PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Thames Star, Volume XV, Issue 4909, 3 October 1884, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

[By Telegbaph.]

(FEOM OTB OWN COEEBSPONDENT.)

Wellington, Last night.

The hopes of newspaper proprietors are supposed to have undergone a great and crushing disappointment from the reply given to-day to a question put to Government as to whether it was their intention tc restore the free railway passes to newspapers published within the colony, under such restrictions as would pre?ent any abuse of the privilege. The Minister of Public Works curtly replied that ho was sorry he could not sco his way to making the restriction asked ; after all it were well if this kind of agitation was stopped, for few newspaper proprietors with any proper pride will care to sympathise with such agitation, eren should it be in their behalf. Another sign of the beginning of the end is present in the announcement of the ! Speaker that bills passed out of Committee might at once be read a third time and passed, with a view of expediting business. j Mr Duncan this afternoon presented a | petition from a number of Agricultural | and Pastoral Associations in the colony, | originating with the North Otago Agricultural and Pastoral Association, praying that railway charges on stock for exhibition be largely reduced or altogether abolished, and that free railway passes be granted to judges at all such exhibitions. ETew Bills. The following new bills have been circulated :—Justices of the Peace Act Amendment Bill (Sir G. Grey). The object of this Bill is to require magisterial investigations recording indictable offencs to be heard before a resident magistrate or two J.P.s instead of one Justice as at present. Juries Act Amendment Bill (Sir Geo. Grey). This Bill abolishes graud juries, and requires indictments to be preferred and signed by the Attorney or SolicitorGeneral, or the Crown prosecutor of the district; every Crown prosecutor is to send a copy of the indictment and the depositions on which it was based to the Attorney General, after the trialCriminal Law Procedure Bill (Sir Geo. Grey) This Bill provides that at the trial of all oises of felony or misderaea ' nor, whenever any prisoner or defendant shall be defended by counsel, such counsel may, in his address to the jury, without,, calling any evidence, make a state ment or explanation on behalf cf the prisoner of the facts and occurrences given in evidence against such prisoner in the same manner in all respects as the prisoner himself might do personally, if he were not defended by counsel. West Coast Settlement Eeserves Act Amendment Bill (Eor^ Mr Ballance). — The object of this bill is to more clearly define the power of the Public Trustee under the West Coast Settlement Eeserves Acfc, 1881. It gives the Public Trustee power to lease or exchange any reserves, to order their re sarrey, or to adjust the rent; agricultural leases may be granted for thirty years, and those already granted mayJie extended ; where leases have been granted by the rulin« chiefs or hapus, they may be confirmed by thp Governor, arjd lauds already granted may in certain cases be proclaimed reserves ; all compensation and awards are to be deemed merged in sub" sequent grants or reserves; the Trustee is to consult with expert natives, jn his dealings with reserves, and the interests ol grantees and beneficiaries are to be ascertained and rents distributed accordingly ; they may appoint persons to receive these rents ; enlarged powers of determining as to succession to deceased natives are also given, Native ittads Act Amendment Bill (Mr

Wi Perc) —This bill proposes to bring into force throughout the Worth Island the Native Committees Act, 1883," and prior to any sitting of the Native Lands Court in any district, the district committee is to select fire persons who shall act as assessors at the sitting of the court in such district; at least three assessors must sit with the Judge; when the Native Land Court adjudicates upon the ownership of any block of land, the owners are at once to nominate a committee of not less than fire, or more than fifteen persons, to be a committee of management, the majority is to form the quorum, and the extent and nature of interest of each owner, hapu, or family is to be ascertained ; once the committee is appointed all dealings with the block or any portion of it shall be con ducted by the committee only, and any attempt at dealing with an individual owner is made penal; committees are to be appointed for blocks already through the Coart; vacancies on committees are to be filled by election; minutes are to be kept, and any committee may be removed by the vote of three fourths of the owners; each committee is to have a seat, aud no dealing with the land ie to be valid unless signed by those committeemen on the seal affixed ; after a judge or trust commission has certified that all enquiries necessary under • the Fraud Prevention Act, and this Act have been made, no dealings with the land are to be made without f.he consent and ratification of three-fourths of the owners, such consent to be ascertained at a meeting duly convened in accordance with the provisions of tho Act; subject to such approval the Committee has power (1) to make reserves and portions, (2) to lease, (3) to sell, (4) to raise money upon debentures secured or rtntals of land for purposes of improvement or purchasing stock ; (5) to employ servants, managers, and agents; (6) to farm, manage, improve, and generally ia all ways act as owners, subject always to the approval of the Judge cr Trust Commissioner, as far a3 no owner to sell, mortgage, transfer, or participate in any such share of moneys so to arise, nor shall any such sum be liable to bo seized for any debt of such owner by or under any writ from any court. Power is given to the Governor to make regulations and to-correct omissions, and the Act may be brought into operation over the lands mentioned in the Thermal Springs Act. A commission, consisting of a judge and two assessors, is to be appointed to investigate East Coast troubles. West Coast Expenditure. Two returns laid on the table of the House at a late hour last night are of importance. The first shows the ex penditure by the colony on the harbors of Hokitika, Grey, and Westport, the expenditure upon railways and other public works incidental to and connected with these ports, and the expenditure in connection with the coal measures of Westport and Greymoutb, and the proved extent of the said coal measures up to 31st March, 1884. From the returns it will be seen what an enormous expenditure of public money there has been on the West Coast of the Middle Island. The expenditure on the Hokitika harbor has been £43,000; expenditure and liabilities on the Westport harbor, £13,047; and the expenditure and liabilities on the Greymouth harbor, £125,143; or a total of. £181,191. The expenditure and liabilities upon railways connected with these ports has been as follows : — Hokitika an.d Greymouth Eailway, £20,890 ; Westporc and j Ngakawau Kailway, £207,409; Greymouth aud Nelson Creek Railways, • £188,943 ;or a total of £426,332. The approximate expenditure on the exploration and development of the coal measures of Westport and Greymoulh is £7700, while the proved extent of the coal measures h as follows :—Bnller field, 105,034.000 tons ; Grey field, 102,928,000 tons. A grand total of expenditure thus gives the sum of £615,223.

The next return shows the amount paid to each County under the Beads and Bridges Construction Act since the jcomiug into operation of that Act up to 30th" Sept., 1884, to be as follows : —Bay of Islands, £871; Bruce, £3910; ClutKa, £12,695; Cook, £'3885 ; Coromandel, £1547; Geraldine, £1008; Hawera, £4630; Hawke's Bay, £3984; Hutt, £1368; Inangahua, £203; Lake, £2839; Manawatu, £22,951; Wainatoto, £3467 ; 0r0rwa,£7326; Patea, £264; Piako, £6013; Rangatikei, £8062; Eodney, £306; eouthland, £23,416; Taiere. £2,578; Thames, £10.502; TauraDga, £5000 ; Tuahaka, £2.338; Taranaki, £3000; Vincent, £1472; Waihemo, £4754; Waikato, £3750; Waikouaiti, £3574; Waimate, £8352; Waipawa, £i 50 5; Waimea, £6152; Wairarapa East, £7885; Wairarapa West, £2649; Wairoa, £2279; Waitaki, £2989; Wallace, £4681; Whangarei, £810 ; Wanganui, £560; Westland, £1282; a total of £166,757. This day. The Trunk Railway. The North Island Trunk Kailtvay Committee closed their labors this morning, with the examination of an ofd Thames identity, Mr G. T. Wilkinson, who was j specially sent for to give evidence respecting the probable gold-bearing and mineral resources of the King Country. The Committee have not yet come to any decision as to which route will be recom~ mended. From what I can learn the balance of evidence is in favor of the central route, both as regards tho nature of the country to be opened up and from an engineering point of view. Although thecostof construction via Stratford wonld be less than that of the central route, it is held by sotne members of the Committee that from a colo vial view the line should take the central route even though it should cost a little more and take a longer time in construction, on the ground that this route ! will better meet the requirements of the j future. I understand that four members of the comraittea are in favor of the central route and three in favor of the Stratford oae, but I think I may say with,a degree of confidence that the committee will not absolutely 'recommend tho adoption of either route, but will bring up a half and half sort of report, calculated to please supporters of both routes, and then leave the main question to be settled by the Hou.§o. So far as I pan gather, Mr Wilkinson will probably, be examined as to Adam Porter's claim to a reward for the Aroha gold discovery, and do what he can to assist Mr JBrodie on. tlje p^jipp matter. la ihe House to-day, Mr Fergus gave notice to ask Government if they intended to erect a sanatorium at Ohinemutu.