NEWS AND NOTES.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 692, 17 December 1909, Page 5

NEWS AND NOTES.

THE ALL-NIGHT SITTING.. The record sitting of the- session .was- held on Wednesday,,..,night, the House not rising until G a.m. oniThursday'.; - : \: ./■ At 1.15 a.m. the House went, into Committee on tha Public .Works! Amendment,Bill . and Nativo Land Bill. -On!the first clause "of tho former Bill Mr. Massey protested against sitting longer, and moved two > successive motions to report-progress.--Both motions -wero lost on divisions by 34-votes, to 23. In the course of the discussion on Hie first motion, the Hon. B. : .M'Kenzie, Minister ' in. charge of the Bill, was understood by a laige number of members to say that tho House must put both the Public Works-Bill and the Nativo Land Bill through their Committee"- stages before rising. As the Nativo ; Land Bill, : if passed, will bo the largest' Act on. the Now Zealand; Statute Book, this was considered to be a very formidable order. During tho next hour and a half frequent divisions - took. place on motions moved by Opposition members to report progress. The Prime Minister having then entered _ the House, a warm discussion took -place,, in which the Government was accused of , wishing, to legislate by exhaustion and ■ the Opposition of- blocking business. Mr. Massey. said ho was prepared to stay all. night, or come back after Christmas, to do the business properly,, and Government members replied that they were quite prepared to stay all night. It was stated that the-House had no incentive to get through the Publio Works Bill'' quickly, Mr. M'Kenzie having- threatened them with: the Native, Land Bill before rising. Mr. M'Kenzie denied that he had' made the statement.., At 4.30 a;m. .tho House had gono further than Clause 5 of. the Publio Works Bill. Later.'a warm'discussion took place in regard to Clause 13, which 6tatos that in certain, cases the. Governiricnt may .cause roads,! bridges, or ferries to be made or repaired, and that'the cost may be recovered from tho local authority. Finally, tho Government agreed to withdraw this.clause, and. the Bill having passed Committee, tho Houso rose at 6 a.m. In view of the all-night sitting business was .not resumed'until 2.30 p.m.

KING COUNTRY AND THE LIQUOR .QUESTION. ■', Several petitions were presented to Parliament yesterday from residents or the King Country, praying that; the disabilities: under which ;tho distnet, labours . with reference to the liquor question should bo abolished. The petitioners state that, seeing that the district is now entirely, changed An respect to its inhabitants as a result of, European settlement being' no more a Maori district than the electorates adjoining it on every srdo, the privilege of local option should be granted in respect to : it. '. ' ■ '*;•■

A WELLINGTON BILL In' connection with the Wellington Harbour Board and Corporation Empowering Act, 1895 Amendment Act, 1909, the committee to which it was referred has reported that the allegations of the preamble havo not been proved to their satisfaction. This Bill, it trill be remembered, • was promoted to secure a rehearing of. compensation cases in regard to lands in Grainger Street, Cambridge Terrace Conrtenay; Place, and Allen Street, acquired by the Harbour Board some years ago 'from private individuals..

GRAINGER STREET BLOCK. Mr.' Field is. asking the Prinio Minister "whether,-since the sufferers from the soizure of the. Grainger Street: Block by the Wellington' Harbour Board havo failed twice in.their attempt to obtain redress from Parliament by means of a private Bill, the Government will now take into consideration the: question of giving effect to tho various favourable reports of committees of tho House of- Kopresentatives to afford these unfortunate people some measure of relief in-tho form, ot: compensation."', .

- FAMILY HOME PROTECTION BlLL.:'■'" Tho Family Home Protection Bill, which has br'u introduced by-.'. Mr. Mnssey, provides that wViere a married man establishes a homestead, it shall-not be sold or mortgaged without''the''consent, of his wife; The Bill w j]i be printed" and circulated, but. will not come

"RUSHED THROUGH." A striking illustration was given by Mr. Massey last evening of the rapidity.with which tho earlier clauses of the Native Laud Bill woro rushed through the Houso in Committee Mr. Massey said that on his way into tho House he met a fellow-momber id "the tube, and asked him what progress had been made. . "They aro at Clause GO" was tho reply. I. came in hero and put up my hat," said Mr. Massey, "nnd I found thoy had .reached Uause 120." It was.pointed out that most of the clauses were of a consolidating •character.

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER. .. A deputation of Canterbury members waited upon tho Prime Minister last evening in connection with a hydro-electric power supply for the city of Christchurch. Two schemes are suggested, one by taking the power from tho Waimakariri River at a point near tho Gorge Bridge, and the'other by taking it from Lake Coleridge. It was urged that the Government should assist tho City Council to obtain the water-power, because of the impetus it would give to industries,'and also because of the fact that the Governniont'itself would require a large supply of power for the Aldington Workshops and tho. working of the Lyttelton tunnel. .' Sir Josoph Ward said.it was just a question whether the Government itself should not carry out such works nnd supply tho power, especially iu the largo centres of population. They had bcPi. cjr.hidoring that aspect of tho case especially since tho Lake Coleridge supply had been suggested. He promised to bring tho question before Cabinet to-day. ■' '

REPORTS AND PETITIONS. .The petition'of Oliphant Hughes, of Wn-. nganui, that he may be allowed to appear at tho Bar of the House to' ask for a'retrial of a perjury case, has been favourably recommended to. the Government by tho Petitions Committee. . ■....-. Tho Public Petitions M: to Z committee has recommended that the petitions of Mrs. HelenMaclntyre, of .Wellington (praying for compassionate allowance on account of'her late husband's services as a Civil, Servant), of James A: Schmidt, of Wanganui (praying for compensation for alleged wrongful arrest whiloan tho employ of the Post Office Department), and of Messrs. Murayr, Roberts and Co.,' (praying for refund of fine in connection with; unpaid stamp duty), should be referred to the Government for consideration. • "No recommendation to make," is the report of the .Lands Committee with reference to tho. petitions of.W. Keates and sixteen others, of Waimarama (praying that they may be granted a concession in regard to the payment of rent), of.Eustace Lane, Pukchou (praying for inquiry in connection with the Hawke's Bay Land Board), and of A. A. Whatman and fifteen others, of Waimarama,(praying for relief for payment; for rates on the Waimara special settlement). Reporting on the'petition of F.'M. Kenny, of ■ Woodville, who prayed for the acquisition of laid in the vicinity of Woodville for closer settlement, the Lands Committee states that it is of opinion that the petition should be referred to the Government* for favourable consideration. _With regard to the petition of Kepa to Whatanui, of Otaki, who prayed for redress for .lossof Waercnga No. 7a and Pihianni No. 3 blocks, the Native Affairs Committee has no recommendation to make. '".-'.'