PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5492, 2 November 1878, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Friday, November I. The Hon. the Aotincj-Speaker took the chair at 12 o’clock. RAILWAY, CONSTRUCTION ACT, This Bill, with the amendment, as promised, by message from the Governor, was brought up from the other Chamber, and the amendment adopted, PUBLIC WORKS APPROPRIATION. The Hon. Colonel WHITMORE, referring to the 17th clause, which he had undertaken on behalf of the Government to have excised by message from the Governor, said that a difficulty had arisen. The Government had advised his Excellency to send the message as promised. This had been done, but the Speaker of the House of Representatives had decided that no one but the House itself could make any alteration whatever in a Money Bill. It was too late now, as the Committee of Ways and Means had been discharged, to take any other steps, and ho hoped the Council would bo satisfied under the circumstances with what had been done. A short debate followed, in which Sir D. Bell thought the Council had reason to congratulate itself on the way in which it had got out of a serious difficulty, and Messrs, Waterhouse and G. Buckley said they saw no reason for congratulation at all. The latter gentlemen thought the Council had brought the difficulty on itself by want of courage in the assertion of its privileges. ACOUSTIC PROPERTIES OP THE CHAMBER. Before adjourning the Hon. Mr. Peacock called attention to the deficient acoustic properties of the chamber and to other defects. He indicated certain improvements which might be made. The Council then adjourned till the following day. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Friday, November 1. The Speaker took the chair at 11 a.m. railways construction bill. A message (No. 146) was received from the Legislative Council, stating that the Council Agreed with the report of the conference on this Bill. APPROPRIATION BILLS, A message (No. 14”) was received from the Legislative Council, expressing concurrence with the Appropriation Act and the Immigration and Public Works Appropriation Act. MESSAGE. A message was received from his Excellency the Governor, submitting an amendment to the Immigration and Public Works Appropriation BUI. The Hon. Mr. STOUT inquired whether amendments to a Money Bill could be received by message from hia Excellency the Governor. The SPEAKER said the amendments made in the Bill in the Upper House amounted to an invasion of the privileges of the House of Representatives, as this was a Money BUI. Therefore ho could nob receive the message &nd the amendment. RAILWAYS CONSTRUCTION DILL. A message was received from his Excellency the Governor, transmitting the Railways Construction BiU, with the amendments agreed to by the conference. The Hon. Mr. STOUT moved,—That tips House agrees with the amendment proposed by hia ExceUency the Governor in his message to this House, aud is opinion that it is in furtherance of the intention of this House in passing this Bill. The Hon. Mr. RICHARDSON said it was a matter of sincere congratulation to the country that conciliatory counsels had prevailed. It would have been a very serious, he might say a disastrous matter to the country if this BiU had been dropped through the two branches of the Legislature not coming to an understanding upon it. He wished to express hia regret that the Government brought down the Bill in the shape they did, by departing from the expressed wish of the House in former sessions, and the country, that no power of this sort should be given to any Government ; tbat is to say, no power to enter into large public works without the House being first fully informed as to the nature of these work?, in order that it might be able to judge of the amount of liability they were incurring. If the Bill had been brought down la the shape the Public Works Act of 1876 provided for, none of the difficulties of the last few days could possibly have arisen. (Hear, bear.) Mr, MANDERS said the House would have to come to some definite understanding as to its relations with the other branch of the Legislature, in order to protect its privileges. Mr. HISLOP objected strongly to the provisos to this Bill, because they vested in the Engineer in-Chief as much political power as was possessed by the two branches of the Legislature put together. This Bill elevated the Eagineer-in-Chief into a political agent, and he therefore objected altogether to the additions to the Bill. Dr. HODGKINSON agreed with the remarks of the previous speaker, and considered the difficulty would not have arisen if the Government had brought down an important measure like this earlier in the session. The resolution proposed by the Hon, Mr. Stout was then agreed to, and it was resolved that a message to tbat effect be forwarded to the Legislative Council. The House then adjourned, resuming at 1 p.m. A message was received from the Legislative Council stating that the Council had passed the Railways Construction Bill, In reply to Mr. Babff, The Hon. Mr. SHEEHAN said the following names had been suggested as a Commission to inquire into the Jackson’s Bay settlement: —Dr. Giles, Mr. Whiteford, R. M. Rangiora, and Mr. Bunny, M.H.R., but these names might be altered. The House adjourned until next day at