GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1914, 9 July 1889, Page 4

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

LESISt ATlV.ii : COUNCIL. On Friday, Mr Wahawaha presented a petition from a number of natives, praying that C. E. Forward, an absconding be prosecuted: The ( File 1 Li stud' ‘Marine 11 insurance Conpahleis'^lll. was ' febrnbiitted irid ! reported with Verbal amendments. V

HOU3E OP ! RBPEB3ENTATIVES. On Friday; | : 1 ! The evidence taken by the commission apfjibihted ! to ; inquire into’ the taking of land s at Poifat Eesoiution wan presented, and on thet motion of Mr Mitchelson it was decided ‘ that the papers lay on the table. 1 ’ n Eeplying to questions, Ministers said that they were making provision for assisting members of divided famalies to j'biri theii relatives in fhe colony. The Government proposed to bring down a Bill ’amending the Slaughterhouses Act.; They proposed to introduce a Bill dealing with Civil l Service reorganisation, and rdtirifag allowances ■ to Civil-' &ervahts; Government; cduld not see their way to increase the minimum letter weight’ to lofc withid the colony," br permit liewspapeH- to pass frbg tFrongh the 1 post; ‘ Government were.considering a proposition to ask t|e ts H()UBe to meet earlier m the afternoon ’ and evening,' sitting then till 11 o’clock, and thus obviating late sittings. ; ; •■ r * A nunib’er of Bills were read a first time. ■' . '■

The Premier moved the second reading bf the’ Post" Office Kill, proyiding for the issue of post csrds for transmission to foreign countries/ arid empowcri.ng theJssue of postal, notes payable at any post office.—Agreed' to. The Mim'stei of,'Justice moved f the second reading of the Patients Designs and Trade-marks Bill.—Agreed to.

The Premier moved the second reading ofibe .Qtago ~.Central Eailway Bill. Jil House had- by large majorities declared that the line should’ btf cohstifucfed bt the - expense of the land benefited by it, which 1 the Bill ndl pr'optiied. - If the., line urbre carried’M to Eweburn it wOiild give a ver j considerable return for £200,000 of * total expenditure, while, about 20,000/settlers would be benefitted.— Messrs Ballance, Pyke,. J. McKenzie, W. D. Stewart, and others supported the measure, while ! Dr Hodgkirisori and Mr Moss opposed it.—The dObato was adjourned. At 7.30 Mr Hislop moved the second reading of the Eepreientation Bilk • It had been said that the preterit was not opportune for making a change in this direction, but there was no time like the preierif for laying the ■ foundation of an h . electoral system on the right principles/ Thri Bill provided that the colony should he divided into four districts;' a number of members being assigned a td each’ diatTict/according to the peculation/ TheSe diMricts wOiild be subdiyiaed. Nominations of candidates were to be sent to the returning officerb; 'of' the , divikibns/ and each candidatb wris to be noiriinated/by; 10’ electors... After referring to the voting provisions of the Bill, Mr/ Hislpp saidthat the/Bill, would; destroyi localism, The Bill- had been* referred to by the opponents as. being' too complicated, but there was no difficulty in working the system. —Mr Ballance said that the appropriateness’ of the system to the conditions of tfie 'colony l bad riot been sbownr It would take an average man years to understand' the- system;' to make a choice of the large number of candidatesjijbat WQrild be necessary was too largS a working man in these days of eight hours. The not ready for such a, change o xt centmty* He rh-* commended the Colonial Secretary tb f withdraw the measure.—Mr W. P. Beeves thought/lhat clause 5 limiting the Housa' to VO members was the most important clause in the Bill. In October, 1884, the Premier had stated that he waS mTaVbßbf’a'large Hbuse; but a little; ovfcr f two ? years alter'that be introduced" a * Bill" to • reducr the; number of members, stating that he' had always baen’fiffip(ybV’ of;a «ma|l House.,, one of the wmifc .drawn /that. be bad,,, eyer seen. The average voter could [ not He objeCMd to r a sys-; tem that cbnfined tbfe' franchise to the educated and wealthy • riseless 1 Veti-all -sd; f'tH®' G’Cbrinbr 'BiiCpprted it.— moved as ah amendmeri'f that thg/Bjilj/be; read ;a/ second time this, day six months.—On the motion of the Premier the debate waS -ad-’ journed. adjourned at 10.30.