GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2409, 8 October 1892, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday. ELECTORAL BILL. Mr Oliver brought up the report of the Managers of the Council on the Electoral Bill. The Managers reported that the C inference had been unable to agree. Mr Oliver said that the Council’s Managers had done all in their power to come to an understanding with the Managers of the House, but had failed. BILL PASSED. The Land and Income Assessment Act Amendment,Bill and several local Bills passed their final stages. THE COUNCIL AND THE HOUSE. Committees were appointed to confer with the House on the amendments in the Land Bill and the Shops and Shop Assistants Bill. BILLS DISCHARGED. The Animals Protection Act Amendment Bill was discharged from the Order Paper. At 4.35 p.m. the Council adjourned till next day. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. on Thursday. MINING BILL. The Mining Bill passed its final stages. VALIDATION BILL. The Native Lands Titles Validation Bill was read a second time, and referred to the Native Affairs Committee. PAYMENT OF MEMBERS BILL. Sir Patrick Buckley moved the second reading of the Payment of Member’s Bill. —After some discussion, during which several members said they had changed their opinion since last session and would now vote for the measure, an amendment by the Hon. W. Reynolds that the Bill be read a second time that day three months was put and lost by 12 to 7. The second reading was agreed to, and the Bill subsequently passed its final stages without alteration. BILLS PASSED. The Selectors Land Re-valuation Continuance Bill, and the Westland Churches, Schools, and Hospitals Vesting Bill passed the Committee, and their final stages. At 5.30 p.m. the Council adjourned. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m, on Wednesday. THE HOUSE AND THE COUNCIL. It was decided to disagree with the amendments made by the Council in the Industrial Conciliation Bill, and Captain Russell, Mr Earnshaw, and Mr Pinkerton were appointed a Committee to draw up reasons. Mr J. McKenzie, Mr Seddon, and Mr Duncan, were appointed a Committee to confer with the Council on the amendments in the Land Bill. BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE. Replying to Mr Rolleston, Mr Seddon said that ho hoped to be able to finish the business this week. ELECTORAL BILL. Mr Seddon brought up the report of tho Managers appointed to confer with the Council on the Electoral Bill. He explained that, as to the question of electoral rights for women the Managers from the Council had agreed that electoral rights should not apply to the four large cities, which the House Managers considered as an aggravation, and would not do justice to men in towns. They therefore could not agree to that. With regard to the subdivision of city electorates, the Council Managers agreed not to insist on that, if the majority of the House desired the electorates to remain as at present, but the Managers from the House objected to put the House in that position. He, therefore, moved that Sir John Hall, Mr W. Hutchison, Mr Pinkerton, and the mover, be appointed a Committee to draw up reasons for disagreeing with the Council’s amendments.

Mr Rolleston thought that there was a fair chance of a compromise with the Council on this matter. He hoped that some agreement would be come to on it. If tho House prorogued without passing this Bill the country would not think much of its diplomacy. He spoke as an opponent of the female franchise, but still he thought that every effort should be used to pass the Electoral Bill. It would be, he considered, a graceful thing for Mr Seddon to resign his position on the Conference, and allow another Minister to take his place, in order to effect a reasonable compromise. The debate was interrupted by the 5.30 p.m, adjournment, The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. THE ELECTORAL BILL.

The report of the Managers on the * Eleetoral Bill was ordered to lie on the table a* Mr Addon’s motion inviting another conference with the Council was carried, Mr Ward’s name being added to the committee as suggested in the afternoon. BILL I‘ASSBD. The Native Land Validation of Titles Bill was read a third time and passed. INTERCEPTING SUPPLY. On the motion that the House go into Committee of Supply Mr E. M. Smith moved an amendment to the effect that the Government should assist in the manufacture of iron and steel for the public works of the colony, and for that purpose should grant a subsidy of £ for £ up to £3OOO. Mr Seddon said that Mr Smith had not approached the Government with respect to his amendment, and they could not accept it as intercepting supply at this period of the session. After a short debate the amendment was lost by 29 to 25. THE PUBLIC WORKS DEBATE. Mr Mitchelson, in opening the debate on tho Public Works Statement, said that Mr Seddon was deserving of great censure for delaying the Statement till such a late period of tho session. Mr Seddon showed by his Statement that the expenditure on public works last year was considerably less than the previous year, but he (Mr Mitchelson) quoted Mr Seddon’s own figures to show that he was no less than £56,000 out of his reckoning. It was to be noticed that the railways on which money was to be spent this year wore mainly of a non-productive character and would not when finished in many cases pay for grease for the wheels. Ho pointed out that as Mr Seddon proposed to spend nearly £275,090 this year, the Government next year would have to face an empty Treasury with an alternative of further borrowing. Sir John Hall pointed out that during tho discussion on this important part of the Government policy there was absoiutcly no quorum of members present. Tho Ministry were being congratulated on the adoption of a self-reliant policy, but he quoted from several portions of the Statement to show that works were not to ho carried out by ordinary but by indirect borrowing. It must strike everyone that Mr Seddon had been very ungenerous and very unfair towards the Railway Commissioners, and there was evidently an anxiety on his part to undermine and belittle the Commissioners in every possible way. It would be a great misfortune in hi* opinion to revert

to the political management of railways, but even a worse thing than that was proposed in Mr Seddon’s Bill, by which he was to have the vetoing power over the Commissioners as well as all the management of the railways. Messrs Fish, Bruce, Harkness, Richardson, Guinness, Allen, Thos. McKenzie, Hogg, E. M. Smith, and others spoke. Mr Rolleston considered the Statement a poor one in every way, and condemned the policy outlined in it. He thought money would be better expended in reading the country. Mr Seddon did not exercise his right of reply. SUPPLY. The House went into Committee of Supply for the consideration of the Public Works Estimates. Mr Rolleston objected to going on Estimates at such a late hour (4.20 a.m.) but the Minister and several members urged that some progress be made with them, and it was agreed to go on. Immigration, £soo.—Agreed to. Public Works Department, £5700. At this stage Mr Rolleston moved to report progress.—Lost by 14 to 25, and the vote was agreed to. Class 3 Railways, including new works, additions to open lines and permanent way, sleepers and rolling stock and railway capital account, £237,755. — Agreed to after one or two attempts at reductions had been negatived. Grey mouth-Hokitika line, £20,000. — Carried. Otago Central, £30,000. —A proposal that the vote be reduced by £SOOO was lost, and the vote passed. Roads, £168,552. Mr Richardson moved to reduce the item grants in aid £11,159 by £SOOO, saying the vote would attract working men from legitimate employment on to the Government cooperative works.—Lost by 27 to 8, and the item passed. Waterworks on goldfields, £6000; telegraph extension, £18,227; harber defences, £5000; rates on Crown lands, £llOO ; charges and expenses of raising loans, £6OOO, were all agreed to without alteration. Public buildings, £53,787. —The item £12,000 for Porirua Asylum was reduced by £IOOO on the motion of Mr Seddon, and the vote as amended was passed. Part 2 Public Works Department, £IB,OOO ; Marton-Te Awamairhu railway extension works and surveys, £57,000; and purchase of Native lands, North Island, £55,044, were agreed to. This finished the estimates. Progress was reported, and the House rose at 7.15 a.m. on Thursday. The House met at 2,30 p.m. NORTH ISLAND MAIN TRUNK RAILWAY. Mr Wright brought up the report of the Special Committee appointed to consider the best route for the North Island Main Trunk Railway. The report was practically to the effect that neither the Stratford nor central route should be adopted till exploration and surveys shall have been made, and native land acquired along the line in anticipation of the con- ' struction of the railway. On the motion of Mr Shera it was agreed that the report be referred to the Government for consideration, and that they be requested to lose no time in carrying on the surveys necessary to give effect to it. CLOSE OF THE SESSION. Replying to Mr Rolleston, Mr Seddon said that he hoped to be able to finish the business of the session on Saturday, and prorogue on Monday or Tuesday, LOCAL BILLS. Local Bills were under consideration during the remainder of the afternoon. The House rose at 5.30 p.m., and resumed at 7.30 p.m. LAND BILE. Mr McKenzie brought up tho report of the House Managers on the Land Bill, He said that the Council would not insist on the amendments made in several clauses. An agreement had been arrived at with the Council in the clause providing that no person or company shall hold more than one run, and it haebbeen decided that the carrying capacity of the run should be 10,000 sheep and 2000 cattle. The Council had given way on their amendment allowing a person taking up land for any of his children, and the House Managers had not insisted on some other important amendments. Ho therefore moved that the report of the Conference be agreed to. -Carried. NATIVE LAND COURT BILL. The debate on the motion for the second reading of the Native Laud Court Act Amendment Bill was adjourned till next day. MANURE ADULTERATION BILL. The Manure Adulteration Bill passed its final stages. FRIENDLY SOCIETIES BILL. Mr Rees moved the second reading of tho Friendly Societies Act Amendment Bill. He said that it would not interfere with existing Friendly Societies, but was simply meant to allow labourers to form societies under the existing law. The second reading was agreed to on the voices. NAVAL AND MILITARY LAND BILL. The Naval and Military Settlers and Volunteers Land Bill passed through Committee with tho amendments made by the Naval and Military Claims Committee.—The Bill was reported aa amended. THROUGH COMMITTEE, The Public Reserves Vesting and Sale Bill and the Law Pi actitioners'jßill (No. 3) passed through Committee without material amendment. The Law PraC'tit’iouoi'3 Bill (No. 2) was commuted. Clause 2—Admission to practice of the law. Mr Buckland and Mr Guinness offered special objection to Urn proposal contained in the Bill that any person can enroll as a barrister and solicitor without payment of a fee, urging that under this condition of things it would be impossible to maim tain the law libraries and keep up the law ref orts. Sir George Grey, who introduced tho Bill, would not consent to any fee being fixed. Mr Guinness moved to add to clause 2 a provision that persons so admitted to. practice shall have no right to the privileges of any Supreme Court Library in the colony, —Lost by J 7 to 3. Mr Seddon moved to report progress but . egretied the necessity for so doing. The responsibility must post with thos,a who had been obstructing the measure. Ho promised to see that the Bill was placed in a good position on to-morrow’s order paper. The motion was agreed to on the voices. BILLS PASSED. The Public Reserves Vesting and Sale Bill and the Law Practitioners Bill (No. 3), were put through tho final stages. TJie House rose at 2.10 a.m. Butoemk Court. —At the S»fprein§ Court, New Plymouth, Stephen .]eiicpy, $ labourer, was sentenced to five years’ penal servitude for rape. The steamship Camprn, built for tho Cunard Steamsqip New York and Live <» pool service, was successfully launched in Glasgow on September 9th. She ia the largest steamship in the world,