Political and Parliamentary.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1830, 31 July 1891, Page 3

Political and Parliamentary.

In the dißCUßßion on the Criminal Code Bill, Mr Bnckland opposed capital punishment. He said that when a boy of 10 years he saw a man hanged, and ever since that he" has concluded that the punishment of death is wrong. The Sefton Farmers' Club (Canterbury) has passed a resolution to'the effect that the reteution, with a slight reduction, of the property-tax would have conferred greater benefit upon them than the reduction of the postages rates, t Each member of the House receives 30 copies of "Hansard." Mr Valentine wants copies of those interesting records and of all Parliamentary papers sent to farmers' club, but his motion to that effect has been twice talked out. The Government have been urged by Mr Fergns to take steps to encourage fruit grow ing in New Zealand, by offering a bonus fur the growing of fruit, just as other industries are protected. During the year euded the 31st May 304,474 bales of wool were shipped from New Zealand, an increase of 29,879 bales on the previous year. According to a return furnished, it appears that since the beginning of the present year, there have been, under the Rabbit Nuisance Act, 39 prosecutions in different parts of the colony for neglect. Of these nine have taken place at Masterton. and six at Oarnaru, The heaviest fines were inflicted by Captain Wray, at Timaru (£ls), and Mr Stratford, Oamaru, (£10). The total fines amounted to about £B2 and costs £25.

The bankruptcy returns from the whole province of Otago and Southland for the seven years (188490) during which the present Act has been iu force show a total of 1478 bankruptcies, the proofs of debt amounted to the immense total of £963,170, and the amount distriWuted to creditors was £198,781 3s 6d, or an average of 4s l£d on the whole of the proofs. Mr Hamertou's (Public Trustee) superanuatiou allowance to June, 1880, as recommended by the Public Accounts Committee, will be at the rate of £154 per year. Had his term as Public Trustee been included the amount would have reached nearly £4OO per annum. The small birds nuisance bill provides that any local authority may apply fuuds to the destruction of injurious birds, a limit being fixed to the expenditure for any one year. Moneys may be spent as may be deemed most expedient. A special rate may be raised with the consent of the ratepayers. Poisoned seed may be laid on roads, but within 250 yards of inhabited houses, aud before laying the poison, public notice must be given. Inspectors shall see that the provisions of this Act are complied with. The destruction of keas is also taken into consideration. Mr Jno. Lomas. has been appointed by the Government to inspect and report on all the mines in the colony, which it is said will occupy him three months. The Post states Ministers have sent round to all the banks the number of cheques of various amounts, say £5, £lO, £2O, £SO, etc., that have passed through their hands during the past year. This evidently points to the intention of the Government to propose a progressive stamp-tax on cheques. A North Island paper suggests that the Legislative Council should be made elective, and that its constituents should be exclusely females. This is not at all a bad idea. The result would undoubtedly l>e that the Upper House would consist entirely of men mentally and morally far superior to those in the other Chamber, and consequently fully qualified to discharge its special duty of reviewing the too often crude and unwise legislation of its inferiors. In his speech on the Financial Statement, Mr Earaslaw, the member for the Peninsula, is reported in Hansard, speaking of large estates, to have ■aid:—"l do not want to mince matters—l say that the workers are determined that these estates shall be burst up ; if Id will not do it, then we will try 2d, and if 2d will not do it then we will try 3d ; but we are determined that the large estates shall be broken up by any means by which it can bo done. . . . The honourable gentleman says that, seeing that persons who owned large estates bought their land at the market price, it is a dishonest policy to levy a special tax upon them to operate as a burst-ing-up policy. Well, I say it is not so—it is not spoliation. I say it is but justice to the people who are coming to this country. Sir, when those people who have large estates bought them, did they buy with them the rights and requirements of the people of the state! or did they buy them subject to the rights and requirements of the people of the State? I say the latter I am one of those who, if a tax of lgd will not break up these estates, are prepared to put on 2§d, aud the House will find that in the near future that will have to be the amount. The Tuapeka Times, "Special" under date Wellington 28th instant, thus paints a lively scene in the House .-—"ln my last I told you that the debate on the Land Biil was then proceeding, aud would, there is not the slightest doubt, have gone on calmly to a finish were it not for the barefaced attempt made by the Government to burke discussion on one of the most important clauses of the Bill. An adjournment was asked for by the Opposition in order to allow a number of their party an opportunity of discussing the measure. This reasonable request the Government |»eremptorily refused to grant, and decided to commit the Bill at once. This high-handed treatment raised the dander of the Opposition; and just as the speaker was rising to put the question, the member for Tuapeka jumped up. determined to bar the futher progress of the measure unless time were allowed for its legitimate discussion. For three polid hours Mr Valentine gamely held to his purpose, and talked amid such a fire of interruptions and interjections and heated wrangles as I have never before witnessed in the House. At half-past two the galleries were cleared and the reporters dislodged, on the motion of Mr Fish, who raised the cry of stonewalling. Repeatedly while Mr Valentine spoke, the Speaker's attention was directed to the fact of a quorum not being present; but the moment the bell rang through the empty Chamber, there was an instant rush of Opposition members from the direction of the lobbies and a count-out was saved. At four o'clock in the morning, Mr Valentine sat down, and Mr Fergus took up the running, the noise and the uproar oeeoming at times almost deafening. At times almost the entire Assembly were on their feet wildly shouting and gesticulating ; and the Speaker was absolutely powerless to quell the storm or even make himself heard. At half-past five the second reading of the Bill was carried, and shortly afterwards the House was counted out.

A Wellington paper states that a queer story is told of the doings of a New Zealand who visited the South recently. He lived in fine style at one of the best hotels, inviting and entertaining numerous guests. When he left he gave the landlord a cheque which was returned dishonoured ; and just prior to his departure he presented another cheque to his brother saying, , get this cashed for me, old man. The Rood-natured, confinding old man did so, and this cheque, like the one left with the landlord, was returned dishonoured. The correspondent who volunteers this statement concludes thus : Now, cannot you in ycur valuable paper devise some means of kicking out of Parliament such a man as the above, who came South victimising the public by trading upon the title of a member of Parliament? Just so; the ■curvy fellow ought to be kicked out. But who is he ?