Parliamentary Gossip

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 142, 16 June 1888, Page 5

Parliamentary Gossip

/ Er TELEGRAPH.— OWN REPORTER.)

Wellington, this day, CONVICT LABOUR.

impress' 011 has been widely entertained c me time past that convict labour was ■ =lv competing with free labour in ""lection with the manufacturing indusc°-~ The return which wasiurnidhedto the W'es; ves t e rday in compliance with the mo- • v },lr Gokiie show.- that there was really tlO nnu=c for apprehension on this score. It , r = from this document that apart Irom aP P rriin-u-V "diamond. cracking" industry, theSvely little productive work .was ? mlin the iols of the colony during the , -Vpir Lyttclton Gaol, which possesses SSg presses and type worth about £350, P video" V the Government printer work P'rt.pWno of about £400, the cost to the tt, t fi" about £50. Brick-making industry of Mount Cook r,nl the plant scb up lor the purpose being Sat about £1,000. The bricks manuZ tared for use outside the gaol were sold afSt £1,350 to contractors, for the frpction of the Government Printing Olnce. v Wn Gaol (Auckland) has a stone-Ekin-Planb worth £1,000, driven by Em poW, and various lots of £Sn metal have been sold to local Sms Coffins for the local charitable •"titutions are the only other products. dier Gaol yields only road metal, sand «d lime and at Dunedin Gaol only a few «nunds: worth of socks were manufactured tothcMosgiel Company, and clothing for heSeacliU'o Asylum patients. * THE CODLIN MOTH.

The Council, by fifteen votes to ten, have thrown out Mr Hobbs's Codlin Moth Bill. Those who voted for the second reading f ere _The Hon. Messrs Baillio, Barnicoafc, Holmes, Johnson, Kenny Moms, Stevens, g\yan?on, .Waterhonse and Sir I. Whitafcer. v oes _The Hon. Messrs Brett, Buckley, Biirnan, Eraser,- Mantell, Martin, McLean, Miller Pharazyn, Pollen, Richmond, Bhep jard, Shrimski, Wilson and Sir W. Fitz herbert

ENCOURAGING LOCAL INDUSTRIES The supporters of local industries will be dad to hear of the statement made by the Premier last night. He had ascertained that blankets manufactured within the colony now supersede all imported ones except the very cheapest kinds. AN UNSUBSTANTIAL CLAIM.

Te Kooti has failed to make out any claim against the colony in respect of his ridiculous petition for compensation for the destruction of his house and goods by fire. The Native Affairs Committee will make no recommendation on the subject.

RETIRING ALLOWANCE. The Solicitor-General has given an opinion that Mr John Ollivier, Provincial Auditor for Canterbury, is entitled to a superannuation allowance of £250, that being half his former salary. The Public Petitions Committee recommend that an allowance be made to him accordingly.

MR JOSHUA JONES. Fault was found yesterday afternoon by MrSeddoh with the appointment of Lieut.Colonel Roberts and MrG. B. Davy as Commissioners to inquire into the grievance of Mr Joshua Jones of Mokau, as both gentlemen were Civil servants. He asked that the House should be given an opportunity of reviewing the appointment, it being as well that the Commissioners should not be identified in any way in an inquiry in which the Government were so much interested. The Native Minister said lie saw no reason whatever why the House should review the appointment, which he considered would jive satisfaction throughout the colony. Lieut.-CM. Roberts, he pointed out, was not xOTintiie Government service. A lively faission ensued, in the course of which it ms strongly , urged that Commissioners should be appointed who were independent oftho Government and had no connection with native affairs. Air Seddon said he had been fcold'.thab a block of land on the opposite side of the Molrau River from that claimed by Mr Jones had been acquired by Messrs Morrin and Co. on behalf of an Auckland syndicate, and had been granted every facility by the Government for' surveying their land and getting their title through the Native Lands Court. It was now stated that they were endeavouring to cross the river and prevent Mr Jones from getting his rights. He (Mr Seddon) had seen a document under the hand of the Judge and of the Hon. Mr Bryce which prevented surveys from being made within the time to get his title. Mr Hainlin spoke warmly on behalf of Mr Jones,- and severely censured Judge Macdonald, who, he said, had lately teen told by so high an authority as the Attorney-General that he was wrong in his law, and that he had exceeded his powers and had set aside an x\cfc of Parliament. Thehon. gentleman read several telegrams reflecting on those concerned in the case. Members having fully discussed the matter from all points of view, the Colonial Secretary expressed regret at the remarks made by the member for Franklyn South in insinuating that a "wrong judgment had been given in the case, and said that hon. members ought to be ashamed of having such insinuations made against public officers of the colony. He also explained that bo far as Mr Morrin's land was concerned, the matter had been dealt with by the ■native Land Court and by the late Government, the only action in respect to it by tie present Ministry being a refusal to allow a survey of the land. The Premier also referred to the " extraordinaiy accusations" of Mr Hamlin, and publicly chal«nged him to put his charges against the Head Judge of the Native Land Court in writing, in order that an inquiry might be held at once. THE CHINESE CONFERENCE. Mr Seddon, who has always had strong &nti-Cb.inese leanings, is evidently of opinion that the conclusions of the Conference just held at Sydney are not sufficiently stringent to their character. He therefore intends to jsk who was responsible for the Hon.'Mr "liver's late arrival in Australia. THE COLONIAL PRIZE-FIRING. The annual vote of £500 for the New &alnnd Rifle Association does not appear on this year's Estimates. It would therefore appear that the Government do not jotend the continuance of the meeting. Unless t'ae.House can induce Ministers to place the vote on the supplementary estimates, it is not likely that the next fixture, ™ieh was to have been held at Blenheim, ™1 come off. THE NORTH ISLAND TRUNK LINE. ,An article which appears in last night's .ftst" ]ia 3 fallen like a bomb-shell on the Auckland and Taranaki members. Ib is pted out that'" the trunk railway loan m floated has been raised for the conviction of the central line, and not one ™ny of it can be diverted to any other Fpose." The wording of the North ?'aad Main Trunk Railway Loan Applica'pAct, 1886, is peculiar, but a perusal ~' « shows nob only that the Central "ne is clearly defined, but that the Wceeds of the loan must be kept separate '™t( spent on tins line only. The article vorM~" ie oan now *3 ra'sec^ *s *ne' t^ ab'y. consecrated to the construction of , lna/ n Central line. Parliament may but tie cx Penrliture as long as ib likes, • ln ;, the Money must remain until it is spent o n j ° fflanner specified. Even expenditure airvoya of alternative lines does not come tSli . limits of the Act, and the Minist" e |, Fublic Workswillnotbe able to charge (. .pOs* °f his expensive Taranaki surveys v wis ioa ß) The Acfc ia nob one which can

be repealed, because it is part of the compact with bondholders, who have subscribed the loan, and no Government would give royal assent to a Bill which varied the security given for money on the terms of the contract with the bondholders." DISCOURAGING EXTRAVAGANCE. Much merriment was caused in the House last night during the discussion of the question of duties to be pluced on certain kinds of fabrics. Certain members expressed a desire, which doubtless animates most heads of familie?, to discourage extravagance in households by means of tariff imposts. One gentleman declared that he did. not care to encourage ladies m whom lie was interested to be decked in talks .and satins, and brought down the House by observing that.he considered beauty unadorned to be adorned the mo^t. BOOTS AND SHOES. Several hon. members, while the tariff was under consideration, urged the recon sideration of the duty on boots and shoes so that they might be charged ofi per dozen pairs. The Premier promised to give every attention to the letters received during the day from Mr Moss and others, but in the meantime he insisted on the tarift as proposed. On this understanding the item was passed. ROUGH ON TE KOOTI. A number of Maoris living on the East Coast having petitioned that Tc Kooti, the so-called prophet, may bo prevented from convening meetings of the natives, the Native Affairs Committee havereported thut they fully sympathise with the petitioners, and believe they suffer hardship through the. monthly meetings of Te Kooti's followers at the various tcttlements, resulting as it does in estranging families, disturbing the tranquillity of settlements, impoverish ing the people by a, wholesale consumption of I heir food, and exhausting all their resources. It is therefore recommended that the Government will do their utmost to prevent such meetings, by introducing such legislation as shall enable the Government to forbid what is a. deliberate and crafty system of loafing upon tho resources of the thrifty and well-disposed persons. NEW ': BILLS. The following new Bills aro t) bo intro duced next sitting day :— R filiations of Local Elections Act Amendment (Hon. Mr Hislop), Oamaru Education Reserve Exchange (Hon. Mr Hislop), Volunteer Drill Sheds and Lands Bill (Hon. Mr Fergus), Representation Act, 1887, Suspension (Mr Seddon). WATCHES AND JEWELLERY. Though no increase has been made in the duty on watches, clocks, and jewellery, they are not likely to escape. The disposition of the House seems to be to strike out salt and other items, and in that case it will be the Premier's duty to look through the tariff and see where the money lost'by the items struck off can be raised. It may well be imagined that watches and jewellery will come in for a fair share of attention. MOKAU LAND CLAIM. Colonel Roberts and ex-Judge Davy have agreed to act as Commissioners re Mokau Jones's claim. Jones objects to this arrangement, and wants a Parliamentary commission or a Supreme Court judge to investigate tho matter. SIR GEORGE GHEY EXPLAINS. Sir. G. Grey voted for the second reading of the Customs Duties Bill, and supported Mr Beetham's amendment. He desires me to explain that his sole object was for a few days' adjournment, in order that it might be seen whether further retrenchment of a substantial kind was not practicable before going into Supply, lie thinks that the House should not go into Committee of Supply before ways and means were thoroughly thought out, and his action was not intended as a protest .against the tariff, for he strongly supports encouragement to native industries.

MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS AMEND

ME-NT BILL.

■ This measure, which the Colonial Secretary is now preparing, is drafted mainly in accordance with suggestions received from the City Council of Dunedin. It is enacted that all actions and prosecutions against any corporation must be commenced within three months of the commission of the act, and notice in writing of such action and the cause thereof shall be given to the defendant one month at least before its commencement. In the event of a corporation succeeding as defendant in any action such defendant is to be entitled to "full costs, and is to have like remedy as any defendant ha? in law in other cases. Section 201 of the Municipal Corporations Act, ISB6, is repealed, and in lien thereof it is provided that the Council may, in anticipation of the ordinary revenueof the general account, from time to time borrow money from the bank by way of overdraft, but such overdraft shall never at any time exceed the total amount of such ordinary receipt for the year ending on the 31st March previous, not including any moneys by way of grants from the Government. With respect to formation of new streets, it is stipulated that every street laid out in any borough shall be at least sixty-six feet wide, and every private street not less than forty feet. Power is given to the Council to cause an inspection of meat before slaughtering and to impose a slaughtering fee, provided the meat is intended for sale or consumption within the borough. Where an inspector is of opinion that any beast is unfit for human food it shall'bo unlawful to slaughter the same for sale, a maximum penalty of £20 being the punishment inflicted on any person selling, or offering for sale, or apparently offering for sale, meat that has been condemned as diseased or unfit id1 human food. Failing to give information to the inspectororoliicerappointed for the purpose as to the name of the person for whom the meat is being slaughtered and iis intended destination, is also "an orience punishable by line. Power is also given to Councils to appoint a gas inspector for the borough, and the duty of this officer is to inspect, examine and test the correctness of any gas meter whenever requested to do so by the consumer, the fee to be paid by the person demanding such testing, not to exceed live shillings in any case, "w hen a meter has been found to be defective, the supplier is liable to a penalty not exceeding 20s for each day on which he ! allows the meter to be continued in use after that has b.een made. In any case where a "as company is established or carries on business in a borough, the Council may •require such company to furnish them with an annual balance-sheet of their transactions, and. this balance-sheet will then be published in the "New Zealand Gazette " in the same way as that of banks trading in the colony. ALTERATIONS IN THE TARIFF. A few concessions will be made to manufacturers as the details of the tariff come on for discussion. Certain of the rough material for carriages, tinware, and upholsterers' fittings are to be added to the free list. A drawback is to be given to local makers of agricultural machinery on their imported fittings, and a concession allowed to makers of soda crystals. JOTTINGS. Mr Seddon declares that he has nevel' seen a colonial-made pair of moleskin trousers on the West Coast diggings. Mr Anderson wants a re-adjustment of railway freights for agricultural and pastoral products. Mr Guinness want? to know why the Government are not selling the Stella. Tho Petitions Committee have reported re the Shop Hours Bill that, as the measuro is before Parliament, thoy have no recommendation to mako. Petitions, numerously Bigned, m favour 'of the abolition of the totalizator, continue to be received.