PARLIAMENTARY.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3428, 17 December 1879, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

The proceeding! in Parliament jester el ay were not of very great importance. The third reading of the Property Tax Bill was carried bj 32 to 23. The Harbors Act Amendment, and the Electoral Act Bepeal Bill No. 2 was passed. At the Evening Sitting some discussion took place on the motion for the second reading of the Public Works Bill. Mr DeLautour, in hit remark* on the proposal to appropriate £508,000 for the purchase of district railways, said the House were denied the information of what lines it was proposed to purchase. The hon. member then pate the names of the promoters of Tarions lines, and showed that these promoters were the persona whose lands were most extensirely benefited by the con str act ion of these lines, that the majority of their holdings were wholly uhimpr»vfd, indeed the owners themselves were not residents in the district. It was evident that the promoters of these lines were solely actuated by a design to eat up their properties and leave the burden entailed by the making of the lines upon the pvrcbageri. Ha had mo wish to

detain the Home, but it was right the House should know these facts in order that it might; be on its guard. These companies were promoted by the owners of the land, the land being of such a character that it would not; pay them to turn it it to any use. All they aim at is to get quit of the land at such an enhanced price as a railway line would give them. Messrs Driver, MeLeun, MoCaughan, Studholmo and he believed the Minister of Public Works himself, were all pecuniarily interested in this question, and he would submit that these gentlemen ought not to remain in the House and rote on this' question. Mr Studholme denied that he wai pecuniarily interested. The Speaker ruled it would not be right for any member interested in these works to vote on the subject. Mr Montgomery intimated that he would do all in his power to prevent the expenditure passing. Mr Macandrcw spoke in support of the measure, but would more amendments in Committee. Mr Pyke objected to several clauses of the Bill. It would take £5,000,000 of money to complete the*e lines., Other members, including Sir G. Grey, spoke in strong opposition, after which Mr Oliver admitted he had 75 shares in the Waimate line. In Committee the question was discussed, but our Parliamentary message from which the above is abridged, does not give the result.

In the Council yesterday afternoon the ■econd reading of the Property Tax Bill was carried after a heated discussion by 14 to 10.