HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5554, 4 December 1879, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wednesday, Novbmbee 25. ! The House met at 2.30 p.m. ; ' : - QUESTIONS.' " ' '" '^/ Mr Johnston asked the Minister of Justice why the Government had arranged that the. foundation stone of the new. Supreme Court-house should be laid by a secret society, and what Was ttie_ meaning of the inscription on the' scroll deposited with the stone that it was laid in the " year of Light, 5883 ?" ' Mr Rolleston replied, that the Government made no such arrangement. The way in which the , thing, was done was what was ordinarily the case .under similar circumstances. The contractors for the building were in possession, of the grcrtind aiid were entitled to'jdo tfmVt they' migM r please inside the ground, and the Government as a 'G6verrime'nt'.-had -nothing whatever, to do - with 'the arrangement* { With'regard'.to'jthe. second; ,piart of the question, he had already a^ied^^,shat as Sk

Government they had nothing whatever to do with the ceremony, and as Minister for Justice hojhad .no information^ to give on the points &■'■ Vs? t?kfi, % IT Mr Johnston said it was a great pity that contractors in this colony had the power to do wh~ab?hadfbeeri;:done,on tho occasion referred to. r -'< J" : . £' . '- - Mr Sutton asked the Minister for Native Affairs, (1) whether the GovernHLejnt_ had purchased a block of, land khbwn aB Pakiri in the Koepara district, ■ aiid if so what ' was tne date of the purchase ; (2) whethor the whole of the purchase money had been paid bjj; /the Government, and if so to whom ; (3 whether the Government had a complete title to the land in question, and if not ■why not? .v ■{■.'■'.■'■ Mr Bryco replied in the affirmative. An agreement was entered into in the year "1875* for" the purchase '""of 20,000 acres. The sum toberpaid was £1500; Of. that sum £1450 liad been paid to the tT The .Government had not yet a complete title to the land. Mr Shanks: asked the Government if they would arrange .that the rents of deferred payments settlers due within tho next twelve months should remain unpaid i during that period, so that the said year's rent should become payable one year later ? ; , Mr Rolleston replied that the Government were anxious to make the system a success, and to do so the engagements i .entered into on both sides would have to *• be carried out. '.' • ' I' ■ NEW BILLS. The following bills were introduced and - read a first time : — Bill to incorporate the township of Kawakawa (Lundon) ; Otago Harbor Board Endowment Bill (Dick). ■ - " HANSABD " REPORTS. t - Mr .De; Lautour moved, "That this ' House doth concur in the report from the Reporting Debates- Committee, sitting in, conference with a similar committee of the Legislative Council,' that the debates pubdished in Hansard shall bo condensed -next session." ; • - : Mr Hall disagreed' with the proposal. They had not at their disposal the- particular class of talent required for producing condensed reports. It was a class of talent, that was highly paid for at Home. •It required men; intimately acquainted' with political matters, and looking at the : condensed reports produced they would agree with- him in saying that the proposal was not 'likely to be satisfactory. ; Mr^Tole suggested that members themselves should. say less, than they did, study the "subjects bettor, and deliver themselves with less verbosity. : • : ' Mr Bowen said condensed reports were accepted in other places. In England ■Hansard was compiled fronvtlie newspaper reports. •• Members might be allowed to correct the : newspaper reports before getting . them into. Hansard. The proposal was quite worthy of an experiCirieht'. .'<: AOO . ■ •» } " ■ ' " '. ■ ' Mr Reid spoke in support of the motion. ;He denied that experienced persons for .condensing reports could not be had in the colony. „ ; . ) .-; : ■ . " : ; .-. .•? Mr Saunders.,w;aß of .opinion that if ■Hamsard-. were abolished altogether better reports jvould be got in the newspapers. JHo..did'"ribt Lthink that the condensation process r wpuldi: succeed.; A' better way ,w,oul^ be. to* limit members ito a certain space, or perhaps limit the subjects upon which, 'members should be allowed to speaks . • _ - , . • - : Mr Gisborne supported the motion. The speeches were even- now to some- extent condensed, ; and ho thought .further condensation might very properly be attempted. Major Atkinson opposed the motion, a,nd that;, a saving might .be effected^by sending the manuscript copy of reported speeches to the speakers for correction, and not the printed slips. Mr Hutchison contended they might with perfect safety resort to . the condensation process. They had in. the place reporters quite .capable of making the condensation required. Were Hansard abolished .he , quite believed that some newspaper or another in the place would make arrangements for a more complete system of reporting. .TiTlie .-House — Ayes, 29; noes, '37. The motion was therefore lost. : ooAL'jbury: ■" Mr Reeves moved, ' ' That in the opinion of this House it "is "desirable to impose a duty, on all coal imported into the colony. " He' said thatthe-import of coal into the colony at present represented 250,000 tons per annum, and if anything could bo done to. keep tha^t trade in. the place^ a, vast airio'iait of good would be dono towards .protecting the local industry. If they 'could increase' the output of coal in. New. "Zealand, they, would .be, able to reduce ' the cost at least 25 per cent. A protective duty of the kind was. more important than J the, dixty, on hops and grain.- 'J. L Mr M'Lean' opposed the motion, expressing an opinion that it would be unfair to tax (the coal which; in many cases could,; , not, ,, be substituted by coal producedin the colony. — Mr Hall also opposed the.motion. The consumption of New Zealand coal was •increasing trapidly;'.and the proposal Tto itaxoimported coal'' was -quite unnecessary from?- that ' poif it ; of view. The colonial product KaabeeW fostered .in^a variety of ■wayß^WSd' '^hy^theTm'eans "fiSan" th"a't proposed withitheview of developing the New- -Zealand coal mines would be readily conceded. He^hoped the motion would be withdrawn. .". . -„.The debate was, ;interrupted by the 5;30 aajoufnment..;,, „ . ' : ..»