PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 495, 29 November 1877, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

| (BY EXKLEGKArcjitt) ,t; ' J% •' In*the yesterday afternoon, Mr. Sheehan, in reply to Mr. Richardson, stated that the local officers had instructions to pay over to the Harbour Boards moneys collected by the Railway Department for them, and the local officers were responsible for delay. Replying to Dr. Henry, Sir George Grey said thie Government had not arrived at any decision as to the office of Agent-General or retention of Sir Julius Yogel's services. Replying to Mr. Wood, Sir George Grey said the case of Captain Thomas Turnbull, and other similar cases of harbour masters, were under the consideration of the Government.

The following Bills were introduced : The Waste Lands Boards Continuance BUI, the Government Native Land Purchases Discontinuance Bill.

Mr. Rees postponed for a week his notice of motion for rescinding the decision of the House in the case of Mr. Lusk.

On the motion by Dr. Hodgkinson that the House will to-morrow resolve itself into Committee to consider an address to the Governor, requesting him to cause to be placed on tlie Supplementary Estimates a sum sufficient for the erection of a bridge suitable for heavy traffic on the Opawa Bridge at or near Collies Ford, a long irregular discussion took place regarding such motions in general, and which some of the House was ri sponsible for such questions being brought forward. One side attributed the evil to Abolition, and the failure of the County system, and then this branched into a discussion upon whose fault it was that the County system had failed. There were a great ninny references made to Hansard, and muo'i reoriminatiun ensued. Messrs. Barff, Rolleston, Sutton, Seymour, Stout, Sheehan, Gisborne, Douglas, McLean, Montgomery, Russell, Rees, Rowe, Fisher, Macaudrew, Orniond, and Huuter, took part in the discussion. The only important suggestions or remarks made were those of Mr. Sheehan, who said it was absolutely necessary to have some buffer between the Government and members in regard to local works, and he suggested a Sessional Committee in future years to report on all such motions. Mr, Gisborne suggested Boards of Works for Provincial Districts.

Captain Russell thought that the power of obtaining grants from the House should be taken out of the hands of members altogether. The motion was agreed to on a division of 20 to 15.

Mr. Slieehan stated that he would tomorrow move the suspension of the Standing Orders to allow a Bill to be introduced as a public one to continue the Nuisance Act, which was a private one. Dr. Hodgkinson moved that free sections in Riverton, with immigrants' cottages on them,- should be given as an endowment to the Wallace Hospital. Mr. Macandrew agreed to it, and the motion'passed: Mr. Rowe moved that the House on Wednesday ngxt resolve itself into a Committee to consider an address to the Governor to place on the Supplementary Estimates the sum of L 12,700, in addition to the amount already proposed, for the following works at Ooromandel :—Road to Tokatea range, L 200 0; from Coromandel to Thames Mam Road, L2OOO ; from Mackay Town to Wait ukain, L3OOO ; fencing roads and Tapin native lands, L 750 ; from Tauranga to Mackay Town, L3OOO ; from. Mackay Town to Tearotra, LIOOO ; from Thames to Hastings, LIOOO. Mr. Reynolds opposed the motion. The debate was interrupted by the dinner hour.

[Owing to some unexplained reason, our telegraphic report of last night's sitting of the House has not reached us.]