PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4182, 15 August 1874, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Friday, August 14. The Hon. the Speaker took the chair at. two o'clock. DIVISIONS. The Hon.. Mr. ROBINSON', in moving" that in future all divisions of the Legislative Council shall be taken according to Imperial custom, thought a better mode of taking the divisions of the Council, than the one at present practised, might be devised. He would suggest as an amendment on the Imperial custom that the ayes should go to one side of the chamber and the' noes to the other. The motion gave rise to a long discussion, in which, as usual, many honorable members took part. Ultimately, by leave, the motion was withdrawn. INSPECTOR OP VOLUNTEERS' REPORT. The Hon. Mr. FRASER moved,—"That the report of Lieut.-Colonel Gordon, Inspector of Volunteers, be laid on the table." He had heard it stated that volunteers served their country without fee or reward. He thought the half hour's admiration expressed by their sweethearts and wives, of their military bearing when flaunting their accoutrements before them was a sufficient reward for half an hour's drill on a moonlight night. He considered the Volunteers of Wellington, and of the Province, a contemptible sham—a. sham far greater than the volunteers of a toy box. He quite agreed with the advice that had been given that the Volunteers should be disbanded. The Hon. Colonel BRETT seconded the motion con amore, and in the course of his remarks inveighed strongly against the unmilitary practice of having a junior officer to command a senior, or of inspecting a senior officer's company. After a few remarks from the Hon. Mr. Paterson, The Hon. Dr. POLLEN made some observations which were inaudible in the gallery. The Hon. Mr. MANTELL spoke in. defence of the volunteers. The Hon. Mr. BONAR thought the aspersions he had just heard on the Volunteers came with exceedingly bad grace from officers of the line ; and of all places in the Colony the North Island was the last where a body of men who gave up then - time voluntarily for the service of their country should be so disparaged. He thought that they should be blended •with the regular army, and encouraged to perfect themselves in military knowledge, rather than discouraged in the manner they had been. The Hon. Mr. FRASER exempted the Volunteers at the Front from his remarks, which only applied to "holiday soldiers." The motion was carried. RETURN. The Hon. Mr. HART moved,—" That there be laid upon the table of the Council at the commencement of the next session of Parliament, a nominal return of all persons who up to the 30th of May, 1575, shall have applied for land in the Province of Otago under the provisions of the Otago Waste Lands Act, 1872, for the alienation of lands by license or lease, pu deferred payments ; distinguishing in such return the names of applicants when more than one belonging to any one family, and stating the number of acres applied for and allotted to each applicant, the number of acres previously owned by each applicant, and the number of acres so applied for and allotted which shall have been by each applicant fenced in or cultivated, or otherwise and in what manner improved." He observed that after what they had heard on a former occasion he thought the motion desirable. The Hon. Mr. HOLMES seconded the " motion, believing that the persons for whom the land was intended were not the persons who had obtained it. The Hon. Mr. CAMPBELL rose to a point of order. The motion was one for a return only. The Hon. Mr. PATERSON drew attention to the labor, difficulty, and the impracticability of the motion. The Hon. Mr. ROBINSON thought it would be quite sufficient to know the number of acres taken up, and the number of persons. The Hon. Mr. CAMPBELL, although thinking an authoritative return on the subject would be desirable, suggested the words, " supposed to be" owned, instead of "previously " owned. The Hon. Mr. MENZIES considered the object of the motion a desirable one, but saw great difficulties in the way. He thought that if the hon. gentleman would allow the motion to lapse he would get all the information he wished from the Provincial Council. He also considered it desirable that similar returns should be furnished by the other Provinces where the deferred system was in operation. The Hon. Mr. HART, in reply, stated that his desire was not for information as to the working of the deferred payment system all over the Colony, as he did not think it likely that the system would be adopted generally. The motion was carried. NATIVE LANDS. The Hon. Dr. POLLEN moved,—"For leave to introduce a Bill intituled 'An Act to amend the Land Transfer Act, 1870,' in respect to dealings with lands granted under the Native Lands Act." The motion was carried, and the Bill read a first time. CROMWELL WATERWORKS BILL. The Hon. Mr FRASER, in moving the second reading of this Bill, explained its object, which was to raise .£SOOO for the purpose of supplying the town with water. The Hon. Mr. HOLMES seconded the measure, on the understanding that a limit should be placed on the rate of interest to be paid. The Hon. Mr. MENZIES supported the motion, and - drew attention to the frightful ravages committed by typhoid fever last year, in consequence of the impurity of the water. The Hon. Mr. MILLER supported the motion. . The Hon. Mr. CAMPBELL would not oppose the second reading; but hoped that more information would be afforded. If they agreed to the Bill, the Colony would have to pay principal and interest, if Cromwell could not. The Hon. Mr. WATERHOTJSE made a few observations to the same effect as the previous speaker. The Hon. Captain FRASER having replied, The motion was agreed to, and the Bill read a second time. NAPIER HARBOR BOARD BILL. The Hon. Dr. POLLEN explained the object of the Bill, and moved that it be read a second time. The Hon. Mr. HOLMES was quite in favor • of making harbors where necessary, and Napier was one of those places. He hoped that a lhp.it to the rate of interest would be inserted in the Bill in Committee. The Hon. Mr. ROBINSON objected to the irregular manner in which such measures were brought before them. They ought to be furnished with survey estimates and other data, and he should say delay in this measure would be advisable, especially as the experiment at Oamaru had not been tested. He moved that the Bill be read a second time that day six months. The Hon. Mr. STOKES was induced to offer a few remarks because he had been entrusted with a petition against the harbor. The present was not a Bill for constructing a harbor, but for endowing the Harbor Board with certain lands. The land enjoyed great water frontages, being at present submerged, and ho doubted whether it would ever be of great value until scientific drainage had heen effected. After the mess the Provincial Council had made of the "Iron Pot" by their tinkering, ho thought it inadvisable that the Harbor Board should be endowed with greater funds than were necessary for current expenditure. He quite agreed with the Hon. Mr. Robinson, and thought the most important function o£ the Council was to check the extravagance and reckless expenditure that were now rampant. Already millions had come to be regarded as mere bagatelles, and he hoped that in measur e s for large public works, the Council would so e that everything waa done to prevent this ex » travagance.

The Hon. Dr. POLLEN replied to the objections. The amendment having been negatived on the voices, The Bill was read a second time. TARANAKI WASTE LAXD3 BILL. The Hon. Mr. MILLER, in moving the second reading of this Bill, explained its objects and provisions. The Hon. Mr. WATERHOUSE did not intend to oppose the second reading of the Bill, which had been most carefully prepared. He, however, drew attention to certain objectionable clauses which he should endeavor to remedy in Committee. The Hon. Mr. HOLMES did not oppose the second reading of the Bill, but pointed out other objectionable clauses which he should endeavor to have altered in Committee. The Hon. Mr. STOKES thought that the better course would be to lay the Bill aside. They had heard on very good authority that great changes were impending in the North Island, and they might find that in less than twelve months Superintendents would bo a thing of the past. Ho objected to the price fixed for the land, which he believed was below its value. Then the price of land on deferred payments was the same as for land purchased for cash, and repayment was spread over the long period of ten years. For these and other reasons he would urge the postponement of the measure. The Hon. Mr. ERASER quite concurred in the view taken by the Hon. Mr. Stokes. The Hon. Mr. HART xirged that the measure should bo taken into consideration, and not summarily thrown out. The Hon. Dr. POLLEN would vote for the second reading of the Bill, though he fully concurred in the objections of his hon. friend opposite, which he trusted would be fully considered in Committee. The Hon. Mr. Menzies and the Hon. Mr. Williams would not oppose the second reading, but pointed out other objectionable clauses that would need revision in Committee. The Hon. Mr. PATERSON spoke to the same effect. The Hon. Mr. MANTELL would also not oppose the second reading, seeing that the objectionable clauses, which in his opinion formed more than twenty-five per cent, of the whole, would be considered in the Waste Lands Committee. The Hon. Mr. MILLER replied to the ; objections. * ' The motion was earned, and the Bill read a second time. SECOND READINGS. The Auckland Waste Lands Bill, and the Petty Sessions Act Amendment Bill, were . (after discussion which we have not space to report) read a second time. THIRD READING 3. The following Bills were read a third time ( and passed :—Wellington Waterworks Loan Bill, Bankruptcy Act Amendment Bill, New ] Plymouth Harbor Board Endowment Bill, New . Zealand University Bill, Municipal Reserves Bill, Real Estate Bill (after recommittal for a , verbal amendment.) The following Bills were passed through ] Committes : Cromwell Waterworks Bill, Napier Harbor Board Bill, Petty Sessions Act Amendment Bill, Marlborough Waste Lands Bill. On resuming, the Cromwell Waterworks and Napier Harbor Board Bills were reported, read a third time, and passed. , The Council adjourned at half-past twelve o'clock.