PARLIAMENTARY.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 254, 29 October 1887, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

FRIDAY'S SITTING OS1 EHE HQUS&

<BY TELEdEArH*-SPECIAL REPORTER.)

Wellington, this day. The sitting of the House, last night was a very short one. Notice was given of an im" niense number of questions and motions, and very many petitions were answered and, at the request of the Government, replies to the questions set down yesterday were deferred till Tuesday. The Financial Statement. The Premier said that the hope he had * entertained of submitting tho Financial Statement that night hadproved delusive, bub it would be brought down 6n Tuesday evening without fail. Sir Julius Vogel said if ib were, it would have been prepared with considerable celerity and the House should.be satisfied. He thought the request for additional time reasonable, and would assist to consult the convenience of the Government in the order of business. After some further discussion the House adjourned soon after eight o'clock. It may fairly be assumed that inasmuch as the Cabinet are anxious to place the finances of the colony on something like an assured basis, the Statement on Tuesday will travefso the question of public works, Tho usual Public Works Statement will, however, be made at ft later stage of the session. Ministerial Resldenoea. The Minister for Lands has removed into the Ministerial residence in Tinakori Road, while the Premier occupies that in Bowenstroet. Sir Julius Vogel and the Hon. E. m .Richardson still occupy tho other residences, W pending the decision of tho Hquso as to their disposal. Corporation Borrowing. A new departure in the matter of borrowing has been taken by the Dunedin Corporation. They have submitted to the House a bill enabling them to receive deposits from private persons at a rate of interest not exceeding 7 per cent. The money received on deposit is not to exceed •£30,000, and the sum of the deposits and ' overdraft are not to exceed the lawful overdraft. Opposition will fee offered to the principle of the bill. New Zealand Institute. The following are the numbers of ordinary members belonging to the New Zealand Institute : Auckland, 277 ; Hawke's Bay, 139; Wellington, 248; Canterbury, 116; Nelson, 50; Westland, 69; Otago, 156; Southland, 72; total, 1,156. Tho Beer Trade. It appears that during the last year 35 hotel licenses wero refused on the ground that the houses were not required. The • total number of publicans' licenses issued was 1,476, and the total number refused 56.. There are 115 brewers in the colony, and the amount of beer duty paid was £53,000. Political Jottings. The Financial Statement will be delivered ab the evening sitting on Tuesday. Mr Taylor indignantly wants to know if ihe Minister of Works has promised to have the railway material required for Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin manufactured in those places instead of at Addington. Colonel Fraser's bill reducing the number of members to 50 has been read a first time. Defence is suffering very_ severely in the scheme of retrenchment which ia now being prepared, hy the Government. notice* has been given for the appointment of » Select Committee to deal with the question of the rabbit pest. Sir Julius Vogel considers that if the , financial Statement is brought down cm Tuesday it; will have been prepared with an ;* , amount of celerity that should t>e satisfactory to the House.

1 ' Both the local papers eulogise the Bank of New Zealand directors for facing the position, and speak hopefully of the future Mr Walter Leslie has published the first of a series of Parliamentary portraits, with letterpress biography, the subject being Mr Vincent Pyke. Scarcely more than half the members iiave returned to Wellington yet, and the attendance was not very large last night. The Government will take a firm stand against the whole of the further concessions appliedfcr by the Midland Railway Company being granted. 1 Messrs Hamlin and Jackson have been urging the Government to reduce rates for carrying milk on railways, but without success. Mr Harry W. Favnall, who retired from Auckland North contest at the last moment, is petitioning the House, through Mr Moss, for the return of his £10 deposit. It is said now that the Government never seriously contemplated the abolition of the Boards of Education. The Government Printing Office. Mr Didsbury in his annual i-eport on the above mentions that nearly all the brown paper now used in the department has been obtained from the local mills, and they find the quality has greatly improved. A trial of New Zealand made ink has also been made, but the result lias not been satisfactory, as its corrosive quality has rendered the pens useless. All the brasswork in connection with the department is now being done at the Printing Office. t Proposed Abolition of Crown and Native Lands Bating Aot. - : The Opposition party are confident that Government; will place themselves jn an awkward, if not an absolutely dangerous porition by repealing the Crown and Native Lands Ratine* Act. This course is. Strongly urged by Southerners, but .Jhe effect would be that £40,000 now ;Sr paid from the consolidated revenue as rates on Crown lands and £30,000 from same source paid on native land would be lost to the local bodies. This would, however, mean, a saying to consolidated revenue of £?0,000 .per annum in the North Island alone, while there would also 5° ai a TB, e aavini S 3ll toe west coast of the South Idand, where come of the counties, notably BuUer, exist, on :the revenue from .. Crown landa- rates.: It is thought that if SfJPW* of rating native lands is aboushed a small tax might be Imposed, . PTOIQ by Jihe.natives themselves, but this ' ' ™Z?f *»?*n & **** of native members' yotes to the Government.' ,The local .bodies cwj'i^y b * the repeal-of the, Crown and Native Lands Rating Act, and' by .the of Bubßidieß which will ■ probably be made.' ■ .; ■- v : A -.New Capitol. • ;-.,;■] :,f*;, . The present session i* not to be aliowied , to pass without another atteMpb to h&ye toe seat of Government removed to Canterbury. Air Taylt^r intends td tab^e a motion v having that object in view, and in doing so ,\ he will revive the;Bathgate rplan of select- \ Jng a tract of country iii the Northern part %»f that provincial district, and founding an wnd Empire City there. JEhe amount itived from the .sale or. lease of lands, it is \ would be more than sufficient to cover >c outlay and erect palatM Govfrn■*uildings.;) ' '.'r'^.j/, • l ( Charitable Aid. :''' '■' ;^|e had bee^ going; ve"ry eic- % the question, p|.fjfpenaifcure '•» Aidtin the pasl, and has. %conolusion Mat' > Gaxtot-' 1 an unfair advantage' parts of the' colqny. shoeing thd charil|g districts for three Wee :—1883: AuckCanterbury,

13,409; 0tagp,5,039. 1884: Auckland, 6,230; Wellington, '3,318; Canterbury, 14,282; O^ago, 3,619. X 885: Auckland, 2,931; Wellington, 139 j Canterbury, 9,664; Otago, 276.