Parliamentary Notes.

Hastings Standard, Issue 135, 1 October 1896, Page 2

Parliamentary Notes.

AN ALL-NIGHT SITTING. ON THE LIQUOR BILL. [By Telegraph.] (From our Sjiccial Cur respondent.) Wellington, This day. The Council yesterday afternoon struck out of the Shop and Shop Assistants Bill the section which repealed permission being given in the principal Act to cashiers, ledger-keepers, and cash book-keepers in any office to balance their books of a day's transactions before leaving their offices; and also excised the clause conferring on inspectors the right of entry to offices including banks. The Conference on the Government Advances to Settlers Amendment Bill has resulted in the excision of the clauses allowing advances in respect to suburban lands and fixing the limit of advances at £3,000. In the House yesterday afternoon, the Mining Companies Act Amendment Bill passed its final stages, and the Inspection of Machinery Act Amendment Bill was read a second time. On the motion for the second reading of the Tauranga Educational Endowment Reserve Bill, to make provision respecting certain educational endowment reserves near Tauranga, Sir Robert Stout questioned the right of the Legislative Council to initiate a Bill of this important character, and an adjournment of the debate was moved by the Premier so that he could look into the matter. The second reading of the Canterbury College and Lincoln Agricultural School Bill was agreed to on the voices. Progress was reported on the Adulteration Preventions Act Amendment Bill after the subsection in clause 2, relating to the branding of pats of butter, had been struck out by 30 to 21 - The House had an all-night sitting on the Alcoholic Liquor Sale Control Act Amendment Bill. In moving the second reading of the measure Mr Seddon said it was not a policy bill. He dealt at length with its provisions. The motion for the second reading was carried by 44 to 9. The Bill was then passed on to the Committee, where numerous attempts were made to cut it up. Clause 6, empowering the Governor to appoint chemists to dispose t»f liquor, was retained by 31 to 12.

After several unsuccessful attempts to report progress a motion by Mr Carncross to that effect was moved at 8 a.m. and was carried by 20 to 19.

Those who had contributed to the stonewall throughout the night were Messrs Collins, McKenzie, La wry, and Willis, with occasional assistance from Mr Parata. Throughout the proceedings the temperance section of the House preserved a " conspiracy of silence." G. -J. Smith, just before the House rose, said the Government whips had been actively lobbying for reporting progress, but he did not blame the Government for that. Later. The Prohibitionists intend to force Mr Seddon to go on with the liquor bill, otherwise they will block all the business, while the opponents of the measure declare they will stonewall it tc the bitter end even should the House sit continuously till midnight on Saturday.