HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXV, Issue 2036, 25 July 1885, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

niense value, but he contended that the 'Frisco service was really what was required. He contended that by the arrangement made by New South Wales by which New Zealand wa* to receive the postage that formally wont to that colony, the "-pi vice, instead of being a los* «honld be * proht. He had also no faith in the idea that a subsidy could be obtained from tha United States He hoped the House would pas-, the resolution. Mr Suttei mo\ed a-, an amendment to sti ike out the hgm c £30,000, and to insert that the Po~tmastei-< Jencral will pay the cirnti.ictiiiK pnty foi letters 12s per lb, packets Is pei lb, neuspipers (id per lb. Mi Holmes opposed the motion. Mi Macindieu considered tint £30,000 wonll be too much foi t!ie seivici*. He thought they should cultivate a direct <ipr- \ .c\ and the meie fact of it being a day or tivo 1 itei w i-. nf tumor itnpoitance. Ho did not, di'siie to sea the scivicc abandoned, b.it it u i> the cii-«t that he objected to. Mi Lmo tun moved toiepoit piogresi». Mij >i Atkiis.n stiongly <suppoited the ipsohition, and hoped the Hon«e w ould not iei)t>it pi ogies*?. He contended that tho proposes of the Postmaster-General would ii suit nut in t los, to the colony, but a profit, and thy £30,000 would be more th«n lecovered by the colony by the postage that would be teceivcd. Mi Stewart objected to the pioposal on the "<coie of the large amount asked for. Ho would not oppose it if a moie modest sum weic a^ked foi. Messrs Hur--t and Moss strongly supported the lesolution, and deprecated the reports that weic en ciliated that the Auckland membeis had entficd into any compact with the Government. Mr Hur-thouso objected to the proposal. He was speaking when the .").3O p.m. «d« joninnient arrived. The House lesinned at 7 30. The debite on the motion re 'Fiisco mail service was resumed. Mr (Jeoige Giey Mippmtel the bill. Mr Peacock also supported the bill, Sir .1. Vogol hoped Mr Slitter's amendment \\ mild not be earned. It wis good to ha\e two sei vices, and he admitted the direct Bervic3 was of the most commercial value. He hoped the amendment would be uithdiawn. (Left Sitting.)

THURSDAY. The Home met at half pa«t two p.m. Replying to Majoi Steward, whether the pel mission of the Crown will be gianted to nio\e in committee on the Coronets' Act Vmendnient Bill a clause for providing for the payment of coioners' juries, Mi Tnle said the Government would take an early opportunity of testing the feeling of the House on the tnnttci. Replying to Major Atkinson, Mr Stout "aid the Public Woiks Statement would be brought down without much fuither delay. Mr Bal lance niored the second reading of the Wanganui Hnibour Bill. He said the object of the bill was to enable the Haiboui Board to bouow 4140,000 for haibour impio\ciiicnt<!. The motion foi the second reading wan agreed to. The Presbytetian Chinch Property Bill, the Seamen's Representation Bill, the Rating Act Amendment Bill, and the Evidence Further Amendment Bill were icpoited, lo.id a tlind time, and pissed. Mr Bairon moved the second reading of the Ho.irsof Polling Bill. After some discussion the motion for second leading w.is cuiiud on i division by AS against 33. Mi Stow ut moved the sec >nd reading of the Licensing Act Amendment Bill. He slid if theie was one question more thin .mother in which women were inteie>ted it was the piopi'i administration of the licensing lu\s, and he contended it was the duty of the Legislature to see that the laws wore piopeily adnunist >ied, and that the best cla^s of houses only .should be licensed. He explained that under the Bill the woid "ratepayer" was meant to apply to all persons of the age of 21 yeais and upwnids who lesided for a peiiod of not less than <-ix months within the hcen--mg dntnct, and lie hoped the Hou«e would extend the pnvdege to women to vote. Under tlm Bill it also piovided that no li'ium should be supplied t>' childien undei 12 ycais of ago. A further provision in the Bill w.is tint the elections should be tnennial. He thought that, seeing that we weie now ti\ed to our utmost capacity the saving of £30,000 a-year, which would result fioin holding' the elections eveiy three years instead of annually, should have some w eight with the House. Mr Stout s,\id the Bill was simply an ittempt to destroy the present Licensing Vet, and was not what it appeared to be. He thought the mover was perfectly nwaie that the clause lelating to women voting at elections would be struck out in committee. He contended that the present Bill would tieble the cost of the existing licensing law, and would add £2000 or £3000 to the estimates. He h«ped the House would not ajrioe to the .second leading, as he consudeied it was undeniable thai a Bill of this kind should be introduced by a private member. He hoped the hon. gentleman would consider it was only fiom a «tein sense of duty that he was compelled to move that the Bill bo read a second time that day six months. Major Steward said the licensing question was an inconvenient matter for the Government to take up ; neither it was a pleasant matter for a pnvate member. He contended that if the Bill were to be brought in at all it must be by a. private member. He said that if the Bill were not lead a second time, enough had been elicited from the discussion to give the Government every excuse for bringing down a .similar measute next > on. As to the objection that a host of amendments would appear on the older papei if the Bill went into committee, he thought that that was a a veiy good .irgun cut in pi oof that the Licensing Act requited amendment in many diie^tions. Some discussion ensued. The motion for the second leading vv.as then put and earned on a division by 3(5 against 2(>. Mr Seddon moved the second leading of the Havvkeis" and Pedlai.s' Bill. Agreed to. The House went into committee on the Sale of Poisons Bill. Sir G. Grey moved an amendment in clause 2, specifying what articles should bo deemed poisons, to strike out the words " on the recommendation of the Pharmacy Boaid of New Zealand." The amendment wan agreed to. Mr Tole moved to iepoit pi ogres* on the Bill, which was, agreed to. Mi Newman moved the second reading of the Financial Airangements Act Amendment Bill. Agreed to. Mi Bradshaw moved the second reading of the Eight HoniB Bill. The motion for the second reading was was lost on division by 21 to '24. The House went into committee on the Distress Bill. Seveial new clauses were added to the Bill, which wasiepoited with amendments. FRIDAY. The House met at 2 30 p.m. Replying to questions, it was stated that the Government had no peisonal knowledge of the him of Meigg .md Sons, refened to in the tendeis foi th>j East and West Coast Railway statement, but fiom enquines made in Wellington, it was found that the statements nude with lcfeience to Hairy Meigg's antecedents were without foundation. A number of bills were introduced and read a first time. Mi Stout moved that Government business take precedence 011 Wednesday for the leinainder of the session, and that the House at its lising do adjoin n till Monday at half-past seven p.m. Mi Stout moved that .1 select committee be appointed to consider the petition from settleis an« colonists of Fiji, and the g"iieral position of the Western Pacific Hands, to consist of Major Atkinson, Messi-, Fitzheibeit, Gartiek, Sir Geoige Giey, Messrs Levestam, Macandrew, Moss, Oimond, Majoi Stewaid and Sir J. Yogel, tlnee to foi in a quotum and to import in tlnec weeks. Agiced to. The House went into Committee of Supply on the Impiest Supply Bill for £MOO,OOO, which was passed through all its stages. Su Julius A ogel moved that the House go into committee to consider the following resolutions;— " That the Government be authoiised to negotiate foi a fiesh m.iil seivice between Vuckl.ind and Sun Francisco foi five, ycais at aco.st not exceeding IMO.OOO pei annum " He said some opposition had been raised to tho proposal by the Chanibeis of Commerce of Wellington and Napiei, but he could not understand the opposition to a mail service that had been such a remarkable success in many ways. He considered in proportion to its usefulness that the cost of tho service was a nieio bagatelle. Although it was of great benefit to Auckland and Taranaki, he thought it largely benefited the whole colony. He pointed out that the average passage of the 'Fi i«co steamer was 3(i days 20 limns, while the average passage of the direct steamer from the colony to Plymouth was 39 days 6 houis. He did not desire to disparage tho direct service, as ho thought it waa of im-