PARLIAMENTARY.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3568, 3 June 1880, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

-■ (Pee Press Association.) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wellington, Wednesday. The House met at 2.30. MINISTERS* SALARY. Sir Geo. Grey gave notice of motion for the reduction of the salaries of Ministers. THE AGENT-0-ENEBAL. Mr Gisborne gave notice of motion relative to the Agent-General's recent contest for a seat in the Imperial Parliament. , MAOEI PRISONERS. Sir Geo. Grey gave notice that he would move for a return of all correspondence relative to the discharge of Maori prisoners from Dunedin Gaol. PRESENTATION OF ADDRESS IN REPLY. The House adjourned for a few minutes; and, on resuming, the Speaker reported that the Address in Eeply had been presented to the Governor. MISCELLANEOUS QUESTIONS. Leave of absence for one week was granted to Mr H. Hirst (Wallace). In replying to questions, it was stated by Ministers that twenty thousand pounds had been paid as succession duty in the estate of W. B. Bhodes, deceased, but £18,000 had been refunded by order of the Supreme Court. Government did not intend to bring in an Education Act Amendment Bill. A sum of £50 had been provided for medical attendance for the Wairoa district, East Coast, and if a medical man could be found willing to accept the amount the appointment would be made. The proclamations in existence were sufficient for preventing the spread of pleuro-pneumonia from the North td the South islands. A circular had been sent to the heads of departments instructing them to distribute Government advertisements to newspapers independent of all questions of politics, and there was reason to believe the order had been obeyed. Government would not introduce a bill dealing with payment of members. The Government did not consider any subsidy to be due to the Hannah Mokau. £1000 had been spent upon it by way of j mortgage, and as the vessel was not likely to perform the public service for which it was engaged, steps would be taken for the recovery of the mortgage by whatever means it could. The £5,000,000 loan had been issued at 5 per cent., but the holders had the option of converting the debentures to 4 per cent, for the £100 debentures. At the latest date £1,160,000 had been converted and practically when all was converted the loan would represent a debt of £6,000,000. BILLS. The following bills were introduced and read a first time:—-Fire Brigades, Napier Church Trust, Hospital and Charitable Institutions, and Drainage. PATETERE LANDS. On the motion of Sir Geo. Grey, it was agreed that all correspondence relative to any lands (native or Government) in the Patetere district should be produced. COMMITTEES. Sessional Committees were elected, and also a Committee to report upon the Bankruptcy Law Amendment. The Regulation of Elections Bill was read a second time, and the Home adjourned at 4.40 till to-morrow.