PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 252, 23 November 1903, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL; SATURDAY, November 2i. Tho ATTORNEY-GENERAL moved the second reading ot the Dank of New Zealand Bill. Hon. considered the chief blot in the Rill was the .continued existence of the Assets Board. Hon; McDOXALD condemned the business ineptitude oi the Assets Boarpl. Ho thought the colony Should Mv<v gjii. incite out of the Bank, as it had been saved at the expense of the colonv. , Hons. TWOMEY," TRASK, ond WTGRAM supported the Bill, the latter congratulating the Government and the shareholders upon the arrangements came to. The ATTORNEYS! ENERAL, having briefly replied; the Bill was read a seboiid lime;

In COmmitteb two . anleiiilhietits moved by Hb{i. McDonald were, lost, and the Bill was reported without amendment, and read a third time and passed. The following Dills were put through their final stages without amendment :—Hutt Railway and Road Improvement, Kationu, Scholarships, ami Mut'iat .Firr- Insurance. Thg Council adjourned at S.io p.m. until 9 p.hi: EVENING SITTING. The Council , rfsijined. at 9. ft.}"., and shortly adjourned pending Bills from the other Chamber. At- 11.45 the Maori Land Laws Amendment Bill was received, read a second time pro forma and referred to the Native Affairs Committee. Tho Stock Act Amendment and Kawhia and Awakino Counties Hills were read a third time and passed. The Council adjourned at 12.15 a.m. until 11 a.m. on Monday. • HOUSB OP KEPRESENTATIVELS. The House met at 11 a.m. An amendment was brought down by Governor's message to the Preferential Trade Bill, exempting from extra duties for three years printing) paper for which contracts have been entered into before the 16th Nbv ; 1903. The amendment was agreecl to. The Stock Act Amendment Bill (to make further prbvisioh against in traduction into tho colony of diseased animal manures and anthrax inflected bones) passed through Committee without amendment. The Public Works Bill was amended in Committee, and the House rose at 5.30 p.m.

EVENING SITTING The House resumed at 7.30. The' Public Works Bill was further considered in Committee. Mr Witty moved a new clauso to enable a local authority to take over any new road even it it he less than 66ft wide. This was read a second time by 32 to 27 and was subsequently amended by limiting the width to 48 feet. It was then added to the Bill. A'ter further amendment the Bill was reported and passed its final stages.

The Kawhia and Awakino Counties Bill and Stock Act amendment were read a third time and passed. It -was reported that the conference on amendments in dispute between the two Houses in the Workers' Compensation for Accidents Amendment Bill had arrived at an agreement. A similar report was presented in regard to the amendments in the Juvenile Smoking Suppression Bill. Among the amendments mutually agjreed upon were one fixing the age at which a youth may smoke at 15 years instead of 1(1 years and another one providing that no youth shall be liable to imprisonment for a breach of the Act. The report of the conference was agreed to by 43 to 20. Hon. HALL-J ONES moved the second reading of the Railways Authorisation Bill to authorise the construction of the following railways :—Gisborne-Opotiki, FoxtonXew Plymouth (Mount Egmont branch), Midland Westport-Inangua-hua, Lawrence-Roxburgh and Cat-lins-Seaward Bush. He explained that the Bill did not provide for the construction ot the specified lines but merely gave authorisation when the votes were passed. Mr Massey said it was too important a Bill to be brought down in the dying hours of the session. To agree to it meant committing the colony to £250,000. He objected strongly to the authorisation of the Westport-Inanlguahua section, which was simply another West Coast Job.

Objection was raised by several members to any money being spent on new lines which would require expenditure of money which could be better expended on lines already authorised. Mr Seddon stated that he was prepared to put in the Bill a proviso that no money shall be expended on the 'new railways until next session except what was necessary for the exploration of Mount Egmont branch and the Catlins-Sea-ward Bush line. After considerable discussion the second reading was agreed to on the voices. Maori Land Law Amendment Bill passed through Committee and its final stages. The Native Land Hating Bill (which provides for the levying of full rates on nativo lands) was committed after some discussion, in which Mr Koihau said the Bill would lead to serious trouble and the Maoris would ne\er pay the rates. Mr Heke strongly opposed the Bill in committee, and Mr Seddon agreed to report progress. Mr Taylor objected to the vote of £15,000 as the colony's share towards the Queen Victoria Memorial in London, and moved it be stmck out. The motion was lost by 3'.) to 27. Mr SEDDON referred to his motion that a poll of the people be taken by way of referendum a? to whether the Legislative Council should (1) remain as at present constituted ; (2) be abolished ; or (3) be made elective, and staled thai he would take an early opportunity next session of giving the House an opportunity of expressing opinion on the question. At II.HO the House went into Committee of Supply fur consideration of the SuppJuMiieTjtary Kstlmntes. At the item " advertising and demonstrating the advantage of tiic sale of colonial meat, in the l'nited Kingdom, JCjSOOO," Mr Mass.'y asked whether it meant eslablisliiing meat shops.

Mr SEDDOX said " Xo," ar.d added there was a good deal io be done in the way of advertising. At the item •' subsidy of < u'nadian st""" trade service (on account of ilO.UOO), £1000," Mr K,,ddon siated in reply to a question there was a prosi>ect of the company coming to New Zealand. They wen: coming to Australia.