HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1728, 2 August 1883, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

YESTERDAY. QOESTIONS. The House met at 2.30. .Replying to questions, Ministers said they would be prepared to give substantial reward to any person introducing an effectual plan for getting rid of rabbits ; it was not true that defective weights and measures from all parts of the colony had to be sent to Wellington for adjustment ; until the Dunedm gaol committee's report was received they could not say whether the evidence would be printed ; Government were considering the possibility of giving still more liberal terms to insurers who were unable to keep up their premiums, but wished to receive a policy proportionate to the premiums already paid ; Government would favourably / consider 'the question of providing for the widow and family of the late Warder Adams of Nelson.

NEW BILLS. The following bills were introduced and read a first time :— Otago: — Otago Harbour Board Loan nnd Loans Consolidation Bill (Mr M. W. Green) ; Fire and Marino Insurance Companies Bill (Dick).

NOTICE Of MOTION. i Mr Dargaville gave notice to move that a select committee be appointed to enquire into the circumstances connected with an alleged payment by the Bank of New Zealand of £10,000 or thereabouts, to Messrs Whitaker and Russell in con- I nection with the financial operation of the (loverument in or about the year j 1867, such committee to consist of Major Atkinson, Messrs Montgomery, WynnWilliams, Barron, Pulton, Macandrew, Turnbull and the mover, to report in a fortnight. i

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS. MrM. W. Green moved, "That the Minister for Education be requested to j obtain, through the various Education Boards of the colony, a return showing the number of parents throughout the colony having children attending the district, normal and high schools who are in favour of a portion of the Bible being read daily in such schools, and the number who are opposed to such bible reading ; that for this purpose the Education Boards issue the forms hereto appended to be distributed to all parents or guaidians having children attending the schools, such returns to be obtained not later than the 3 1st November, 1883, and the same to be classified and printed, and distributed to members of both Houses of the Legislature not later than the 31st of April, 1884. He wished to have it determined, once for all whether the majority of the people of the colony did or did not wish to have the bible read in schools. Mr Joyce moved an amendment providing that the bible should be read right through from the first to last chapter, and that the vote should be taken in each district by ballot. Mr Shephard said that even if the majority wished, it would be opposed to the principles of religious equality to force the bible on the minority. There was no power to make the boards do what was asked. Mr Petrie opposed the motion. It would lead to bitter religious feuds. Three-fourths of the people of the colony were in favour of the present system of education being left untampered with. Mr Fulton supported the proposal. It showed the advocates of the bible were not ashamed or afraid to take the opinion of the people on the subject. Mr Swanson strongly opposed any attempt to tamper with our present system, or to pry into men's religious belief. The committees, if consulted, would be almost unanimous in resisting any attempt to alter the existing system. Mr Green asked lea\ c to withdraw the motion. Mr Wlrifcaker opposed this, as the House ought to emphatically determine not to allow the present system to be tampered with. Leave to withdraw was refused on the voices. Mr Turnbnll regretted that leave to withdraw had been refused. He spoke strongly ia favour of bible-reading in schools. Mr Hurst opposed the motion, and it was negatived on the voices. The House adjourned at 5.30. The House resumed at 7.30. Mr Ivess moved the second reading of the Roads Through Private Lands Bill. Mr Bolleston opposed the bill as not being wanted, and proposing nothing that was not already provided lor by the by-law. Messrs Duncan, Grey, Sutton and Joyce supported the bill, which was read a second time. Mr J. C. Brown moved the second reading of the Maoris Bill, which was a reprint of the bill passed by the House last session, but thrown otit in Council. Mr Rolleston thought the bill quite unnecessary. Mr Fergus opposed it. Mr Fitzgerald and Mr Petrie objected to portions of the bill, j Mr deLautour and Mr Sheehan sup- j ported it. The bill was read a second time and referred to the Goldfields Committee. Mr Shaw moved the second reading of the Gaming and Lotteries Act Amendment Bill. It imposed penalties for advertising any sweepstake or lottery of any kind whatever ; it also proposed to exempt private sweeps of not more than 20s, when not conducted for profit from the operations of the Act. Mr Sheehan supported the bill, but would like to see it go further in prohibiting the totalisator. Mr Fergus objected to any interference with the totalisator. Mr Potrie said it would be necessary to prohibit papers published outside the colony from publishing sweep advertisements. Mr Fish considered the totalisator a moat pernicious form of gambling. Mr Joyce said the bill would be ridiculous if papers from other colonies were allowed to circulate when containing sweep advertisements. Mr Pulton opposed the legalising small sweeps. Mr Bryce would prefer leaving the law as it stands. Mr Shrimski opposed the bill. Mr Connolly opposed the bill. The second clause would be useless unless all Australian papers were prohibited, and the third clause was mischief. Mr Fitzgerald opposed the bill, and Mr Shaw replied. The second reading was negatived on a division of 33 to 25:

The man -who was the coolest person at the battle of Waterloo has just died. He hid in the ice-house of the chateau during the fight. , What power has given to society, or fraction of society, the privilege of making man miserable for no other crime than that of having come into existence in obedience ' to ' the law ' of .nature ? Jb'rom whence the authority to make life a curse, to starve him within ! sight of the plenty wh^ch he, helps to Qieate, to tyover ,over -ills life as if , to I , snatch from bit, dreary path, every semblance of, hope, !, that, such path can,, le&d io earthly (happiness ? . Why,, shpujd, land laws, Ttjhy should any -law,, ,c,ompej r him jto herd; hke,animstls iv, hovels. Jike .those jin'xvhic^^ver two /nii.lions,ot;pu^ Reppl? we doomedrtoa|f |K>?ertyfeM[ic.fe«elwify evisMinn ''j