PARLIAMENTARY

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 5, Issue 1415, 27 June 1883, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY

* :.:0 In the Legislative Council yesterday the Hon.;Mr <Whitaker moved' a resolution .in favor of i the .colony guaranteeing its proportion of the cost of annexing New Hebride».. : Sir G.: Wihtmore supported the motion, but .desired it to bevstill wider ;'■;' mtormSr .Y>.;W, • <--y<\>jh .',, ; Messrs (Holmes and Richmond supported the motion and Dr Grace and Mr Scotland opposed it, the debate beihg'adjdnrnetli The. Parliamentary Privileges Bill was read a second time. i ; • ! i I 1 : ' i;" HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES.

In the House yesterday, the Hon J. Bryce presented a petition front Wahanui, Taonui, and 412 other natives in the Waikato distriot, praying for some : less expensive method of ascertaining' titles to Maori' lands, and a simpler way of dealing with them after titles were obtained. In replying io questions Ministers '. stated that they would as. far as, pps- f sible encourage, thei emigration of North of Scotland fishermen with their own vessels. They did hot intend to intro-,;'; diice a Riparian Bights Bill, repeal the Contageous construct reformatories apart dustrial schools. The between, Waverley and Patea would., be completed and open for traffic next month. 1 The House would be'asked to renew the West Coast Peace Preservation Act till the end of next sestion. •(j Under Local Courts Bill solicitors', fees would not be chargeable on civil, . summonsesaswasriowdone. :i , not be desirably to. have all railway accidont enquiries open to the' Press. The Government had to import brown paper for certainpurjposes as that made ; in thei colony' was,toq ; brittle.;' : ;' 1 ' The following new Bills were introduced and read a.first, time:— i. tion of frauds on Insurance • Compahys (Mr Iyess), MastertOn and Greytown Lands Management Act Amendment".;. Act (Mr:Beetham), Abolition of Education Districts and Boards, and Weßtland Education District-Sub-division '•• (MrSeddon)" ; :; .:' v; ' i ' r -"' ; ' i ; ' : . Before calling on Jiir George, Grey „ to move for leave to '" to repeal in so far as it relates to the colony of New Zealand, an Act of the ' ?•-'* Impeiial New Zealand .Constitution .the speaker ;gaid.:it would be for,the •. ■,-, House; to consider whether this Bill, which proposed to do what was 'ex-.' : ' : pressly forbidden by arilmperial iActj should'be' absolute independence of the control of the Imperial Parliament, and it was for the House to say 'whether it was: corisistent.with its dignity to consider, a measure which even if passed would be null and void.'.! ii'. V m j/.;' ; j',., I'j/tfj';); : Sir GVGkey then moved for leave td' ; , introduce.the Bill, which is couched, in the, followjng terms is expedient the Constitution .- "of'NeW'Zealand > :' Be it therefore enacted by the ' Zealand in; asaeinWed,'and; by l U '■ Minority; of f the > fpl ? ;;.; "■ jfe 'olihiilctg^ W y ?s;i fte w< of; th^Jt^^^lMl^ll^ l^^^ Majest^lplejsi^

olaimedby.the'Governors the' New Zealand ''Government' OVzottel" *'THo contended that, in; so doing'!he was; acting ~a s.". a -good : ) pitizeh and loyal subject,' It,, true the Act of .'the' Imperial, passed M; 1557 forbade them; toA repeal ; certain sections of the Constitution Act,' but he contended thut hii'Abt passed in' 1865' had rombved this!restriction; and that theynow had full'power to pass this' Act'.' Before it' woijld liiiye effect this act would ' require, the Queen's nssent, and gliyo; that.she might require tin; aid of lie Imperial Parliament, iPwliicii case' that Parliament and' this' iegistntum would be ( wprk.ing v co;ordinately for, the gddd of 'this colony. ..Such, a course would tend totederate'.th'e Empire. . Major AteiksoN said, in reply, that if the House wished tho Constitution Act amended in the way proppsed, the proper) way to proceed .wfjajby jresolu- 1 tion inviting Imperial legislation,; Only tne.lmperial : P«rliament could- repeal its ; oWn Actj and to pass thisMl,'which was altogether ultra vires'would render them 'ridiculous.. The .Government had carefully, considered the- question, and were convinced the House had no power to do what was proppsed.: They must therefore oppose the motion. Mr Montgomery said that as the Bill would have no force until assented to by the Queen it would be better than a'imere resolution, and he would support it. . iMr Shepherd also supported the Bill as a test of their power, to amend thV.constitution. ~ Sir G. Grey, in reply, contended that the'Bill was much preferable to a resolution.

The House divided, .when sleeve to introduce the Bill was given by 38 to 34. .-J.O !:•■<•

The Bill was read a first time. The Hon. Mr Connolly moved the • second reading of the Bankruptcy Bill, ; . briefly, explaining its provisions. Trimble advocated doing Tiwa'y with all Bankruptcy Laws, and M,r Hursthouse moved an amendment to refer the Bill back to the Government to be altered, so as to repeal all Bankruptcy Laws, and render debts irrecoverablo after five years. ; ..; - . : Mem Montgomery and.WYNN Williams recognised the Bill as a gi'eat improvement on the present law. At the evening sitting, the debate on the. Bankruptcy Bill was'continued. ': Mr Barron advocated the total abolition of bankruptcy laws, and ,Mr . Pike thought all bankrupts should go to gaol until their estates too wound ~, Messrs Ivess,.Fjsu, Hunro, Bracken ' and Duncan supported the Bill generally. Major'Atkinson moved the adjourii- ■ tneiit : -6f the debate, so as t'o have time to consider the' effect of the amendment, with which he confessed ho had a goqd''deal'ofsympathy. . '" ' Considerable debate took place on reading of the Fisheries-Bill, .-. Moss/ iSeddon, Hutchison.' ah'd others' strongly opposing it as tyrannical and -unjust. Mr Seddon moved it be refeired to • a select comimttcofor purpose of being altered bo as to place the control of fisheries in the hands of local 'bodies and made simply to provide for a close or binding season. ■• ; " :i •'■• The amendment was lost and 'bill was read a second time'ori the voices. The Hon._ Mr Dick ■ moyed the second reading of iholt.ZJ University Act Amendment Bill, the object of which was to enable degrees' fo ! be conferred in science. . Mr Hutchison strongly condemned, the University as neither a teaching nor.an examining body. . <: , , Mr-Shaw and Colonel Trimble pointed out some -technical'' objections' •to the'. Bill, which was then read a second time. .

TheHouserose at 12.35, : : '^ !: !' iYf