PARLIAMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 6038, 19 July 1882, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Tuesday, July 18. law phactitioners bill. The Premier moved the second reading of his Law Practitioners Bill. A long debate followed, soveral members objecting to the Hill being gone on with. until Sir George Grey's Bill had been disposed of. Ultimately the Becond reading was carried, and the Bill was referred to a Select Committee, it being understood that in dealing with it they would take also the Statutes Revision Commission's and Sir George Grey's Bills on the same subject, and put what portions of each they think desirable into it. ekjht hours bill. The Hon. Mr M'Lean moved the second reading of the Eight Hours Bill. A largo number of members spoke against it, contending that it could do no possible good, and if it had any effect at all it would be a mischievous one, as disturbing the present relatioi s between employers and employed. The Bill was thrown out by 17 to 9. The division list was as follows : For the Bill: Messrs Ditfnari, Frascr, Henderson, M'Lean, Pharazyn, Kobinson, Scotland, Whitmore, and Wilson. Afrainst tho Dill: Messrs llrett, Grace, Cray, Hart, Holmes, Menzies, Miller, Nurse, Oliver, Peacock, Pollen, Reynolds, Richmond, Stevens, Whitakcr, Williams, and" Williamson. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Tuesday, July 18. Ministers, in|reply to questions, said that no decided answer could be given as to altering the survey regulations so as to have the side and back lines of bush sections cut and pegged before sale, but it would bo dono where necessary.—lt would bo unwise to legalise tho lines of private surveyors.—The Government did not intend to bring in any Bill enabling part of one borough to sever its connection therewith in order to incorporate with another more conveniently situated borough. Such an alteration might be desirable, but it was impossible to make it th:'s session. Tho Government also did not pro. pose to restrict the area of town districts under the Actor 18SL—When the presort superintendent of locomotives took charge some years ago, locomotive foreman M'Kenzie -vraa found employed on the Canterbury lines as a driver. He had distinguished himself by steadiness and ability, and had therefore been promoted to his present position. It was true that some thirteen years ago M'Kenzie had been dismissed by the Canterbury authorities—not for drunkenness, as the member for Awarua said, but for inattention ; but he had been reinstated, and had since proved himself a more than usually meritorious servant. — Some locomotives had been sent from Invercargill to Christchurch for repairs because the Hillside worshops were unable to overtake the work.—The Government had called for tenders for the manufacture of rolling Btock in the Colony, but the prices were found to be prohibitive.—The Government would consider the propriety of offering a bonus for the first 100 tons of wattle bark, suitable for tanning purposes, grown in the Colony.—The Government were taking steps toascertaintheintentionsof the DunedinHigh Schools Board of Governors withregard to the disposal of the endowments in the StrathTaieri District. The Volunteer Lands Claims Commission had, in tho,opinion of tho Government, adhered to the terms of their commission in prosecuting their inquiries. the land bill. The debate was oontinued by Colonel Trimble, who supported the measure, and opposed by Mr Hutchison, Mr Peacock, Mr j Shephard, and Turnbull. j Mr Rutherford, speaking from Irish experience, defended the leasing system. He denied that its effect was injurious there, or the cause of tho existing difficulty. In Scotland, too, the landlord and tenant system acted well, although the conditions of the leases were being revised in accordance with more scientific knowledge as to rotation of crops, artificial manures, etc. This Bill would put the New Zealand tenants in the Bame position as the Scotch, Irish, and English wished to be put in. He had no fear of the political power of the tenants, or of their exhausting the land by over-cropping. Ho would not object to seo proof required that men possessed sufficient capital before being allowed to take up a lease. Ho did not wish to see the other existing systems of disposing of land done away with, nor would he hamper any man as to the quantity of land he could take up. Mr Shrimski supported the idea of elective land boards. The great fault of the deferred-payment system was the land being subjected to auction. He approved of the leasing proposals. He was astonished at membors on the other side of the House opposing these provisions, or the Bill at all. Mr Bracken moved the adjournment of the debate. [Br Oub Special Reporter.] WELLINGTON, July 18. Mr Fish is confined to his residence through indisposition. Mr Turnbull has given notice of lub Intention 1 to ask the Government whether they intend to proceed further with the Native Reserves Bill, 1 a measure which has provoked so much hostile criticism. Mr Bracken has tabled a notice to move for the appointment of a Commission of Inquiry into the working of tho whole of the railways of New Zealand—one-half of the members to be nominated by the Government, and the other half to be chosen by the railway omployes. He proposes that one of the functions of the Commission shall bo to settle all disputes between the Government and their employes on the railways, all persons discharged during the past two years to have the right to appeal for inquiry into their several cases. Mr Driver startled the House by putting in an appearance this afternoon. Tho hon. member for Hokanui came like a shadow and so de parted. That mysterious body, the Native Affairs Committee, formed the subject of an unexpected but exceedingly lively debato that occupied moßt of the afternoon Bitting in the inferior branch of the Legislature to-day. The Chairman of that Committee (Colonel Trimble) produced a report on the subject of a petition of ft Maori residing in Riverton who preferred a claim for compensation in respect of certain fishing reserves. Ho moved that it do lie on tho table and be referred to the Government for their consideration, Mr Daniel complained that the Committee had refused to summon and examine the petitioner in regard to his claim, and he moved as an amendment that tho report be referred back to that body. Colonel Trimble remarked that the Committee objected to adopt the practice of sending at the country's expenss for a witness to examine him in sup-

port of his own claim. Mr Tawhai expressed his opinion that the Chairman of tho Native Affairs Committee was unlika tho chairman of other committees', inasmuch as lie appeared to imagine ho was vested with all power ; and whiieheobjectedtoiiny expenditure on thesettlement of disputes between tho Maoris and Europeans, he forgoi that ho was paid at a salary of LIOO per year for filling that position. Mr SvAldou also referred to tho "salary" of the Ch;iira:an of Native Affairs Committee, and the ungenerous allusion naturally hud the effect of pro-using the ire of the gallant Colonel, who reminded the House that it win only during tho present session that a vote hiul \v en replaced on the Estimates to remunerate tho Chairman of tho Committee. Mr Seddon tiien chaffed him for taking so much notice of the a'lusion. This oily made matters worse. Tho hon. member for Tarritiaki informed the hon, member for Kumwa that be did not accept impertinences of any kind, and if the hon. member happened to be outside the walls of that House he would feel inclined to acquaint him with that fact in "very .striking teims." At this stage Mr Speaker deemed it prudent to interfere, and th<3 discussion then turned upon tho Committee itself. Mr Hobbs described it as a den of plunder. Mr Speaker again found it necessary to interfere, and later on Mr Hobbs explained that what ho meant by that expression was not that the members of tho Committee plundered tho Colony, but that many persons whose affairs came before it attempted to do so. Some of the cases dealt with by the Committee were, ho said, really " frightful." Evontually the motion that tho report lie on tho table was negatived, and on the motion that it bo referred back to the Committee for further evidence, Mr Seddon sought to amend it by adding words empowering the Committee to sanction the payment of the expenses of such witnesses as they might deem proper to summon in this case. A division on the amendment resulted in a tie—tho votes being 42 on each side. With a view of saving public expense, the Speaker said he would give his veto against the amendment. Subsequently it was discovered that the name of Mr J. M'Kenzie (Moeraki) appeared as having voted both for the ayes and noes. On being asked to explain, Mr M'Kenzie said he had only voted for the ayes. This made it look as if tho amendment was carried, but-further inquiry led to the discovery of the fact that tho name of Mr M'llwraith, who had voted for the noes, did not appear upon the division list at all. The errors therefore counterbalanced each other, and tho Speaker's casting vote negatived the proposed amendment. This evening's debato had reference entirely io tlio new Land Bill, and, as every idea o nthis subject appears to have been exhausted by this time, it may be readily imagined that the discussion presented no feature either of originality or interest. July 19. The prayer of the petition of a number of ironfounders and mechanics, forwarded from Dunedin to Mr Barron a few weeks ago, asking for such amendment in the patent laws as would permit of applications for patents being lodged at tho local office to save cost and inconvenience of transmission of papers to Wellington, and tho necessity and expense of employing patent agents as at present, has been embodied in a Bill introduced by Mr Tole and now printed. That Bill also provides for the further reduction of preliminary fees to 10s, and the extension of the period protected by that feo from six to twelve months. The political pool is almost stagnant to-day, There is scarcely a ripple to disturb its snrfaco. It now seems pretty certain, as I have hinted all along, that there will be no direct want-of-confidenco motion this session. Like the Egyptian army, the ranks of tho Opposition are utterly demoralised, and there 1« not tho slightest hope of the Government opponents uniting their forces for a common purpose. The state of affairs is happily hit off in tho following bogus notice of motion which was being circulated among Opposition members this morning:— " That in tho opinion of this House the leaders of tho Opposition who are represented by the hon. meml or for Akaroa bavo shown their wint of ability to appreciate their hopeless condition, and tho House theroforo recommend those hon. gentlemen to at once act like Davey Crockett's coon, and cowie down." The second reading of the Land Bill will be assented to probably without a division, and it is felt that it will then suffer tho fate of the National Insuraucd scheme, viz., that nothing m"re will be heard of it this session. Tho Appropriation Bill is not far off now, and I see nothing to alter the opinion I formed some time ago, viz., that the session will close with tho month of August. [Per Prkss Association.] WELLINGTON, July 19. To-day Mr Moss gave notice of motion in favor of the re-establishment of local Legislatures throughout the Colony.