THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Southland Times, Issue 1649, 18 October 1872, Page 2

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

) "WEriLOGTO.V, Oi^fc. 15. The following: bills havo passed the As«em')lv : — Commissioner's Powers .Act Amendment, Hooper a'ld Novfnn's Re-jjii-trution, Imprisonment for Dobt Abolition, Dunedin Waterworks Lo<r>, Auckland Mineral Leises Aneirlment, Sout;hla'id W;isto Luitls Arts Amend "ent", Marriige with a Deceased \V T i : c's Sister, Wan^anui Hospital, Wanranui Wharf a:ul Bridge, 11-.'sident Mi-^is-i tr-ite's Act A'.nond-nent. The follosviiiG: bids have boen discharged : — lnterest Oil Dune-Jin Gris and Waterworks, County of WesrliinJ Local Revenue Alloc ilion, Insolvency, ;>nd Juveni'e Offenders. The Provincial OOkvtvs Dh-qnalifi.-ation Bill has been ordered to be real six mouths hence. The orders for resuming the debates on .Mr ReynoldVs Insular Separation motion, and Mr Steward's Grand Juries Abolition resolution, have been dis-ebariTi-d. The Grovernmant has undertaken to wive eff-ct, ag far as possible, to Mr Bathgate's motion in favor of having roiling stock for the railways made withiu the colony, and workshops established at Auckland and Dunedin. In reply to a question from Mr Steward, Mr Vosjal said the laud sale to Mr Campbell was perfectly legal, and that land known to be auriferous would not be sold. Oct. 17. Nearly all laat night was spent on the Estimates. The vote of £5500 for the Q-overnment buildings in Wellington was strongly objected to. Mr Macaudrew proposed that it should be reduced to £1500. After some diacussim the original amount was passed. The item of £1500, six months' subsidy for a Fiji steam service, was opoosed by Messrs Calder, Gillies, and others, and supported by Messrs She;han, Williamson, and others. It was ultimately passed without a division. The item of £LOOO, compensition to Mr Smythies, was carried on a division by 24i to 13, the Government underrakin^' not to pay it uuless Mr Smythies accepted it in full satisfaction of all claims. The Public Works estimates still remain. The Railway and other Government Bills were read a second time under an arrangement that the discussion should be taken on them to-day, on the motion for their committal. In the House to-day, in reply to a question by Mr Keeves, Mr Ormond stated that after Messrs Brogden and Sons' claims under the present contracts had been satisfied, the Government intended to let all works by public tender. Mr Stafford moved his resolution asking whether, in the event of the death or resiguation of the Premier, the Ministry would, according to consfcitutioual usage, bsipso facto dissolved. He made a brief speech, quoting precedents for the course suggested, and severely criticised Mr Water-house's appointment as Premier, declaring that Mr Vo^el was fairly eutitled to the Premiership, and that it would have been more satisfactory and seemly if ho had held that affiee. As Mr Yogel had already answered the question, ho did not press his motion. After a few remarks by Messr3 Yogel, Fox, Luckie, and Siicphlird, the matter dropped.

The Privilege Committee has reported on the Harrison-Brogden case (1) that there is no evidence to show that any derogatory proposal had been made by Mr Brogden, or by his authority ; (2) that though the evidence discovered suspicions of an unhealthy state of affairs, there was nothing to prove that Capt. Holt had violated the privileges of the Hou3e ; (3) that the Committee regretted that Mr Harrison should have made such charges, founded on a private conversation. The greater part of the afternoon -nras occupied in an unfinished discussion in re the Public Petitions Committee's report on the case of Warden Schavv.