PARLIAMENTARY.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume II, Issue 187, 15 July 1874, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

| Wellington, July 9. In replying to a question put by Mr. Williams, Mr. Richardson said that tlte Government had under considera"tion the question of erecting a new Courthouse and Custom-house at Hokianga. Mr. O’Neill asked the Premier whether the Government intended this session to introduce any Bill to amend the Representation Act, 1871. The Premier said the Government did not intend to do so. The question was one which should not be interfered with unless upon very good grounds, or something more than a few trifling inequalities. On the motion of Mr. Sheehan, a return was ordered of all the business transacted by the District. Court at Napier since the appointment of the present Judge. Mr. Fox moved for copies of all instructions issued to Resident Magistrates or Licensing Boards, and all correspondence relating to the Licensing Act, 1873. The Nelson Loan Bill was read a first time. The Imprest Supply Bill, for £260,000, went through its first stage. Drafts of the following Bills were sent down by message from the Governor, and were reported to the House:—A Bill to amend the Supreme Court Judges’ Act,

1858: Bill to make provision for State Fees, and the application derivable therefrom Bill to amend the law relating to the Civil Service Act; Bill-to amend the Wcsthnd Loan Act, 187 ft; Act for amending the Post Office Savings Bank Act, 1867; and Bill to repeal the New Zealand University Act. 1870. The subject of Marriage with a Deceased Wife’s Sister is about to.be brought under the notice of the LegislativeCouncil, by the Hon. Mr. Waterhouse, who has given notice of his intention to legalise such marriages. The Premier, in moving the second reading of the Electric Telegraph Bill, explained that its chief object was making more effective provision against injury to telegraph lines; protecting officets of depart ents from actions for libel, for sending libellous telegrams, jfo thought the Telegraph Office should be looked on as a piece of machinery the same as the Post Office. Mr. Fox hoped the Government would at once’.secure the public, by laying it down that telegrams should not be kept. If, as the Premier said, they wonld soon not have to copy telegrams at all, they End better recognise the principle at once. It was desirable that some precaution should be taken to prevent secrecy of

telegrams being violated. He should move an amendment that wonld remed v that, viz,, that the Government, should also endeavor to devise some-means by which the primary offender in divulging telegrams should be traced, even to identifying the.party giving snch information, as was done by the Commissioners apnpointed to inquire into the Trades Union affair at Sheffield. Mr. Vogel, in answering a question put by Mr. Wakefield, regarding the rediiction of customs duties and equalising revenue hv taxing land and property, snid if the Government had snch an intention. he would refrain from making known the fact earlier, than was necessary, so as to avoid the dangerous and ininrions amount of speculation which would naturally follow. In reply to a second question the Premier said an approximate census of the whole native population was then in the hands of the printer.

Mr. Waterhouse made a very alarming speech on the prospects of the country, and said His Excellency's speech contained nothing: during the recess. Ministers had been fftted: the Premier banqnetted: and important negotiations carried on with heads of Provinces, resulting in large sums of money being promised to several provinces. There would be a great fight this session, on a subject of which no mention had been made in the speech, viz., provincial borrowing. In re immigration, he considered. the present policy of the Government as dangerous in the extreme, and that they had broken through constitutional limits. Last year. . £250.006 was Voted for the introduction of 12,550 immigrants, up to the end of 1874. As soon as Mr. Vogel took over the immigration, 35,000 immigration were ordered at a cost of over £700,000. Besides, the introduction of immigrants did not lower the price of labor. Every

immigrant requires to be housed, and. for the first twelve months, demanded labor instead of supplying it. In a short time the crash must come, and he believed it very close at hand. The present prosperity was not owing aolely to publie works,:.but to these causes: Iq^—Rise in value of natural products. 2nd —The confidence established thereby, 3rd— The public works policy has an appearance of prosperity, however deceptive. Bank returns showed that we were owing £lO per head, and tightness was already observable in the money market. There would be no fall in the revenue, but a great stoppage of private enterprise of every kind. He thought the Polynesian scheme was problematical.