Parliament of New Zeland. (FROM OUR OWN REPORTER.) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. WELLINGTON.—TUESDAY,—JULY 22.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XVIII, Issue 1570, 2 August 1862, Page 4

Parliament of New Zeland. (FROM OUR OWN REPORTER.) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. WELLINGTON.— TUESDAY,— JULY 22.

Tho Speaker took die chair at 12 o'clock. NEW MEMBER. Mr. Thomas Dick was introduced by Mr. Bell and Mr Gillies ; ho took the oath, signed the role, and took his seat as member for Dunedm oity.

RETURN. Mr. Wood laid upon tho table a return showing the expondituie of money out of the loan of £150,000 from tho Ist July, 1800, to 31st June, 18(51. Mr. Fox laid on the table papers telatingito an inquest held on a native at Wauganui. Tho papers wort; ordered to bo printed.

STEAM VKSSEL REGULATIONS. Hon. Mr. Crosbie Wakd moved for leave to introduce ft Bill to regulate steam vessels and the boats and' lights to be carried by sea going vessels. Leave wns gianted, and the Bitljvbeing brought up was lead a first lime. The second rfading was fixed for to inoirow. > Hon. Mr. Ciiosbie Wabd moved that a Select Cominitteo bo appointed to enquiie into the condition and piospects of the gold fields of the colony, and to consider and leport w hether any and what further legislation is ueccbsaiy on the subject. To consist of Major fiichaidson, Mr. Johu Williamson, Mr. Staffoul, Mr. R. Graham, Mi. A. J. Richmond, Mr. Uilhes, Mr. Fit/gerald, and Mi. Russell. This motion \\«s for the appointment of a committee* in fact to piepaio legislation on the gold fields. By leavti he omitted the najie ol Mi. Gillies. The motion was thai agiecl to.

RF TURNS OP CUOWN GRANTS. Hon. Mr. l (> ox moved that the icturns xelativo to Ci own Grants issued, and pioiuised to natives, laid on the table by the Colonial ISecietaty, bo punted. Agreed to

NATIVE 11ESEUVTS AT DdNEDIN. Mt. Makteli. moved foi copies of allconespondence relative to the Native Rcseives m the towns of l)imedm and Poit Chalmers. Agreed to.

APPOINTMENT OF JUDGL GREbSON. Mr. Staifokd moved that a lespectful address bo presented to Ins Excellency the Governor, lequesting In'} Excellency to cause to bo laid on the table of tins house, a copy of his Excellency's despatch to his Grace the Duke ol Newcastle No 27 of the 26th Npvcmber, 1801, iclative to the appointment of .Mr Gresson as ft Judge of the Supieme Court of New Zealand, or of any meinoiandum fiom his Excellency's mmisteia on the subject, in addition to All. Sewell'a memoiandimi of the 19th August, lbGl. He would take this oppoitunity of lemaiking with losppct to .i statement nmdo by the highest judicial authontymnspi.echm.idu by Ins hououi, in another place ltv->t hes-jion, w Inch he did not see till the session wab ovoi, Ins honoui in Ins lemaiks upon the appointment of judges, and lefemug to the mmistiy had instanced that he believed that a pressme had been put upon the lite ministry in this m.vttei by certain voters at Nelson That was an inconect belief, as he had lately mfoiined his honour, and so fai as it lefened to himself, that never bofoie nor since ho had left, office, had lie bet-n solicited by any elector or non electoi, at Nelson oi elsewhcie, to appoint a lelative or friend to the judicial bench. The only occuuence beaung upon the subject took place a few days before he left office, when he leceived an application fiom a judge at Sieve Leone, for the appointment In that case the applie.l turn did not como from other parties, but came direct from the gentleman himself. When his Excellency's despatch was laid upon the table he would take an enily opportunity of biinging the whole question of the appointment of judges befoie the houic, and would only bay now that he eoncuiied, to a veiy great extent in the opinion expressed by the late Govemoi, that it was not intended by the fiamers of the act of 185S, that the appointment of the judges should bs enthely in tho hands ot the mimsteis of the colony. That was to bay in the knnds of the Governor, acting on the advice of hit minister It was not intended to do more than lecite tho foim in the act, which had always been used m the appointment of judges. The fiist judge who came out bi ought a wan ant of his appointment fiom home, the last judge also bi ought out a wanant of appoiutinunt, on which a commission in the form mentioned in the act was issued to them by the Governor Mr. Fox said the government had no desire to withhold the despatch It had accidentally been omitted when the other despatches were laid on tho table He did not think theie was anything in it that touched upon the subject Mi. M'AKroRD did not suppose that theie was any desiie on the pait of the government to withhold the despatch. He would, by permission of the house, add to the motion the wouls " or copies of any communication between Mi Giesson and the Governor on the subject " The motion, as amended, was then put and agiecd to.

REPORTS OF COMMITTEES. Mr Dillon Erll bi ought up the lopoit of the library tuul printing committee, also a lcpoifc of the mihtaiy defence secret committee.

THE TAIUNAhI VOMJNTI r,RS Mr Ar-KiNsox moved foi all con espondence between C.iptain J. N. Watt, Taianaki rifle volunteers, and the Deputy Adjutant General, lelating to the position of the T.uanaki volunteu foicc under the new legtilations, togethoi with any lettoi, despatch, 01 nimuto ot Lieut -Genet. il Cuneum upon the subject of the, tank and pieecdence of the officers of militia ,nul volunteeiH Also, for all con espondence between Captain J N. Watt, Tat.inaki nfle volunteers, Colonel Wane, C B, Captain Stapp, Taian.iKi iniliti.i, the Deputy- Adjutant Geneial, and Lieutenant Geneial Cameum, upon the occasion of Captain Stapp h wing, in May last, been placed in ariest by Colonel Wane, C B AlbO, foi all Goiiespondence between Colonel Wai re, C.B , Captain Burton, Taiauaki militia, the Daputy Adjutint Genet.il, and Lieutenant-Geneial C'lmeion, upon thu snbjcct of the command of the Taranaki militia llih ol)ject was to t>he v the veiy unsatisfaetmy position in which the Taianaki voluuteei3 weie placed undei the new lcgulationi. As tneasutes were khoitl) to be inttoduced for the legulatton and foimatton of \olunteeis and militia, lie thought it was veiy desitable that fhey should bee and have before them c veiy thing that would in any way enlighten them on the subject. The motion was agreed to.

NEW APPOINTMLNW. Mt. Cuims moved foi a retuin of all peisons appointed to any office by the ijcnoial government, between the 12th day of July, 18t51, and the 12th day of July, 1862, with the amounts of salaiy attached to any suchoffice Hisobject was to shew what an mci ease had been m.ule by the piesent government in the aimy of officials, which was commonly called the '-aiiny of niaityis." Mi. Fox. suggested that the hon. member might amend his motion. Theie weie ictiuns laid upon the table the otliei day shewing 1 the number of peisons employed in the seivice of the general government and their salaries, up to the 31st Decenibei last. Mr. Cuirm, by leave of the house, amended the motion by substituting the woids "between the Ist day of January and the Ist day of July, 1862, inclusive," instead of the words "between tho 12th day of July, 18G1, and tho 12th day of July, 1862." The motion as amended was agieed to.

&TUA.M COMMUNICATION COMMITTEK. Mr. En.S moved for leave of the house to enlarge the select committee appointed to consider and lopoit upon the «übjecfc of communications to and from and within tho colony to twelve members. His only object in moving the addition to the committee was tliat two pioviuces at present wcio unrepresented in it. Their inteicst in the tesult of the committee's deliberations might bo small but still they had an inteiest. The motion was agreed to. Mr. Eves then moved that the names of the lion, the Speaker, and Mr. Atkinson, bo added to the committee on communications. Agreed to.

AUCKLAND MILITIA. Major Nixon moved for a return showing tho number of dischaiged soldiers and pensioner, the number of civilians who have been drillea, and the number of civilians who have been enrolled but not drilled in each of the battalions of tho Auokland Regiment of Militia. Mr. Mason seconded the motion.

HGTCRNB OP ELECTORS. Mr. O'Eorke moved that there be laid on the table of the House a return of the number of electors on the several electoral 1 oils for 1861-G2 of the districts returning membeis to the House of Representatives. ADtUNISTRATION OF JUSTICE COMMITTEE. On the motion of Mr. Stafford, the name of Mr. Russell was added to the Commitee on the Improvement of tho Administration of Justice.

TIIE OFFICE OP SUPERINTENDENT. ' The notice in tho name of Mr. Watt — " That, in tho opinigti of this House, the office of Superintendent ought to be nominative inßteatl of elective," — lapsed.

Pj*TEBS. Mr. Ward Jaid on the table ft despatch on the appointment of nn Awistunt Gommiisary-General. HATIVE LANDS HKQULATION BILL. Mv, yox moved for leave 'to introdnco this Bill, ia *

■whicha ready acquiescence was not accorded to the decisions given. "The diminution of crime amongst themselves is very observable- since the establishment of those Ruuangas. For though in many cases they acted with strange lmpKojmety or great injustice, yet had they not failed tonmpi ess a certain amount of fear on the people at large, which resulted in better behaviour. At the same time, a reaction was beginning to take placo, owing to tho want of authority in cariying out tho awards of tho ruuanga : so that my official visit by your Excellency s appointment proved to be very timely, and much required in preserving thorn from a stato of confusion and varianco into which their own experiments would very soon have thrown them." At Tauranga, as in other places. I coidd not but observe tho extreme inconvenience of having two different systems— the Maori and tho Euglish— at work, at tho same time ; for neither party will submit to the other, and all ate thrown into confnsion. And as the natives plead, on government authority, that they can either accept our English system or reject; it, as they think proper, so it is merely a matter of interest or convenience with them as to whether they submit to our jiuisdictioii or not. In such a state of affans, tho total inefficiency of any system whatever is fully manifest It seems desirable either that our own plans (whatever they may be) should be earned out, in all then integrity, or that the natives should be left to themselves — an altoi native destructive to their own inteiests. * -At Maketu, there were bin; few natives, and no ruuanga; our Assessor, Toln te Urmangi, managing everything in his own peison. Besides which, all the people beemed under the personal influence of the Rev. Mr. Chapman, who exeicised a paternal authority over them. At Otamaraknu, until break of day, the talk was all about the runanga ; and at Matata it was found flounslnng with great authority. At Whakatane, they suspended its opeiations until after they had done lighting about the laud. This bi oil originated iv a slight quarrel about the site for a mill, and was said to be beyond tho power of runanga, or government influence, 01 anything but thefoico of aims, to decide: and s>o they weie left to finish it, having lobt seven on one Bide (Ngatiawa) and fifteen on tho other (Ngatipukcko). At Ohiwo they had cci tainly gone stark mad on the subject. One man was fined a foal for caiii'ing a pistol with him on the bea.h. Another was lined £5 loi stating his opinion that the lunauga of the place had m a certain instance acted improperly. Indeed tho runaug.is aie as bad as the Star Chamber for not allowing their acts to be evil spoken of I have heard of their going about the houses, eavesdroppmg, and aftei waids citing the husband or wife bcfoie the council for some tart icmaik or leply which one of them had used to the other ; and then when both parties uatm.illy joined foices, and complained of the inquisitorial chaiacter of the lunanga, the latter body has fallen back on its dignity, and fined each of them sovciely for " contempt of Coin t " In another case, a man was lined 10s for piopeily concefcing his own child. It is from tins kind of thraldom and perpetual mteifei once, that so many of the middle and lower classes of Maoris would, I believe, debght to be liberated. Another man, at Ohiwa, was mfoiincd by his wife that a youth of the village had taken the hbeity of tickling her on tho aim ; on which he mstautly called the runanga, and demanded £li>o damages. Not having many fneuds on the bench, he lost his case, which he then removed to Opotiki, whose council adjudged him £20, and the offence was at last compounded for by the piescnt of a young hoise. Now, considei ing that nearly all temptation to ii tegular bohaviom, in the Maon society, piocecds in the hist instance fiom the woman and not fiom the man, it will be seen what a lucrative investment can be made by mteimairying with a Maou coquette, who will be aitful enough to inveigle otheis, without committing; herself or husband. In tins way much money and piopeity changes hands vi New Zealand. I lecollect one of the Waitnia people being fined £200 for adulteiy, with one of the women of the Puketapu, and this laige bum was collected and paid by the tube. Immediately after this the tables weie turned, and one of the Puketapus was found convicted of a similar offence with ono of the chief mauied women of Waitaia. Expecting to meet with equal piomptitude, as fiom themselves, they laid the damages at £300, hoping to clear £100 by the tiausaction, for such it was in every sense of the woid For I was ciedibly infoiraed, that it was a moie intiiguc between the young chief and his wife (never very chaste), that she should so pi ostitute herself, as not only to bung back to the tube the ouginal hue, but half as much again, by way of mteiest At my suggestion, the £200 weie to-paid to the Atiawas, and a full stop put to all tuitlior prosecutions foi cnminal convictions of ho outrageous a chatactei But for that, we should shortly uot have had a viituous woman m the distiict (To be continued.)

speech reported in tho DAILY SOUTHERN Cnoss, July 29. The house adjourned at 20 minutes to nine o'clock.