PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Evening Post, Volume XLVIII, Issue 50, 28 August 1894, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

■ ♦ A FRIEND IN NEED. Billa wore paased through at lightning speed last night. Mr. Btll, in the absence of Sir Robert Stout, had charge of the Wellington Reclaimed Land Bill, and moved its second reading. Mr. Bell was then called away, and with a speed that was quite unexpected the Bill was come to again in Committee. There was then no Wellington member in the Houso, and the Bill was in danger of lapsing, when Mr. Ward left his place, went to the table, and took the Bill through Committee with flying colours, Mr. Bell returning in time to' move the third reading. THE PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE. During the disoussion on the Gisborne Harbour Bill last night, Mr. Bell spoko strongly as to the position of trust funds in the hands of the Publio Trustee. The Gis-< borne Harbour Board has some unexponded loan in the hands of the Public Trustee, for which it is receiving only 4 per oent., while it is paying 5 per cent.- The Bill proposes to release this sum, which could then be advanced to Poverty Bay settlers at profitable rates. Apropos of this, Mr. Bell said it was most unjust to large numbers of persons who were dependent for their incomes on trusts held by the Public Trustee that though prior to 1891 they wore getting as high as 7 to 8 per oent. for investments made through the- Publio Trnstee, in that year the whole of the money was thrown into a common fund without giving the people concerned any option or power of withdrawal, and the Act of 1891 declared that in no case should more than 5 per cent, be paid. The first large investor to seek relief was the Gisborne Harbour Board through the Hon. Mr. Carroll and this Bill. Others who had been robbed of tlio difference between 5 and 7 per cent, were given no option of withdrawing their money. The Colonial Treasurer warmly defended the Department. There was certainly a loss of a half per cent, to the Gisborne Harbour Board, but it had wisely placed the money with the Publio Trnstee for safety through the Stato guarantee, and now, having been unfortunate with its harbour works found it could invest it more profitably. Mr. Bell's arguments were in the interests of private trustees, who had not the State guarantee. The legislation of 1891 was necessitated by the fact that the Department had been making undesirable investments at high rates of interest, and large losses had taken place. So legislation was passed making a safe and uniform rate which would be equally fair to all investors. The Public Trust Oflioe was doing good work, and the Government had not used, or attempted to use, any of its funds during the past nine months. THE LICENSING BILL. The subcommittee of Temperance mem" bors appointed last week has gone exhaustively into tho Licensing Bill, and will shortly report to a meeting of the Temperance Patty of the House. The oommittee is especially pleased with the clause providing national option, but the majority disapprove the holdiug of the local option poll on the same day as the general election. The subcommittee will recommoud that the Government be assisted to get the Bill through this session, and that the Temperance Party appoint two, or at moat three, of their number to speak on the Bill in the House, the general body reserving their remarks for Committee. Should there be any point on which other members than those selected to speak on the second reading have anything to say, it is suggested that thoy should reserve their remarks for the third reading. CKLEB BATING THE OCCASION. Members have had eiioitgh of Monday sittings, and so were determined to clear the Order Paper of Local Bills last night. In celebration of the feat of clearing off 16 Local Bills before midnight, the members subsequently held a jollification at Ballamy's. The Hon. Mr. Larnaoh presided, and each member who was successful in getting through a Local Bill was required to sing a song. The Hon. Mr. Ward had to do his ahare for his good offices to the Wellington Reclaimed Land Bill, which ho had so graphically explained as " a most important Bill to deal with a technical objection." The celebration was kept up till the small hours. THE MIDLAND RAILWAT. The Railway Committee this morning agreed to tho report on the Midland Railway drawn up by the sub-aommittee, the substance of whioh we published on Saturday. It is expeoted that the settlement will be accepted by the company, and that the works will now be proceeded with. THE WELLINGTON RECLAIMED LAND BILL. ■ Tho Wellington Reclaimed Land Act Amendment Bill put through so rapidly last night is a purely teohnioal measure, which sets out that a mortgage debt of .£31,000 due by the City Corporation under the Wellington Reclaimed Land Act, 1871, having been paid off in May, 1877, the land vested in the Corporation subject to the mortgage is now set free, and tho Council is empowered to exercise its powers of lease and sale under the main Act as from May, 1877, without the consent of the Govornor-in-Council boing necessary. HANSARD HHFORTINO. The following report was presonted to the Counoil this aftornoon :— The Reporting Debates Committee, having considered tho matter of the inefficiency of tho reporting of the debates in the Counoil, havo the honour to recommend that the report of the SubCommittee thereon (a copy of which is attached hereto) bo agreed to •. — Your Sub-Committee, confining themselves to examination of the correctness or otherwise of an impression prevalent in the Council that the junior roporters are sent to "practise" in the Legislative Counoil Chamber, find that Mr. Barron has admitted the correctness of that allegation, justifying the course he pursues on the ground that he could not work his staff otherwise. That the resnlt appears to be to throw on hon. members of the Council an undue share of correction, and frequently compelling them to re-write the whole or large portions of their speeches. That if there are to be any disadvantages cast upon members of Parliament of either of tho Houses through inefficient reporting of their speeches or through numerical weakness of the Hansard staff, it is only fair that members of both Houses should equally suffer from such disadvantage. Therefore your Sub-Com-mittee recommend that Mr. Barron should be requested to form a "rofa" of his seven reporters, under which seniors and juniors alike should each attend tho Council in regular oonsecutivo order, that is to say, that the first on the list one day shall become the Beventh the next day, and so on from tho rota so formed to send for Council duty the two reporters on the head of the list for_ each particular day. This recommendation your Sub-Committee consider embodies a principle of fair treatment not only to gentlemen who may have occasion to speak in the Legislative Council, but also to the reporters of the Hansard staff, some of whom appear to bo experiencing exceptional treatment, whereas in the opinion of yonr Sub Committee all should be treated alike, be that if there is any need for complaint, the Hansard staff as a collective body, and not any individual n ember of it, may be held t< blame. — Henrt Feldwick, Chairman. - JOTTINGS. Mr. Pinkertoa last night agreed to report progress on tho Dunedin Publio Abattoir! Bill, on the understanding that its provision: are included in the Government measure. A diotator of the darkest dye."— Mr. E M. Smith, on Mr. Earnshaw. Few people expeoted the Dnne3in Loai

Conversion scheme to get through on being introduced so late in the session, bat the amendments made in it by the Minister for Labour in Committee got it safely through laat night. " I will go into that lobby, Sir, with tho honourable gentleman if he goes there by himself ."—A Morrisonian gem. The Premier last night congratulated the House on disposing of all the Local Bills, and on putting through .£300,000 in a few minutes, the amount being made up chiefly of the Dunedin Loans consolidated and the Gisborno Harbour Loan balance. Committee of Supply is well up on the Order Paper, and it is understood that the Estimates will be considered to-day.