GENERAL ASSEMBELY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1367, 18 July 1885, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBELY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Legislative Council mot at 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday. Mr Bathgate moved the second reading of the Bank of Issue Bill. He said he was not anxious to press the measure on the Council, but if it were accorded a second reading, he was agreeable to its being referred to a Select Committee to take evidence on.—Mr Lahmau moved as an amendment the adjournment of the debate for one Aveek, which was agreed to. The Hon. the Colonial Secretary moved the second reading the Adoption of Children Bill.—Agreed to. The Administration Act Amendment Bill was further considered in Committee and progress was reported. The Council adjourned at 5 p.m. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 p.m. on Thursday. Mr Tuiaroa moved for the production of a copy of the despatch of the Superintendent of New Munster to the Governor in 1844. Agreed to. Mr K. Johnson moved that the report of the Joint Library Committee bo adopted. This repo r t recommended that in future the appointment of officers to the Library should be made by the Crown on the recommendation of the Library Committee.—An amendment that the report bo referred to the Committee was negatived by 19 to 14, and the report avbs adopted without amendment. The Employment of Females Bill and the Gaming and Lottery Bill were received from the Lower House and road a first time. The Council went into Committee on the Adoption of Children Bill, the Postal Notes Bill, and the Administration Bill. On the latter progress was reported, afld the others were advanced through their remaining stages. The Christchurch Public Works Loan Validation Bill Avas read a second time. The Council adjourned at 4.20 p.m. HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday. The Congregational Union Incorporation Bill was read a third time and passed. Leave of absence was granted to Mr Pearson for one week, and to Captain Russell for ten days, on urgent private business.

Replying to questions, Ministers said : That cheap excursion trains would be run in connection with the N.Z. Exhibition ; that, as already stated to the House, a petition had been received from Fiji to the effect that a portion of their State desited annexation to New Zealand, but another portion did not wish for annexation, and all the papers, except private correspondence, relating to the question had been laid on the table ; that the returns giving full information regarding the district railways proposed to be purchased by the colony were in the hands of the printers, and would be laid on the table in a few days.

A number of new Bills were introduced, Mr W. F. Buckland moved for a return showing the number of Government toll bars in the colony, and where the same are situated.—Agreed to.

Mr Beetham moved for a return showing the expenditure incurred by the Government in carrying out the provisions of the Roads and Bridges Construction Act 1882, the return to show the expense incurred under the main road and the district road provisions.—Agreed to. Mr Beetham moved for a return showing separately the amounts applied for, granted and paid to local bodies under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act 1882, up to 30th June, 1885.—Agreed to. Mr Barron moved for a return showing the amounts paid by the Colonial Treasurer in each year to the local bodies under the Crown and Native Lands Rating Act,—Agreed to. Mr Fitzherbert resumed the debate on the question that this House will on Wednesday next resolve itself into a Committee of the whole to consider an address to His Excellency requesting him to cause to be placed on the Estimates the sum of £20,000 for the purpose of putting the Thorndcn (Wellington) reclaimed land streets into such a condition as to render them safe for public traffic. He contended that it had been shown by the previous debate that Colonel Whitmore, a member of a former Government, had promised that those streets should be formed after the sale of the reclaimed laud. It was quite clear to everybody that the streets had not been properly formed or metalled. The Hon. Mr Richardson replied that Government had fulfilled their promises, and the rnolion was lost on a division by 34 against 11. Mr Fisher moved that a Select Committee, consisting of nine members, be appointed to enquire into the advisableness or otherwise of printing under contract with private offices any part of. the printing required by the Government of the colony.—Agreed to. Mr Bradshaw moved that the amendments made by Committee on the Employment of Females and Others Ad, 1881, Amendment Bill be agreed to. Mr Levestarn moved that the Bill be recommitted, and after debate this was carried on a division. The following amendments were then made in the Bill That no young person be employed for more than 48 hours in one week, nor more than 8| hours per day; provided always that any Inspector in any district' in esses of emergency allows any person to work overtime. The Bill was then reported with amendments, read a third time, and passed. Mr Hatch moved the second reading of the Sale of Poisons Bill, He said a Bill was passed in 1871 regulating the sale of poisons, and it w-is time an alteration was made in the Act. It was proposed under danse 4 to provide for the registration of e r ery person who sold poisons, il als I, provided Hint a fee of 20s should he p'M lor snub registration. Under claustTll it was proposed to protect the

title of and to put restrictions on the sale of poisons.—The motion was agreed to. On the motion to go into Committee on the School Committees Election Bill, Mr F. W. Buckland moved (hat the Bill bo committed that day three months. He said the Bill was brought in by the opponents of the present system of education. After debate the motion for committal of the Bill was carried in a division by 36 against 15.—The Bill finally passed with additions. The House went into Committee on the Armed Constabulary Act 1887 Amendment Bill.—Mr Guinness moved to amend clause 2, by making it apply to members of the civil police only.—After debate this amendment was carried. The House went into Committee on the Gaming and Lotteries Act 1881 Amendment Bill, which passed without amendment, and was reported. The Armed Constabulary Act 1867 Amendment Bill was reported with amendments. The Gaming and Lotteries Act 1881 Amendment Bill was reported, read a third time and passed. The School Committees Election Bill was reported with amendments, which were ordered to be considered on Thursday. The debate on the Hospitals and Charitable Aid Bill was then resumed. In the course of the debate members expressed the conviction that the Bill would press unduly on the large centres. The Hon. Mr Stout said he desired to make a few explanations on the Bill. It would create for each district a Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and each separate institution was to manage its ©wu affairs. As to the objections urged against the Bill, he might say they were very few. It was accepted that there should bo a voluntary contribution. He would not say the Bill did not require amendment. Every Bill required it. The object of the Government would be to receive suggestions from every individual in the House, and when the Bill got into Committee the Government would be able to say what concessions they would be prepared to make. Mr Fergus moved the adjournment of the debate till next day, and the House rose at 12.20 a.m.

The House mot at 3.30 p.m. on Thursday. Replying to questions, Ministers said : That Government were considering the best means of preventing the wholesale destruction of reck oysters in the North and would bring up a report on the subject ; that the Railway Department could not see their way to attach a passenger carriage to the first goods train from Mosgiel to Dunedin ; that at present Government could not see their way to tendering ocean steamers outside the Bluff in order to expedite the delivery of the mails ; that Government did not think it wise to iocur an additional outlay of £IBOO per annum in order to supply all the public libraries in the colony with free copies of the statutes —the principal libraries were already supplied ; that Government was not aware that the spirit of the Land Act as regards perpetual leasing had been evaded by the Dinedin High School Board, which had placed a higher valuation on the lands than that prescribed by law ; that a sum had been placed on the Estimates for the construction of roads in the village settlement of Rakaia. Mr Johnston introduced a Bill to amend the Financial Arrangements Act 187 G. Leave of absence was granted to Mr O’CoriDor for one week, in consequence of illness. Sir George Grey gave notice of a Bill to provide for the election of Justices of the Peace. Mr Locke moved for a return re Naliv# Lands.—Agreed to. Mr Brown moved that a return be laid before the House allowing the pteseot value of all lands and Government buildings erected thereon exclusive of railway stations and charitable institutions.— Agreed to. The House then went into Committee on the Tiniarn Harbor Board Loan, and the Wellington Corporations Leases, Bill, and there were ultimately passed with amendments, reported, and ordered to be considered on Thursday. The Otago Harbor Board, the Christchurch Market Reserve, the Invercargill Loan Consolidation, the Dunedin Cattle Market Reserve Leasing, and the Napier Harbor Board. Empowering, Bills were read a second time. The Armed Constabulary Act 1867 Amendment Bill was reported, read a third time, and passed. The School Committees Election Bill was reported, read a third lime, and passed, Mr Downie Stewart moved the second reading of the Bible Reading in Schools Bill. He said the Bill was introduced for the purpose of giving effect to a very widespread deshe that the Bible should be recognised in the public schools of tiie colony. 11 they looked to the countiies where civilisation was highest and arts and sciences most extensively known, it would be found that it was io those countries where the Bible was recognised as a text book. He contended that the present education system tended to prove that no man had any moral or religions nature. The Catholics were strongly against that system, the Episcopalians were almost wholly opposed to it, and the Presbyterians wore also going in the same direction. The Hon. Mr Stout combated the statement that the education system failed to recognise man’s moral or religious nature. He contended that the schods were worked on the best of lines, and they also taught religion, as the schoolbooks were full of it. Ho had known cases in Scotland where if any one permitted a Dissenter to preach in his church, ha would at once be driven from the island. As far as Bible reading was concerned he had no objection to its being taught in schools provided the undesirable parts of it were omitted. As to the argument that Catholics had been brought in under the present system, he said there were Catholic teachers in all parts of the colony. He said for grown-up people the Bible was grand reading, and had many beauties, but it had to bo read intelligently and with explanation. He hoped the fate of the Bill would show the colony they were de'ermined to have no Slate Church. He wished to see the children of the colony, rich and poor, trained to live in amity and peace, but if they were given separate schools the opposite would result. He moved that the Bill be read that day six months.

Messrs Turnbull, Fulton, Macandrew, Bmce, and Hakuene, supported the Bill, and Messrs Montgomery, J. W. Thomson Levestara, Bevan, Hatch, Grey, Trimble, W. F. Buckland, Pratt, arid Smith opposed it. On a division 18 voted for the Bill and 60 for the amendment. The debate on the second reading of the Hospitals and Charitable Aid Bill was then resumed. A few amendments were made in it and it was ordered to be reprinted. The Bill passed its second reading. The House rose at 12 o’clock.