PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume III, Issue 744, 29 August 1878, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

V . ,Wellington, August 28. In the Legislative Council, to-day the business was devoid of general interest. There was a long discussion on a point of nrautic••, in which Dr. Pollen warned Colonel Wliitmore noc to bring on business without notice which might lead to the imputation of sharp practice. Mr. Wat'-rhouse supported Dr. Pollen on this oecision. The discission a>-ose through the Friendly Societies Bill coming on the previous day after five o'clock, which is the usual boiir of adjournment. A return of moneys received from the Canterbury Lial Fund by the Comities of Vincent. Waitaki, and Lake was moved for and agretd to. A Bill to anvncT the Municipal Corporations Act. 1876, was read. Second reading that day fortnight. Tiie Land Drainage Act was also read the first, time. The Cou'icil then went into Committee, when the 2o'-b. clause of the Harbor Bill was reached. Tn the House of Representatives to-day, Mr; Saund-rs asked whether the Minister of Justice knew anything of the antecedents of Alexander L; Grand Campbell before appointing him to the position of R..M. at. Ash burton and Temuka, &c. Mr. Sheehan eaid he had taken a great deal of troiilile to go through, the reports •>f ti:e evidence, and it would be qui to impossible ro discuss the question withou! t troducing debatable matter. The question had tiieivfore better be raised when the Estimates were before the House, when the whole matter could begone into fully. A number of Bills were read a first time.

Upon Mr. Bashings moving his motion that the Hous" sit on Monday so as to adjourn on Wednnslay, Mr. Barff took objection I'ieivto. lie add ho believed 2700 applications had been sent in for the r.r-ip soutn, including 97 pairs of twins. If the Government wanted some time to overtake their work, he would not object, but for a mere holiday they might well enough wait :iil t'ie of the session. The motion was thin agreed to. Mr. Orinond moved for an address to che Governor, r-qui-stiiig that provision nay be made for the paym-nt io Road Boards of one-third of all moneys that had accrued, or may accrue, on account of the sule of land on deferred payment within any Road Board disfrict. since the passing of the Land Act, 1877, whether purchased before the passing of the Act or nor. The hon. gentleman urged at some length the claims of a number of :>oor, hard-working settler.?, who having located themselves in the Seventy Mile Bush, and who having exhausted their means in settling themselvw; upon the land were now unable to make roads to connect thnin wi;h the settled districts. The case of these settlers he considered peculiarly hard. Messrs. Hodgkinson, Gibbs, and Bastings supported the motion. Mr. Stout said the Government did nop intend to oppose the motion at that stage. He would see that the House was supplied with the fullest data so as to enable them to go into the matter properly, and the Committee could then decide what action it would take. If the amount required were not large, and complying with the motion was not calcu; lated to embarrass the Government, he would be inclined to consider it favorably- • ™ After a good deal of discussion, Mr. Siu-el'ian recomm nded that the motion should be allowed to go until they got into Committee, when the Government would oppose it. Mr. Orm.-nd hoped the hon. gentleman would not exercise his individual influence with his colleagues against the motion,

especially after wh»t the AttorneyGeneral had said. V' ? -t'

The motion was amended so as to read for that day-fortnight, instead erf that day, and agreed to; Mr. Pyke gave notice to move _ for a return of all land revenue received in the Province of Canterbury since its foundation till the date of Abolition, and its expenditure on roads and bridges in the Counties of "Waitaki, Vincent, and Lake. ' Mr. Manders' moved that, with a view to the opening up and survey of the outlying districts situate between Lake Wakatipu and the West Coast of the Middle Island and of providing for the beneficial occupation and settlement thereof, it is desirable that a line of railway should be constructed between Lake "Wakatipu and the head of Lake Hollyford on the West Coast. The motion was agreed to. At the evening sitting the Friendly Societies Act Amendment Bill was read a first time, and the South Dnnedin Reserves Bill was road a second time, and ordered for committal that day fortnight. Mr. Hodgkinson moved the second reading of the Deceased Wife's Sister Marriage Bill, aud pointed out that a similar Bill had passed that Bouse seven times, and the principle had been affirmed 30 times in the House of Commons. The law at present was a great restriction of personal freedom, especially upon the pooiman, because the rich could evade the law on the matter. Mr. Barff followed by moving: that the Bill be read a second time that clay six months. Some discussion followed, Messrs. Bo wen and Wakefield opposing the Bill, and Messrs. Stout, Barton and Bees supporting it, while Mr. Moss occupied a somewhat neutral position. Dr. Hodgkinson having replied very briefly, a division was taken and the BUI read a second time, by 47 against 23. Mr. Curtis moved Mie second reading of the Educaiion Act Amendment Bill. He ■'xpbiined that it was to enable 25 householders to form themselves into a school district, and that they might call upon the Education Board lo constitute them as a school district, with a Committee ; that the education must be free ; that the books must be approved of by the Board ; ...-.] that they shall be entitled to a share of the Board fund. The hon. gentleman pointed out how the Roman Catholic portion of the community had withheld themselves altogether from the National system of Education. The hon. gentleman went on to show how beneficially this system had worked at Kelson and all a ctioiis of the community worked harmoniously under the system he advocated, [t was imperative that the House should lake into its consideration a question which so largely affected a section of the community which consisted of about oneseventh of the whole. Mr. Thomson moved that the Bill be read a second time that day six months. He could not conceive that the hon. gentleman should have any hope of the Bill being carried. After a good deal of debate on the Bill Dr. Heury moved the adjournment of the debate. This was negatived by 33 to 27, then Mr. Pyke moved the adjournment of the House, but as the division was about to he taken he explained that he had no idea that when he moved the adjournment it might have the effect of shelving the Bill. He gave his voice with the noes, and voted with them. The division resulted in the adjournment of the House being carried by 31 against 30, and the House rose at half-past 12 o'clock.