GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2228, 16 July 1891, Page 4

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Wellington, July 11, LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. GISBORNE HARBOUR BOARD COMMITTEE. The Committee on the Gisborne Harbour accounts reported that great irregularities had occurred, and recommended that a different mode of keeping the accounts of local bodies be adopted. i The Council rose at 3.30 p.m.

. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. REPLIES TO QUESTIONS. Replying to questions it was stated that the Government would take s(eps to diminish the cost of reporting the proceedings of. commissions ; that the Government would be prepared to support any discovery whereby flax could be manufactured at less cost than at present; that the Government proposed to introduce a Bill which went in the direction of suppressing or lessening the circulation of immoral literature in the colony, and that if the Bill did not go far enough, it could be extended with that view ; that the Government intended to afford every facility to the House to discuss the federation question.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS

CANCEIiLA’imV HILL. Tiie Speaker made reference to the Legislative Council Appointment Cancellation Bill, introduced by Mr Bees, and said that after careful research he had come to the conclusion that it was beyond his power as Speaker to arrest the progress of the Bill or deal with it in any special manner. BREACH OK PRIVILEGE. Mr Bryce called attention to a return furnished to the House lately relating to locomotive boilers, and the fact that the Railway Commissioners complained that certain letters were omitted from that return. Mr Seddon luld stated that the reason they were omitted from the correspondence was because they were not pertinent to the subject. He (Mr Bryce) contended that when the House ordered a return to be prepared and laid before the House it was not open to a Minister or'any other person to tamper with it. The Minister of Public Works should not have abstracted the letter, and that being so he desired to move that a" breach of privilege had been committed.

A long discussion ensued, during which Mr Seddon said that the Commissioners had acted in a most unusual manner In the case, and contrary to a Standing Order. If a breach of privilege had been committed those who made the charge should prove it, but he contended that nothing of the kind was proved. Mr Rees moved an amendment that Mr Seddon’s action was in accordance with usual constitutional practice.

Eventually Mr Bryce’s motion was lost on the voices, and Mr llees’amendment was carried by 30 to 21.

BANKRUPTCY IHMi.

Mr Beeves moved the second reading of the Bankruptcy Bill. He said that by far the greater part of the Bill was in the existing Act. No great change in the bankruptcy law was proposed in the present measure, a feature of which was that it did not provide for a special Court of Bankruptcy, but provided for the Supreme Court to have the necessary jurisdiction.

The bill did not take from the - District Courts;the' power which they now possessed, but it contained a new feature,inasmuch as it conferred powers on Resident Magistrates to deal with bankruptcy cases where the liabilities did not exceed £3OO, an appeal being made to the Supreme Court. Clause 138, relating to the punishment of a bankrupt, was a very important one. It proposed that the Official Assignee should prosecute a bankrupt when he .considered if necessary. He must, first, however, consult, the Crown Prosecutor, and if he also was of

opinion that the bankrupt should be prosecuted, the Assicgee' must take action, but not without that opinion. The trial 'should take place in the ordinary way before a Judge andjury. The bill also -proposed to abolish Deputy Offical Assignees, and to provide for Assignees only. Mr Reeves believed that ■- the Bill would be acceptable to the great majority of commerical people in the colony. Several members expressed approval, of the Bill."

COM. JUNKS HILL. Mr Seddon, in moving the second

residing of the Coal Mines Bill, said that no exception had been taken to si > single clausevin it, either by the coal- { miners or by the mine-owners, and he thought it showed that the measure wss not an objectionable one. Sir. George Grey said that he should endeavour to get a provision inserted when the Bill was in Committee that the coal mines should be worked on co-operative principles, and if possible to get the Government to commence working the mines immediately. The motion for the second reading was agreed to, , MINING BILL Mr Seddon moved the second reading of the Mining Bill, which was a consolidating and amending measure. Sir George Grey thought that the time had come when the Goldfields Committee should insert a clause in the Bill, providing that after the 31st July in the present year there should be a reservation of all minerals for the public,

Mr Fergus was 'surprised to hear Sir George Grey’s suggestion, because if it were given effect to it would be a curse to the mining community, and would effectuully destroy all enterprise in goldmining. The second reading was agreed to. The House rose at I a.in.