PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume LVI, Issue 2275, 3 August 1894, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Members are taking to embellish their speeches with poetry. The Premier and Minister of Lands have given snatches from tho bards, and yesterday Mr E. M. Smith recited to the House some verses apparently composed hy himself.' - The metro was like tho rolling of turnips across the barn floor. Mr McLachlan also rose to poetry, concluding his speech with a quotation from Bums. Then more poetry was read by Dr Newman. It represented the Treasurer regretting that he found it impossible to take off the tea tax because two and two made only four, and not five.

During the year 85,174 acres of Crown lands were disposed of in the Wellington district.

Mr Button, of Auckland, is riot a euchre player, and therefore he was at a loss yesterday. Ho wanted to appropriately doscrible the leading feature of the Budget. “ What do you call that card ? ” ho appealed to members generally, and especially to Mr Mitchelson at his side. “ The trump card, that’s it! ’’ and his face lighted up with the suggestion from his friend.

So favourably was the Bank of New Zealand legislation) received throughout the Colony, said Mr McLachlan, tho member for Ashburton, last night, that in his district even the ministers in the pulpits mentioned the Government with respect. This rather surprised the House'. “ Did they pray for them ? ” queried another member. “ Yes, they pray for all sinners,” was tho enigmatic reply. Mr Montgomery says that now that the dairy industry is progressing so rapidly, and factory butter is so much better than any other, the Government should encourage dairy factory proprietors by advancing them money. Members are hanging back in the financial debate, keeping their speeches till later on, and yesterday Mr Ward was , called on three or four Aimes for his reply. Atone time he actually rose, and was about to proceed with hiS speech when Mr Allen sprang to his feet.

Some of Tom Bracken’s poetry was also quoted in tho financial debate. The Premier of tho Colony is too hardworked, says Mr Crowther. There has been some discussion during the financial debate ns to the position of the Auckland Savings Bank. Mr Button quoted figures received by telegram yesterday to show thrt the institution was quite sound. Mi - Ward assured the House that the Government know that it was sound. The Petitions M to Z Committee have been investigating tho case of Henry C. Young, Wellington. He stated in his petition that throngh the malpractice of Leonard Harper and others ho was deprived of the Middleton property, valued at £15,000, and that he was debarred from obtaining any redress by legal proceedings, and he asks that an Empowering Act should bo passed so as to enable him to take legal proeoedings for the recovery of his property, The Committee have reported to the House that in their opinion a grievous injustice has been done to the petitioner by certain firms in Christchurch, and that a’misoarriage of justice has taken place. They recommend, therefore, that an Empowering Act should bo passed to enable petitioner to again take his case into Court.

An argument used in favour of old ago pensions:—“Wo must in the ordinary course of nature become old if we live long enough." This logic somewhat staggered the House.

Sir R. Stout says there are certain things in the management of the Railway Commissioners since they have been appointed that he certainly intends to bring before the House. Mr Bell wants the Charitable Aid Boards to have power to levy special rates to meet increased demands because of the unemployed. . Yesterday he gave notice of the Charitable Aid Boards Special Empowering Bill. Mr Willis is urging the Government to encourage more small-farm associations, by giving them an opportunity of taking up land that is now being acquired from the Natives in the'Wanganui district. Mr Wi Pere’s Native Lands Administration Bill provides that blocks of Native lands shall bo managed by committees, each committee to consist of seven members elected by the owners of the block. To my mind, the present banking system is a most gigantic method of swindling, says Mr J. A. Millar. The petition presented to the House of Representatives by Captain Wm. Jackson Barry, which has been referred by the Petitions Committee to the Government “for consideration,” sets out that the petitioner is now 75 years of ago, and asks that his services to the Colony as immigration agent and explorer may receive due recompense, so that he may be protected against destitution during the short remaining period of his life. The petitioner sets out that in 1879 ho was appointed immigration agent and lecturer, his passage to and from England only being paid. During that engagement ho delivered . over 100 lectures on different platforms in Englandjand was the means of inducing a largo number of persons who have since proved good colonists to come here. Included amongst these were the “ Lincolnshire farmers ” who are settled in Auckland and have made good settlers. Owing, however, to the rigid economy practised at the time Captain Barry received no remuneration for his services, the value of which was shown by the references made to them in the London Times and other English papers. The petitioner states that he has also been instrumental in the discovery of valuable territory in the King Country, which his knowledge of the Natives enabled him to find, and which will prove a valuable discovery to the Colony. For these and other reasons enumerated, the petitioner trusts that his wants will be supplied. It may be noted that Captain Barry arrived in the Colony in 1829, he being then ten years of age, and that ho was in Wellington when Mr John Plimmer landed here.