GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2258, 24 September 1891, Page 4

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

IV eliington, September 22. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. on Monday. SELECTORS LAND REVALUATION BILL. Sir George Whitmore announced that the Conference on the Selectors Land Revaluation Bill had been unable to. arrive at any compromise. NORTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY BILL. The North Island Main Trunk Railway Bill was put through its final stages. COUNTIES ACT AMENDMENT BILL, Mr Buckley moved the second reading of the Counties Act Amendment Bill, which, he regretted, had been so sadly mutilated in another place. After; .further debate the Bill was thrown .out by 16 to 10. The Council rose at 5. p.m. Tie Council met at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE BILL. It was announced that a compromise had been arrived at with the House of Representatives. ELECTORAL BILL. < Dr Grace intimated that the Conference on the Electoral Bill had been unable to come to any agreement. COAL MINES BILL. The Coal Mines Bill has been taken in Committee. < Clause 59, which provides that private' land may be resumed for coal-mining purposes, was amended to exempt thete v lands which have been or may be alienated for coal-mining purposes. ' Progress was reported on the Bill. j RAILWAYS AUTHORISATION BILL. The Railways Authorisation Bill was committed, reported, and passed. SLAUGHTERHOUSE ACT AMENDMENT BILL. The Slaughterhouse Act Amendment Bill was committed? read a third time, and ' passed. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. 1 RABBIT NUISANCE BILL, It was decided to disagree with the amendments made by' the Legislative Council in the Rabbit Nuisance Bill. RAILWAYS. AUTHORISATION AND AMENDMENT BILL. Mr Seddon moved the second reading of the .Railways Authorisation and Management Bill, to authorise the construction of extensions of the Te Aro Railway (Wellington), WhangarebKamo, HelensviUe Northward, and the lOtago Central (Wingatui ballast pit siding). The Bill also proposed to .provide for the management, working, and maintenance of the Kaihu Valley Railway. The was agreed to. The House rose at 5 p.m. that being the hour fixed for the Conference with the the Council on the Land Bill.

The House resumed at 7.30. SECOND BEADING. Mr McKenzie moved the second reading of the Education Endowments and Reserves Management and Exchange Bill to authorise those, reserves being dealt with by the land boards of the colony, and to hand over the various endowments to the trusts to which they belong. Mr Rolleston thought that the Bill as at present drawn would give rice to widespread dissatisfaction, and he hoped that the Minister would allow it merely to deal with the question of exchanging pastoral for agricultural country. ■ In Replying, Mr McKenzie said that the ■ reason the Bill was introduced was inconsequence of the large number of •petitions sent to the House year afteryear complaining of the management of the ; The motion was agreed to. IN COMMITTEE. The Railways Authorisation and Management Bill was taken into committee, repented without amendments, and put through the final stages. INTERCEPTING r SUPPLY, On the motion that the House go into Committee of Supply for consideration of the Estimates, Mr Houston moved an amendment to the effect that no more timber be imported for railway sleepers. Mr Seddon promised to support the

proposition by every means in his power, aud it was agreed on the voices. Mr Guinness moved a further amendment to go into Committee of Supply to the effect that Sir Julius Vogel should not be precluded from presenting his claim to the House through a teahnicality I that it was not presented withm 12 ’ months after the claim arose on the ground of the Statute of Limitations. Mr Reeves said that the' Government could not accept the amendment, and it ■was lost by 44 to 8. | The Premier said that the Government » did not wish to express any opinion as to , the validity of Sir Julius Vogel’s claim, ! but he pointed out that they had no power to allow the i claim to he heard except by a special Act. Mr Kennedy Macdonald rose to make a personal explanation.; He said that he had not received one shilling in any shape or form for his services on the Public . Trust Commission, and, more than that, ‘ he had paid his own personal expenses in connection with the Commission. COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY. The House went into Committee of Supply for consideration of the Public

Works Estimates. Minister for Immigration—£ll4o. Several members expressed the opinion that this vote , should be materially increased > so v that assistance could -be rendered to people who desired to bring out relatives to the colony. After considerable discussion the vote passed as printed; e . : Main roads—£l4,74o. Miscellaneous roads and bridges—£ls,2oo. Grants in aid—£633s. « Hoads to; open up lands for sale—£3Boo. All these votes were carried without iteration. rU3 ESTIMATES. Village settlements £16,949 and roads on goldfields, £29,750, were carried. The voteforthe Grahamston-—Te Aroha line was unsuccessfully attacked, and an ' endeavour was made to have the whole of the money allotted for the Wbodville and Eketahuna line spent at the Wellington end but without avail. „ Progress was reported when the Public Works estimates were finished, and the : {louse roe at 5 am. <*

The House met at 2 30 p.m. LIVE STOCK AND BABBITS COMMITTEE. The Live Stock and Rabbits Committee presented their report, in which they condemned the p actice of quarantining imported stock in private premises, and recommended that the Government negotiate with the other colonies with a view of including the time occupied in the ocean transit of stock if. the ninety days provided in the regulations for quarantine within this colony; also that the expenses of quarantining imported stock be reduced, and that the colony be declared free from scab at the earliest possible date compatible with engagements entered into at the Sydney Stock Conferenc. The Committee confidently expressed a hope that at no distant date free interchange of stock would take place between New Zealand and other countries on lines of perfect safety. 'A long discussion on the part of the country members ensued, and the report eventually was ordered to lie on the table. SIR FRANCIS DILLON BELL.' The Premier gave notice to move next day, bn the occasion of the retirement of Sir. Francis Dillon Bell from the office of Agent-General, that the House desires to thank him for the efficient manner in which he has discharged his duties. I THE EDWARDS CASE. r In answer to a question by Mr Rolleston, as to whether the Government were prepared to make, such provision as would enable Mr Justice Edwards to prosecute his claim against the Government before the Privy Council, the Premier said that the Government had carefully considered the matter, and had come to the conclusion that, as the case was still pending, they were not justified in interfering in it. Mr Fisher i said that he was present in the Court of Appeal when judgement was given by a majority of one in Mr Edwards’ favour. He heard the Attorney-General of the colony declare that the Government would guarantee the costs of the Ebwards action up to date. The Premier observed that the statement made by Mr Fisher had thrown a new light on the case, and the question of contributing towards Mr Edwards’ expenses before the Privy Council would be reconsidered by the Cabinet tomorrow. THE LAND BILL. Mr McKenzie brought up the report of the Conference on the Land Bill. He said that the Managers for the House had done their utmost to bring about a reasonable compromise with the Council, but they had failed to agree on the amendments made by the Council in the vital portions of the Bill. It was now his intention to allow the Bill to drop for this session, jvith a view of reintroducing it next year. On the question being put that the report of the Conference lie on the table, Mr George Hutchison objected to the Bijl being dropped without another effort,

as it made: some very desirable amendments in the present law. The Premier was not prepared to make any conditional surrender to the Council, over this Bill. That Chamber did not represent the country, but he claimed that the Government did represent the views of the people on land settlement. Mr Rolleston sympathised very largely with the attempt now made to come to a conclusion on this Bill. He thought that Mr McKenzie was unwise in going beyond the wishes of a large section of the public in the matter of freehold tenure, concurrent with the system of perpetual lease, and he hoped that another opportunity would be given for a Conference before the Bill wac sacrificed. Mr McKenzie said that if the House decided to hand over the Land Bill to his enemies in the House and the Council he would have to consider his position. After a lengthy discussion Mr Huchison’s amendment was lost by 37 to 27, and Mr McKenzie’s motion, that the report of the Conference lie on the table, was agreed to. ELECTORAL BILL. In announcing that the Conference on the Electoral BUI had failed to arrive at a compromise, the Premier stated that the point on which the deadlock had occurred was the vital clause of the Bill, providing that no elector shall be entitled to have his name on more than one electors roll. The Council had struck out this clause,

and the Managers of the House could not give away on it. He regretted very much that such an important measure would have to be dropped, but as there was no chance of agreement with the Council, the Government could come to , no ether decision. The report of the Conference was ordered to lie on the table. COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY. The House went into Committee of Supply for consideration of the Estimates for the Public Trust Office—£9972. Replying to Mr Rolleston, the Premier said that the Department was now under the Deputy Trustee, Mr Warburton, who would in all probability be appointed Public Trustee, Mr Macarthur drew attention to the item £648, fees to Commissioners, two at £3 10s and one at £llos. Mr McDonald declared that he knew nothing about these fees, and declined to accept the amount that appeared on the Estimates. [Left sitting.]