PARLIAMENTARY.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3889, 16 June 1881, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

(Pjeu Pbess Association.)

HOUSE OF BEPBESENTATIVES.

Wellington, Wednesday,

The House met at 2.30. ( In the House to-day, in reply to questions, Goverameufc stated ~(1.) That they were alive to the desirability of establishing direct steam service between the Colony and the United Kingdom, and intended to instruct the Agent-General to obtain full information as to the terms onwhich a full service would be established, so that next session the House could fully consider the matter; (2) That it was intended to provide for the erection of new lighthouses, but Government were unable to say to whatacount, or the localities, at present; (3) Government could not say, until the Financial Statement was made, whether it was intended to impose an import duty on maize j (4.) That Government could ■.' not promise to reintroduce the drainage clauses struck out of the Pubii* Works Act last session.

The following motions wore carried :— For certain' census particulars (Gisborne); Men employed on Public Works, and A.C.'s iv each electoral district (Mae'dudiw).

In reply to a motion by Sir G. Grey, Mr Hall stated that the detached squadron would .only visit Auckland in .New Zealand. .PUBLIC LIBRARIES. Mr Gisborne moved that the House go into committee on a future day to consider the question of placing £6000 on the estimates for public libraries. Mr Hall hoped the matter would be postponed till after the Financial Statement. ADBESS IN REPLY. Mr Bunny resumed the debate on the Address in Jtteply. He said that believing Government had done their duty well in a case of great emergency, he would be very loth to do anything to endanger their seat, but that was no reason why their friends should not give them good advice. It was generally to be regretted that the only reference to the most important question of the day was providing local govern- j ment for Chatham Islands instead of j handing over the whole Government of i the country to heads of departments, i Government should, during the recess, bare consulted representatives of the people as well as during Parliament. On local matters ail members, whether Opposition or not, would gladly give assistance to avoid ridiculous blunders, causing much local inconvenience, which now constantly, arose. The number of local bodies should be reduced; counties should be united, and wade independent. They should make each chairman a member of the Waste Lands Board, and vote money to open up the country by roads and bridges before selling land, even if the money had to be borrowed. Government must take up the question of local government, or he and others would support someone else who would do so. ihe present system of railway management was rotten to the core. If it was made what it should be, < railways would pay far better. Regarding native matters, too much had been made of Te Whiti, and he regretted Mr Bryce had not been permitted to end the nonsense once, for all. Mr Beetham thought that though County government was capable of improvement, it was uot so bad as represented. It might be advisable to appoint a committee to consider the local government question. The motion for the Address in Reply was then put and agreed to. ' THE LICENSING BILL. Mr Dick moved the second reading of the Licensing Bill, explaining the points wherein it differed from the bill which passed its second reading last session, and expressing a desire to push it through the House as early as possible. - Sir W. Fox said he would not oppose the bill, but did not think it would do any good, as it was founded on a' totally wrong principle. He was speaking when the House rose for dinner.