PARLIAMENTARY (From "STar" Reporter.)

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 287, 4 August 1888, Page 4

PARL I A M ENTA RY (From " STar " Reporter.)

AN ERRONEOUS IMJ'RESHION. appear^ Lo be an oiruneous impie--hion in Auckland relative to the quantity of land to bo given for the coubfcrucl/ion vi Uio OUigo line. The cost of thu line ibef-ti-ma ed at L'C5O,OOO bub the land to bo ,qiveu ib 33 pcn 1 cent, oi th.'it amount.

SAN bitANCISUO MAIL HER VICE. ] belies o Llio (Jovcniinoiii have icuohcd c e.ible^ nun ivon\ tho Aj^ent-Gcnoial relativ B fco a biib.sidy ioi the eai ua^o ot niaii.s aoros" the AU.inkc, whioli Lhc JnipenaJ (it\cin> lucnb Ins (lei'liutd to pay. It I*, houi v. 1 of iii) mdelnnle cluimctor, and non-conmut-tal. Mv I'cacock \v&-> imhnoiy ontttitfed Id^t nii^litwhippin^toi ,-u}))k itioi blie iScin l''uin-ou-co soi vice, and ho ib rauly well .sui-Jied with btio fcoliu^s of all his h ienrls. >lov\i 01 , many members aio inclined 10 vole ayam-t-both pcrwoe , and if tho ban Pivuiu^co boivicc i^ abolished the sumo fate is aliiio-t oerUuu 10 aLLend bhu direct service. .Mi Peacock evpects that the San Fr.mci-co service will be made paib ot Uic (Jo\emmont policy if the- reply fiom the Ini|icn<d (Jovcrnment rclc'ilno to the ALI/ml/iu sidy i.-> favourable.

INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS ACT AMENDMENT BILL. Some time was, occupied la.st nitrht in di-.-cuwn<£ the motion on second residing of thK meaKiie, which enable* neplcctca and vagiaut. a*> well as poor children, to bo .sent to chmit/iblc institutions, and to pimmi for tho maintenance of imbecile oi eiipnled child i en of hltcen yeais, and upw.ud , and Lo make the putathe father oi an 1110 {^itimatc child <iablo lor its maintenance, notwithstanding any composition made with the mother oi the child. JVlo^i* Goldie, .Jonc-s and otheis objected to the fte^h Inn ' ! en^ -oujrht to be bin own on tho local boihrs by the; hi>(. pio\i^ion or the Bill, and further con-idcmtion of the mea-uic wub eventually delcned lor a foitniqhl.

FAD I KENT BILL. This Bill finally passed the Lower llou.s c last nirj-ht. In Committee, the pcnod within winch a vent/ once iixed should not bo.illured wa^ changed, on the motion oi Mr Peacock, from thice ycai.s to hvc year.'.. lUr Cat roll moved to <.f>;il<o out the winds applying i ho Bill to the lands voted in the Public Trustee tor any public pui poses, and to (he \Vo=>d Coa-t tettleincnt 1 ec-ei \ e,^. Ho, howcvoi, withdiew hi-> amendment on the a^suianee oy the Piemicr that it was intended, jifter ad]u&tm^ the lenU of the lOtcncs. to h'irid ovir the land to the nati\e-4 to infinaijvj foi' thombehc-. The Pieimei al-o piomised that the Bill t-hould not apply to native land'- aftci a commi^bion had t\\cd the rent for the Inbt penod ot fi\eyeaif>. On the motion of L). Stewart, the word " public " was in&ei led bofoie eollcff s, .so a B to make the Bill apply to the 1 aid of public colleges? only.

HARBOUII HOARDS IN DIFFICULTIES. The Premier intends to introduce a Bill to amend the ILubom^ Act. It X understood the measure ia intended to meet the difficulties ■» Inch hui\c at Ken in connection with the Waitara and New Plymouth har bour admini&biation, but the Thames is noc being dealt with. Jt X not intended to lcj^hitc in coinieetion with the \\ ottport and Gru^ mouth Harbour Boaida this &es&ion.

THOSE TENSIONS. It has now been ascertained that the total amount of pensions- payable bj persons who have nob yob commenced bo chaw their pensions is C 9.082 15s. When these are pio\idcd for one gicat obstacle to refcienchment will bo removed.

MINISTERIAL DIVISION. Some \ery amusing chafl was diiccfccd against tlio Government by Mr \V. I. ! Reeves in the di^cu&oion on the Otago Central question yesterday aitoinoon Tjic inumhcr lor St. Albatis, taking up cm attitude of mock oomm isolation for the ' («ovcinmcnL for then "dcploi able position," said the object of the promoter ot the Bill in pi opening an adjoin nmwifc «!is Lo kcop JNluiihteisoutot then dilhculty. At piescitb one half tiie AJinisti,} «a» fetojiewulhug 1 the other halt. The piomofer*. ot tlic Bill \winti d to bo able to go to the I'rctmoi with d ditotmct asbiuaiice that the Bill was now acceptable to the majoiity ot the ] [ou&e. The Picmioi would cantiuufely ask "Are you quite blue it will be acceptable?" and they would Joply in the afliimativc. The Premier would bhei) take lieait of g'la.ce and. would bay that he thought the arguments now used m favour ot the Bill were irresistible, and would accordingly do his bes>b to get it passed.

THE COUNCIL. In tho Council yesterday afternoon, the Nelson Foreshore Ke&ei'vos Bill wm, iojectccl by thiitcen vote.s to eleven, and the Land Act Amendment Bill nas&ecl its second leading.

TEA DUTIES FOR SUBSIDIES. It will be locolloiitert that a feature ot tho Financial Statement was that the continuance ot the payment of subsidies to local bodies should be consequent on an mci ea&c ot the tea duty being 1 cariiecL Dr. Newman will ask the Premier it he intends this session to bring in a Bill specially allotting the incrca&ed tea duties to the payment o± subsidies.

CHECKING SHEEP -STEALING. Sir John Hall wishes to know whether the for Justice, with n view of checking sheep-stealing, will take steps for amending the Auctioned s' Licensing Act so as to require auctioneeis to keep a rcgistei of the brands of sheep sold by them, and of the names of persons for whom they arc sold, such register to bo open to inspection by Justices of the Peace, and officers of the police force.

MINOR GOVERNMENT MEASURES. The second reading of the Sheep Amendment Bill, which is intended to cure a technical defect regarding the definition of intcctod Hocks, was agiced to in the Hou(?e yesterday afternoon. The Public Reserves Sale Bill and Ellcsniero Lako Lands Bill weie passed through their final stages. The second reading of the Offences Against the Persons Act Amendment Bill, which raises the ago of consent to sixteen, and makes sundry piovi&ions for taking evidence in cases of criminal assault, was moved by the Minister for Justice. Mr Kcir mo\cd, as> an amendment, that tho J Bill bo ro d a second time that day three months. The debate was not concluded at tho 5.30 adjournment.

A COSTLY INQUIRY. The cost to the colony of the Seacliff Asylum inquiry was no le&s than £776 12s lid, irrespective of the expense of printing the report, which amounted £126. °

LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM. The Premier .stabed yesterday afternoon, in reply to Dr. Hodgkinson, that though he could noL give a direct f >romise to brinf in a. Bill for the reform of local govern^ menu, he will give the matter careful consideration, and if the Government could sec fchcir way to make local government more efficient, they would probably legislate on the subject next session. Decentralisation, whjch was mentioned in the hon. i^entleman'b question, had always been a part of the policy of the Government, and would continue to be so.

EXTRACTION OF ORES. There seems ho be .some likelihood of the appointment ot a technical commission to lepro-ent, the colony ab Uic Melbourne Exhibition, tor the purpose of collecting evidence as to the labe«b and be^t methods ot e:»lractinj< jjold tr m quartz and other subbLanr.cs. Mr ßeoveo (Jnangahua) brought forward lii& pioposal to fiat; effect; yesterday aftciuoon, and suggested that tlitee Commi»bioiiuih should be appointed <-ny the Undov-Wo.M clary foi Mines and two piactical men -one chosen horn the miners ot the Thniiio and anotl)Ci from Reckon The Mini- 1 ')i for Mines he was m.fc pn.pai>f! lv m,m. n deiinitc an&wer at pnwMit. Ho h,ul ahcady received somo uunminnic.ition- in the riiteclion indicated, and ho h.ui the m.iiter under caielul conhidcr.ition.

THE LEGISLATIVE ESTIMATES. The revised Legislative estimates a.spicparcd by theSpcakei ol the two llouj.es *"c exactly a lepriut of those ot last session. I !\eii total amount is £16,025, as against L' 14.955 for Uio-o brought down by the (Jovei nnient. The Speaker of the Legi&lath o Cuuncil proposes to in ci ease the salaiy of clerkb ot ihai chamber by X'so, and that of Clerk-AsbiftUnt. by £15 • but a reduction ot £20 is made in the case of tlio interpreter, and L'so is knocked oil the item ot contingencies >>o that the pioposed ao-greirtite vote -t.u»,Jh ab L 14,950, or £5 less than"wab picjio-ed by (lie (Jovomment. Though the SjH'.iktr ot the ICouse of Rcpresentathes .ilmi'ij. the punyiple ior which ho cont- nded by blinking down his e&timateo .in.iltuicd, lie has ciioulatcd a list of am-'iidod -aLuio^, which he intends to move vhcii in C'lmniiUec of Supply. Thi* lif-t pl.itcs the -xiJ.ino- of ih'i jKH-m.inenfc offiucib at the luducucl funounls winch the Government had named in their estimates, buc provision is made for two interpreteis instead ot oi. c, thus adding one more salary of C 225 The provision tor extra clerks and cxtui committee reportei^ is reduced by €250 ; contingencies, by -C 25 ; Hansard reportert l>y i5O ; pn^a«ch of members by C3OO ; J4,i^ and hi el )>y 150; electric lighting, etc, by U.OO ; expenses of witnesses attending committees by £] 00 ; while £25 io added fo. .ulmini.^tiati'on of statutes. On t K e whole, then, Sir Maurice OKojkepioposcs to cany on with £630 leas than the Uovenmicut intended to yianc.