GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11191, 13 August 1898, Page 6

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

HOUSE OF EEPKESENTATIVES. FRIDAY, AUGUST 12. \ The House met at 2.30. THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFIOE. A lengthy discussion took place on the report of the Publio Petitions Committee on the petition of Mrs M'Namara, asking for redress on account of the discharge of ber husband from the Government Printing Office. In the course of the debate mention was made of the Printing Office Commission, on the report of which it was stated the husband of petitioner had been discharged. Mr HOGG, who had been one of the Commission, said the report was not a unanimous one, and the three commissioners had held widely divergent opinions on the matter. The Right Hon. Mr SEDDON said the Government had not acted on this report, but on one which had. been signed and approved by all the commissioners. Replying; to the attack made on Dr Giles, the chairman of the commission, by Mr Hogg, he said he knew of no him in the colony more .fitted-to impartially conduct any inquiry. The report of the committee was agreed to., FIRST READING. The Rating on Unimproved Values Act Amendment Bill was read a first time. f QUESTIONS. Ministers replied to questions to the following effect: — Tt was rather a big order to ask the Admiralty to make a new survey of the coasts of the colony, and it is questionable whether it would be granted. It is a debatable question whether principals should be responsible for workmen's wages when contractors had no money due to them from the contract. As Mr Barns, of Wanganui, has withdrawn Ins charges against Judge Kettle, no good purpose would be. served in laying on the table of the House the correspondence in connection with the charges. The Railway department is quite prepared to act in conjunction with charitable aid boards in grantin? fares on the railways to persons in an impecunious condition desirous <f proceeding to the Thermal Springs in the colony „_ It is intended to place ±.<2OQO on the Supplementary Estimates for tne purpose of sub aidising public libraries. The.Government have considered the question of the establishment of a permanent ec'uool for dairy instruction, and the House will be asked to pass a vote for the establish ment of two such schools—one for the North I»lxnd and the other for-the South Island. The House then adjourned. EVENING SITTING. 'The House resumed at 7.50. STATE FARMS. On the motion of the Hon J. M'KENZIE the following were appointed a committee to consider tho desirability of establishing State farms and industrial settlements: — Messrs Bollard, Brown. Duncan. Flatman. Hall-. Jones. Massey. Millar, Montgomery," O'Meara. and Lewi3. THE FINANCIAL DEBATE. On Committee of Supply being callec} on, Captain RUSSELL said lie thought it would be expedient to postpone the Financial, debate till Tuesday. ''. _ The PREMIER said lie very unwillmgly fl'ould agree to tho postponement. NOXIOUS WEEDS. The Hon. J. M'KENZIE-moved the committal of tbe Noxious Weeds Bill, the second reading of which was agreed to some time ago Tpro forma. Ha pointed out that in various parts of the colony noxious weeds spread to bucli an extent as to be destructive to good husbandry. The proposed enactment provided for tlie compulsory clearing of such injurious plants off the land, and was, in his opinion, a desirable measure. They should not. by theii neglect and carelessness, allow the undoubted evil which existed to become worse. He explained in detail the provisions of the. measure, the chief of whicli was the power given to the Government to declare certain pjants noxious weeds He asked members to deal with the measure from a nonparty standpoint, and intimated that he intended accepting the amendments made by the Joint Agricultural and Stock Committee. The bill was one of necessity, not of choice, and if tlie pests which were year by year interfering with the yield of crops were to be kept down it should becomo law. Mr BUCHANAN, though deploring the fact that: owing to the presence of noxious weeds, there was a decrease in the value of land,.criticised in detail the proposals in the bill. He considered that the chief difficulty with respect to the working of the measure 'vv-juld be the question of funds for clearing land. Local bodies could only find money out of the settlers' lands, many of whom were so infested that they had not sufficient money to eradicate noxious weeds. He was in entire sympathy with the Minister for Lands in his endeavour to pass a bill of the nature of the one before the House. The Hon. J. G. WARD, while complimenting the Minister on his efforts to deal with a great scourge, considered tbat the measure would act oppressively unless the schedules were restricted to the more difficult class of weeds. He objected to the inspectors created, by;the bill, and suggested that its working should-be in the hands of a- board of settlers. In order to ensure purity of seeds he considered it imperative that, in addition to being' put through a cleaning machine, seed shoiild be examined before being sold./ Too many classes of seed were classed in the bill as noxious. Mr MONTGOMERY said it was pretty generally agreed that something should be done in the direction indicated in the bill, whicb be. however, thought was of too comprehensive a character, and attempted to do too much at, one time. It would be utterly impossible to clear and keep clear gorse land, and if attempted there would not be an unemployed man in the colony. Mr LANG said care should be taken in i->:issing a measure dealing with the eradication of noxious weeds tbat- its provisions v/ere not such ac would ruin small settlers, whe might be ordered by inspectors from more necessary work to clear weeds. He agreed with the last ppeaker that tbe adoption of the bill should be optional, and also contended that all expenses connected with the working of the measure should be appropriated by Parliament. Mr MASSEY said he was one who bad been reluctantly compelled to acknowledge that i measure of the character before the liouse was necessary. He.admitted the bill was on improvement on previous legislative proposals, though its provisions still went too far. It should be restricted to four oi five weeds, such as blackberry, sweetbriar. Californian thistle, burrs, and possibly gorse. The Hon. Mr ROLLESTON said il- almost went without saying that a bill of the kind beforo the House was necessary, but he did not agree with the suggestion tbat its adoption should be optional, as the efforts of one disirict lo cope v/ith the difficulty would be liable to be nullified by an adjoining district which look no interest in the subject. Mr BROWN said the bill dealt witb a subject of sucb a nature that it was difficult, to make it acceptable to every district in the colony. Mr MOORE supported the principle oi the measure, but referred So the different- directions in whit.ii i' required modification. Tbe measure was supported ancl criticised in its details by Messrs 6"Regan, Wright, Flatman. R. Thompson, Meredith. Crowther, Monk, Tanner, Allen. Svmcs, and M'Lean. The Minister for Lands having replied, the motion was agreed to and the bill committed. Clause 2, interpretation.—On the motion of Mr BUCHANAN the interpretation of "'clear" was amended to provide that "cuttino' down,": so far as Californian thistle is concerned, shall mean "cutting down two inches below thn surfar.?." —On the motion of Mr BROWN, "county council " was included in the interpretation ol" local authorities, wliich are to administer the act. —Clause. 2 was agreed to. On clause 3, local authorities to administer the act, Mr LANG desired to move a proviso thait the expenses of the act shall be paid out of moneys appropriated by Parliament, but tin's was ruled out of order, as the consent of the Crown had not been obtained to it.—Mr MASSEY moved an addition to the clause providing that the act. shall only come into operation on the application of the county council or local authority.—-The MINISTER said if this was agreed to lie would take it as an indication that the Houso did not want the bill passed.—The amendment was discussed at some length, and at 1.40 a motion to report, progress was lost by 25 to 23.—The amendment - wa3 again under consideration when the telegraph offico closed.

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