PARLIAMENTARY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2097, 17 September 1885, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION,) TUESDAY. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, The Council met at 2.30. The Mortgages Debentures Bill was road a third time and passed. The other business was unimportant.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.80 p.m. Replying to questions, it was stated that the question of appointing "a Royal Commissioner to enquire into the completion of the various lines of railway sanctioned by Parliament would receive earnest consideration ; that it was not intended to prepare a Bill tQ amend the Licensing Act during the recess ; that regulations would bo issued for granting rewards for the discovery of new goldfields.

Mr Richardson moved the second reading of the Railways Authorisation Hill,—Agreed to. Mr Stout said if reasonable progress was made with the remaining business of the session, theprorogation would take place this week. It was proposed to' drop the. following bills for this session: Criminal Code Bill, Railway Commissioners Bill, Magistrates Courts Bill, Prisoners Probation Bill and Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act Amendment Bill.

On the motion for going into Committee on the Special Powers and Contracts Bill, Sir 6. Grey moved that' the Bill be committed that day six months. He referred at great length to a new clause proposed to be inserted in the Bill for granting a block of land to Thomas Russell of Auckland, in exchange for other land, on consideration that Russell paid tho cost price of tho land.

Mr Stout detailed the whole of the circumstances of the case, and said ho should he compelled'to vote against Mr Russell's claim as he considered he was not entitled to the land. He hoped the amendment would not be pressed. Mr Russell's clause.was the only portion of the Bill that was objectionable. Mr Rolleston considered Mr Russell's claim was an equitable one, but it was entirely a question for Parliament to decide.

Messrs Bryce, J. W. Thompson, Beetham, Moss, Macandrew, Fisher and Newman also spoke on the Bill, and Sir G. Grey then withdrew hia amendment. Mr Balance said that from tho nature of this Bill it must be brought down at a jate stage in the Session. With respect to the claim preferred by Mr Russell, all he could say waa that an agreement was certainly entered into with Mr Russell, that if he stood aside in respect to a certain block of land, he should have the opportunity of selecting anqther block as an equivalent. He felt certain that if Mr Russell were not known, and if the claim were made by a person unknown to the House, it would be treated as a simple question of justice. Referring to the proposal to grant 40 acres of land under the Bill to Te Kooti, he (Mr Ballance) maintained that the course he was pursuing in this respect was a right one, The motion for the committal of the Bill was agreed to. The House rose at 5.30 p.m. evening sitting. The House resumed at 7.1K). In the Mines Act Act Amendmont Bill, MtPyke explained that the free Conference were unable to agree, and a fresh Conference consisting of the Premier, Messrs Sevan and Guiness was appointed to confer with the Council. The District Railways Purchasing Bill was committed. On clause 24, no new District Railway to be authorised, the Minister of Public Works moved to strike out ",No Railway shall be/' and insert a clause that clauses 75 to 85 of the District Railways Act,' 1877, shall not apply to any railway, 1 . Carried, Clause 25, guarantee" for £50,000 of debentures for the Kaihu Valley, railway. The clause was passed., The Waimate railway was struok out of ? the schedule, and several other unimpor' tant amendments Having been made in

the schedule, the Bill . was reported as amended,. " TheWaimea Plains Railway Bill was. further! considered in Committee,' and amended so that arrears of rates for thret I years be payable .on December 1886, '.' Marcli. 1886, and" June 1886. The. Bill was reported with amendments.' , The House went into Committee on the Special Powers and .Contracts Bill. All clauses were passed without amend-, ment.. In the schedule of the Bill on the subsection granting 40 acres atPunuito Te Kooti and his people, Mr Rolleston moved that it be struck out. After spme discussion 1 the proposed pnt to Te Kooti was struck out on the. voices, . ' ' Progress was reported on the Railway " Authorisation Bill.' The District Railway Bill was recommitted to consider' the Shedule, and then adjourned till next day, The Waimea Plains Railway Bill was read a third time and passed. The Special Powers and Contract Bill was also read n third time and passed. The House rose at 3.35 a.m.