PARLIAMENTARY.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 95, 11 October 1873, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

(From Southern Papers.) Mr. Wakefield tabled a motion, to be moved when going into Committee of Ways and Means, to the effect that the House regrets that the Government did not adopt the constitutional course, on the Provincial Government Empowering Bill being thrown out by the upper House, of resigning, with the view of enabling the Governor to send for the member who moved the amendment. The Imbecile Passengers Bill w'as committed. Mr. Fitzherbcrt moved the insertion of a clause to the effect that the maintenance of the imbecile immigrants to be introduced by the Government should be charged to the colony. This was negatived on a division, after some discussion, by 15 to 13. The Bill then passed. Mr. McLean withdrew the Native Councils Bill, he said he would bring in a bill to effect the same object next session. It had been intended to restrict its operation to districts like the Uriwera country, where there were no European magistrates. After a long discussion, the item £5OOO for the expense of a trigonometrical survey was struck out. On the item, £5OOO for a steam service to and from Queensland, considerable discussion ensued. On a division, it was carried by 14 to 13. Mr. Ormond voted against the item, which would have been st ruck out had it not been for an accident—Messrs. Wilson and Bradshaw having walked into the wrong lobby in the first place, and were unable afterwards to get the vote altered. On the Immigration Public Loan Bill, a discussion arose on the clauses for granting£soo,ooo for the purchase of Native lands in the North Island. Mr. Sheehan maintained that Taranaki and Hawke’s Bay were allotted a great deal too much. He met with but little support. Mr. Gillies declined to support his views. Messrs. Gillies, Fitzherbert, and others took occasion to remark that this half-million was only an instalment of justice, and that more would have yet to be voted for the same purpose. The Bill was finally passed without dissent. Mr. Sheehan, in the course of the discussion suggested that the chief district at Taupo which contained most natural wonders, should be created a reserve. The Native Minister said that stepshad already been taken to do so. He remarked that, in a recent article in the Pall Mall Gazette, the writer thought that half of Europe would shortly come out to make the tour of Taupo. The supplementary estimates contain an item of £7OO as a salary of a District Judge for Hawke’s Bay. It was passed during the afternoon after some discussion. Mr. Sheehan moved that the amount be reduced to £l5O. He argued that there was nothing for a Judge to do. He was beaten, however, on a division by 23 to 13.