PARLIAMENTARY.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 5067, 3 July 1895, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

In the Legislative Council yesterday tho Poisons Importation and Carriage Bill was road the third time and passed. On the motion of tho Hon. Captain llaillie it was agreed to continue tho sale of alcoholic liquors at Bellamy's. In the House the following Bills were read for the first time The Licensing Acts Amendment Bill (Jit McXab) and the Debts Recovery Limitation Bill (lion ilrSeddoul. '

A Bill to encourage in this Colony the production of sugar from beet; the Rating on Unimproved Values Bill, and the Lncal Bodies Loan Conuersion Bill were introduced by message from His Excellency and" read a first time.

The debate on the Midland Railway seizure, occupied the House till the adjournment. The report of an oliicer on the various co-operative works repeats the assertion that the co-operative works system has been abused. No further proposals, the Premier on Tuesday informed the House, have been laid before the Government during tho recess for the amalgamation of tho Colonial Bank of New Zealand with the Bank of Now Zealand.

The Minister of Railways yesterday informed tho House that the Government had been reducing, and would, as far as possible, continue to reduce the railway freights on farm and dairy produce. It was impossible, however, just now to reduce tho freight on potatoes.

Music pupils under 19 years of age arc allowed to travel by rail at reduced fares, Major Steward yesterday asked the II inker of Rai I ways to do away with the limitation of ago, The Minister thought that if ho raised the age limit to 20, it would be quite sufficient. The Minister for Education says lie recognises the unfairness of the existing method of electing Education Boards, by which a school of 28 scholars has the samo voting power as ono of 500 scholars. He docs not see his way at present, howevor, to alter tlio method.

The Ministers for Railways and Education are endeavouring to come to an arrangement by which children of country settlers will bo able to travel to the High School nearest to their home on free railway passes. The Land for Settlements Act Amendment Bill of the Minister of Lands, provides that the Land Purchaso Inspector, and the District Land Registrar of the registration district in which any land proposed to be acquired is situate, ahull bo additional members of the Land Purchase Board. Also, that an owner of any land taken under the Act, may be granted a lease in perpetuity, of tho homestead site thoreon. The only way to settle the difficulty of prospecting for gold on private lands, tho Minister of Minos thinks, is by introducing aßill somewhat similar to the Lands for Settlement Bill, The Minister of Lands, he went on to say, was bringing down a Bill this session in which the principle could bo given application to. During the next two or throo weeks a school reader, composed chiefly of New Zealand subjects, prepared by New Zealandeis and printed at the Government Printing Office here,will be circulatedamongst school inspectors and others interested. This work has been carried out in compliance with a recommendation of the 1891 Parliament, and has helped to absorb the unemployed in the printing trade—iY.#. Times.