HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thames Star, Volume XI, Issue 3593, 2 July 1880, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

WELLINGTON

Thursday,

Ihe House met at 2 30 D.m

The Bauk of New Zealand Act, 1861, Amendment Bill was read a third time, and passed.

PETITIONS

Sir Geo. Grey presentad. petitions from Auckland, praying that the proposals iv the Licensii:g B'l re clubs be recousi'dered, aud ilie arbitrary powers proposed for Liceusiag Oomm'ssious be modified.

HANSAKD. i Mr Fulton gave notice that he^would moved lLat the expense of Hansard be discontinued. ;

PEOPO3ED TfOOL AND COAJ. DUTIES

Mr Iteeves gave^ notico that ho would move that a halfpenny per pound export duty be imposed oa wool, and 5a per ton on imported coal. the £5,000,000 ioan. .

In reply to; questions,, it was stated that no. more transactions than the £5.000,000 loan are pending under the Consolidation ot Stock Act, or will be entered into without tbe consent of Parliament. CIVIL SEEVJCE BEPOET. '

Government considered it highly inexpedient at present to discuss the allegations made iv the report of the Civil Service Commission. An opportunity for that purpose would be afforded at the proper time. As showing that expediency he stated that a similar question, put yesterday re wagons, was replied to ou the strength of a report made on the subject by tho Middle Island engineer. Since then that report had been contradicted. The House-would see that unless cora)boration of all the fact were obtained it was inexpedient to interfere with the report at all.

TSLKGIiAPH EXTENSION. It would cost £1100 to extend the Telegraph to Hokianga Heads, and Government did not consider the work essential. LEGISLATIVE EXPENDITURE. Government would allow the House to reduce Class 1 Legislature on the estimates without looking upon such as a vote of want of confidence. TjSLEGEAPH FOKMS. '

Forty-ma's million telegraph form* had byen imported iuto tho colony siacj 1873, at a uniform rate of 2s Okl por 1003.

The lowest tender in the colony was 3h 61-:.

FOJiEION TIMBER FOB SLTOEFEKB

Instructions had been given to the Public Works Department to usouomoro foreign (iiulier for sleepers. ,

IMPREST SUPPLY. An Imprest Supply Bill for £300,000 was passed.

NO CONFIDENCE DEBATE

The,debate on On? no-confidence motion was resumed-by Mr BeLsnUoui'. He did not wish to see the Government ousted. Still he was not what was called an in do pen dent member. He was a member of a party imbued wilh liberal principles, and he was contented to go on working with that i party, b/!ioving it would yet gather strength' and influence. The deficiency was the resi'lt of a course of extravagance which had been goitn-; on since the inauguration of the Public Works Policy in 1870. It was not the people who were demora';Sf d, but it was the system The Treasurer had attempted an impossibility in his endeavour to make local bodies independent of the general state of finance. The only \i ay to place the system on a proper footing was to separate the functions the House had usurped from those bodies. He would suggest that the Central Legislature should retain legislative frictions, tin? control of railways, ordinary surveys, registration of laud, teleyaphic, postal pnd defence service. Having retained these he would allow <he districts to deal with the remainder. He felt no re^l retrenchment would bn achieved until the responsibility of administration had in that way been shifted on to the shoulders of the localises. The Government proposals had b en condemned .by a majority of the House. Why then did they not accept and adopt the proposals of the House. (Interrupted by the 5.30 adjournment.)