ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

Evening Post, Volume XXIII, Issue 127, 2 June 1882, Page 2

ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

Quito a flood of questions was poured on the devoted heads of the Minit-try in the Honao of Representatives yesterday afternoon. Altogothor, those amounted to no fewer than 18. of which, however, very few were of general interest. Replying to Mr. Soddon, who wished to know whether the attention of the Minister of Justion had been directed to a paragraph in a recent issue of the Grey Hivor Argus, whioh Btated that Mr. Stratford, It. M. and Coroner, had com* polled a party of miners to oonvey the body of a deceased person a dit-tanoe of 17 miles " through almost inaccessible o mntry simply for his convenience," for the purpose of holding an inquost thereon, Mr. Dick said he had instituted an enquiry into the matter, with the result that Mr. Stratford's ex* plan at ton did not acoord with the newspaper paragraph. Mr. Stratford stated that ha had employed and paid two men to remove the body to the nearest place whoto a jury was obtainable, that his own convenience was not studied in the least, and that to have conducted the inquest at the place where the accident happened would have been to inonr considerable expense. Jn answer to Mr. Dodson, the same Minister said a Fisheries Bill was being introduced into the Legislative Council this sesßiou, and would no doubt be passed there, and oomo down to tho Lower Hou?e, when the hon. member for Wairau would be able to move in any direction he desired with regard to the regulation of fishing for imported fish in New Zealand rivers. Mr. Weston asked whether the Government intended to rednoe the fares on any of the Government lines of railway ; and the Hon. W. Johnston, in reply, said the question had been under the oonsidf ration of the Bail way Department for a considerable time, and 'en* queries were being made in regard to the matter, and after these had been completed, the Government woul i etato what they pro* posed to do. Mr. O'Callaghan enquired if it was the intention to so direot the expenditure of the education vote by the different Education Boards throughout the oolony, with a view to returning to the school* masters tho 10 per cent, deduoted from their salaries, as had been done in the case of other Civil Servants. Iho Hon. Mr. Diok said it was not within the power of the Go* vernment to diroot the expenditure of the Eduoation vote by the different Boards. Ihe only other question worthy of special men* lion was that of Mr. Hamlin, who asked the Government if, " having in view that the elections of Franklin North and Wakanui were rendered void by the acts of Govern* ment officials," they would place a sum on the Estimates to defray the expenses of the unseated members. In reply, the Hon. Mr. Diok said the question was one of a difficult character. The Government were not in the habit of paying for the faults of their servants, who if they broke the law, must pay for their own action. They did not therefoie see their way at present to carry out the desire of the hon. member. There was no preoedent for such a th<ng so far as he know, but he would cause enquiries to be made, and if there were any precedent the Government would further consider the matter. Three bills were then introduced and read a first timq, viz., the Central Otaeo Goldfields Reserves Bill, a Bill to amend the Public Offenders Disqualification Aot, and the North Timaru Cemetery Sale Bill. On the motion of Mr. Swanson, the second reading of the Auckland Harbour Board Em' powering Bill was agreed to, and a number of motionn for various returns were passed* viz., returns relating to the eleotion of Licensing Committees, local option polling, the Canterbury Agricultural College reserve, legal practitioners employed by the Government, and stamps sold at different places on the Wst Coast of the Midole Island. Captain M'Kenzio's motion for a return showing the amount realised by the sale of Crown lands within the Mataura electorate, was, after a division en an amendment proposed by Mr. Pyk», rejwtod altogether. Mr. Shrimski withdrew his motion in reference to the absence of a resident Judge of the Supreme Court for the district of Canterbury, after which the following committees were appointed : — A Joint Committee on Bills, Standing Orders on Private Bills Committee, and a Committee of Selection. At the evening sitti'ip, Mr. Pyke moved the second reading or* t.je Education Act Amend* ment Bill. He sa ; d he had no desire whatevel to disturb the exibtin;j system of education. What he desired was simply to add to that system. He explained the scope of the measure, an outline of which has already been published. Mr. Pyke did not wish to import into the subject the religious element, but he was bound to say they were inflicting a serious wrong upon the rising generation when they absolutely forbade that the word of God should be taught in the schools. A seconder to the motion was found in the person of Mr. Dodaon, but Mr. J. E. Brown opposed the Bill, which he moved should be read a second time that day six months, remarking that this was only another attempt to curry favour with a certain section of the couttry. The amendment was seconded by Mr. Seymour George. Mr. Barron suggested that the debate should be adjourned for ome month. Mr. fintherford spoke in favour of the second reading, as also did Messrs. O'Callaghan, Daniel, and Bracken. The last named hon. member contended that the measure did not interfere with the present secular system of education. The Hon. W. Johnston in supporting the Hll said he found that the Catholics of the colony had been put to the expense of £69,000 for the purchase of school buildings, in which they gave education to nearly 6000 children. That was a very heavy charge to impose upon ft particular section of the community. The experience of the last five years had shown that though the doors of the State schools were wide open to all, the Catholics came not into them ; and thus one-seventh of the populatiou hid been excluded from the use of those schools, which he considered was an anachronism. Mr. Steward .'gave as ft reason for supporting the measure that it was an attempt to do justice to the Roman Catholics, a 1 though he himself did not belong to that denomination. He urged that even if the passing of the Bill were to entail an increased expenditure of .650,000 per year in our educational system, that fact

ought not to weigh against the rights of an important section of the community. Mr. Weston, while admiring the enormous sacrifice so nobly made by the Catholics year after year in providing education for their ohildren, and bearing testimony to tho excellence of tbat education, was bound from conscientious motives to protest against the adherents of one church being placed in a different position to those of another. Directly they departed from a common platform in suoh a matter as this, there would ride rampant pride, caste,land bigotry throughout the colony. Much as he regretted having to vote against his hon. and respected friend, the member for Manawatu, he felt compelled to oppose the introduction of the Bi'l. Mr. Dancan next spoke in favour of the measure, and was followed by Mr. Sheehan, who Eaid he was a Catholic, and proud of his religion, having stood for a constituency which turned on the Catholic votes, but he wou'd not be a consenting patty to make any alteration in the ex sting Act which would make the system of education other than it waß at present —free, secular, and compulsory. Ho intended to oppose the second reading of tho bill, which ;f; f it would not actually create a difficulty, he thought would intensify it. At the present time certain provinces were highly favoured in regard to endowments, >vhile others were in a Jangoubing condition; and he would vote to-morrow for a Bill that would reduce all kinds of educational reserves to one common estate in order, either by sale or lease, to provide for every person that education to which he was entitled. Mr. M. W. Green considered the proposed measure would break up the existing educational system of the colony, and he would rather allow that system to remain as it was than open the door to denominaticmlism. According to the pledge given by him to his constituents, he would veto fur an amendment of the present Education Act in a certain direction, but he woulrt do evervtHn* in his power to prevent the Byatem turning in the direction of denomiaationaltem. The Hon. W. Rolleston agreed that this was really the question of the day. It had been settled by the people of the colony in a most distinct and unmistakeablo manner what the system of education should be, and the question was looked upon by the people as a Bottled one. No Government canld therefore hold office and infringe this principle without an appeal to the people, tie den-ed that science was inimical to true religion, an.l asserted that wliat wag wanted wan increased intelligence. There was no f^onnd, he held, for making this a party qnestion, and he announced h'B intention ot opposing the bill. Mr. Shepbard considered the present system very imperfect, and he bupported the second reading. After the Bupper adjournment, Mr. Joyce rriefly supported the measure, and was succeeded by Mes&ra. Fulton, Shiimaki, and Petrie, who strongly opposed it. Mr. Tnrubull ocenpied considerable time in combatting the arguments against the bill, while Mr. Fish, Sir George Grey, and Mr. Leveetam spoke against it. The Hon. Mr. Dick, in following their example, said if the proposed system were adopted it would have tho effect of breaking up numerous schools, especially in the country districts. . To argue that there wa? anything in our present system to prevent Koman Catholics from entering tbe sohools was, to his mind, a mistake. He could nut agree with Mr Shcehan'a suggestion to make the edncat'unnl endowments a common fund. He would be very gad to see a proposition carried whereby the word of truth could be read in the schools, (f.ond cries of "No ") Ml 1 . Munro here moved the adjournment of th ( ) delmte, which, however, on a division was negatived by 63 to 11. Cries of " Queatou" wore heard on all eides of tbe Honse whpri thin Tesu't was made known, and after Mr Pyke bad taid a few w rds by way of reply, a further divi-ion took place at 1.5 a m. ou tbe qnesiion that the Bill bo then -read a second time. Tbe following was the division list : — 4yes, 2G —Bracken, J. Buchanan, De L antour, Dodson. Duncan, Feldwick, (\ J. Johnston W. W. JohnBton, Joyce, F W. Mnakenz<e. 3/TDnaald, M'llwraith, u't'aHaghan, Pearson, PoEtlethwaite. fyke, Rutherford, Shephard, Stevens, Steward, Sutter, Tawroa, Te Wheoro, Tomoana, lurnbull. Watt. Noes. 47.—Allwright, Barron, Beetbam, J. E. Brown (teller), Bryce, W. U. Buohanan, Cadman, Conolly, DargaviHe, Dick, Fergus, Fish, Fnltr,n, George (teller), J. Green, M. W. Green, Grey, Hamlin, Hobbs. Hurst, Hnrsthous*, Kelly, Leveatam M'Milhn, Mitchelson, Mo; tgomery, Morris, Mobs, Munro. Petrie, Peacock, Rolleßton, Seddon, Sheehan, Shrimski, Smith, Suttun, Swnnson, H. Thompson. J W. Thompson, Tole, Trimble, Weston, Whifcaker, J. B. White, .1. G. Wilson, Wmht. Pairs.— Ayes : Hall. Bathgate, Daniel. Noes : Levin, M'Kenzio, Maoandrew. The motion for the second reading was therefore lost by a majority of 21, and, on tho amendment bein? put, that the Bill be read a second time that day six month?, it was carried on the voices. TbeHouse rose as a quarter past 1 o'olock this morning.