IN AND ABOUT PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1217, 28 June 1895, Page 33

IN AND ABOUT PARLIAMENT.

NEW BILLS. Notice was given yesterday week of the following new Bills: The Hon the Premier: Uniforms, Dog Registration Act Amendment,- Criminal Code Amendment, Local Government, Contagious Diseases Act Repeal, Expiring Laws Continuance, Representation, Corrupt Practices Prevention, Adulteration Prevention, Ministers Salaries and Allowances, Alcoholic Liqtiors Sales Control Amendment.

Hon Mr Reeves: Masters and Apprentices, Hospitals and Charitable Aid, Public School Teachers Court of Appeal, Public Tenders, Contracts and Works, Wages Attachment Abolition, Servants Registry Offices, Adoption of Children, Industrial Schools Act Amendment, Canterbury College Constitution*

Hon Mr McKenzie : Homes Protection, Native Lands, Land for Settlement Act < Amendment, Public Reserves, Noxious Weeds, Fencing Bill. Notice was also given of the following new Bills in the name of the Hon Mr Ward :—Beet Root Sugar, Local Authorities Loans Conversion, Rating on Unimproved Values, Land and Income Tax Assessment, Loans to Local Bodies Amendment.

TELEGRAPHING THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH. A record was achieved on June 20 by the Telegraph Department in the transmission of His Excellency's Speech. The Wheatstone automatic instrument was used, and the whole of the Speech, containing 1918 words, was sent through in 10 minutes. It is reckoned that the copy was being handed to the papers in Christchurch almost as Lord Glasgow uttered the last sentences in Wellington. INSURANCE COMPANIES' DEPOSITS.

A statement from the Public Trustee showing the amount deposited in the Public Trust Office by each foreign insurance company in the Colony was laid upon the table of the House on June 20. There are only three companies, and the amounts are as follows: Alliance Marine and General Assurance Company (Limited), London valued by the Public Trust Office at £4OOO, and a fixed deposit receipt on the Union Bank of Australia for £IOOO. New Zealand Accident Insurance Company — £7500 in mortgage securities, valued by the Public Trust Office at £3750, and £I2OO worth of debentures of the Borough of Parnell valued at £12,000. Scottish Metropolitan Life Assurance Company—£lo,ooo cash. The total amount of these deposits is valued by the Public Trust Office at £20,000. SIR GEORGE GREY. It has been rumoured that Sir George Grey has forwarded his resignation of his seat as a member for the City of Auckland,

but up to the present this has not received the slightest corroboration. The Hon Mr Ward in his last communication to his colleagues here stated that Sir George Grey had arranged to come to New Zealand with him, but this arrangement was upset by Mr Ward coming via Canada. No mention was made in this letter of Sir George's retirement from public life. Sir G. M. O'Rorke has received no tidings by the San Francisco mail of Sir George Grey's resignation. In the House last week the Premier moved that one month's leave of absence be granted Sir George Grey, Sir Robert Stout thought this out of order, but the Acting-Speaker held that if unanimously agreed to it was in order. Captain Russell objected to the motion, notice of which had therefore to be given. IN BRIEF. There was an unusually large crowd of spectators at the opening of Parliament yesterday week. Bishop Wallis and his wife were amongst the crowds at the opening ceremony. Mr C. 11. Mills has given notice to reintroduce his Criminal Code Amendment Bill with the object of re-opening the Chemis case. The Consolidating Liquor Bill introduced by the Government last session will not be brought forward this session. The members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery met yesterday week and reelected Mr T. Morrison chairman of the Gallery, and Mr A. Cohen vice-chairman. The members for Wellington City are to be asked by the City Councilto take charge of two local Bills during the present session of Parliament. One is a Bill to enable the Corporation to rate for water those portions of Melrose and Karori Boroughs which are already in the drainage jvrea, m& the other is to enable the Council

to authorise the construction of streets of a less width than 66ft. The House yesterday week granted Mr Buick leave of absence for a week, and Mr Gr. W. Russell leave for two days. INSURANCE COMPANIES' SECURITIES. The total amount of securities deposited in the Public Trust Office at date under the provisions of " The Life Assurance Companies Act, 1873 " and " The Foreign Insurance Companies' Deposits Act, 1894 " is as follows :—Australian Mutual Provident Society, company's value ,£50,000, amount of deposit for which the securities are lodged in the Public Trust Office, ,£50,000; Alliance Marine and General Assurance Company, Limited, of London, ,£6OO0 —.£SOOO ; Mutual Life Association of Australasia, .£50,850—.£50,850; National Mutual Life Association of Australasia, .£53,113—.£50,578 ; New Zealand Accident Insurance Company, .£8750—5000; Mutua Assurance Society of Victoria, Limited .£19,200 —.£15,100 ; Colonial Mutual Life Assurance Society, Limited, .£56,757 — .£50,757 ; Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, .£8200—.£8200; Scottish Metropolitan Life Assurance Company, .£IO,OOO and Industrial Insurance Company of New Zealand, New York Life Insurance Company, Limited, .£SOOO ; Citizens' Life Assiirance Company, .£5750—.£5000 : totals, .£278,620—^260,485. THE MINISTER OF LANDS. The Minister of Lands, we are pleased to state, continues to improve in health, and attends to his Parliamentary duties with much of his old vigour. For the present, howevei, Mr McKenzie will spare himself" as much as possible, and the more important of the measures to be introduced by him will come on later on in the session. EKETAHUNA-WOODVILLE RAILWAY. Rapid progress is being made with the construction of the Eketahuna-Woodville line of railway. The earthworks are now nearly completed, and plate-laying has

commenced. Owing to ifche sleepers for the line having been obtained from Government reserves in the vicinity, they will only cost Is 6d each, the usual price being from2s6dto3s each, which will mean a material saving in the cost of the line. FREE LAND BILL. The member for Inangahua, MrO'Regan, intends introducing a Bill this session to allow persons taking up Crown land three years' possession rent free. This will enable settlers to get some of their bush down and be obtaining something off the land before they are asked to pay rent. The rent is to be fixed at the end of the three years by assessment, and the unearned increment will thereafter be ascertained by periodical assessments. THE ADDRESS-IN-REPLY DEBATE. Members generally express the opinion that the Address-in-Reply debate has opened rather mildly. The speeches of the mover and seconder were as such speeches usually are, while the few points attempted by the Leader of the Opposition were very fully and completely replied to by the Hon Mr Reeves. Such is the substance of the replies of a number of members spoken to on the subject. The later stages of the dobate are not expected to be any more sensational. THE TIME LIMIT SYSTEM. It was found last session, working under the time limit system, that very few members availed thems elves of the full 30 minutes allowed for speeches. Ten minutes was about the average, Major Steward says, and be therefore urges consideration of the question of reducing the limit. During the Address-in-Reply debate, the first debate of note of the present session, all the speakers were well within the time allowed.

THE HALF-KOLIDAY LAW. The, half-holiday question is likely to he

well ventilated during the present session of Parliament judging from the gossip one hears within and without the precincts of Parliament House. In connection with this matter the letter given below from the secretary of the Queensland Early Closing Association to the Labour Department here will be read with interest. It is addressed to Mr E. Tregear, and reads as follows : "Dear Sir, —By this mail I forward to you a Brisbane Courier with an account of our interview requesting the Government to introduce early closing legislation. X might say that during the past six years we have lbee.n agitating for such a law, but have not yet succeeded. "We now believe that the present Government will make some move in that direction, and in order that we may be possessed of all information bearing on this question, my committee desired me to write £you. We know that the capitalistic press gives very unfavourable reports of the working of your half-holiday law, and if ever the present Conservative Government that we have got in Queensland brings forward any such measure, the opponents .of it are sure to make as much capital as possible out. of what they term the failure of the New Zealand law. I would, therefore, feel grateful if you would forward any jarinted matter or other information bearing on the operation of your Act. I frequently read your journal, and from it receive much valuable information. Like all other friends who are connected with the Labour movement in this city, we are proud of the progress made in New Zealand. The half-holiday law will, I feel certain, be the means of having the same reform introduced in many parts of the world, and though our own movement is not actually for a weekly half-holiday, still the fact that the principle of compulsory closing is adopted by you—and, we believe, working satisfactorily—will be a good foundation to build on." The letter, after specifying the particular information required, speaks in eulogistic terms of Mr Tregear's services to the cause of progress in New Zealand, and winds up as follows : —" In conclusion, I am asked to convey through you our thanks and appreciation to the Hon W. P. Reeves, Minister of Labour, for the very beneficial measures that he has placed on your Statute Books benefiting the workers. —(signed), Prank McDonnell, Hon Secretary." AN ELECTIVE EXECUTIVE. A meeting of members was held on Monday morning, and one or two recruits were gathered in to swell the following of the Hon Major Steward with his elective executive proposals. The Bill of last session and the proposal generally was discussed very fully, and a number of amendments suggested and agreed to. One of the most important of these provides tlu *-. the House in electing Ministers shall not have recourse to the ballot, so that the vote of every member will be known. This amendment has been made in deference to the wishes of a mimber of the pcwftical associations throughout the Colony. The Hon Major Steward and Messrs Hall-Jones and McNab were appointed a committee to go further into the matter. WEST COAST AFFAIRS. Mr E. McKenzie, member for Buller, on Monday morning waited upon the Premier in connection with mining and loan conversion matters. Mr McKenzie is acting in the interests of the Westport Harbour Board, who want provision made in the Local Bodies Bill for the conversion of their loan of £350,000. Mr Seddon promised to give the matter in question his consideration. CO-OPERATIVE WORKS. It was recently found necessary to put the men engaged on co-operative works on short time, in order to give employment to as large a number of persons as possible. The men were therefore limited to working five days a week. It is thought by some of the labour members that it would be a much more convenient plan for the men, if, instead of having to loaf around on on© day in every week doing nothing, they were put off one week in every six. This would, of eourse, come to the same thing, ( and there is claimed for it the additional advantage to the men of being able to see their families, or, if living anywhere near, of doing work on their own places. The members in question are to see the Minister of Labour on the subject, when both sides of the matter will be gone into. SIR GRORGE GREY. Sir George Grey's absence from his Parliamentary diities was again brought under the notice of members yesterday afternoon, when Sir Robert Stout moved, as a matter of privilege, " That the question as to whether the Right Hon Sir George Grey, K.C.8., is a member of this House be referred to a committee consisting of the Hon the Speaker (with his consent), Messrs Bell, Guinness, G. Hutchison, Hon Mr Larnaeh, Captain Russell, Mr-. Saunders, Hon Mr Seddon, Hon Major Steward and the mover; three to be a quorum, and the committee to have power to call for persons and papers." Sir Robert Stout contended that no special leave of absence having been granted Sir George it was necessary to pass a special Act before he could take his seat in the House. He would be willing to support such an Act. The Premier replied at length, contending that leave of absence having been granted Sir George Grey from month to month, his seat had not become vacant. Most of the arguments used in the previous debate were i-epeated, and the motion was eventually put and lost by 45 votes to 8. RETIREMENTS FROM THE CIVIL SERVICE. The following members of the Civil Service retire on pensions:—J. H. Tovey, Post and Telegraph Office, on Ist April, 1895 ; pension, .£77 10s per annum. P. W. Von Sturmer, Justice Department, on Ist July, 1895; pension, .£2BB Is lid. E. F. Harris, Registrar-General's Department, on Ist October, 1895 j pension, «£SB 17s 9cl per annum.