent. His Excellency : In the name and on behalf of her Majesty I assent. His Excellency then read his speech as follows : . Honorable Legislative Councillors and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives, — The state of the public business enables me to relieve you from further attendance in Parliament; and I take occasion to thank you for the zeal and attention which have marked the discharge of your onerous duties during the session, Having expressed your satisfaction at the completion of the contract for the laying of the telegraph cable between New South Wales and New Zealand, you, will be glad to be assured that before the next session ; of this Assembly the colony wiU be placed in telegraphic connection with the Australian colonies, and with Great Britain. The conditions of the contract for the mail service via San Francisco, which you have ratified, -give promise that ou this occasion the -permanency and efficiency of that service wiE be secured. Gentlemen of the House of Representatives, — I thank you, for the liberality with which you have granted suppEes for the current year. They wiE be administered with economy, and care for the attainment of the objects for which they have been voted. The Immigration and PubEe Works Appropriation Act, to which I have assented on behalf of her Majesty, by giving distinctly a statement of the Immigration and PubEe Works Loan Accounts, and by showing separately aE appropriations chargeable to loans, wEI render easEy intelligible a subject upon which there has been some misapprehension, and, with the Public Revenues Act, and the Stamp Duties Act, to which I have also assented, wEI effect a valuable administrative improvement. Honorable Legislative Councillors and Gentlemen op the House of Representatives, — The question relative to the abolition of the provincial form of government in these islands, which I intimated at the opening of this session you would be invited to decide, has been answered by the passing of the Abolition of Provinces Act by large majorities in both Houses of the Assembly. I have assented to that Act on behalf of her Majesty. It wiE be tbe duty of my Government during the recess to give attention to the consoEdation of existing provincial Acts or Ordinances, and to prepare such general laws of a municipal character as .wiE facilitate and render uniform the administrative work of the local governing bodies now existing or hereafter to be estabEshed in the several provincial districts, so that the constitutional change which is appointed to take place at the close of the first session of the new Pariiament may be accomplished with ease. The readjustment of the representation effected by the Representation Act will meet the altered circumstances of the several electoral divisions in which increase of the number of members has been made. I earnestly trust that, under the blessing of Divine Providence, the measures you have authorised in this session may tend to promote the progress of this colony, and the welfare of the people. The Hon. Sir J. C. L. RICHARDSON, Speaker of the Legislative Council announced the prorogation of Parliament tiE Thursday, the 2nd day of December, 1875. The Governor then retired.