STRANGE CONDUCT OF THE NOMINEE COUNCIL.

Marlborough Express, Volume V, Issue 249, 17 September 1870, Page 5

STRANGE CONDUCT OF THE NOMINEE COUNCIL.

Prom papers to hand, we find that the . Legislative ; Council :are bidding’fair to be swept -away-t forcibly as an.'obstructive’ institution attempting, if they have hot succeeded, in overpowering the present representatives of the people. Since our last, the Council have ruthlessly thrown out several measures, including the Rail-

way Guage Bill. Our reports are not very clear on the subject, and it remains to be seen from Hansard exactly what has really occurred. The following is from the Advertiser of Monday last;— ■ There appears to be a good prospect of the Bill authorising the construction of a number of railways falling through at the eleventh hour. The “ Lords,” as is usual with them, imagining that the “ Commons” were not sufficiently adepts in the art of law-making, have taken upon themselves to introduce a number of amendments in the Bill which are distasteful to the “elected of the people.” One of the most important of these alterations is the introduction of a provision that no railways are to be made under the authority of the Bill, except that from Selwyn to Rakaia, shall not be of greater guage than 3 feet 6 inches. This amend-1 rnent is strongly opposed by the Canterbury members, as they have already sent home for the whole of the material for a line on the guage of 5 feet 8 inches from the Addington Station of . the Great Noithern Railway to Rangiora. The alteration of the guage would entail ari extra cost of some £30,000 to £40,000, and would necessitate the changing of the guage of the whole of the line at present laid down from Christchurch, and the procuring of fresh rolling-stook, &c. This is so displeasing to the representatives of that Province, that they have determined to use all their efforts either to have the amendment refused by the House, or to throw out the Bill altogether if they cannot get that done. This is truly an awkward state of affairs, and gives another instance of the necessity for the people of the Colony to have some influence over the elections and doings of the Upper House.”

On the following day, the same paper had the following paragraph : “ The Railway Bill was passed last night (Monday) in the House of Representa-f lives, with the obnoxious amendments made in it by the Legislative Council, aftera rather stormy debate. The Govern-; ment did all in their power to have the amendments altered, or to effect a compromise, but to no avail, the stubbornness of the managers on behalf of the Council preventing anything like an understanding being arrived at. It was, therefore, necessary either to let the Bill lapse, or to pass it in its amended shape, which latter was done on a division by 24 to 16.” The Annual Provincial Acts .Validation Bill, on the passing of which defends the Marlborough Roads and Education Acts of last session, passed the Lower House safely, but on reaching the Legislative Council on Monday last that body saw fit to cut it up and alter it to such an extent, that when it was returned to the Representatives they refused to adopt them, and a conference was appointed of which the result is yet unknown to us, A few days previously we learn that an unusual scene of excitement prevailed in the House, whose attention-was called by Mr Macandrew to the way in which Bills were tampered with after passing the Representatives. Ve take the report from the Independent :— Mr Macandrew said that he wished to draw attention to a question of privilege. It would be recollected that he had brought in a bill called the Traquhair and Stewart Hundreds Bill, which was read a second time, passed through committee without amendment-and forwarded to the Legisj-. lative Council; but the bill now before the Council was not the same as that passed by the House. The one introduced by him was a short bill which only recti--fied a data, whereas the one sent to the Legislative Council contained provisions for giving compensation to runholdersl He brought the matter before the House with a view to arrive at the real cause of .this. ' : 4 - 1 '•> t . 1 -r: The Hon. Speaker said he was nojt prepared to give the hon. member for Clutha an answer to the question put.by him. He might mention that that ing, before the House assembled, he' had been informed that other bills had been altered, after leaving that House. It was certainly a gross breach of privilege, and ! the matter ! should be sifted' thoroughly. ai : vac J . Mr Stafford said they must look with alarm, on this utterly incomprehensible ’proceeding, as from what had fallen fronT the Speaker.it appeared that.this bill was, not the only bill which had been so tam:-i pered with, l If such a state of things were< allowed to exist they would have no safety ( in passing legislation through that House. , He was utterly at a loss to understand the, matter at all. ; r TV. - ■ ; !Mr CREranTolr suggested- that it'might• be possible that ! the Bill of the hbn. member for Clutha bad been thrown out and

another one introduced into -the Tipper House. , Mr Bunny pointed out that the' Bills both bore this heading, ‘ “ This Bill was introduced into the House of Representatives,’’ and also bore the name of the hoh, member for Clutha ; while one consisted of four clauses and the, other six. Mr Box said he would move that a select committee, consisting of Messrs Hall, Macau drew, Studholme, Creighton, and tho mover be appointed to investigate j this matter, /. "T , ; f '.. The motion was then agreed to. V On the following day, M. Fox, as Chairman of the Committee, asked for an extension of time in bnhging up the report, as the attendance of the Clerk of the Legislative Council, who was a necessary witness, had been prohibited : by | the Speaker of the Council until'that,attendance was formally' asked, by 'a messagefrom the House to the Council.. Mr. Fox accardingly moved that a message He sent to-the Legislative Council, requesting the attendance before the committee of the Hon. Mr Sewell and the Clerk of the Council. Again on the next day Mr. Fox applied.for a further extension of time for the bringing of their report, as they had as yet been unable to obtain the attendance of the Hon. Mi;.' Sewell and the Clerk of Legislative Council. ! , i Later, the Speaker announced that he had received a message from the Legis4 lative Council as ‘ follows:—" Resolved that with respect to messages Nos 56 and 57 from the House of Representatives, referring to the bill now before, the Council, entitled the Traquhair , arid Stuart Hundreds Bill, it is a nigh, breach of privilege for one branch of the Legislature to interfere with the conduct of business in'the other, The Couricirtheref fore desire? tp be informed upon,, what points' it is desired to examine the Hon. Mr. Sewell and,the Clerk of the Council before making a final order in the matter.” How the matter ended, or whether the “ elected by the, people ’’’ passed over. the strange conductofthe Council we do.npj; know, but shall 1 endeavor to inform our readers hereafter.’