PARLIAMENT.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2820, 9 August 1890, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

-« HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. (lIY TKLKCUAI'H.—J'KKSS ASSOCIATION'.) THURSDAY. The Hmisp. met at 12.30 p.m. Th« Public Petitions Onnimateo reported tin the petition of Daniel Mulioney for payment for wnrUii done as architect whilst lie was in the Civil Service. The repi.rt recommended that the petition lit! referred tii the Government fur consideration. Mr Grimmnnd moved, us an amendment, ■' That Mr Mahoney's cluini be agreed to, and that the. petition hi! ruferred back to the Committee to estimate the amount." A discussion, which lasted thn whole afternoon, took place on tlio subject, the amendment being carried on the voices. The House rose at 5.30. Thn House resumed at 7.30. .Major Steward (Waimate) moved the second reading of the School Committees Klection Bill. He explained it. was practically the mime as the measure which was passed by the House last session, and its main feature was to repeal the cumulative vote which the House had so frequently condemned. Thn motion for the second reading was agreed to without discussion. Major Steward (Waimate) moved the secnid reading of the Municipal Corporations ifc'Sli Amendment Jjill, empowering councils to regulate th'j trattic of traction engines on streets or roads within boroughs. The motion was agreed to. Mr Vorrall moved the second reading of tlio Law Practitioners' Disqualification Kill to prevent any barrister or solicitor in active practice within one year of a general election for being eligible for nomination or election for a seat in the House. The motion was agiee.d to. The Urn-oners' Inquest Bill was considered in committee. Clauses 1, 2 and 3 were agreed to, with a few verbal amendments. A new clause was inserted providing for the payment of coroners'jurors at the rate of 7s lid per day, or portion of a day. Another new clause was added, to the effect that no publican should be required to receive a dead body into his house for tlio purpose otl an inquest when there is a morgue within two miles. The Bill was reported, read a third time, and pa-sed. ■ Mr Seddon moved the adjournment r,f the Hi;use. Ayes. IS ; and noes, IS. TheSoeaker voted for the ayes. The House rose at it quarter-past eleven p.m. FRIDAY. The House met at 2.30 p.m. A motion that the. House sit on Monday at 7.30 p.m., for the consideration of Mr Steward's (Waimate) motion, relating to the elective form of Government, was shelved, owing to the House resolving to proceed to the orders of the day. Mr Hislop gave, notice to move on Tuesday for the production of the manuscript and proof sheets of the speech made by the member for Waitntara (Mr Hutchison) in his charges against the Government, and that they be referred to the Reporting and Printing Debates Committee, in order to ascertain whether they correspond with the report of thn speech sent to the Premier. Mr Hutchison, by way of personal explanation, said he had received a letter from Mr Hislop on this question, which showed that the Minister for Education was und?r a misappiehension. He had been previously challenged by Mr Hislop to say whether or ix.t he had not altered his speech made in the House before he sent it to the Premier, and he now desired to state that any corrections he. made in his speech were necessary cues. He had no objection to any per.-oiis investigating whether or not the report was the correct version of what he. had stated in the House.

On the motion for going into Committee of Supply, Mr Stewart (l)iiuedin West) moved as an amendment, that having regard to the reductions which the House had been making in the estimates, and especially in thv, salaries of civil servants with a view to further retrenchment, the Hous>; should resolve to reduce the honorarium paid to m-jmbers by £"iO, and that the Government requested to bring in a Bill this s-ission to give eft'.-ct to this proposal. He remarked that if members were not prepared to sacrifice themselves, they had no right to reduce the salaries of civil servants as they were doing. Mr Brown seconded the amendment pro forma.

Mr McKenzie (Ciutha) promised to support the amendment if Mr Stewart would confine it to this session.

Mr Samual regarded the proposal as a joke. Mr Buxton was in favour of raising the honorarium instead of reducing it.

Messrs Reeves (Inaiigahua). Pratt and Mossoopnssd the amendment. Mr Fisher in opposing the amendment saiil he considered,a great mistake had been made in reducing the Minister's salaries and it would be a graceful act on the part of the present Government to retrace that step. Mr l'yio: twitted Mr Stewart with proposing the amendment for the sake of popularity, and held that if the amendment were passeil nobody would have a seat in the House but men of wealth. Mr Kitchett thought no one in the House would more regret to see his amendment carried than Mr Stewart himself.

The amendment was then put and lost by 111 to 20. The following is the division list :—Ayes : 111. Allen, Anaerson, Balance, ISeetham, I'.lake. Button, Oadman, Cirroll, Cowan, Duncan, Feldwick, Fisher, Fish, Fitehett, luUlierbort, (iriinmnud, Guinness, Hamlin. Harkness, Ilislop, Hobbs, 1 lodckins"!!, Humphreys, L nice, Liwry, L"ughrey, Marehant, Mitehelson, Moat, Moss, O'Connor, Parata, Percival, Pyke, \ioev,'.ri (Inangahna), lWves (St. Alba.is), Rhodes, Richardson (Kaiapoi), Ross, Russell. Samuel, Seymour, Stew-ird (Waimate), Taiwhanga, Taylor, Thompson (Auckland North), Yerrall, Walker. Noes, 20 : Arthur, Barron, P.rown, Kraser, Fulton, Goldie, (trey, l/.ard, McKen/.ie (Mount Ida), McKen/.ie (Olnllia), McGregor. Richardson (Matatnra), Sanndeis, W. ]). Steward (I)nnedin West), St-wart-Men-teatli, Taipnii, Tanner, R. Thom|ison (Marsden), Withy, l'airs. l-'or the amendment: J. Mclven/.ie (Waihemo), Joyce, Ward, Fitzhei-hert. IViniach, Kerr. Against the amendment: Hall, Atkinson, Ornioiid, Hobbs, Maeaithur, Buchanan. Tlio House then went into Committee of Supply for the consideration of the Intimates. Mines and Lands Department. Inspecting Engineer, toOO. Mr Grimnnnd had previously moved that this item be omitted The debate was interrupted by the 5.30 adjournment. The House resumed at 7.150 p.m. In committee on the Kstimates, Mr Seddou spoke at gieat length, condemning the administration of tlits Mining Department generally. Mr Reeves (Inangahua) accused the Government of gross carelessness in the management of tho mines. Mr Kish thought Mr Fergus had clearly shown his unfitness for official life, and he hoped when the numbei of Ministers was reduced Mr Fergus would give himself happy despatch by being the Minister who should retire from the Cabinet voluntarily, without being asked by his colleagues to do so. After a lengthy discussion, lasting over three hours, the motion to strike out the item Inspecting Engineer's salary, £500, was lost, as also was the motion t> reduce it by t'oO. The item inspector for Mines, £325, was reduced by .t'2-~>. (Left Sittinsr.)