HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume XXIV, Issue 2142, 9 April 1897, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Tuesday, April 6. The House met. Nt 230 p.m., anrl a messuage was received from tbe LegieU>ivo Council requesting the attendance of members to he*»r tbe Acting-G-overoor'a proclamation opening Parliament read by th* 9pe»ker. On the conclusion of the proclamation, the members of the Honee of Reprefentitives were directed to pto« eetd to the election of a Speaker. The members, on refcurrqog to the House of Repreeentetiv~H, wore etvorn io by the Clerk of tbe Honee ia Alphabetical order.

ELECTION OF SPEAKER. The Hen. W. J. M. Lirnach rose to propose t!ja r^-election of Sir Maurice ' 0 Rorko aw SpMker of the Honee. He ** ■aid it gave bim very great pleasure to propose a gentlemen for the position whose nenae wae familiar, not only to most member* of tbe House, bot also in the •■ colony, and wboue qualifications were so eminently satisfactory. Many of those present bad oat under several Speakers, as he (Mr Litnach) Lad done, and without disparagement of tbe great capacity and impdr.'iality of previous Speakers, he must aay that Sir Maurice O'Borke would, in bis henable ©pinion be found to be facile ♦ princep»£or tbe potion. fla thought if the House re-elected Sir Maurice O'Rorke •c ito Speaker it would do honour to iteelf and bava a very good effect on the colony. * Mr Y7. H. Montgomery seoonded the motioD. Hβ eflid he should have preferred if some other member, who could tell tbe House what the qualifioaiione of previous Speakers had been, bad seconded Sir Maarioe O'Rorke's nouoinatioD. He felt sore, however, that Sir Mauiioe as Speaker wae second to none that had been before bim. Hβ (Sir Man rice O'Borke) had beeni* twenty-three years ia the Housa and fourteen years Speaker, end hie lengthy experience pr»-«<ninently fitted bim for the position of Speaker. Sir Maurice efficiency and firuanesi «ritb natornl kind-* ' n«88. Hβ wae equally strong iv oaltn and in itoroa, and there was no more zealoaa guardian of the privi'egea of the House thnn Sir Maurioe O'Korke. 4.

Sir Maniice duly responded, and was then 'installed, after wbioh he was congratulated by tbe Premier, andOapt Ruesoll, and the Hon3e adjourned. * April 7.

It was decided Government baeiaees ebould take precedence on Wednesdays and Ihnredaye for the remainder of the? season. The Addreef-io-Reply wan moved by Mr J. H»t:hinson. and weconded by Mr E. Gk Allbu. O'spt. Rn*eell, Messrs J. and Scobie McK-rizie, Gi'ftuider and Teylor aleo epoke, efter wbioh the Addreee-in-Reply was agreed to. Mr Seddon lead a memorandum on the' finances of the coiony.