PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5139, 12 September 1877, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

, LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. ! Tuesday, September 11. The Hon. the Speaker took the chair at ' 2.30 p.m. ■ - ■ . , PETITIONS. Several petitions were presented by the Hon. Hr. Pollen, and: others by the Hon. Major Richmond and the Hon. Mr. Hall. 1 REPORT. The Hon. Captain’ BAILLIE brought up an interim report of the Select Committee on Public Petitions, which was read, and on the motion of the Hon. Mr. Mantixl referred to the Native Reserves Bill Committee. - motion without notice. The Hon. J. JOHNSTON asked for and obtained leave to move' without notice that a message be sent to the House of Representatives, asking permission for Mr. Bunny to attend and give evidence before a Select Committee of the Legislative Council. notices op motion. The Hon. Dr. Pollen and Messrs. Hall, Buckley, and Robinson gave notices of motion for next sitting day. MESSAGES. A message was received from his Excellency the Governor, granting leave of absence to the Hon. Mr. Renwick for the remainder of the session ; also a message from the House of Representatives asking permission for the Hon. Mr. Bouar to attend and give evidence before a select committee of that House, which was granted. QUESTIONS. In reply to the Hon. Mr. Holmes, the Hon. Dr. Pollen said the whole question of the leases of the Wakatipuruna was onewhiohwould have been better referred to a - committee. The land bad been let at a rental out of all proportion to its value, consequently some of the tenants had declared themselves unable to meet their engagements. The matter having been reported to the Government, after inquiry by the Goldfields Warden, they had endeavored to put things on a fair basis by roducing the rentals. The rents had not been collected simply because it was impossible to collect them. He believed instructions had now been given for trying to collect arrears. He was not at present able to tell the hon. member whether the members of the Waste Lands Board were personally responsible for . any loss that may be sustained' by the State through their not enforcing the provisions of | the Waste Land Act, 1872. MOTIONS. ] The Hon. Mr. MANTELL moved,—That there be laid upon the table a return showing, , so far as the data in possession of the Govern- , ment enable it to show, the number and de- s scriptiou of ferrets, polecats, weasles, men- | games, and other animals supposed to be useful in abating the rabbit nuisance, imported into 1 the colony since the Ist July,flß76 ; the ports at which they were landed, and the names of the importers or consignees.:—Carried. The Hon. Mr. HART moved, —That a return of the names of district officers ap- \ pointed under the twenty-first clause of the Native- Lauds Act, 1873, the, names of the ] districts to which they were appointed, the ( number of acres recommended by each of 1 them to be reserved, the custody in which the books of reference prepared by such officers ( are placed, with a statement of the difficulties, ( if any, which they have encountered in the c performance of their duties under the Act, be laid od the table.—Carried. r

DUNEDIN DBILLSHED RESERVE ACT, 1876, AMENDMENT BILL. The second reading of this Bill'wan moved by the Hon. Captain Fraser. —The Hon. Colonel Brett moved as an amendment that the Bill he read again that day six months. On a division, the amendment was lost, and the original motion for the second reading, carried by a majprity of three. On the motion of the Hon. Captain Fraser, the Bill was ordered to be committed on Friday next. AUCKLAND GRAMMAR SCHOOL SITE BILL. On the motion for the second reading of this Bill, the Hon. Colonel Kenny moved, and it was carried, that the debate be adjourned till thai day week. PORT CHALMERS WATERWORKS ACT AMENDMENT BILL. On the motion of the Hon. Sir F. D. Bell this Bill was read a second time, "and its committal ordered for Friday next. destitute persons bill. The third reading of this Bill was, on the motion of the Hon. Dr. Pollen, adjourned till next sitting day. TTMARU MECHANICS INSTITUTE BILL. This Bill was further considered in committee, and reported with amendments to the Council. On the motion of the Hon. Mr. Bonar, its third reading was fixed for next sitting day. ' NATIVE COURT OP APPEAL BILL. This Bill, not having yet been translated into Maori, its second reading was, on the motion of the Hon. Dr. Pollbn, postponed till Thursday next. HIMATANGI CROWN GRANTS BILL. This Bill was committed, and after the consideration of the first few clauses, progress was reported, and leave obtained to sit again. The Council then (at 5 p.m.) adjourned. HOTJSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. '‘-AK-r' Tuesday, September 11. The Speaker took' the chair at the usual hour. HOKITIKA GAS BILL. The Hokitika Gas Bill passed the third reading. PETITIONS. , Several petitions were presented and notices of motion were given. i LEAVE OP ABSENCE. On the motion of Mr. Tolb, leave of absence for fourteen days was granted to Mr. Reader Wood on urgent private business. QUESTION. Mr, WASON asked the Minister for Public Works, —Whether the engineers have succeeded in their recent efforts to alter the locomotives, so that the native coal of New Zealand can be used profitably on 'those lines which have been specially constructed on account of the coalfields ? The Hon. Mr. ORMOND replied that the engineers were at the present time altering the locomotives for the purpose, and experiments were being tried. Mr. PYKE asked the Government, — Whether they will carry into effect the recommendations of the Otago Main Central Railway Committee ? The Hon. Mr. ORMOND replied that the Government'had not yet time for considering fully the recommendations made by the Otago Main Central Railway Committee. Mr. SEATON asked the Colonial Treasurer, —lf the proposed reduction of expenditure under the head of overseers in the Dunedin Gaol, for the current financial year, amounting to £2836, as compared with last year, is to be effected by reduction of rate of wages or number of officers ? .

The Hon. Mr,, BOWEN, in replying, said startling discrepancies had been found on examining the estimates, in the cost of the different gaols of the colony. The expenditure in the case of the Auckland Gaol was £l6 per annum for each prisoner. In Lyttelton the amount was £2O, while in Dunedin it actually reached the sum of £62 per head. There were in Dunedin thirty-three wardens and a gaoler to 115 prisoners. The travelling superintendent of police had inspected the gaol, and the result of that visit was that the Government decided or nedneing the estimates totheamount named. The reduction would be in the number of warders instead of in the salaries. In reply to Mr. Carrington, the Government stated that it was intended to erect a lighthouse at Cape Egmont if a suitable site could be.found. Mr. MACANDREW asked the Government, - Whether or not they intend to introduce a Bill during the present session for the closing up of Gaol-street, in the city of Dunedin ? The Hon. DONALD REID replied that the Government intended introducing a Bill to close up one half of that street in order to prevent private property extending to the gaol walls, Mr. O’RORKE asked tho Premier, — Whether the Government has rejected the services of a volunteer corps proposed to be established at Onohunga ; and, if so, whether

they will lay before this House the correspondence which has passed upon this subject ? The Hon. Major ATKINSON said the corps had'been already disbanded. He did not think the House was inclined to increase the vote for volunteer purposes, Mr. BEETH AM asked the Minister of Lands,—lf he will give that all sections purchased or applied for previously to the issue of the new survey regulations should be marked and pegged out on the ground, as provided for by the Wellington survey regulations, published in the Wellington Provincial Government Gazette of 25th February, 1869 ? The Hon; DONALD REID, in replying, said as far as he was advised there was no absolute necessity for putting in the back pegs in forest lands. ::

BILLS INTRODUCED. Mr. STOUT introduced a Bill to change the purposes of some reserves in the city of Dunedin, and to vest the same in the Education Board of the Otago Provincial District. Mr/ LUMSDEN introduced a Bill to reserve certain lands in the town of Invercargill, and vest the same in the Agricultural aud Pastoral Association of Southland as a site for the annual exhibition of that Association. Mr. SHUEHAN, in the absence of Mr. Rowe, introduced a Bill to amend the Gold Mining Districts Act, 1873. Mr. J. E. BROWN introduced the South Rakaia Road Board (No. 2) Bill. EDUCATION BILL. The House then went into committee on the Education Bill. Clauses 10, 42, and 43 passed without amendment. After a long discussion, clause 44 passed, with additions embodied in clause 73, and giving power to the school committees to recommend teachers for appointment, suspension, or dismissal, in all of which cases the committee must be consulted. Clauses 45, 46, 47, and 48 passed with a very slight alteration. Clause 49 was postponed. Clause 50, providing for the establishment of scholarships to be competed for by all pupils attending such school*, was discussed, Mr. Wakefield’s motion, to extend the operation of the clause to all children “ whose parents pay regularly the, capitation tax,” was; lost on a division by a majority of thirty votes. The motion of the Hon. Mr. Bowen, to amend the clause by having also “ open scholarships for all children of school age," was carried by a majority of 41 votes. On the declaration of this division,' Mr. Stout said that as it was plainly intended the Bill should become denominational, he would move for the Chairman to leave the chair. ’ In reply to an hon. member, the Chairman explained that the effect of this motion, it carried, would be to shelve the Bill.—A division was called for, when the motion was lost by a majority of twenty-four votes. The discussion of a sub-section of clause 50 was postponed. The House adjourned at 12.20.