GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1751, 16 June 1888, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. On Wednesday Sir Frederick Whitak-r presented * petition from Auckland fruit growers, protesting against the Cedlin Moth Bill. The report of the Ceramittseon the Criminal Code Bill w»s raid and ordered , to be printed. '' Mr Waterhbu»e<« moved—" That this Council, considering nut in passing laws each different Matter should be provided for by a different law,withonfc internnliing .. in one and the same jaw such things *a have no proper relntion to each other, will refute to sanction any proposed legislation of the nature of ' Special Powers and Centracts Acts.' "—The resolution was oarrisd by 15 to 7. The Speaker took hie seat at 2.90 p.m. on Thursday.; , Sir George Whitmore. moved that the report of the Midland Railway Committee be agreed to.—After gone debate the motion was carried oo a division by 10 to 5. The Administration Act 1879 Amendment Mill was committed, and after several verbal amendments had been agreed to, progress was reported. '" The Land Transfer Act .Amendment Bill was tommitted, and progress wai reported. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. On Wednesday, The Land for' Settlement Bill was re* divert from the Wasta 'L'tods .Committee, and ordered po be committed on the 20th June. Mr Rhodes resumed the debate on the committal of the Customs Duties Bill. He supported Mr Bsetham's amendment, as be held it was impossible for the House to ascertain whether a farther reduction could be made till the Public Works Statement was brought down, fie regretted that he could not support the tariff proposals as brought down by the Government. Almost the only election pledge he had given was to resist any ~ tax. He was opposed to raising the school age and to the abolition of boards.—The debate wss continued by Messrs Blake, Anderson, Loughrey, Thomson, Monk, flpbbs, Q'.Gpnhpr,, , Frajer, r .. Moss, J. McKenzie, Hocjgkinson, Taylor,; Ormond, and Menteath.—Mr Buxton believed Goment had carried out their retrenchment policy in •» effective a manner as could have been done, and as to the .tariff proposals, he should support them as a whole. On the understanding that, the subsidies were to be continued for fome time, he should vote for the tea duty.! He would be careful/ however, while supporting the Government in this question, to see in what company he found himself. He advised those who wanted to interfere with the education, vote to turn their attention to secondary instead of primary education.

Mr O'Callaghan moved the adjournment of' the debate, and the House rose at 12.15 a.mi f ' /.-'

On Thursday Mr O'Oallaghan resumed the debate on the committal of the Customs Duties Bill.— Messrs. Dodaon, Tjuwhanga, Carroll, Marchant Reeves, Fulton, Ross r Barron, and Sir John Hall follewed.—f he House divided, and: the motion i for going into committee was carried by 50 to 27.—The Premier said there, were aot two of the Freetraders who agreed in their speeches as to what, ought, to have baen done ia place,of the Government proposals. He , could not understand the seceders glingoyer this question ,of Protection. There was no principle/involved ia the matter,' as the country 7 , already had high import duties. Would 'any of them have the courage to get up and propose a purely policy ? Much as he regretted losing old .friends, still he must do his duty to the country irrespective of friends. It was evident from trj'e debate that the House would not agree; to ■ raisiner the school age' nor abolishing subsidies to local bodies. He had been twitted with bringing down taxation proposals identical with Sir Julius Vogel's, but those who ' said so had altogether overlooked the fact that, before asking for more revenue, they had reduced expenditure by aearly ft quarter of a million. It was possible they might find next year, .that more revenue would be wanted, though he hoped not. But all he could .say was that : if it were found necessary he must have it. With regard to local government, he said that the bill just.brought in at Home was almost on all fours.}with the system in existence here. He saw nothing vicious in helping those bodies which had the important duty of keeping roads in order, and to do that subsidies must be continued. He hoped; that now the battle was over all would , help to get the Bill through, Committee.rrThe Bill was con- i sidered in Committee., , Clause 1 was passed, and progress,reported. . The House adjourned: at midnight.