PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 156, 4 July 1896, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY

* TOBTEK.)

WBLUHfIToir, Friday. QUESTIONS. Tbotible arises in the House ofßepresentativea bbis afternoon aftor tba preliminary buainesa ia disposed of, on accounb o Ministers'rafnsai to answer questions til later on in the afternoon. The Leader of th» Opposition quotes Parliamentary P«cttafl MBMCting the sacred right of private S? kink h will ba conducive to the digmby !! thVHouso for members to put questions toMob ,nd every one of which Mmisters will refuse answers. The ruling that Sinister* had the righb to refuse to answer 'qamtioni had been given by his predeCeBSTHB BANKING COMMITTEE. The storm momentarily subsides, and »he Premier, before moving the addition, of certain names to the Banking Committee, asks Captain Russell if he has decided on tbo members of the Opposition he wishes placed on the Committee. . The Captain has not decided, and doean b intend deciding. v ;» Then." says the Premier, "I'll move my motion." fle does so. The names proposed to be added bo the Committee are Major Steward, Messrs G. Hutchison, Tanner, Maslin and Guinness. . . The Premier makes no speech, and Sir K. Stonb immediately moves bho adjournment of the debate as a protest againsb the aubocraey of the Ministry in nob a»swering questions. The paltry array of questions become so many, martyrs calling aloud for justice. Little ib avails Ministers to assure the House that the proposal to dispose of the Bunking Committee mobion is to facilitate the business of the House. The member* who are, reapontibla for the 26 questions are loud in bheir demands for an answer. Three-quarters of an hour aro consumed in discussion, and the division decides against Sir R. Stout, only 26 voting with him, and 37 against. The Jfremier'a motion is then proceeded with. Captain Russell explains his reason for apt submitting the names of Opposition members. He had been to.d by the Premier tha* any member of the Opposition would be accepted with the exception of one whose wide knowledge of financial matters exceptionally fitted him for serving en the Committee, therefore he will not nominate any of his followers. • Mr Buchanan and Mr Duthie both enter ! their protests, and Mr McLachlan moves tbab the name of Mr George Hutchison 1 be removed on account of incurable bias. Mr Hutchison asks if. the iacb that) ho * has opposed the banking legislation tooth ' and nail is a disqualification. If so he is nob fitted to eit oh the Committee, but he points oat thab nob one member of the House was absolutely free from bias one way or another. Ho makes reterence to bis action in 1890 in connection with the banking affairs of two statesmen who are now dead. Since their death, he sayo, his ) comtibuenfcs and Parliament will bear him out in the facb that he has not referred to thaso matters. f Mr Saunders is sorry bhab Mr Hutchison - has consented to acb on a Committee which he considers will be utterly useless , Mr Lawry has some hard remarks re- ( ■pecbinjr Mr • Hutchison's references to '* affairs of 1890, He cloee nob wans Mr . Hutchison on the Committee, and refers to the fact bhaJS&r Hutchison haa nob yeb withdrawn bfie'charges he made against Mr Mitchelson, a geßtleajanj-nhe says, the ■ latcbet of whose shoes Mr Hutchison ie unworthy to unlace. THE- OPPOSITION WALK OUT. The division ball rine-sy and the membora .of the Opposition, with the exception of •' Mr Wilsdn, troop out of the Chamber. Mr (Hutchison and Sir R. Stoub and several i' other members also withdraw. By 42 votea to four. Mr Hutchison's % nsmo is retained en the Committee. i The Premier, in replying to several - speakers, points out thab the reason given by Captain Russell for not nominating mambers of She Committee was quite different from the reason he had given him (Mr > Seddon) previously, when he had said thab ■ if section two of the order of reference waß ' impended, he would have no objection to ; appointing some of his followers to the / Coramibfeea. , •• Absolutely incorrecb," says the Cap- , tain, and for a few minutes there is an cxi change of courtesies between the two ■ gentlemen, at the close of which the Premier in fine, scornful tones refers to fehe ignoble-retreat of the Opposition on the 1 occasion of the lasb division. Any delay in I eebtling np the Committee, he asserts. Has .been caused by the Opposition, and be I mentions thab he intends moving thab bhe /proceedings of the Committee be open to i the public and the press. The motion passes tritheub division, and Ministers answer questions, which takes '■ np time till the dinner adjourmmenb. MORNING SITTINGS, When mambers re-assemble, another motion, thai) dealing with morning sittings, is discussed. There are objections innumerable to the proposal, moeb of the j speakers wanting the Premier to promise tbab on the days the House meats in the morning ib will adjourn ab half-past ten in the evening. ■ Mr Earnshaw thinks that the experiment ehould be tried only till the end of the pre> cent month. There is more discussion, and :, alter nearly two hours talk, members by 29 tq 28 affirm tbab bhe House shall meet for ; the transaction of business at 10.80 in the i morning on - Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays during the present month. The pro forma second readings of the Shipping A°d Seamen's Act, Societies Prevention, and Wages Protection Bills are •greed te on the understanding than the debate on each will ba taken on their return from bbeLabeur Bills Committee. The second reading of the Criminal Code Amendment Act, raising the age of con. rent from 14 to 16 years, passed without debate. BATING ON UNIMPROVED VALUES. The next measure, Rating on Unimproved Value Bill, is an old favourite, the present being its fourth appearance on the parliamentary stage. It meets with its usual pats on the back from ita.former friends, and slaps from its opponents. Oapt. Russell, recognising the futility of fighting against the measure, satisfies him«oif with entering a protest against it), So dues Sir Roberta Stoub and other members. All fcbab can be said in favour of tho measure ia said fully and forcibly by its friends. , , ~ . On division, the second reading is carried by 29 to 5, and the House adjourns shortly after one o'clock.. THE ARRESTED TOURISTS. The Public Petitions Committee, reporting on bha petition of the two tourists I Austin and Mounsey) who were wrongfully arrested in connection with bhe robbery of £200 frem the Rotorua Poetoffice, point pub tnab. as soon ds the police discovered that the petibioners were absolutely above reproach thoy did everything possible to remedy tho indignity cast on Ihom. The Committee recommends the Soyernmenb to send a letter to the pebi*loneiF* in New South Wales expressing ««am fcbab they should have been subjected to the indignity complained of, and taking them to allow the New Zealand feo nMpburao, the,m tor any pecuniary expanses they were pub toby wwm of their arrest.

BIBLE IN SCHOOLS. The Public Pebitians Committee had before ib this morning a number of petitions urging tha introduction of the Irish Scriptural texb book into the public schools of the colony. The Committee dociijod to report thab aa the matter is one of policy ib has no recommendation to make. PAEROA TOWNSHIP. Me Button, in asking the Minister of Lands if it was the intention of the Governinenb to purchase tho lease of the Paeroa block, on which tho town of Paeroa is built, eaid he understood thab the Government had purchased bhe freehold of land subject to the lease, which sbill had fourteen years more. Loesses at present gave no facilities to persona wishing bo acquire land, and the Government would be fully compensated if they purchased the lease. Every facility would be given the Government! to purchase ib ab ita real value, and not ab any fancy price, Tho Hon. Mr McKonzie said Mr Bubbon musb have got his information from unreliable sources. The Government had endeavoured to purchase the lease and the Board set up te deal with such matters had made valuation and recommended purchase by the Government. The lessees had refused the amount offered by the Governmentl, in accordance with this recommendation, and the Minister had been informed on the best authority that bbey placed an exaggerated value on the lease. The Gaverrimenb could nob do anything further in the matter except take tha lease compuliorily but, were nod prepared to do so at the present stage of the proceedings. If lessees wished ib re-opened ha would be pleased to get the Board to reconsider the matter.' ' ' THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, In the Legislative Council yesterday hhe Pharmacy Bill was introduced. The Sea Fisheries Act Amendmenb Bill was passed througbCommibtee wibhoubmatorial amendment. LUNATIC ASYLUMS. Dr. MacGregor, in his annual reporb on the asylums of the colony, states that bhe total number of inmates on bhe 31sb December lasb was 2,214, being an increase of 46 on previous year's total. The proportion of the insane to the population ia: Males, one in every 300; females, one in 393. The Inspector complains as before bhat our asylum population ia more and more every year showing accutnulabion of hopeless senile dements, who in England would be sent to tho workhouse. This gives apparently ajar higher rate than our increase of population would warrant. How far there is a po*itivo increase of insanity among us be finds himself unable to determine because many of our pioneers are old prematurely from exposure and other causes incidstitbl to the life of colonial communities. If the congestion of the asylums is to be remedied, ho says, a vote of £25,000 will be necessary. Tbo gross expenditure for the year was £59,158 against £58,700 loeb year. The neb cost per patient) was £1 2s 8d less than bha previous year, tho figures being £22 13s BJd per head for 1895, as against £23 16s 4|d for 1894.: QUESTIONS. The Hon. Mr Cadman, replying to Mr Lang, said there were difficulties in the way of making the necessary alterations to tho Purieu Bridge, so as to enable id to be used for public traffic, and though he recognised ita importance to settlors in the surrounding district, ib could nob be done. The Minister of Marine, replying to Mr Miller, Baid be would see if a signal could be hoisted ab tide time by the Harbour Muster at the Kaipara Heads. The Hon. Mr McKenzie informed Mr G. J. Smith to-day that the Government wece noli in a position to say whab the aum of £52,576, balance of profit and loss account of the Bank of New Zealand, included. Ministern had no more right to inquire into bhe matter tha'a the metiabor who asked the' question had. JOTTINGS. The Public Pefcibiona/Committee has before ib a petition from District Judge Kettle, who is asking that as far ac poafiible tbo Districb Judge shall be freed from executive control and other influence. In the House of Representatives this afternoon on the motion of Mr W. Kelly a rei;nrn showing in detail the receipts and expenditure of tho Rotorua Town Board from Ist April, 1895, to the 31st March, 1896, waa granted. The Private Bills Committee sab for fchroo hours this moraing and heard evidence from the Rev. Morley fwd Mr .Buddie in support of the Wesleyan Union measure, and of Mr Cole, who represented tho .Mount Eden Church. The consideration of the Bill ia adjourned till next weak. The residents of Maraebai having mado representations feo Major Harris reapectitig a wharf for thab disbricb. he waibed on the Minister for Marino asking him bo send a competent officer to report on the requirement of the settlers. This the Minister promised to do. Sir G. M. O'Rorke and Major Harris vraitedon the Hon. Mr McKenzie in connection wfbh the erection of a new bridge ab the Tamaki and the Minister promised to see what ceuld be done when the estimates were being prepared.