PARLIAMENTARY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIX, Issue 6478, 22 September 1892, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

(FROM GtTR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Wellington, to -day. A large number of Bills were handled by the House last night. The second reading of the Manures Adulteration Bill was carried after a brief favorable debate. The Friendly Societies Act Amendment Bill, which permits registration of juvenile societies, and the Settlers' Land Revaluation Bill, giving settlers outside the Act, but who should come within its scope, the right of revaluation, passed their second stage. The Land for Settlement Bill passed the third reading with but little comment. The iNative Land Purchase Bill got through Committee without any amendment of consequence. Transfers of debentures must be endorsed by a Resident Magistrate or Land Court Judge; sufficient area of land for maintenance of Natives shall be inalienable ; prior rights of Crown to purchase land shall exist for only two years after the proclamation. The Hon. Mr McKenzie's Dairy Industry Bill was considered in. Committee for several hours last night. After much talk as to the definition of certain technical terms, clause 4, giving powers to inspectors, was reached. Mr Thomas McKenzie, considering these powers ex. cessive, moved to restrict them simply to access to factories. The Minister said the proposal would make the Bill inoperative. The amendment was negatived by 36 to 28. The Minister agreed to strike oufe the power of inspection of farms and buildings. The Criminal Code Bill has come back from the Special Committee, after careful revision, with many amendments, the chief of which are that the age of consent is fourteen, not sixteen, that flogging is provided for unnatural offences, a°nd that the stringent clause about re-marriage before seven years' absence still being bigamy if tho former husband or wife 13 alive, although the party had good reason to believe them dead, has been struck out. The Native Affairs Committee took final evidence in the Studholme petition ase this morning, and heard . an able cddress from Mr Bell. 1% was decided to.

havo tho evidence and addroas printed, and to adjourn the consideration of the report until they are printed. It is probable the Committee will make a very strong recommendation that the Government should immediately legislate to prevent such titles as that of Mangohane block being attacked because of technical defects, the transaction having been a thoroughly bonajidc otic.

In the Dairy Bill the provision that an insptctor may require the owner of cows to have his milk tested was struck out. Other unimportant amendments were made.

The Mining Companies Act Amendment and Local Bodies Loans Act Amendment Bills were pu» through Committee without amendments of any importance. Tho House rose at 1.55.