PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 998, 31 August 1882, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, Monday’s Sitting.

Several unimportant Bills were pasied. The Native Reserves Bill was read a third time, the Native Lands Division Bill, and the Native Landt Act Amendment Bill were read a second time. Mr Chamberlain moved that telephonic apparatus be utilised in gaols, hospitals, and lunatic asylums, Ssveral ether measures were dealt with. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. After some, minor matters wera dealt with Mr DsKenzie moved to insert the following clause in the Land Bill;—“ No original transferee or other person occupying any pastoral lands either by himself or jointly with any other parson under license or lease from the Crown capable of carrying on the whole 20,000 sheep or more, er 4000 head of cattle or more, •hall be entitled to beeome the purchaser or transferee 1 of any pastoral license or lease after the coming into operation of this Act, and should any origimal holder, transferee, or other person so occupying

any pastoral land as aforesaid become tha purchaser of any run hereafter ex- ~~ posed at auction, all payments of -rent made in accordance with cosditions of sale shall be forfeited to the Crown, and any license .er lease issued shall be deemed to have been void and of no effect from the .date of.issue.’ 5 . This clause was inserted after a hard tussell and the Bill passed. Mr Johnston moved the following ; “(1) That it is not expedient that an attempt should be .made (or the present to establish a direct steam postal service between England and New Zealand, as the large mm which would necessarily be required would more than counterbalance th# advantages. (2) That the San Francisco mail service now in operation should be extended for two or three years if the cost of the extension does not exceed the present cost to the colony . (3) That it is of importance that there should be a monthly passenger and mercantile steam service established between England end New Zealand by suitable eteflin vessel#, (5) That the length of the voyage each way should not exceed fifty days, (5) That any contract should not be for more than three years. (6) That the cost of such service to the colony should not exceed £40,000 per annum. (7) The Government are hereby authorised to take the necessary steps to give effect to these resolutions.” Mr Johnston said the cost of direct steam communication would bo £160,000 per annum, and that was more then the ; . colony could bear. The contract re Sen Francisce Mail Service would be subject to the arrangements which would be made with New South 'Wales, The two first clauses wore passed, but pa clause S Mr Levestam moved that dietricts benefitted should be specially taxed.

Sir. John Hall moved as a further amendment to make the service every two months instead of every month. It would 1 turn toward the tide immigratioE. If the trade was more than snflicieet for eteamets every two months they coaid make the service monthly, but if they started monthly at first they ceuld not very well go baek. Mr Levin held the trade was sufficient for a monthly service, and urged that it should be adopted without delay. Mr John Sheehan opposed the proposal on the ground that that it would kill the San Francisco service, and benefit only Dunedin and Christchurch, while the whole colony would have to pay £40,000 a year for it. Mr Buchanan saiei it weuld give a great impetus to the frozen meat industry. After some further discussion clause 3 passed on a division ef 52 te 22 and only 4 voted for the special tax proposals. Clause 4 passed, and Mr Shrimski moved to strike out clauses 5 and 6 but was beaten, and clause 5 was passed. On the motion of Mr Shrimski the amount, in danse 6 was reduced ta £20,000 and it was then agreed to. Clause 7 was amended to the effect that the contract sheuld be submitted to public competition and psssed. Tces dat’s Sitting. Replying - to Mr Feld wick, the Hon Mr Dick snid it was so late in the session that Government did net propose to pre»a the Bankruptcy Act this session. The Bill would be circulated during the recess ee as to enable the mercantile pnblic to form an estimate as to its provisions. The Law Practitioners Bill was read a second time. The Roads and Bridges Construction ’ ’Bill was introduced by Major Atkinson. Tire main feature of the Bill was to set apart the money and to leave it to be distributed by self-acting machinery for district road purposes. Ro grant was proposed to be made. There was simply a provision for advances. The only works in which the Government hsd any diecre* . - tier ary power, were in cases of any! accident arising from roads or bridges being washed away or otherwise destroyed. The 20 per cent ef the land fund eras to be set apart for epening up the Crown lands. They desired to see the Bill passed, but in Committee they weuld be prepared to accept reasonable amendments. He asked them to view the Bill as a provision made for the local bodies. Whatever the machinery might be, ht

thought they would agree with him that this must be the guiding principle of their administration, unless they were prepar«d to take orer maim roads and provide for them by annual votes. The debate on this measure lasted till 1.30 a.m., when the second reading was carried, and the House adjourned