HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11103, 23 October 1901, Page 9

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

AFTERNOON SITTING. The Oimnittee on the Counties Bill reportwl tli.it they had resolved not to proceed any further with that measure. ilr Ki.L, although a, city member, regretted very much the failure of the Committte to come to ;i conclusion on this Bill. He favoured another Committee being set up iininedi.itfly to {40 on with the Bill. Mr NKDTKJN also regretted that the Committee had not <.omu to a more favourable decinlon, but he must say the Committee's re- % port wa,*. the bi«t thin# tliat could have* iiftiH»e«ed to tin . Hill in it* mangled form? Mr SYMKS thought the best thing was to blot tl» Uiil out in its present form. ♦ Mr TAXNhK could not see why the Com- ' mittee could not have devised some simple measme to reduce the Dumber of local bodies in the country. 1 Mr HKKRIKS said the Committee, under pressure from the constituencies, had had to put the small local bodies back into the , Hill, and consequently the whole under- ' structure of the Bill was knocked out. It would be f-iT better to have some simple, separate consolidating measure than to have it thrust into this Bill. The Committee . found the Bill almost superhuman, and that ' there was no general desire for the abolition. ' of the small local bodies. / Mr JiOUU said there was no inclination i on the part of the Committee to moke any proper advance with regard to the Bill. One stumbling block that they had had to face was the quest ion of franchise. Mr AIcKENZIE did not think the country would receive the report of the Committee with jnanv feelings of regret. Mr FLAT-MAM said the Committee had mot; reached the franchise clauses, end had not considered them. Mr W. FKASKR pointed out that the Committee was hampired by the statement of the Government that no assured, finance would be given to these local bodies. Mr BUDDO said personally he did not see much hope in future for a Bill on the lines of the one the Committee had been ' considering. Small local bodies were required, aa large ones tended to become unwieldy. Mr LANG did not think the work of the Committee was lost, and the information they liad received would enable the question to be better dealt with next, session. Mr MONK said there was a most strenuous opposition in his district to the abolition )■ of any of the local bodies, but what was \ desired was a form of government that : would give these bodies a system of auto- "\ matic finance. Mr McGUIRE said the Committee had had amply demonstrated to it the opposition that was felt throughout the colony towards any interference with many of the existing local bodies. \ ' Mr McGOWAN said the report of the .; .. Committee was not satisfactory, and the ■; : Committee apparently was not able to dea 1 ,} r with the question in » manner desired by the ; House. It was evident the Premier would ; . I have to take the Bill into his own bands. '( \. Mr JAMES ALLEN said tbat utterance twos not fair to the Committee. Mr Martin, solicitor to the Municipal Association, had reported tbat owing to the reinsertion of tke smaller local bodies the Bill would require re-drafting, and there was not time to do that this eeestian. The report of the Committee was ordered to lie on the table and the evidence to be printed. DRUNKENNESS AMONG' NATIVES. With regard to the petition that a full enquiry be made into certain allegations aa to excessive drinking indulged in by the Maoris in the Taranaki dietrict. at tangte; etc., the Public Petitions Com- . lafttee reported as follows:—"That the evidence given before the Committee snows '-_ ': that alcoholic liquors are largely consumed ]: y 16 tangjs, and hue by natives in the Tβ raJ ■ naki district*; that there appears to be '. : r,, na difficulty in obtaining liquor in large : )*'■ quantities; that the orgies that sometimes : £•/ occur at tangis and hojs are disgraceful, ■f f. and the general • effects are physically and * I morally degrading to the native .people. \ C The therefore, recommends* that % -jf- legislation be introduced with, a view of \ fiJ; restrioting the sale of *alcoholio liquors -to I l> tint native race." !|> ; ■ QUESTIONS. ' • i|\ "-Replying to. questions, Miuistere i%- itated that they wouxd be only too pleased <: fj. "to ,s hear tb? opiniona of small farmers, "{ |v. collectively or individually, regjorduvg tbe I 'p .' Oonaxjonwealth tariff, a»u the iuUe*t con- \ U'" wdtrattoa would be given to tlieir suggesf tioxta; , that tbe Government intended .k> '* t'.- put the , Public School fciaiaries ' £ Bill through all its stages this session; I-- that the Uoveroment had represented to *■ ~ the Colonial omee that it would please ; V the people of tbe colony if Lord Ranturly's '','.' term ot office on Governor could bet ex- ;, tended. Mr Seddon could not say yet b. -whether the tequett. way id Oβ granted, ?; but hVhoped it would be; tliat the ;; Government did not intend to cancel the V appointments of members of Parliament on '~ ; Liwd Boards, but, iv view of the rewlu- . S tion carried by the Hbue* wiiem the Jisti- . 7 miitee were being dealt -with, the ques;:z tion of tixeir reappointment would be con;i; Bid&ml when the term of their present -; appointments expired; that it was. not .'■ £ de«m«d neceaswwy, io introduce .legislation % defining the public positions for which } j ."; Ministers of tc* Crown .and members of ; Parliament are eligible, but Mr .Seddon '" cowtidfered that the Disqualification. Act r* required alteration in-soo-lar aarit affected-the •:' payment of Members of Pariiament for ; . j , public duties fulfilled outside of their or* j I dinaty parliuKWnto.ry work; that no steps s' would be taken in regard to the proposal I; to impose an export duty on baulk timber |, until after the sawnuUera , conference. had I considered the question; that it was the «. intention of the Government to submit i* proposals to the House for a line of stea- « mere to run between New Zealand and Jl South Africa. If the House went ac far g| fts to eubsidis» a lire to the extent of p £30,000 a year the service would bo worth Ig, it. The Government were, in the meantin», ascertaining what could be done. Vessels of tha "twanjp" class were wanted, • I not fast passenger boafa», and it would vjj'ftlso be necessary to establish cool stores ? ; itt the Capo; that the Government was not v in a position at present to state what .v.rteps they proposed to take to meet the pvthered position of small farmers as the . of the Commonwealth tariff; that ~ ^;?*J aWß were i** o ? passed by the Maori 4J f}\ Ctrancils to enable tbem to put a stop to |t; we excessive drinking among natives at wagial It might be necessary to pass I Mi.'Act this wstsrion giving the Maori CounH more power iv that respect. Mr i "pftoH would make personal enquiries j;. »t6 {he matter after the close of the ses•f «oa and discuss the subject with the i |.»tttWeß, |i The House rose at 5.30 p.m.