General Assembly.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1144, 25 October 1879, Page 3

General Assembly.

HOUSE OF KEPRESEFTATIVES. j "Wednesday. The House met at..2.30 p.m. THE OHINEMUBI OTJTBAGE. V . . Beplying to Mr Sutton, Mr Bryco said there could be little doubt but that the outrage at. Ohinemuri was traceable to some dispute about the alleged sale of laud, the date of the purchase was the 10th of March. CAB HIBE ACCOUNT - OF THE LATE MIEISTBY. Mr button asked whether a kira /of £240, or thereabouts, had been charged to the Treasury for cab-hire in Wellington; if so, by whtm was it expended, and out of what vote was it paid ? Mr Hall said he was not in a position to furnish a complete, reply. The information in his possession was as follows*: —Between Ist July, 1878, to 31st September Inst, Sir G. Grey expended lGs; Mr .-heehati, £219 lis, Gd; and Colbhel "Whitmore, £2.* Since then vouchers had ! been sent in, but not paid, by Mr heehan, for £B4 Is sd. Of that stun only £7O had been paid. Further sums of a similar kind amounting to £l4 18s, £o (is, and £lllßs respectively, had been made. NATIVE LAND PUBCHASE LIABILITIES. Keplyiug to Mr Stevens, . Mr Bryce said there could be no doubt that the Government was responsible fo>-, the amounts required to complete the native land purchases mentioned in his Statement as £1,121,000. Instructions had been given to the Government agents to prosecute tho purchase : with vigor, but no actual liability, was to bo incurred without the sanction of Government being first obtained. EDUQATIOXAT. VOTE. Mr Fulton asked." Whether the sum of £ 25,000 nllcaited to the Otogo educational district out of £125,000 voted for school buildings in the colony, is a fair adjustment, considering population and school attendance in that district ?" Mr Kolleston said the Government would bring down proposals in regard to eductation, in which a fair regard would be paid to the question of population and school attendance. In a national scheme education it was absurd that one district should be fully equipped with buildings and. residences while another district was left wholly neglected. NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION. Mr Hall moved the adjournment of the debate on the second reading of the Electoral Bill until to-morrow, when he n would be in a position to state what course the Govcrnmcnfcproposed to pursue with regard to the no-confidence motion. Motion agreed to. I3IPEISONMENT FOB DEBT. : Mr Hutchison moved the second reading of the Imprisonment for Debt Abolition Bill. He said that as matter/3 stood, the law on tho subject had been rendered one law for the rich and another for the poor. They never heard of men owing a few hundred pounds being imprisoned, such a one was able to file his schedule. It was the poor man who was liable to be imprisoned. Then again, by some fiction of this law this species of imprisonment was construed to be a contempt of court The speaker ridiculed the idea of a man who was unable to pay being treated in that way. "What the bill aimed at was the entire abolition of imprisonment foi debt. The real aim of the bill was tc abolish the credit system for small amounts; in fact, to make such debts debti of honor. Mr Stewart pointed out that no provisior was made for the case of a person aboul to leave the colony, for the purpose bi defeating his oreditors. He believed it the spirit of the bill. Still he thought tha; the measure was one which deniandec careful consideration. Mr Keader Wood argued that th< simpler the law the better. He wai opposed to imprisonment for debt unde: any circumstances. The transactions on of which this class of imprisonment aros< were purely mercantile transactions. Tin trader gave his customer credit in the hopi of benefitting himself. Then it wa perfectly monstrous when the trader fount out he had made a bad speculation, tha he should be permitted to invoke th strong arm of the law and punish hi debtor with imprisonment. Mr Murray spoke in, favor of the bill a it stood. It would tend to put an end t< the spurious credit which at present did s< m.u.ch to legitimate tra^o,

Mr Hutchison replied. The Act of 1874, heßaid, met with' a great deal of opposition. That bill had defeated,its avowed objects by being made fob troublesome. Then, again, he pointed out that under the old system the creditor was liable to 'maintain his debtor while in prison, now, however, that liability was shifted from his shoulders on to that of the State. , • The motion was put and carried. TUESDAY. The House met at 2.30 p.m. ; ■ ■ THE ELEOTOBAL BILL.

The interrupted debate on the question, " That leave be granted to introduce a bill to amend the law relating to electors qualified to vote at elections for the House of Representatives ?" was resumed by Mr Halh He argued that the Governor was not bound to ask a retiring Government who should be sent to forni a, new Government. Ho contended that Sir Geo. Grey's statements and accusations about the Canterbury land ring were a fallacy, and that he (-ir George Groy). was alone responsible for the largo estates that had passed into private hands. The accusations made against himself by Sir George were miserable slanders, in token of which he pointed to tho fact that, after years of trial, the residents df Canterbury still fe(Coneluded in Out' Supplement.)