HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FRIDAY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2200, 14 August 1886, Page 3

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FRIDAY.

The House met at 2.30 p.m. Mr Richardson said the exigencies^ the public service required that the Government .should take up a bill which stood in Mr Beethams name, entitled the Kailways Construction and Land Act Amendment Bill, which was read a third time, and parsed, with an amending clause providing that railways should not be rated being struck out, and the Property Tax Bill was read a. second time and passed through the remaining stages. Sir J. Vogel moved the second reading of the Public Reserves Bill. The motion was agreed to and the Bill passed through, its 'final stages. Sir R. Stout moved that the House go in.to Committee on the Representation Bill. . H,6'wkshed to say that he should not proceed,' with" the Bill unless a substantial majority of the House was favourable to it. 'Mr Montgomery thought the Bill should be passed, as something might happen which would necessitate going to the country on the present basis. Mr Macandrow moved as an amendment that it is advisable at this late stage of the session that the Representation Bill should ' 'not be proceeded with further until next session, that Parliament should be summoned for the despatch of business not later than the first week in May next. Mr Reid asked whether if the members were reduced, th^e Premier would proceed with it. Sir R. Stout would say frankly, he did not think the number should be reduced, but if the number were not reduced, he should go on with the Bill. In reply to further questions from Mr Reid, Sir R. Stout said he hoped the House would meet in April next year, and thought the new electorates would be arranged in - three months. Mr Reid thought there was not much necessity for the bill thi« year, and that the question should be submitted to their constituents. Mr Menteith was speaking at the 5.30 adjournment. On resuming, Sir R. Stout announced that an agreement had been come to with the Council on the Counties and Municipal Corporations Bill. The conference on the Local Bodies Loans Bill had not been able to agree. Mr Menteith continued his remarks on the Representation Bill. He asked what was the taste for the measure this .session, and protested against so important a Bill being .shovelled through in the last moments of the session. The Premier said he intended to stand by the principle of population basis. In answer to Mr Hursthouse, he said the majority he required to induce him to goon with the Bill was about five. Mr Bryce said both Government whips had been actively canvassing against the Bill. Mr Ballance said that was not correct. Mr J. MuKenzie was the only one. Mr Bryce said one or more members of the Government were also opposed to the said measure, and had been canvassing against it. It was a j>eculiar state of affairs. Probably the Premier, if he abandoned the J3ill this, session, would also do it next. ,Sir R. Stout : No. IHr Biyce: Would the hon. member make it a Government question and break up hi* Mtni-tiy if he could not carry it? Sir Tt. StoutVind hs could hardly answer such a question off hand. Mr I'iyce »aid the abandonment of the Bill next .session would be a very serious matter, and if the Bill were postponed now the difficulty of carrying it next session would be indefinitely mci eased. Sii R. Stout said he hoped that during the recess the sense of the country would be more marked, and that there would be a good majority in favour of the bill. .Mr Bryce said the present Act ceased in December next year, and if no fresh measure passed, no election could be held, as Parliament expired in August, 1887. It would be easy for a few unscrupulous mi tie* to block the measure next session ;W together. The inference he drew was tlwt it w,\s absolutely neoessaiy to go on tin* rfe-bion. . Mr Banon would not agree that the bill could be successfully blocked next year. After Mime remarks in opposition to the bill from Mr Sutter, tlie House divided. Me>-.»M LHinach and Rich.irdsou, and Messrs Walker and McKenzie, the Government whips went into the lobby with the noes, and weie received with, loud applause. Aye-.W; Noes, 39. M«ij«r Atkinson said he was not so surprised as he ought to be. No more disgraceful scene had taken place than that just witnessed. (Uproar.) The Premier had taken his stand on the principle, and yet three of his own Government voted against him. Let him adjourn the House at once, and tell thi^e gentlemen who voted against him he could no longer work with them. Wjiwt could they think of his sincerity when they saw the division carried against liiial.y three of his own colleague*. The following is the division list:— Ayes, 36. Atkinson, Ballance, Barron, Bruce, Bryce, Buchanan, Buckland, \V. F., Connolly, Dargaville, Fergus, Fisher, Fitzherbert, Fulton, Grey, Hakuene, Hamlin, Hirst, Hobbs, John.ston, Lake, Loche, McAithur, Mitchelson, Montgomery, Moss, Peacock, Richardson, ii. F., Rolleston, Stout, Thomson, Tole, Trimble, Waken" ld, Whyte, Wilson. Noes, 21), Buvan, Bradshaigh Bradshaw, Brown, Buckland, J. C, Cadman, Cowan, Dodxnu, Duncan, Fraser, Gore, Grace, Guinness Hatch, Hursthouse, Joyce, Kerr, Lance, Larnach, Levestam, He-Andrew, McKenzie, McMillan, Meuteitli, O'Cdllaghan, O'Connor, Pyke t< Reid, Richardson, Ross, Samuul, Seddon, Steward, Sutter, Taylor, Thomson J. W., Vogel, Walker. Pairs: — For, Moat, tfcobie McKenzie, Ormond, Bownie Stewart, Beetham, Smith, Hurst W. J. Against, Garrick, Ivess, Harper, Holme*, Turnbull, Pere, Coster. Sir J. Vogel said the whole tenour of Major Atkinson's piocedure this session had been to fling himself at Sir R. Stout's head. The latter was not in want of the assistance of the Opposition to carry his bills. It was not likely the head of the Government was going to be beholden to men always in opposition to Jiim and let them treat a great measure as they pleased. Personally he voted against (the Bill because he did not think there was time to carry it this session. He challenged Major Atkinson's right to criticise his° votes. Was it a party measure sure pr not ? If not, why should the members of the Government not vote as they liked. He advised Major Atkinson to busy himself in organising his own party, and n<>t interfere with the Government. Mr Turnbull said Major Atkinson had baen hoist with his own petard. Mr Moss said the only reasonable course now was to have a dissolution, and proposed an amendment to that effect. Mr Rolleatou said the Premier was bound in justice to himself to resign. He could not accept Sir J. Vogel's explanation that he voted against the bill because there was no time for it this session, for the same Government had been without a head or a tail— a miserable corpse, without any life in it. The Midland Railway had kept them in office two sessions, and the sooner the House went to the people the better. He seconded Mr Moss' amendment. Sir R. Stout said his original promise had been to give a chance of discussing the Question. Even when he introduced the bill ft was drawn in a form to suit this session or next. It was not till the second reading that he gave a promise to go on with it. After that he found out there were some members who would support the second raiding but not the Bill. Had he gone on on with it, a bill would have been passed, but not this. He distinctly stated, and the Opposition had cheered him, Jhafc it was not a party question. \ Bill on the same lines would be brought down next session early, as a Government measure. He intended to do his beet to make it law. He would not

depart from the population basis. He wished to say his colleagues would not have voted against him, had this been a made party question. Mr Moss's amendment was lost on the voices, and Mr Macandrew'a amendment, now become the substantial motion, was put and carried. Tho Supplement-try Estimates were then considered in committee.