GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2229, 18 July 1891, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Wellington, July 15 LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

The council met at 2.30 p.m. on Thursday.

THE KAITANGATA FUND,

The Kaitangata Colliery Explosion Committee reported that the fund had been faithfully and judiciously administered. MAJUiIAGE BILL.

The Marriage Act Amendment Bill was further considered in Committee.

Mr Wilson moved a new clause, the effect being to legitimatise children born out of wedlock.

A long debate ensued, the general tenor of which was against the clause being inserted in the Bill. Members thought the clause an equitable one, but one which should be inserted in a separate Bill.

After the debate progress was reported and leave given to sit again next Tuesday. The Council adjourned at £.35 p.m.

HOUSE OF EEPKESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday. ' ' *

SCHOOL BOOKS,

Mr Earnshaw moved that the Government take into consideration the advisability of providing school books and requisites to scholai-s at first cost, and also the necessity of producing national school books dealing with the agriculture, minerals, natural history, etc., of New Zealand. He said that the continuous change of books in the public schools was very inconvenient and expensive. Mr Blake said that he had no objection to the motion, but thought that it would be a waste of money, as when the franchise was extended to women, denominational education would be obtained.

Several other members also spoke in support of the motion, and Mr Reeves did not agree with the proposal to abolish high schools. Mr Earnshaw's motion had his warmest sympathy, and if it were carried the Government would assist to the utmost.

The motion was agreed to on ,the voices.

The House adjourned at 5.80 p.m The House resumed at 7.30 p.nii

DIVOIICE AMENDMENT BILL.

Mr Joyce moved the second reading of the Divorce Extension and Amendment Act, 1891. The Bill was in the main the same as that brought before the House by Mr Samuel in 1889, but a few additional clauses were added providing that divorce could be granted after desertion or separation for 7 years; also for adultery and for imprisonment for crime.

The motion for the second reading was agreed to on the voices.

KAILWAYS UKPEAL BILL*. Mr Palmer moved the second reading of the Government Railways Act 18S7 Repeal Bill. He said that the House was aware that by the Act of 1887 the control of the railways of the

colony was vested in Railway Commissioners, and the present Bill simply

proposed to repeal the principle, and to place the railways again under the

control of the New Zealand Government. He asserted that the Railway Commissioners had not carried out their duties with general satisfaction, and looking at their appointment from

a commercial point of view, he contended that the whole thing was a failure, ' Mr Rees looked upon this as one of the most important questions that could be brought before the House or country. There was no expert of any kind among the Commissioners, and not one of them possessed any practical knowlege whatever. He should certainly support the Bill. Other members having spoken. Mr Seddon said that the Government would oppose the Bill. He deprecated any sudden change being made now in the management of the railways, and said that such a change would lead to disaster. Up to the present the Commissioners had not had a fair trial, and those who now advocated handing the railways over to the Government would

afterwards regret the stand they had taken if it resulted in injury to the colony. As the Commissioners were appointed for a term of years he thought it would be unwise to reverse that action. The question was one of policy which should have been dealt with by the Government and not by a private member. Mr Buckland spoke in support of the Commissioners. Mr Pinkerton moved the adjournment of the debate for a week which was agreed to. CORONERS JURY ABOLITION BILL. The Coroners Jury Abolition Bill, introduced by Mr Guiness, was read a second time without discussion, on the understanding that a debate would take place on the motion for the committal of the measure. The House rose at 12.35 a.ra. The House met at 2.30 p.m. on Thursday, POST AND TELEGRAPH CLASSIFICATION. : Replying to Mr Wright, Mr Ward ' s lid that the classification of officials 1 in his department had been prepared > by the permanent heads of the Depart- 1 meat. The number of appeals lodged < against the classification were 80 from the Postal Department and 162 from 1 the Telegraph Department. Those s appeals would be dealt with as soon as j the Classification llill had passed the 1 House. ‘ if.

LAW PRACTIONERS BILL. Sir George Grey moved the second reading of the Law Practitioners Bill. He said that what Parlioraent was asked to do to-night was to say that all. that a person required to enter the l"g a * Profession was a perfect knowledge of his own native language and of the laws of his own country. Mr Hutchison (Dunadin)y Mrßees, and Mr Smith (New Plymouth), supported the Bill, and Mr .Rhodes opposed it. , ,'':'':,'• ■

The motion was agreed to on the voices. -

PRIVATE SCHOOLS BILL.

Mr Hutchison (Waitbtaru) moved the second reading of the, Private Schools Bill. It was urged in many quarters that the State systeln of education would be endangered-' by a measure of that kind becoming law, but he had a better opinion of the State system of educationjthan to think that it would be in any way endangered by such a measure of justice as this. Mr Buick, Mr Perceval, Mr Reeves, and Mr C. H. Mills entirely agreed with the main principle 6f the Bill. Mr James Mills opposed the measure.

The Hon. W. P. Reeves could not support the Bill, because it would lead to the degeneration of the national system of education. They must either give the Catholics the same capitation grant as the State schools or none at all, and for his own part he would say give them nothing.-. The people of the colony did not think that there was any danger of the Private Schools Bill passing, -but; qnce they knew that there was a chance of it becoming law, they would rise en masse against it. . „

Captain Russel would supporl' the Bill.-, 11 ■:/;; y The Premier supported the second reading, as it appeared to him 'that the passing of the Bill would not prejudice or impair the present sehool system.

Sir John Hall thought that a-great blot on our school system was the entire absence from its teaching of religion and morality, ..,..■-,r Mr Scobie McKenzie, Mrßuckland, Mr E. M. Smith, 'and Mr Meredith, could not support a Bill of this kind.

Mr Rees considered that it was a fatal mistake to banish the .Bible from schools. He did not think that the Bill would interfere with the present course of instruction given in the schools, and he would therefore; vote for ,it; t :.. , Mr Saunders, Mr Pinkerton; Mr Duth'ie, and Mr Moore spoke against the Bill.

The motion for second reading was; lost by 33 to 18, and the House rose at 2.15 a.m.

The following is the division* fist; — For (18) —: Ballance,' ; Car&ross," Buick, Carroll, Duncan, Hall, HallJones; G-. Hutchison, W:' Kelly, Macintosh, McGuire, C. H. Parata, Perceval, Rees, W. C. Valentine, and Ward. : J^^A gainst (33)—Blake, Auckland, Cadman, Duthie, Fergus, Fisher, Guinness, HarknesSM Hogg, Houston, W. Hutchison, Joycem J. Kelly, Lawry, M. J. ; & Meredith, Mitchelson, Moore, NeAVman, Pinkerton, W. Pp Reeves,. Rhodes, Richardson, Rolleston, Saun- 'i ders, Shera, Swan, Tanner, R. Thomp-J son, T. Thompson, and J. W. Thompson. - ; : Pairs--For : W. 11. Reeves, Fish, Russell, Kapa, Wilson, OConor, niid Taipua. Against: .■.. Wright, liryce, Palmer, Hamlin, Macarthar, Seddon, and J. Mackenzie, j

ARRIVAL OF THE SAN FRANCISCO MAIL.

Auckland, July; 17. Arrived, at 9.30 a.m. - E.M.S. Mariposa, from San Francisco; t Passengers for New Zealand—Mrs Houghton, Sir A. Campbell, Mr S. Brown, Mrs Faukes. Among the passengers for Sydney are J, L. : Sullivan and wife.

GENERAL SUMMARY. Mr Parnell was compelled to obtain a special license to marry Mrs O'Shea, owing to delays interposed by the clergymen at Brighton. _ The Dockers Union h-is issued a propaganda in the agricultural districts dissuading agricultural laborers from flo'cking to the seaports in the hope of bettering their wages. Alarmed by five recent Wesleyara discussions on inspiration and Sabbath: keeping, Mr Spurgeon, with a number of other signed on June 22nd a manifesto declaring for thorough Calvinism, and accepting both the Old and New Testaments as the word of God, • declaring the two must stand or fall together. Captain Hawkes, ..of ; : the, .British Army, has been sent to gaorfor three, weeks at hard labor, besides being heavily fined, fbr criminally assaultingMiss Clara Burgess, a member, of his: household. \ '• ;

Michael Davitt's Labor World,, which lias just snspended, was a failure financially. There was £IO,OOO behind . the enterprise, and nearly £5,000 has> been expended without any apparent success. The cause of the suspension, was unknown to Davitt, whci is now at Oakland's, California.

A story comes from Paris on June 13th, that Sirs Langtry, in a misunderstanding with her latest admirer, Abington Uiiird, had both eyes blackened. Bairtl struck the woman twice,

Since Ist June more than a thousand alien paupers have landed in London* and public feeling on the subject is being aroused. Mrs o'Shea's daughters opposed her marriage with Parnell, but as their mother is rich and their father poor, it is believed they will eventually udnergo a change of heart. On June 16th the expected strike by the laundresses of London began vigorously. Thousands of female employees of the laundries went out for 8 hours and 42d per day. Later they formed a procession and marching from laundry to laundry smashed the windows of establishments where nonunion labor was employed, and dragged out such of the women as manifested a disposition to remain at work. When the police appeared they were jeered by the belligerent females, wlm went right ahead with the work of intimidation.

AMERICAN ITIMS.

Commander Bellington Booth, of the Salvation. Army, now on a visit of inspection to the States is being ostentatiously received. The Irish envoys to the United States in the interest of Mr Parnell are hopeless of making any headway in their mission, and have decided to return. Mr Parnell himself intends to visit America in August next. tA Baptist clergyman of Boston, Mass., locked horns on the subject of masonry, and one or two ministers who belong to the order have left the Conference rather than be abused by iheir fellow religionists. Chapelsfast, of Germantown, Pa. has constructed a balloon by which he expects to reach Europe in thirty hours from Pennsylvania. William McKinley, father of the present high tariff, was nominated for Governor of Ohio on June 17th, by

the Republican Convention. When ■" 'Blaine's name was mentioned as the ./. prospective'Presidential candidate, it ~; was hailed with thunders of applause. Joseph Emmett, the actor, died at Cornwall, on the Hudson, N.Y., on K June 15th of pneumonia. Deceased was well knoAvn in Australia. ' Penrose, editor of the Mining •> Journal, Buttle, Motana, and a member of the Legislature, was assassinated near his own door step on June 10th by a shot through the head. There was no trace of the murderer. Belle Browning was arrested on isuspicion but she denies any knowledge of it. " .' '' The German squadron Leipsic, Alexandrine, and Sophia, under command of Admiral Valois, en route to Japan, put into Sau Francisco harbor on June oth and remained till next • , evening.