EVENING SITTING.

Press, Volume L, Issue 8583, 9 September 1893, Page 9

EVENING SITTING.

Tho House resumed at 7.30 p. m. ELECTORAL BILL. The Electoral Bill was received from the Legislative Council with amendments. Mr SEDDON moved that the amendments be considered at the next sitting day. He did so in order that the House might not be taken by surprise; Sir J. HALL said that with two exceptions the amendments made by the Council . were purely formal. He hoped that in view of the large number of women that were to be placed on the roll there would be no delay in considering tha amendments made by the Council. Mr SAUNDERS expressed a similar opinion, and hoped the Premier would not allow any unnecessary delay to occur in this matter. Sir R. STOUT moved as an amendment that the amendments be considered forthwith. Mr SCOBIE MACKENZIE said the Premier was adopting a most unusual course, as invariably the rule was that when a Bill was received from the Council with amendments the motion was made that they be either agreed to or disagreed with. He thought that although the Government had gained a victory over this Bill, they viewed that victory with mortification and disgust. . Mr ALLEN also thought it a most unusual course for the Government to adopt. . Mr SEDDON said many members had no idea that the Bill would be received from the Council that night. He had not seen the amendments, but he believed one of them was very important, and he asked ; whether it was right that he as leader of the House should ask members to consider amendments of which he did not know the nature. . Mr ROLLESTON said his impression was that the Government knew very well what the amendments were, and that every member of the House knew also. It seemed to him that the Government wished to-post-pone the Bill till Monday in order to pick a hole. He, however, from the Opposition point of view, had no objection to the Government committing another tactical blunder in addition to the many other' blunders they had committed this session. ' Mr FISH was surprised at the extreme haste shown by Sir J. Hall over this matter. ; It seemed to him that Sir R. Stout was exercising the functions of the Leader of the Opposition in moving such a bpstile ' amendment' as he had just done. . He thought the Premier's motion was a most reasonable oife. MrG. HUTCHISON, said tbe whole of the amendments made in the. Bill by Council ' were •GoT^umentrajnehdraentsproposed by the Attorney-General. ; ■ The Premier's attempt now was simply meant to keep the , -women of the colony oat of the franchise for seventy-two hours. » Sir J. HALL said that if the Premier gave an honourable undertaking that the amendments should be. considered next sitting day he hoped Sir R. Stout would withdraw his » amendment. * ' m Sir R. STOUT asked the House to allow him to withdraw it, but leave was refused, and Sir R. Stout's amendment was lost by 41 to 22, and tbe Premiers motion carried. BILLS PASSED. The Submarine' Telegraph Cables Protection Bill, and the Counties Vehicle Licensing Bill were read a third time and passed. •RAILWAY PASSES. On the motion that the House go into Committee of Supply, Mr GUINNESS moved an amendment— *' That in the opinion cf this House permanent railway passes should be issued to those members who have sat-in the House for two full Parliaments at least." ' He. hoped the House would agree to his amend* meut, and said it was the practice already in some of the Australian colonies. . Mr SEDDON said he could not accept the motion, but it was only because he desired to get into Supply. Ho thought the question was one that should be. referred to the. Railway Commissioners, but he might say that, in other colonies, this concession had been granted. He thought the present members of the House might retain their passes after they had ceased to be members. » « Mr VALENTINE supported the amendment. Mr ROLLESTON opposed it, and. considered the time very inopportune for making such a proposal when Paxliamenfc was about to expire. After further discussion, the amendment was lost on the voices, and the House went into Committee of Supply for the con-idara-tionof tbe Estimates. Department of Agriculture, £34,445. This vote elicited a very lenzthy discussion, but was finally passed without alteration. Department of Land and Survey, 43119,395. Mr VALENTINE asked if this department was now able to overtake arrears of Mr J. McKENZIE said he hoped that the increased sum asked for this-year would enable all work to be overtaken. Mr VALENTINE congratulated the Minister on having increased, and rightly so, some of the salaries of officers in his department. It showed that Mr McKenzie had found, after eight years had passed over, that he was wrong when he moved to reduce tbe salaries of officers by £5 and £10 daring Sir EL A. Atkinson's administration. The vote passed after considerable discussion. Miscellaneous services—£2s33. Mr RICHARDSON moved that the item £2100 for the establishment of a Forest branch of the department be struck out. Mr J. McKENZIE defended the item, and hoped the Committee would not strike it out, as this would be most useful and the revenue derived from State forests could not be put to better use than in maintaining such a department. Sir R. STOUT also urged that the vote should not be struck out. He thought instead, of having the- Forest department limited, it should be largely increased, and held that a good portion of the lands in the colony were only fit for forests. ' Mr BRUCE also supported the item, not because they could save their forests, but because it would disseminate information with respect to the growth of trees. Sir J. HALL supported the preservation of State forests,, and said they should encourage the .growth of kauri trees. , Mr ROLLE-3TON said no one objected to State forest*. What he did object to was that the Minister had no scheme in Ms head, and gave them no information at ail m the matter. - Mr J. McKENZIE said if this vote was passed, he should endeavour to secure suitable men. for this department. After a long diseossioo the vote passed, MrHichardaoa withdrawing his amendnrtant. Vote* e-AttSQO 1 for r&tca os Crown lands j

and £2100 on State forests account were agreed to. Several members here (12.30 a.m.) appealed to the Government to report progress. Mr SEDDON eventually moved that progress be reported. Agreed to. rtTRLtC WORKS STATEMENT. Mr SEDDON said he proaiised Mr Rolleston that he would bring down the Public Works Statement early next week. He had made that promise assuming that the general Estimates could be put through this week. Those Estimates not being finished, however, he was afraid he would not be able to bring down that Statement as early as he had promised. Mr ROLLESTON said there was no such understanding as stated by the Premier. What he had promised was that he would bring down the Public Works Statement as soon as they had made what he called " reasonable progress " with the Estimates. He could assure the Premier those Estimates would not go through so easily as he anticipated, and he hoped the Government side of the House would support the Opposition in insisting that the whole of the Government policy should be brought before the House without any further delay. Sir R. STOUT regretted to hear the Premier's remarks. He said it was quite unprecedented that the Public Works Statement should not be brought down before the general estimates were finished. That had never been the practice when he was in office, or in the House, and he thought it was most improper thafcdialf of the Government policy should not be before them till the last week or two of the session. Sir J. HALL thought it would not expedite the public business if the Public Works Statement were not brought down as soon as possible. Mr SEDDON said he had not varied one iota from the order of business which he announced to the House. He had thought the Estimates would be through the House that night, but he wanted to know what money the Government would have from their taxation proposals before framing the Public Works Estimates. He should bring down the Public Works Estimates as soon as the taxation proposals were through. The House rose at 1 a.m.