PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 5197, 17 November 1877, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Thursday, November 15. WTNDHAM-RKCBEATION RESERVE BILL. At a late period of the evening the Hon. the Speaker gave his ruling relative to this Bill, which was to this effect ; that Bill was of such a nature that it could be initiated in the Council. It was then read a third time and passed, a message to that effect being ordered to be sent to the House of Representatives. Friday, November 16. The Hon. the Speaker took the chair at half-past two. PETITION. The Hon. Sir F. D. BELL presented a petition from one Robert Allen, a contractor for certain works under the Kakanni Harbor Board. The petition was ordered to lie on the table. PAPERS AND RETURNS. Several papers and returns which had been asked for by hon. members were laid on the table by the Hon. Colonel Whitmore. REPORT. The Hon. Dr. POLLEN broughtupthereport of the Waste Lands Committee on the Christchurch City Reserves Bill. The report was read, and the Bill ordered to be considered next sitting day. . MOTIONS WITHOUT NOTICE. The Hon. Colonel WHITMORE moved, by permission of the Council, without notice, and it was agreed to, —That this Council at its rising do adjourn till the usual hour on Monday next, and that for the remainder of the session Mondays be considered Government days. Later on during the sitting the Hon. Colonel Whitmore also moved, without notice, and it was carried, —That this Council _ do continue to sit till 5.30 p.m., and at its rising then do adjourn till Monday next; and in moving this the Colonial Secretary remarked that by agreeing to such an adjournment hon. members would be granting a great convenience to him as well as to themselves. He also intimated subsequently that he would be willing to relinquish either the afternoon or the evening’of next sitting day (whichever might be found most convenient) to the business of private members. QUESTION WITHOUT NOTICE. Before proceeding to the business on the Order Paper, the Hon. Mr. Hall, by permission, asked the Hon: Colonel Whitmore, without notice, whether he had considered the.advisability of making a call of the Council ? Several hon. members were absent, of whom some had expressed their intention of not returning this session, and seeing that various important measures were yet to come before them, it might be advisable to have a fuller Chamber. The Hon. Colonel WHITMORE replied that the subject was one which had forced itself upon the consideration of the Government ; but they were unwilling to inconvenience hon. members if they could ’avoid doing so ; at present they were sufficiently numerous to suspend the standing orders, if necessary, or to transact any business that might be brought before them; hut, if their number further diminished, the Government would have to overcome their unwillingness to inconvenience hon. members, and move for a call of the Council. MESSAGES. A message from the House of Representatives covered the Fish Protection Act, 1877, which was read a first time, and, on the motion of the Hon. Colonel Whitmore, ordered to be ’ read a second time on Monday next. A messagewasreceivedstatingthatthe House of Representatives had granted permission to Messrs. Walter Johnston and O’Rorke to attend and give evidence before select committees of the Legislative Council. NOTICES OF MOTION. The following hon. members gave notices of motion as under For Monday next, the Hon. Sir F. D. Bell ; for next sitting day, the Hons. Colonel Whitmore and Mr. Alautell ; and for Tuesday next, the Hon. Colonel Brett. IMPREST SUPPLY BILL (SO. 6). This Bill was.reoeived by message from the House of Representatives, and read a first time. On the motion of the Hon. Colonel Whitmore, the standing orders were then suspended, and the Bill passed through all its remaining stages, a message to that effect being ■ ordered to be sent to the House of Representatives. , , MOTION. The Hon. Mr. HART moved,— That, in the opinion of this Council, it is desirable that a committee should be appointed at the commencement of .every session, to act with a similar committee appointed by the House of Representatives, to whom should be referred for examination and report all local Bills. Such committee to have power to call for persons and papers. That the standing orlers should provide that all local Bills shall be introduce! into Parliament within the first four weeks of each session. And that such reference should in each case be, of course, upon the, first reading of the Bill. That it be referred to the committee on standing orders to frame the necessary additions thereto. That the Hon. the Speaker be requested to communicate with the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the subject of these resolutions. —Subsequently, on the motion of the Hon. Major Richmond, the whole question was referred, as it stood, to the Standing Orders Committee. NEW PLYMOUTH HARBOR BILL. On the motion of the Hon. Sir F. D. Bell, the Council went into committee on this Bill; on the motion of the Hon. Colonel Whitmore progress was soon reported, and leave obtained to sit again on Monday next. education bill. Clause 8 of this Bill, also the new clause of the Hon. Mr. Buckley, as being connected therewith, had been referred by the Hon. Mr. Holmes to the Hon. the Speaker for his opinion as to whether they were of 1 the nature of appropriation clauses. Considerable discussion had taken place on the point, on the face of which the Hon. the Speaker declined to give any, ruling, and merely contented himself with the expression of his opinion, which was to the following effect The House of Representatives had gone into committee on the Bth clause of the Education Bill (and had resolved to pass the clause with £% 15s. in’it instead of £3 1 Os,), and by so doing had_ clearly shown that the clause was an “ appropriation ” clause, indeed the committee so considered it, and had so expressed it; therefore the adoption of the new' clause by the Council and the sending it to the House of Representatives were breaches of the privileges of that House, inasmuch as the new clause of the Hon. Mr. Buckley was to a certain extent a change or alteration of the Bth, anappropriation” clause, which the Council had no power to make. , , The Hum Mr. H ALL then moved, and it was harried on a division by a majority of one vote; —That, considering the doubts which exist as to the amendment (adopted in the Education Bill on the motion of the Hon. Mr. Buckley) having the effect of an appropriation clause, in the opinion of this Council it is inexpedient to adhere to that clause. • 1 ■ The Bill' was ‘ then re-committed for the purpose of making certain alterations and additions. The'following new clause, proposed .by the Hon. Colonel Whitmore, was agreed to: “The Governor may, by Order in Council, postpone for a period not exceeding two months all or any first elections of school committees or education boards under this Act, and all proceedings incident to any such election postponed as aforesaid shall_ be respectively postponed for the same period. In case of any such postponement, the members of the Board shall take office on such day as shall be fixed by the Governor in Council.” A new schedule was also agreed to. The following new clause, proposed by the Hon. Dr.

Grace, was carried on afdivision by,a;majority of 6-'.—“ At every election for a school committee every voter shall be entitled to a .number of votes equal to the number of the committee to be elected, and may give all such votes to one .candidate, or may distribute them among the candidates, as he thinks fit ” The Bill was then/reported; with amendments to the Council, and, on the motion of the Hon. Colonel Whitmore, ordered to be: read a third time on Monday next. The Council then (at 5.25 p.m.) adjourned till the usual hour on Monday next. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Friday, November 16. The Speaker took the chair at half-past 2 o’clock. LEAVE of absence. Leave of absence was granted to Mr. Reader Wood, Mr. Wallis, and Mr. Carrington, for ten days. TARANAKI IRON SAND COMPANY. Mr. KELLY asked the Government, — What action they intend to take with reference to the report of the Public Petitions Committee in the case of the petition of the Chairman of the New Zealand Titanic Steel and Iron Company (Limited)? Sir GEORGE GREY said if the company fulfilled the conditions, the Government would consent to the recommendations of the committee being carried out. new bills, ■ The following Bills were introduced and read a first time :—.The Lyttelton Harbor Works Endowment Bill, the Westland and Nelson Coalfields Administration Bill, the Cemeteries Management Bill, the Lyttelton and Heathoote Recreation Ground Bill. imprest supply bill. The Hon. Mr. LARNAOH brought down an Imprest Supply Bill (No. 6), which passed through all its stages without opposition.' ; ADJOURNMENT TO MONDAY. The Hon. Mr. SHEEHAN stated that he intended to move that the House at its rising at half-past five adjourn till Monday next. Owing to the press of work upon Ministers, this was absolutely necessary;' in order to afford time for the preparation of the Financial Statement and Public Works Statement. Ministers had been unable to meet in Cabinet for some days past. BILLS. .... The following Bills were read a second time : —Waikato Hospital Reserves Bill, Walsh and Others Pension Act Amendment Bill. The House then went into . committee on thri Shipping and Seamen’s’ Bill. ' Progress .was reported, and on the motion of Mr. Sheehan, the House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. till 2.30 on Monday.