PARLIAMENT IN SESSION. Wednesday, June 27:

Otago Witness, Issue 1911, 6 July 1888, Page 14

PARLIAMENT IN SESSION. Wednesday, June 27:

The party did not wish to obstruct ie any way, or waste the time of the House, as they say that Protection had practically been accepted. Mr Thomas Mackenzie brought under the notice of the committee the effect upon the revenue of Sir H. Atkinson's ingenious motion last night, of striking out the following from the free list : — Cotton piece goods, not otherwise enumerated, and linen hollands, the fair market value of which does not exceed 5d per yard, and substituting " Forfar dowlas " aod flax sheeting, the market value of which is not over 7d per yard. These goods were practically free in the schedule, and Sir Harry's striking out cotton piece goods and hollands under 5d per yard mean 3 an increased duty of £10,000. CALIFORNIAN THISTLE. Mr Thomas Mackenzie piloted his Oalifornian Thistle Bill safely through the. Stock Committee this morning, very trifling alterations being made. The committee rejected all Mr Hutchison's amendments, and unauimously recommend the original measure to the House. EDUCATIONAL RESERVES. A copy of certain correspondence between the chairman of the Otago School Commissioners and the Education department relative to leasing certain educational reserves to the Hon. Robert Campbell has been laid on the talle of the House. There is nothing of general interest in the letters. VILLAGE SETTLEMENTS. There has been laid on the table of the House, to the order of Mr Ballance, a return giving the number of settlers under the village homestead settlement system in the various settlements. From this I glean that in Otago and Southland 2200 acres have been selected since the system commenced. Of this area over 500 acres have been forfeited and about 70 acres transferred. Over 400 acres have been abandoned, and an area over 1700 acres is still held by selectors. The arrears due on 31st March 1882 amounted to £34. PUBLIC PETITIONS COMMITTEE. The committee report on the petitions of Captain Malcolm and Wm. Johnston, of Otago, relative to some sections in Otago, " that they consider petitioners have a claim on the Government, and that petitioners are in equity entitled to relief." THE RABBIT CONFERENCE. I have been afforded an opportunity of ascertaining that the result of the deliberations of the Rabbit Conference at Sydney is not so satisfactory as was at first anticipated. The representatives of M. Pasteur threw a number of difficulties in the way of the commissioners, and in taking up this stand they were, it seems, merely obeying the instructions of their principal. They had strict injunctions not to depart in the slightest degree from the instructions given them by M. Pasteur, and they had to cable to him before they could undertake certain experimental operations insisted upon by the commissioners. It appears M. Pasteur issued specific instructions regarding how the experiments should be made, but the commissioners decided that these were unsuited to the circumstances of the colony. Not having visited the colonies M. Pasteur is, of course, unaware of the nature of the country and the manner in which the rabbits spread themselves through the interior. The commissioners have satisfied themselves that chicken cholera will destroy rabbits, but they are not quite so certain that the disease is infectious. From experiments made they believe it is not so. If th'B turns out to be the case the futility of chicken cholera as an exterminator will be apparent. Each and every rabbit would have to upon separately, and the length of time taken up by such an interesting but unremunerative operation could not be calculated by any arithmetical process yet discovered. The exterminating business would reach, in fact, until the Greek Kalends. The commissioners discovered that though the disease is fatal to birds and rabbits, it has no effect on sheep, cattle, dogs, or other animals. Although the commissioners have been disappointed in some respects with the Pasteur remedy, they have not relinquished the hope that further investigation may lead to better results. They have accordingly made arrangements for a series of further experiments. Mr Bell returns to New Zealand in a few days, having assisted in laying everything in train for further experiments. A cablegram has been received from Mr Bell, who is still in Sydney, announcing that all the difficulties with M. Pasteur's representatives have been removed, and the commissioners are at perfect liberty to make the experiments in whatever manner they think proper. A SPIRITED DISCUSSION. A lively discussion arose this afternoon on distilleries, in which the advocates and opponents of colonial distillation gave vent to their ideas on whisky. Mr Duncan, who hails from that parfc of the North of Ireland in which the manufacture of genuine tt potheen " is a leading industry, gave the House to understand that he was an expert in the whisky business, although all his life he had refrained from indulging ~to any extent in tasting experiments. He dilated on the merits of various qualities of whisky which had come under his notice, from " Rale lunishoon," •' Wild Donegal " (where the gauger dare not intrude) down to the " thrue potheen," sold in the commonest sheebeens, aud manufactured from small potatoes. Mr R. Reeves assured the House that he had reliable information from the old country that a very fiae brand of whisky could be manufactured from Scotch thistles. Mr Levcstam let loose a " bull " by venturing the opinion that the spirit manufactured some years ago in the Dunedin distillery was " the finest whisky ever imported." Mr Hobb?, iv the course of a brief but eloqueat temperance lecture, said there was so much whisky in Scotlaud that the inhabitants of the " Land of Cakes " did not know what to do with it. The bare idea of Scotchmen not knowing what to do with whisky was too much for the gravity of legislators who have mixed among Caledonians, and £he roar of laughter which greeted the remark put everyone present into good humour. Mr Buxton delivered in solemn tones a short sermon on the evils of intemperance, warning the Government that the wrath of Heaven would fall upon the colony if they attempted to encourage distillation. Mr Goldie spoke from the Blue Ribbon standpoint, and quoted figures to prove that the Bay of Islands district represented by his Blue Ribbon brother, Mr Hobbs, had more sly grog 6hops than any other district in the colony. Mr Larnnch waxed eloquent in praise of the defunct Dunedin distillery, and Mr Valentine assured the House that the liquor distilled there was superior to the best "Old Highland." The discussion altogether was a most interesting one, and wHen it terminated, a good ninny members adjourned to Bellamy's to deal with the question in a more practical manner. ' It will interest your readers to learn that Mr Valentine entertains the idea of re-establishing the Dunedin distillery. The member for Waikaia has been making all neoessary inquiries respecting the cost of manufacturing the best whisky and gin, and he is of opinion that the industry can be made to pay fairly well, even if do protection is given to "it by the Government. From a legal opinion obtained, he is sure that distillation can otf carried on in the colony by notifying the cusftms authorities, so that the

same duty can be charged on the colonial spirit as that imposed on the imported article. Mr Valentine informs me that he recently inspected the distillery buildings in Cumberland street, Dunedin, and he considers them admirably suited for the purpose. Id moving in this matter, he is actuated by a desire to benefit the farmers of the colony. GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME. The Government have decided to go on with the following measures this session : — Crown and Native Lands Rating Act Repeal Bill, the four Native Bills, District Railways Purchasing Act Amendment Bill, Regulations of Local Elections Bill, Laud Act Amendment Bill, Fair Rent Bill, and, if possible, the Municipal Corpora* fcions Bill, and they will endeavour to carry the Electoral Bill through the second reading. The session is expected to close in about four or five weeks.