PARLIAMENTARY.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XIX, Issue 3205, 30 October 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE OF JREPKESENTATIVES. Oct. 28. The House resumed at 7.30 o'clock last night, and immediately proceeded to consider the amendments made in the Counties Bill by the Legislative Council. (Some of the amendments were agreed i to and others were not, and managers • were appointed to confer with the other House,

Mr Sheehan moved to add the following to Mr Stevens' motion :— " And in the event of the contractors electing to call at Auckland, and desiring to discontinue the local service, that they be permitted to do so on making a further reduction of £5,000 subsidy payable to them, the two colonies in such case undertaking to provide for that service at their joint expense." A sharp discussion took place on this amendment. Mr Reynolds insisted that the company should be bound to distribute the mails, even if they used smaller boats. Mr Stafford argued that the resolution as amended was in effect the same a3 the telegram proposed by the Hon Mr Whitaker. The Hon G. McLean pointed out that the convenience of passengers should be considered, and that the New Zealand Government were entitled to say to the New South Wales Government — " You must come to Auckland." The Hon Mr Whitaker spoke at considerable length, defending the amendment, and denying that the amended resolution was the same a3 his telegram. The hon gentleman then went on to show the inconvenient and unfortunate position passengers would be placed in if they were landed at the Bay of Islands. That in i'self was one of the best arguments in favour of Auckland, and leaving it for the Government to make their own arrangements for distributing the mails. He had been told that £5,000 would not be enough to cover the cost of distributing the mails, but' he had the word of the manager for the Union Company that the mails could be distributed along the West Coast for £500 a year, while, he said, they could not be distributed by the East Coast way for less than £12,000 a year, because there would be insufficient employment for the steamers for the line of : traffic. His own private opinion was that unless they made some concessions the service would be abandoned. Mr Burns said the Hon Mr Whitaker was treating the question like a special pleader, not like a Postmaster-General. If the contractors were to be allowed to depart from their contract, the colony ought to be compensated.} The question was then put— That the words proposed to be added (Mr Sheehan's amendment) be so added. A division was taken, resulting as follows :— Ayes, 42 ; noes, 23. The amendment was carried, and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to. The Disqualification Act, No 3, waa brought down from the Council, with the 6th section amended so that no members of either House or of the Provincial Executive could be able to take an office under the Government. After a good deal of objection, a division was taken, and the amendment was agreed to by 31 against 26. The amendments made in the Eating Bill by the Legislative Council were agreed to. The remainder of the sitting was occupied in the discussion of the Parliamentary Estimates. A great many reductions were made. All the charges on the Consolidated Fund and . the Auckland Services were passed. Law and Justice was reduced from £19,470 to £17,970; Compensation to Inspector of Lunatic Asylums was reduced by£],soo; bonus to Colonial Architect, £500, was struck out by 26 to 24. A long and animated discussion ensued upon the allowance to Sir Julius Yogel for services in England, £2,950, which was ultimately struck out by 29 against 21, A similar discussion ensued upon the bonus to Mr Fitzgerald for drafting Bills, £250. s > Mr Sheehan said it looked much like bribery. A motion to strike it out was negatived. Mr Montgomery wanted it reduced £2, to show the sense of the House, which was also negatived. The House rose at 5.30. The House met at 11 o'clock this morning. :In reply to Mr Murray, the Premier said, regarding the Ministerial changes during, the recess, the Native Minister *atfd Minister for Public Works would retire, and one of those portfolios would be taken by Mr Ormond. The other gentleman was not yet decided. Before going into Supply, Mr Montgomery moved that £50,0U0 should be appropriated for the erection of school buildings throughout the coiony. The Premier opposed the movement. The million was to be borrowed for specified purposes, and that it was no time to make such a change in the appropriation, even if it were possible to take such a sum out of the million. He asked that the motion stand over until next session. Messrs Sheehan and Grey supported the motion, which was agreed to on the voices. Sir George Grey raised a question of privilege, based on the fact that the Governors Private Secretary informed him by letter that the Governor would not forward any more correspondence communications unless furnished in triplicate.. He argued at considerable length against so obsolete a rule, and which he had not enforced during the 26 years he was Governor. At the earliest possible period next session he would brin« the matter before the House formally. ° The House adjourned for an hour at 1.15. . The House met at 2.15 o'clock this afternoon. All the remaining votes on the Supplementary Estimates were passed unaltered. The Immigration and Public Works Acts Appropriations were also passed without alteration. The House then went into a Committee of the Whole to consider the advisability of introducing a clause into the Immigration and Public Works Appropriation Bill, for the purpose of enabling the Government to hand over to the county of the Thames the mortgages held on the Pumping Association's plant. In Committee of ways and means, a resolution was passed, voting £2,320 286 for the purpose of Public Works and' Immigration. The resolution was agreed to. Owing to the Legislative Council insist™Sul?on other amendments in the Rating Bill it was agreed that a conference be ! held between both Houses. The Immigration and Public Work* Bill was passed through all its. stages, I

In Committee, an item of £2,500 for the Taranaki Great South Road was passed. House then adjourned till 7.30 o'clock. The House resumed at 7.30. The Conference of both Houses on the Counties Bill were unable to agree, and new Conference was appointed. TKe^ result of the new Conference was that the Premier announced that they agreed on this basis— The County Chairman to be elected by the ..Council, and.not-to.be disqualified from flitting in. the House of Representatives. - ? The ordinary loan clauses were struck out, and special loans limited to fqur times the amount of rateable property in the county, leaving an increase of over- . draft as provided by the council. The other amendments were only trivial. ■...-.. * The House adjourned at midnight, till 2.30 on Monday.