PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8663, 4 September 1891, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Thursday. THE PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. I nAD an interview with the Minister of Public Works this evening with reference to his coming Statement. In reply to my questions as .to the probable date of its advent, Mr. Seddon said:—"l hope to bring it down early next week, not on Monday, I think, because we shall most likely take several small Bills on that day, or on Tuesday, because we may have then to finish the Electoral Bill, but possibly on Wednesday." Replying to further inquiries, Mr. Seddon said:— The Statement will be much about the usual length. It will also, I am afraid, be the most unsatisfactory statement ever laid before the House, and I suppose there never was a Public Works Minister placed in such a miserable position as I am. There is hardly any money to dispose of. The total sum available is only £200,000, including the unexpended balances of former loans, and of that £97,000 is imperatively required for roads alone. Then there are public buildings, defences, telegraph extension, and other necessary works to be provided for, so that next to nothing win be left for railways. If we had even had the whole £300,000 derived from conversion available for expenditure on public works, that would have made a great difference, as the.ext.ra £100,000 would have enable provision to be made for several works which now must be left unprovided for. I am not sure now that we have done right in taking that £100,000 for paying off loans. lam inclined to think the money might have been more usefully employed on public works. However, that cannot be helped now, and all we can do is to make the best of the very small sum that is disposable. As it is, nobody can possibly be satisfied, and the unfortunate Minister of Public \Vorks will have to boar the brunt of the ireneral disappointment and dissatisfaction."

ORDER OF BUSINESS. Ministers tell mo to-night that they purpose going on with the Legislative Council Bill to-morrow. On Monday they intend clearing off as many as possible of the smaller Bills, and on Tuesday they hope to finish the Electoral Bill. These arrangements are made provisional, barring übstruction or other unforeseen contingen cies. If these matters are got through by Wednesday, the Public Works Statementwill be brought down then, and the Public Works Estimates will be circulated. It is possible, however, that a start may be made next week with the ordinary Estimates, which up to the present time have not been even touched.

SURPLUS LANDS ISOIITH OF AUCKLAND,

For many years the native tribes of Whangaroa and tho bay of Islands have hud a grievance regarding what are known as surplus lands taken by the Government, and which they claim belongs to them. They have been petitioning the House for a considerable time, and a native named Hone I'eeti has arrived from Wbangaroa to represent their claims to the Government. Messrs. Houston, Carroll, and Kupa, M 11. R.'s, and Hone Pecti, interviewed the Minister of Lauds on the subject, when Mr. Houston explained the position of the surplus lands. He pointed out that the natives were, anxious that thero should be an inquiry into their claims, and that they were quite willing to abide by the result of that inquiry They did not wish to disturb Europeans who were settled on surplus lands by right of purchase from the Government, and if the enquiry showed that they had no valid claim, they would bo satisfied. If, however, their claim were established, they would ask to be recompensed. Mr Houston said that this grievance caused• ill-feeling amongst the natives, and that was to be regretted, because they were living on amicable terms with the Europeans in the district. The Hon. J. McKenzie replied that he proposed to visit the North of Auckland during the recess, and he would meet the natives at Waimate and discuss the matter fully with them

GREAT BARRIER SERVICE. The Postmaster-General has sanctioned, at the request of Mr. Palmer, the agreement made with the Northern Steamship Company tor a steam service between Auckland and Great Barrier for a subsidy of £'200, the service to be weekly for eight months in ,the year, and fortnightly for the remaining four months. THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY. Tho Customs and Excise Duties Bill, after a brief period of suspense, is now almost certain to pass the Legislative Council, and to become law. The special committee appointed to consider it met this morning, and heard the evidence of Mr. Austin Walsh, of Auckland, and Messrs. Lawry and Houston, M. 11. li.'s, as to the operation of the Bill, and the importance of encouraging the growth of tobacco. The committee reported in the afternoon to the Council recommending that tho Bill be allowed to proceed. It will come up to-morrow for third reading. Mr. Walsh, who has been in Wellington during the past few days watching tho progress of this measure, is to leave to-morrow for New Plymouth on his return to Auckland. He says that the Bill will encourage tobacco growing in the North of Auckland and elsewhere by giving a practical guarantee . that there will be a market for the tobacco leaf, and that it will be purchased from the farmers for manufacturing purposes.

TECHNICAL EDUCATION. It is the intention of Mr. Pinkerton to move, when the House is going into committee of Supply, an amendment to the effect that a sum of £1000 should be placed on tho Supplementary Estimates to grant aid to classes for technical instruction in various parts of the colony by a subsidy not exceeding £1 for every £1 contributed voluntarily. THAMES RECREATION RESERVE. Amongst tho local Bills passed in the House this afternoon was tho Thames Recreation Reserve Sale Reviver Bill. Power was given some time ago to the Thames Borough Council to dispose of two blocks of laud, but by an oversight the smaller block was omitted from the schedule of the Act, and the object of the present Bill is to enable the Council to obtain the full title to the block. The measure was carried through the House under tho direction of Mr. Cadman.

PETITIONS. A petition from Auckland opposing the Payment of Members Bill and signed by about 100 people was presented to-day by Mr. Kolleston, who also submitted a petition from Joseph Chambers, Cambridge West, for a grant of land for military services. Tho petition of James McCormick, who states that he took up ten acres of land at Te Aroha under perpetual lease, ami expended £30 upon it, but who as the land is swampy, asks for relief to the extent of £30, or a grant of another piece of land, has boon referred by the Waste Lands Committee to the Government for consideration. A petition from Robert G. Hawes, of Northcote, complaining that Thomas Seaman, property tax valuer, had placed too high a value on his property, and asking for inquiry, has been considered by the Public Petitions A to L Committee, who report that in their opinion, and in view of the charges made against Mr. Seaman by the petitioner, an inquiry should be held by the Auckland Resident Magistrate, Dr. Giles, and that it is desirable that the inquiry should take place when Mr. Crombio (Property Tax Commissioner) visits Auckland. THE OPANAKE SCHOOL. Information has been received by Mr. Lundon from the Education Department that the application for a native school at Opanake, Bay of Islands, bus been granted. NATIVE LANDS BILL. It is considered very unlikely that the Native I ands Bill will pass this session in the face of the opposition that will bo offered to it from the native members who wish to see it postponed till next year. An effort will probably be made, however, to pass a short Bill in the direction of validating titles to native land that are at present defective. Mil GRANT'S PETITION. The Public Petitions Committee reported to-day on the petition of Mr. Alexander Grant, of Auckland (formerly of Napier). The petitioner prayed for the refund of the £10 deposited by him as a candidate for election to the 1 House for the Manukau district. The committee reported that the

forfeiture of the deposit being in accordance with the law they have no recommendation to make. A RETROGRADE STEP. The abolition of freehold qualification by the House, yesterday, is strongly condemned by the Press of Wellington. In commenting on it, the Post, to-night, says : "The present electoral law is entirely unsatisfactory, but -when the alteration takes place, an improvement is required, not going from bad co worse. The necessity for a new Act, however, is not very urgent, as there is no immediate prospect of a dissolution The matter might now very well be let stand over till next session in the hope that during the recess members may come to their senses and avoid the extremes to which they committed themselves last night. The reduction of the franchise to a purely residential one is a perfectly revolutionary step, and is fraught with manifest injustice to many classes of people. To utterly abolish the freehold qualification is an attempt to deprive property of all political representation, and coupled with the principle of the new system of taxation it will make men doubtful of the security which capital will enjoy in this colony in the near future." WOMANHOOD SUFFRAGE.

Tho statement that the Premier had agreed to the suggestion that the Bill granting the franchise to women if it became law should not be given effect to until 1894 was shown to-night to have a very solid foundation, for Mr. Ballance himself announced the fact to the House. The announcement was received with evident disapproval by the supporters of the measure. The Premier pointed out that the Bill was not a Government measure, that the Government were not agreed upon it, and that* members of the Ministry would walk into different lobbies when the time for voting came. The Premier defonded the postponement, on the ground that the people should have an opportunity of expressing un opinion upon.,; the merits of the question. Mr. liees was a strong critic of the action of tho Premier, and said the House was drifting into this position that they were losing all backbone and all consistency, and sacrificing everything to expediency. He complained that Mr. Fish anil two or three other individuals were allowed to rule the House. Such supporters were a curse to a party. The Premier, in reply, claimed that he had done all he had promised, that facilities would be given for t.he consideration of tho Bill, and he had done so in the face of enormous difficulties. THhiHELENSVILIJE RIVER AND THE RAILWAY. It' seems that though a complaint has been made that Messrs. Douglas Brothers are inconvenienced since the frontage to the llelensville River is cut off by the railway, they have the right to take timber under the bridge on payment of a merely nominal rental of one pound per year. ■What the Railway Commissioners complain of is that Douglas Brothers have stacked a large quantity of timber beside the bridge, where it is in danger of catching fire or of falling across the line. ■ JOTTINGS.

The Dentists Bill has been taken up by the Government, and now appears on the Order Paper in charge of Mr. Seddon. It has a good chance of passing. The Shop Hours Bill of the Government has met retribution in the Legislative Council. The Bhop Hours Bill of Mr. Joyce stands far down on the Order Paper of the Lower House, and is likely to remain there until tho day of slaughter. To-night the House in Committee had the Female Suffrage Bill under consideration. The galleries wore crowded. The Live Stock Committee have passed the Small Birds' Nuisance Bill, with a proviso that local bodies shall be allowed to levy a rate of £d in the £ on the rateable value of property for the purposes of the Act. The Bill granting tho franchise to women had practically passed through committee to-night. when one of its opponents, Mr. (Jarncross, proposed a new clause, giving women the right to sit in the House. The debate on the question was very interesting and able. Mr. Carncross was accused of wishing to kill the . Bill, and soma of its supporters voted against the new clause on that ground. However, it was carried. Mr. Ward is a supporter of womanhood suffrage. His pair iign.'inst the measure recently is explained by the fact that ho was absent from tho House and there was nobody voting against the measure with whom he could pait\ therefore he had to appear as opposing it. When Sir John Hall was arguing tonight in favour of the franchise for women some sympathisers in the Speaker's gallery called " Hear, hear " at one stago of his address. The sharp-eared custodian nearly showed hi in the door. Mr. O'Conor says the effect of the Auctioneers Bill will be to give additional revenue to the town?, at tho expense of the country. Though the Premier accepted the amendment providing that woman suffrage should not begin until 1891, it was lost, and, as the Bill now stands, it is to come into operation on .tune 1, 1893. Under tho Public Trust Office Acts Amendment Act the position of the Public Trustee is changed, and ho is to hold office on tho samo terms and conditions as officers in the ordinary civil service of the colony. Tho trustee shall nob bo obliged to obtain an order of tho Court to administer any estate under £250 in value.