YESTERDAY AFTERNOON'S SITTING. Wellington, Last Night.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1262, 31 July 1880, Page 3

YESTERDAY AFTERNOON'S SITTING. Wellington, Last Night.

The House leaumed at 5 p.m. • Mr Stewart presented a petition from 350 railway employees, praying for a reconsideration of the resolution to reduce their wages. Sir Gr. Grey gave notice that he would direct the attention of the Government to an inquiry between the North and South Island in the matter of University education. Mr Bryce introduced the Maori Prisoners Bill. The prisoners were part of an organisation setting itself up in opposition to the authority of the Queen, and that was the reason arrests had been made He hoped as a question of policy the House would pass the measure through all its stages without discussion 1 . He moved the second reading, and in reply to Sir George Grey, Mr Bryce said .that no notice had been given the natives of the penalties to which they should be subjected to under this Bill. The motion was carried in Committee. Mr J. B. Fisher pointed out that as worded a native charged with all manner of offences — murder, felony, etc. — would come under the operation of the Act. Mr Bryce admitted the objection, but did not see how it was to be obviated, Sir George Grey suggested that a proviso should be inserted so that the Act would apply to all arrests made by the police, subject to the approval of the Native Minister. The clause was amended and made read, "arrests made by authority of the Government." Sir George Grey protested against the amendment made, and denounced it as an unconstitutional and illegal Bill as amended. On the motion for the third reading, Mr Montgomery protested against the Bill, stating that had the Government done its duty and proclaimed the West Coast a disturbed district this irregularity would have been averted. Sir George Grey also protested. With a few minutes' delay the Bill could have been made more acceptable than it was. He reprobated an undue haste in passing the measure. Mr Reader Wood said the House had taken up a false position in passing the measure and throwing the responsibility for passage on the Government. Without desiring to impede the Government, he denounced the measure as a most unstable one. Mr Bryce replied that the Government had given evidence that it was quite prepared to accept the fullest measure of responsibility for passage of Act. Referring to the remarks of Mr Wood, he said that that member was a free lance, and gloried in the vagaries of irresponsibility. He ventured, moreover, to say that if the passage of the Bill rested with the hon. member's individual vote, he dare not take upon himself the responsibility of preventing a measure pas* sing. The House divided — Ayes, 41 ; noes, 24, on the motion that the Bill do not pass through. Mr Speight recorded his protest against the Bill ; it was a tacit admission that they were unable to govern the natives by the same laws by which they governed themselves. He (Mr Speight) also denounced the Bill as cruel and unconstitutional. Mr Pitt defended the Bill. Mr Moss, Te Whero, and Sir George Grey spoke in srrong terms against it. Mr Bryce replied. The motion was agreed to. The House adjourned at 5.30 p.m.