PARLIAMENT.

Evening Post, Volume LXVIII, Issue LXVIII, 3 November 1904, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY'S SITTINGS. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, FINAL STAGES. Tho Railway Improvements Authorisation Bill and the JJunedin Garrison Hall Trustees Empowering Bill were put through all their stages. AMMUNITION SUPPLY. The Attorney-General moved the second reading of tho Ammunition Supply Bill, which proposes to give the Government power to enter into a five-year contract with colonial or foreign firms, with the right of purchase- of the contractor's plant. The second reading was agreed to. When the Bill was in Committee the Hon. J. Rigg objected to the proposal to make contracts with outside firms, because in the event of complications supplies might be cut off at a critical period. He urged that the contracts should be confined to the Colonial Ammunition Company,- or that that company should be subsidised, or that the Government should acquire the works. He moved to amend Clause 2 by deleting tdie words which would give the Government power to make contracts outside the colony. After considerable discussion the amendment was lost on the voices. ■ The section respecting the right 6f purchase was amended to make the insertion of a purchase clause in the contract permissive instead of mandatory, and the Bill as amended was reported. RAILWAY SERVANTS' RETIRING ALLOWANCES. The Attorney-General moved the second reading of the Railway Service Computation Bill, which provides that in computing the retiring allowances of railway servants provincial service shall count as Government service where such provincial service was continuous with service with the Department. The second reading was agreed to. SHOPS AND OFFICES. The Shops and Offices Bill was considered in Committee until 10.5 p.m., when progress was reported. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House continued its sitting yesterday afternoon. The afternoon sitting was occupied in discussing questions .and reports of fvlect Committees. i In the evening the amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Licensing Bill were agreed to, and the Public School Teachers' Salaries Amendment Bill was put through its second reading and final stages. The amendments made by the. Legislative Council in the Public Health AL t Amendment Bill and the University Degrees Bill were agreed to. The House rose- at 1.5 a.m. STANDING ORDERS. The Standing Orders Committee reported that it had no recommendations to^ make on the petitions that the proceedings of Select Committees should be open to the press. The Local Bills Committee submitted a recommendation '•that ,the Standing Orders Committee be instructed to con- ! sider the adviseableness of limiting the period within which Local BiTs may be introduced. The Commi tee exp ained i that its recommendation was due to the 1 growing practice of bringing in Local Bills near the end of the session, resulting in a blocking of business. The recommendation was agreed to. THE PORIRUA TRUST. The Premier asked permission to move the appointment of a Select Ci.mniittee to confer with a. Legislative Council Committee to consider the petitions, papers, and pos'tion of the reserves of land granted by Natives for educational and religious purposes The Leader of the Opposition opposed the request, v and said that tin- matter was a very iniportant one, and that the Committee, ' after meeting for an hour, would probably report that a Royal Commission should be set up. Other members objected, and the matter dropped for the time.