Monday, September 9.

Otago Witness, Issue 1973, 12 September 1889, Page 15

Monday, September 9.

NEW BILL.

The Hon. T. FERGUS introduced the Distillation Act Amendment Bill

nBB AND MARINE INSURANCE BILL.

The report of the Free Conference on the Fire and Marine Insurance Companies Bill was agreed to on the motion of the Minister for Lands.

HAVAt, AND MIMTARV SETTtHRS.

The Hod. T. FERGUS moved the second leading of the Jffaval aod. Military Setto and

Volunteers Land Claims Bill, to give effect, to the report of the Select Committee appointed to consider this question. He explained that the bill gave power to commissioners of Crown lands to investigate claims in their districts and to "deal with those they considered entitled to receive land.

The Hon. Mr Ballance, Mr Fisher, Captain Russell, Mr Stewart, and Sir G. Grey supported the bill, the latter suggesting that resident magistrates and justices of the peace should also be entitled to hear claims as well as commissioners of Crown lands. The motion was agreed to. KOTIABA SLUDGE CHANNEL.

The Hon. G. F. RICHARDSON moved Kumara Sludge Channel Bill to give effect to an agreement entered into between the Government and miners.

The Hon. Mr BALLANCE suggested that the bill be deferred till the Public Accounts Committee had considered it thoroughly, as he believed the Government were about to commit an illegal act in the bill as at present introduced.

Sir JOHN HALL said there was no occasion for referring the bill to the Public Accounts Committee, and it had been thoroughly threshed out in the Goldfields Committee. The motion was agreed to. SECOKD READINGS.

The Hon. G. F. RICHARDSON moved the second reading of the Educational Endowments Bill, to declare trusts affecting land acquired out of the proceeds of sales of educational endowments. — The motion was agreed to. The Hon. E. MITCHELSON moved the second reading of the Poututu Jurisdiction Bill. — Agreed to.

IK COHMITTEB.

The Kumara Sludge Channel Bill, Educational Endowments Bill, Karamu Reserve Bill, Orimakatea Title Empowering Bill were passed through committee without amendment.

The Ngarara and Waipiro Further Investigation Bill was considered in committee. NGAPARA AND WAIPEBO INVESTIGATION BILL.

This bill passed with several amendments and some new clauses.

NATIVES LANDS FRAUDS PSBVENTION BILL.

This bill was further considered in committes.

The new clauses prepared by the Native Affairs Committee in reference to the proceedings of the Trust Commissioners were agreed to, and also clauses to enable deeds which had been executed in accordance with the formalities then provided for prior to last year's act coming into force to be given effect to ; to enable the Trust Commissioner to call in an assessor to assist him if he is required by any of the parties to do so, and providing that the Trust Commissioner shall satisfy himself that the consideration is sufficient.

The two bills passed through committee, were then read a third time, and passed.

MISCBLIANEOTTS.

The Property Tax Bill was introduced by message and read a first time.

Sir H. A. ATKINSON moved the second reading of the Government Loans to Local Bodies Bill, which enabled local bodies to pledge their third of the land proceeds as security for a loan, and also to spend the loan money for a ferry where there is no bridge or road.

Agreed to, and the bill was committed, read a third time, and passed. The House rose at 10.30. AUDITING ACCOUNTS OF LOCAL BODIES.

From a return laid on the table of the House to-day it appears that the total cost of auditing the accounts of local bodies was £1818. The additional cost to the Audit department of undertakiag such audit was £1981. Three inspectors and one clerk were employed in this work. Seven provincial auditors and one clerk were dispensed with when the work was undertaken by the Audit department, and the amount of salaries saved amounted to £22,269. The sum of £1835 was paid by way of compensation to such provincial auditors, and £250 per annum to one officer (J. Ollivier, Christchurch) as retiring allowance. The net result to the Treasury by the transfer of local audit to Audit department is a credit of £847 11s 6d per annum.

TELEPHONIC COMMUNICATION.

Mr Ward has arranged with the Postmastergeneral for the establishment of a telephone exchange at Gore, provided a sufficient number of subscribers can be obtained. Sir Harry Atkinson has also agreed to place the rising town' of Gore in telephonic communication with Inv'ergill;