Opening of Parliament.

Opunake Times, Volume VI, Issue 270, 9 April 1897, Page 2

Opening of Parliament.

SIR M. O’RORKE SPEAKER. Wellington, April 6. The first session of the thirteenth Parliament of New Zealand was opened by commission at 2.30 p.m. The Commissioners were: Hons. H. J. Miller, W. Montgomery, W. C. Walker, Dr Grace, and Captain Baillie. There was an unusually large at* tendance of Legislative Councillors, no less than thirty-five being present, and members of the Lower House appeared to the number of close on seventy. There was not a large attendance in the galleries, and the proceedings were purely formal, the Commissioners announcing that the Administrator of the Government (Sir James Prendergast) would make his opening speech to-morrow afternoon. There was no sitting of the Council as the Hon. Mr Miller (the Speaker) being elected for five years there was no election to be held. His term expires on the 14ch July. SWEAKXNO-IN. The first business in the House of Representatives was the swearing-in of members, who took the oath in batches of fours. SPEAKER. The Hon. Mr Larnoch then briefly proposed the election of Sir G. M. O’Rorke as Speaker, remarking that this would be the seventh time he was chosen for that dignified position. Mr Montgomery briefly seconded the nomination. After waiting a short interval, and no one else being proposed, Sir G. M. O’Rorke thanked the members for the honor conferred on him. He little thought when he first entered Parliament in 1861 that in 1897 he alone would be left of those who then sat in that Chamber. Last session Mr Saunders had been the only one besides himself who was in that Parliament, and, by the fortune of war, he, too, had now disappeared from the scene. Sir Maurice referred to the object of this session, and expressed the hope that members would smooth the way to proper representation of the colony on so memorable an occasion as that which would shortly be celebrated at home, Sir G. M. O’Rorke then took the Speaker’s chair and was congratulated by the Premier and Captain Russell, ADDRESS-IN-REPLY. The Premier in moving the adjournment of the House, said the debate on the Address-in-Reply would be taken at 7.80 to morrow.

At a Government caucus 44 mem* bers attended. It was held to taka their opinion on the question of sending a contingent Home, On a show of hands the following dissented Messrs Taylor, Montgomery, Smith, O’Regan, Joyce, O’Meara, Pirani, Tanner, Meredith, Graham, Flatman, Hogg, and R. MacKenzie. Mr Seddou wanted supplies granted to the end of October but the meeting would not go beyond the 4th October,

The Government reckon if a no-con* fidence motion is proposed that they can rely on a majority of 8.