PARLIAMENTARY NOTES. [BY TELEGRAPH.-SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] Progress of Business. Wellington, Last Night.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1718, 10 July 1883, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES. [BY TELEGRAPH.-SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] Progress of Business. Wellington, Last Night.

The proceedings last week may, be regarded as exceedingly satisfactory. A large amount; of practical work was got through,- and a still larger amount of useless rubbish was swept off the Order Paper with scant ceremony ' and little talk. Green's annual Bible Reading in Schools Bill, the same gentleman's Local Option Extension Bill, and the nbiurd Regulation of the .Hours of Shopkeepers Bill, " Grey's bill for abolishing the Legislative ' Council, Daniel's motion to compel vessels to carry boys as apprentices, ami Bathgate's bill to abolish credit for goods bought by retail were also disposed' of, so that there is not much likelihood of any of them occupying any further time this session, nnd it is satisfactory to note that the majorities were decisive wherever a voto was taken. The House has shown its good sense by this clearance, ami it has further shown a decided disposition for good practical work by passing the Prisons Bill, Tenant's Fixtures Bill, Bills of Exchange Bill, and the New Zealand University Bill, advancing the Married Women's Property Bill, the Patents Bill, and Affirmation Bill a stage, and making good progress with the Bankruptcy Bill in committee. Says the /W : We have rarely known more good work done in a Parliamentary week, and if members will only persevere in the same direction there is every rea son to hope Major Atkinson's statement, that the session may close by the end of August, may bo realised. It is to be hoped that Montgomery's Constitutional Changes motion may' not provoke a long debate. It would be a pity to waste much time over the discussion of a motion which is too extremely unwieldy to produce any practical resolution.

, New Bills. Toles Libel Bill, recently introduced, seeks to provide chiefly that any report of a public meeting shall be privileged, if fair and accurate, and published with* out malice, and that no criminal action shall be commenced against the publisher of a newspaper without the fiat of the Attorney- General. The Coroners Act Amendment Bill (Steward) provides for the payment ot jurors at the rate of 7s per day, or 3s 6d if the inquiry only lasts three hours. The number of jurors is reduced to six. It is sought to be enacted that the deadnouse of every public hospital, in casea where no building is specially sVt apart for a morgue, shall be deemed to^>e a public morgue, and that no publican shall be required to receive a dead body if there is a morgue within two miles.

Rumoured Changes in the Cabinet. A report regarding the Ministerial movements is in circulation to-day. It is to the effect that Messrs Bryce and Johnston go Home at the close of the session, the former to prosecute Rusden for libel, and the Litter to relieve the Agent-Generil of his duties. The election of a successor to Sir Dillon Bell will, it is stated, fall upon Mr Oliver, and that until he is in a position to fix up his own ptivate affairs and leave the colony, Mr Johnston will do the duties. Of course, the proposed additional Minister will taKe the Public Works portfolio during his absence, and Mr Richmond, of the Upper House, will take the portfolio of Native Minister during Mr Bryce's absence.

The Big Railway Scheme. Although the Montgomery resolutions set down for debate for to-moirow are not attracting much attention, Canterbury has executed a bit of rather sharp practice in view of them. Its members tinned out to a man and threatened that if the Government did not make reasonable provision foi the West Coast* Canterbury line, they would vote in favour of Separation. The result is, so the story goes, Government has undertaken to bring down in the Supplementary Estimates, a sum sufficient to survey the line. That simply means a further postponement of the main trunk to Cook Strait. Encouraged by this, Auckland, it is said, is about to repeat the ruse for the purpose of promoting the West Ooast-Taranaki route.