PARLIAMENTARY.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1134, 30 August 1882, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

[PEB UNITED PBESS ASSOCIATION.] House of Representatives. WELLINGTON, Yesterday. The House met at 2 p.m. Replying to questions put, Major Atkinson stated the attention of the Government had been called to the proceedings of the New Plymouth Harbor Board oiT* the 25th July, when without a. quorum they resolved to expend a portion of the Boards funds in the purchase of land from the Public Hall Company. It was believed there was a doubt as to what constituted a quorum. Apart from that, the Government could not be held responsible for the acta of any local body. The trustees of the 20 per cent of the land fund were all responsible men. The Marine Engineers had not made any official report on the progress of the wk, but had com* municated to him (Atkir. ?a) an opinion that the work was being fairly well carried on although there might be some unnecessary extravagance in the mode of procedure. During the last three or four months the work had been kept back by bad weather, and the Board had kept on it, full staff as they could not be readily replaced. - They had however been engaged in other work. Re the petition of Byrne and othvi, the Goldfields Committee reported that aMOther person had a prior claim. The following Bills were introduced and read a first time : —Amnesty ; Murimotu-Rangipo-Agree incut Valid ,jion, and Greymouth Native Reserve (Bryce). The Counties Act Amendment Bill was in.roduced by a message from the Acting Governor, and read a first time. The following Bills were read a second time: —Te Arolia Township, Borough of Hamilton, Boundaries, Auckland Museum Endowment, Auckland Improvement, Acte Amendment, Explosives, Dangerous Goods, and Law Practitioners. Major Atkinson moved the second reading of the Roads and Bridges Construction Bill. He explained that the main feotiMbf the bill was the setting apart of money by Par• liamentary vote, and leaving it to be dl,tribnted by self-acting machinery. Whatever opinion might be formed of the details, he had no doubt they would agree with him that the provision, of the bin must be accepted as a leading feature-of their admini,tration, unleu they were prepared to take over the main road,, and provide for them by annual app onriatious. » Mr Monigome 'y objected to the mode of finance proposed. He desired to ,e, a mote, complete severance of general and local finance,. The whole thing wm designed to place the local bodies at the mercy of the Government, and he hoped the measure would be thrown out, Mr Wynn Williams objected to tho bill. Mr Sutton supported it. Mr Bathgate strongly condemned it, eon. tending that £100,060 would not meet the requirements of the case. He would much rather see the local bodies allowed to go into the money market to satisfy their own wants than see the general Government do so, and then dole out the money to them. Messrs Hurst, Smith, and Capt McKenzie supported the bill, subject to amendments in detail to lie made In committee, and Messrs. Moss and Holmes opposed it. The debate was interrupted by the s|flA adjournment. At the evening sitting the debate was con. tinued, Messrs, W. C. Buchanan, Levestam, r ergus, ami Dodson supporting tlie bill generally, and Messrs. Joyce, Pyke, Hutchison, ' Seddon, DeLautour, Macandrow, audDunoan speaking against it. The second reading was carried by 84 to 17. Ou a motion for going into supply an amendment was moved by Mr J. Wilson in favor of tho reduction of railway freight on exports, and was carried on tl;e voices. A long discuulon ensued on another aiAfiml. ment, by Mr J. Green, against the procH>mation of Waitemo as a County. The House adjourned at 2.80 a.m. untlK noon.