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New Zealand Mail, Issue 907, 19 July 1889, Page 28

Ministers intend to take Wednesdays for Government business from next week. The sum of Lll3 5s has been collected from members of Parliament by Mr Fish as a gift to the widow and family of the late Mr Levestani. The Young New Zealand Party have decided vigorously to oppose all Harbour Board borrowing Bills and anything in the shape of a borrowing policy. We understand that Mr J. E. Fitz Gerald, the Controller and Auditor-General, who has been in ill health lately, is about to receive four months’ sick leave, and will take his departure for England, with Mrs and Miss Fitz Gerald, by the R.M.S. Doric, sailing from this port on the 25th instant, and will return to New Zealand in November next. We wish them a safe and pleasant trip, and Mr Fitz Gerald a complete recovery. Mr Tanner, the member for Waipawa, writes to us explaining that his meaning was in some respects misapprehended in our necessarily condensed report of his speech on the Representation Bill. He says :—“ (1) I did not approve of the amalgamated electorates proposed in the Bill. I approved of the principle of amalgamating electorates within reasonable limits, but condemned the proposal contained in the Bill as unworkable. (2) Though admitting the Haro system was fair and equitable, yet I said there was a probability ©f the working classes losing iuterest in it if they did not understand it. (3) Instead of saying, as reported, that the Hare system (as presented in the Bill) would do away with personal antagonism and local feeling, I pointed

out that in clauses 4, 18, 60, and 61, the worst features of localism and its attendant evils would be confirmed, and the vexed question of the quota retained.”

At a meeting of the Naval and Military Settlers and Volunteers’ Land Claims Conrmittee on Friday morning, Captain Russell was elected chairman.

The Speaker informed the House on Friday night that he had nominated Colonel de Quincey, of the Waikato, to the office of Sergeant -at-Arms. In making the announcement, the Speaker thanked members for having put no pressure upon him. He had exercised the utmost care in the matter, and he believed he had consulted the wishes of members generally in offering the position to an old member of the House. (Hear, hear.) The gentleman whom he now nominated won great distinction in the Indian wars, and afterward came to New Zealand and joined the Colonial forces, serving as adjutantgeneral.

A number of members met on Saturday morning to hear Mr Cotter, the Auckland City Solicitor, on the Auckland Gas Company’s Bill, which is opposed by the City Council. The Bill, it may be mentioned, enables the Gas Company to light the streets of Auckland by electricity. Sir George Grey pointed out that the meeting was improperly held for several reasons, the principal being that the conveners bad not asked the Speaker’s permission, and that it was not respectful to discuss a Bill which had to go before a Select Committee. The meeting was then adjourned till Monday.

A subject brought under the notice of the House by Mr Samuel last week needs more than passing comment. The facts were detailed by Mr Samuel, and admitted by the Colonial Secretary to be in the main correctly stated. About a year ago the relatives of a man named Fenwick, who was confined in the Avondale Lunatic Asylum, Auckland, applied to the Supreme Court for an inquisition de lunatico in order that some persons might be appointed to manage his property. Mr Justice Gillies thereupon took evidence, and made most exhaustive inquiries (including several personal visits to the alleged lunatic), and the result was the statement in open Court that Fenwick was suffering under a delusion on one subject, and was therefore of unsound mind, but that he was at the same time capable of managing himself and his affairs. The Lunacy Act in effect makes no distinction between one who is of unsound mind but capable of managing his affairs, and one who is of unsound mind and incapable. Nor does it make any distinction between one who is of such unsound mind as to require his confinement and one who, although of unsound mind, does not need to be confined. Mr Justice Gillies, in the course of the.proceedings, stated emphatically on more than one occasion that Fenwick was not cf such unsound mind as to require his detention, and that, in his opinion, he should be released ; but the Government being advised to the contrary by their medical officers have, nothwithstanding, kept him in confinement. Mr Samuel, in moving for the correspondence bn the subject, contended that Supreme Court should be supreme—in fact, as well as in name—and that the Lunacy Act should be so, amended as to permit the simple question of whether or not a man Avas of such a state of mind as to require his detention in a lunatic asylum to be submitted to and decided by a judge and jury. He urged that this would be only in consonance with the guiding principle of our judicial system in permitting the question of imprisonment for what might he a very long period to be referred to a judicial tribunal, and not decided by a medical staff without right of appeal to any judicial tribunal. The Colonial Secretary admitted the importance of the question raised, and the correspondence was ordered to be laid on the table of the House. The telegrams touching the appointment of a Chief Commissioner of Railways cost L 144 18s. The Wellington-Manawatu Railway Company’s petition was before the Public Petitions Committee on Tuesday. Mr Travers having been heard on behalf of the Company, further consideration of the petition was adjourned. In answer to Mr Seddon, the Premier stated on Tuesday that the Public Works Statement would not be brought down

until the Representation Bill had been disposed of. It is understood that the Statement will not be read by the Minister of Public Works, but will simply be laid on the table.

Mr Perceval wishes the Government to bring in this session a Bill making the following provisions : —(1) The fixing of a maximum dividend to be paid by gas companies ; (2) the annual inspection by an independent auditor of the balancesheets and books of gas companies ; (3) the abolition of metre-rents ; and (4) the testing of the quality of gas.

The new Representation Bill—which is entitled the Representation Act Amend- ' ment Act, 1889—Avas circulated on Tuesday. It is in the form which Ave stated the fresh Bill Avould take. That is to say, it consists of only one operative clause, the effect of which is as follows :—- In lieu of subsections two, three, four, and frve of section three of the Representation Act, 1887, the folloAving provisions are substituted : —ln computing the population of the cities of Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin, , and every borough and town district any part of which is within one mile from any part of any of the said cities, a deduction of 25 per centum is to be made from the number of the population of such cities, boroughs, and town districts. The total population of the Colony (other than Maoris), less the deductions made from the cities, boroughs, and districts afore- , said, is to be divided by the number of members, and the quotient thus obtained is to be the quota. There are to be four city electoral districts, to be called respectively Auckland, Welli"gton, Christchurch, and Dunedin ; and each is to have three members. The extent of each of these city electoral distiicts is to be such that the population, after making the deduction, Avill nos “ exceed or fall short by more than 750 for each member the quota multiplied by the number of membersassigned to such electoral district. ” In order to make up any city electoral district where the city itself shall not include a sufficient population after making the deduction, there are to be included with the city such boroughs and town districts near the city as, in the opinion of the Commissioners, can be most conveniently - included : and if there be not sufficient population within such boroughs and toAvn districts after making the deduction, then there are to be included such areas of the adjacent or surrounding country as can, in the opinion of the Commissioners, be most conveniently included. The remainder of the Colony is to be divided into as many districts as there are other members (uot Maori, members) to be returned. j The extent of the last-men-tioned electoral districts is to be such that one member Avill be assigned to each district, and that at the time of making such division the population after making the .. deduction required Avill not exceed or fall short of the quota by more than seven' : hundred and fifty.