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New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4150, 9 July 1874, Page 2

A Loyal Address to Her Majesty was agreed to unanimously by the House of Representatlves yesterday, on the motion of the Premier, on the marriage of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. The hon. member introduced the motion in a short but appropriate speech, in which he spoke of the loyalfeelings that had always been entertained in New Zealand to Her Majesty ; the satisfaction that the country as well as the Queen herself must feel in the fact that her children were all being settled in her own lifetime ; of the value of those alliances that had been contracted with the great powers; and of the interest which the Colony must feel in the marriage of the Royal Duke who had twice visited this Colony, made himself popular, especially with those who had the best opportunity of knowing him, and still retained an interest in the Colony.

In the House, of Representatives yesterday, Mr. Curtis obtained leave, and brought in the Bill of which he had given notice, to enable the Province of Nelson to borrow a sum of a quarter of a million sterling, on the security of four hundred acres of land, for the purpose of reproductive works, Mr. Vogel rose when Mr. Curtis sat down, and at once expressed the intention of the Government to adopt a decided course with regard to these projects of Provincial borrowing—a statement which was received with applause. He could not object, of course, to the first reading of the Bill; but hoped the hon. member for the city of Nelson would not press the Bill to its second reading, until the financial statement had been made. Mr. Curtis intimated that he did not intend to press forward the second reading; and on that understanding, the first reading of the Nelson Loan Bill was agreed to.

“ Waste Land Acta " relating to the Province of Otago usually- occupy an inordinate share of the attention of Parliament. Something like a hope was expressed in the House of Representatives yesterday that the present session was not to be as distinguished in this respect as its predecessor. ; Mr. T. L. Shepherd moved for leave to bring in the bill of which he had given notice, to amend “The Otago Waste Lands Act, 1872.” Mr. J. L. Gillies expressed a hope that the hon. member for the Dunstan would not press his motion explaining —as Speaker of the Provincial Council of Otago—that such a Bill was agreed to.by that body;, that the Superintendent of that Province, or the Provincial Secretary—who would be unable to attend for a few days—were expected to introduce it, arid that the Provincial Solicitor was now preparing it. Under these circumstances he hoped the hon. member for Dunstan would not persist. The latter replied that he had taken the step he did in the interests of the Province, and with the knowledge of the Provincial Solicitor. It was known that the session was likely to bo a short one, and to save time ho decided to introduce this Bill, which he would be ready to hand over to the Province-authorities as soon as they arrived, and before the second reading. He thought it Was absurd to say that the Provincial Solicitor was engaged in preparing the Bill, and felt that he was perfectly competent to draw it himself—as it was only a short Bill to repeal six words in the existing Act ! Refusing to withdrawing his motion, Mr. Gillies called for a division. The bells were rung, the doors locked, and Mr. Shepherd enjoyed the honor of being the first member' to bring about a division. When the Speaker put the question the “ noes ” certainly had it. On a repetition, the voices were more equally divided, but the courtesy of the Speaker discovered that the “ ayes” had it. Mr. Vogel then observed that he thought it would have been introducing a bad precedent if the House had refused to give an honorable member the opportunity of introducing a Bill, as that courtesy did not pledge the House to carry it further. Sir Oacroft Wilson asked for the ruling of the Speaker as to what would happen if the House . rejected the Bill of the hon, member for Dunstan, and was afterwards asked to receive another Bill on the same subject from the Provincial authorities ? The Speaker said that any hon. member might introduce another Otago Waste Lands Bill by the leave of the House. He cautioned the hon. member for the Dunstan, however, that he would not permit a mythical Bill to go to the second reading ; the Bill itself must then be before the House.

The public will learn something authentic at last, within a few days, as to the mysterious telegrams published by the Otago Daily Times, purporting to have been sent by Judge Ward to the Premier, as to the impropriety of permitting Judge Chapman to preside in the recent trial of Maoassey v. Bell, at the late sittings of the Supreme Court of Otago, and suggesting that another judge should be sent to preside, in • consequence of Judge Chapman’s business and family relations with the plaintiff. Mr. J. L. Gillies asked, yesterday, whether the Government Jind taken steps to ascertain if there was any truth in the allegations, and whether they would have any objections to lay tho correspondence, whether telegraphic or postal, on tho table of the House—remarking that a strong feeling of distrust existed in tho

Province of Otago in consequence of the allusions made. Mr. Vogel, in reply, said the Government had taken no steps in the matter, and did hot consider that sufficient had been advanced to justify them in taking that step. The telegrams published were not exactly correct, but they were sufficiently full to show that the newspaper which published them had full knowledge ot their contents. The matter was not one of rejoicing or congratulation to any person. How the telegrams got into print he did not know, but he was satisfied it was not through the telegraph department—it was a secret apparently as impenetrable as that of “ The Man with the Iron Mask.” The Government would not of themselves place the papers on the table ; but if the lion, member (Mr. Gillies) should move the House on the subject, and the House should assent, he would have no objection to do so. Mr. Gillies subsequently submitted a motion for the production of the papers, which was agreed to.

“ What is a new settler” was the subject of an incidental •discussion in the lower House yesterday. Mr. Mervyn asked for a return of the quantity of land sold or otherwise disposed of during a short period named, in the various Provinces; the return to specify, as far as possible, the number of “ new settlers” who had purchased land during that period, and the quantity so bought. He explained that the Government had no objection to furnish the return, and the officer who would be charged with the duty of preparing it, with whom he had been in communication on the subject, perfectly understood the nature and limit of the inquiry. Sir Cracroft Wilson, however, said he should like to know what was meant by a “ new settler.” They were all “ new settlers” at one time or other, and the old definition was that a colonist was a “ new settler” until he had eaten a certain quantity of that particularly delectable plant the tutu, Mr. Thomson thought the designation “ new settler” was unambiguous, meaning one who had not previously occupied land. Mr. Shephard asked whether a settler who merely moved from one Province to another, to occupy laadthere, was to be regarded as a new settler ? Mr. Wakefield thought the words should be “ new purchasers,” otherwise they would run into some confusion among “ new settlers,” “ old settlers,” and “no settlers at all,” the real object being to distinguish between persons who bought land to settle upon, and those purchased for speculative purposes only. The difficulty was happily overcome by the understanding that the Department perfectly understood what the hon. member for Mount Ida meant by the term “ new settler,” and that a return, at least approximately accurate, could and would be prepared.

Mb. Wakefield, yesterday, was anxious, in his place in Parliament, to ascertain the intentions of the Government with regard to future taxation, and reduced his curiosity into the form of an inquiry as to “ whether the Government contemplate the institution of any inquiry into the expediency of taxes on land, other property, or income, above a certain maximum, with a view to the reduction of Customs duties on articles of food and clothing, building materials, and other articles, for which the demand is being so greatly increased by the large amount of immigration going on.” The hon. member was assured by the Premier that the Government had no such intention ; and the Premier was understood to add that if such a proceeding had been contemplated the information would not have been made public lest it should lead to speculative transactions.