PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3917, 19 July 1881, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

[By Telegraph.]

(FKOM OUli SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.) Wellington, This day.

Telegrams have been received by Sir George Grey and Mr " Sheehan, representatives of the Thames district, from the local bodies relating the details of the large amount of damage done by the recent floods, and asking them to obtain assistance. On receipt of the telegrams, Sir G-eorge Grey and Mr Sheehan waited on the Premier, who requested the local engineer to report by urtrent telegram this morning the extent of damage done, and the particular instances in which immediate help was absolutely necessary, and further promised the deputation that the matter should have all the attention which Us urgeucy required. The Woman Franchise Bill, introduced by Dr Wallis, provides that any woman of the age of twenty-one years or,upwards having to her separate use and right a freehold estate in possession, situate in any electoral district, of the value of twentyfive pouuds, whether subject to iueum-

brances or not, and to which she ha- s become entitled at least sis calenda 1" months before registration of her vole> shall be qualified as an elector, and to vote at an election of members/ .No other qualification shall entitle her to vote as an elector. THE EOAD CONSTRUCTION BILL.

This is one of the ministerial measures to deal with the question of local government. The main provisions of the Bill j were shadowed forth by the Colonial J Treasurer in his speech on local government. The' Board is to consist of four persons, one to be Minister for Public Works, three to be elected by the House under the direction of the Speaker, and by ballot. The three members of the Board thus elected shall hold office from session to session, and in the event of any i member of the Board dying or resigning during the recess, the Speaker shall appoint another, who shall hold office until the next election takes place. Any member of the House may be a member of the Board, and the Disqualificatiou Act of 1878 is repealed as regards members of the House receiving payment. The Board is made a corporate body, with power to elect a chairman and make bye laws, but such laws are not required to be sanctioned by the Colonial Treasurer. Clause'll, £150,000 of the 1879 loan will be credited to the Board /or the main roads account, and a similar sum will be paid to the same account from the land fund, provided any surplus remains after defraying the expenses of surveys and the administration of Crown Lands. The County Councils are to have the same power over the main roads as though they were County roads. If a County Council wants.aid, it must make application to the Board, and if the Board has funds it will be divisible equally among County Councils applying, and if not, the Board is to grant, and in each case pro rata in sucli manner as the Board considers equitable. One-fourth of the sum obtained from the Board is to be repaid within 10 years, the sum to be. raised by a special rate to be levied. Clause 34 gives the Board power to refuse any application upon the following grounds : That no money is then available, or that the applicants have not complied with the terms of the Act, but the refusal on one occasion is not to prevent an appli cation at a future date. Clauses 39 to 50 inclusive deal with the matters of the special rates, their levy, of the poll of ratepayers, on the question and collection of the special rates by the debenture holders.