HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 9, 10 July 1885, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

When tbe Houso met at 7.30 tost night, the galleries were woll filled, and then m< a good deal of interest manifested as to what would bo the outoomo of the deliberations of Ministers on thoir " position." As Boon as the Speakor took his Boat, tho Premier roso and said the Hoose bad adjourned till that evening to enable tho Government to consider the position in whioh they were plaood by tho vote in Committee of Wayß and Means on tho Customs tariff. After consulting their aupporters, who formod a large majority in the House, the Government had agreed not to ask the House again to go into Committee of Ways and Means on the tariff. The resolutions that had been agroed to they shonldask the Houbo to validate, and ho would move a resolution to rosoind the Customs' duties resolution of 19th June, except so far as related to Bpirits, bitters, and winoa. The loss to the revenue would thus bo sboni £70,000, and Government proposed to moot that in the following way. The £50,000 of deficit of 1883-4, aa at prosont running, they proposed to ask the Honse to renew for two years. As to tho other £20,000, they proposed that the Armed Constabulary, who were now at work on tho permanent defences of tho oobny, should be paid out of loan. They would thus recoup the £70,000 whioh they expooted to have obtained from tho Customs dutieß. The Government proposed to prooeod with the Local Bodies Finance and Powers Bill, and they would consider that a Ministerial Bill in the strict sense of the term. Thoy were willing to withdraw from the Bill tho proposal to borrow on subsidies, and as the Customs duties had beon denied to them, they should not ask the Honse to fix any definite period for the oontinuanco of the subsidies to local bodies. He need hardly add that he exceedingly regretted that the pro* posod duties through tho Customs had not been granted to them. Those duties ho might say pressed fairly on all olassos and on all articles. The resolution waß put and carried. In answer to Major Atkinson, the Premier said thoy wore not in a position to bring down tho Customs Duties Bill that night, but it would be ready by Tuesday next. The Houbo then prooeedod with the business on the order paper, and a number of private bills were passed through various Btageit. Included in these may bo mentioned tho second reading of Mr. Hobbs' Gaming and Lotteries Bill, to stop consultations and the advertising thereof ; the Cemeteries Act Amendment Bill, to give local bodies control of oemoteries, whioh was read a third timo and passed ; the Postal Notes Bill, to sanotion the issue of postal notcß in and out of the colony, whioh was also passed ; and tho following bills whioh were read a seoond time :— lndustrial Schools Amendment, Munioipal Corporations, Mines Aot Amendmont, West Coast SottlementEeserves Amendment, and the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Aot Amendment Bills. The only interesting feature in the short disouHßion whioh took 1 place Was in relation to the last-uamod Bill, when, in answer to Mr. Banked suggestion that thero should bo a 7 great many more reasons for divorce than at prosent existed, Mr. Tolo stated it would then be neoessary to establish epooial Courts, as in one Court in America there wore 50,000 cases awaiting hearing, and in another Court 90,000. The Bill was brought in to amend tho law so as to deal with caeOß suoh as tho notorious Monokton suit whioh Wellington people are bo familiar with. Having disposed of— wholly or in part—nearly a dozen private and Government measures in a very brief space of timo, tho Houbo adjourned.