PARLIAMENT.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume III, Issue 296, 4 September 1882, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

Lper united press association.]HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES;, Saturday, .September -2. * ,*, * The Road Boards Bill was" further considered in committee. A proposal to allow holders of miners' rights to vote for the road boards was negatived by 3S to 23. After passing clause 50 and a proviso to a previous clause, that no ratepayer should vote who had not paid all his rates, progress was reported and leave given to sit again. . i The Tea Bill and Rating Bill were' read a third time and passed. .... After some discussion as to the delay in bringing down the supplementary estimates, and Major Atkinson saying \ Government could not do so till the Loan Bills passed and they knew what funds were available, , .THIS DAY. i The House met at 11 a.m. BEPORT OF NATIVE AFFAIRS COMMITTEE. Colonel Tritnblo brought up the report of the Native Affairs Committee, on the : petition of Taiaroa ; and on the motion that it be placed on the table, Taiaroa moved, That it be not received. He I alleged that it was not considered by the committee, nnd that it was decided on i party grounds. | Mr. Bryce, at some length, defended j the committee from the imputation. He : warned the natives that these threats and imputations would not be tolerated for ever from the natives. The report was agreed to on a majority of 7 to 6, four of the former being members of the native race. That- was what transpired on the previous occasion^ Since then the report had been recommitted at the instigation of the petitioner. Further evidence was taken, and the report now brought up was the almost unanimous finding of the committee. What he protested against, was the gross imputations made by the Native members when' matters did not auifc- their views. If such conduct was persisted in, the Native Affairs Committee would have to be abolished altogether.

Mr. Te Whereo said he was quite sure that no good had ever been derived by, the Natives from this Committee, and no great'barm would be done, if it were done away with. As Maori members, they only considered Maori claims that were just. He therefore supported the amendment, that ' the report/ be:- not received. Mr. (Sheehan, without defending the objectionable statements made, contended that the imputation was not stronger than has often been made to European mem* bers. Maori members had been charged with being a combination on behalf of the Maori people. He asked if they were the only combination in that House ? They had West Coast combinations, Provincial combinations; aud all sorts of combinations. With regard to this claim, he reminded them that all sorts of promises had been 'made in connection with this matter in tho other House. It was found that this claim had not been satisfied. This was a State question, and they should have taken every possible evidence on the; subject; which had not been done. He regarded this merely asa protest, without imputing unspoken motives to any one. Mr. Daniel said that the South Island natives had not been fairly dealt with, and regretted the position taken up by the Native Minister. The fact was that all that was given to the natives for the waste county of Southland ' Would not amount to the sum of a farthing for 500 acres.