PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7659, 18 June 1896, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY NOTES.

Reporter.] HmP*£ "i^'X ~-'-' - -Wbujingtoh, last night. |||||||i *Jri-"' ■HOBOWHENtf A- COMMISSION. ggllp' ;;:..The .first. hour of this afternoon's sitting glllli * was taken op with a discussion over one of i||^3^ last session's sensations, the point being as liX; •> *°. whether the evidenoe taken before the Hpc u "j~ Horowheriua Commission should be printed. ffiifeiilfe, ™. WBB Bt &ted that the copying of the I|Opr" evidenoe had cobl £126, and that the expense SKKffijK of.'printing would, amount to nearly £300. HkP 1 - -The Minister of Lands- explained that the SglPg printing was necessary to enable members |§& to disauss the report fully. Sir Robert j|||r Stout and Captain Russell agreed that it ME Was improper to have appointed Civil sergisD vants members of the Horowhenua CommisBK' sion, as they were called on to comment on H»^, the conduct of their superiors.. The motion |||c to print was agreed to. |H" In the course of the Horowhenua discus||PL slon 'We. Premier alleged that during the gF Stout-Vogel regime Mr Ballance, then S&. Native Minister, removed certain restricH| v tions, a statement which Sir Robert Stout Ipv. . . declared he then heard of for the first time. pap ; The Premier repeated his assertion, saying |||t> < he held Sir Robert Stout responsible for the fifflgP''' removal. The, matter in to. be probed to ipp- . - r tho\ bottom, it being alleged' from the fe 1 ■ ■•' ■ Ministerial side of the House that; the Wfci •■;?. of restrictions was to benefit a firm H*:-: 7-^ v •in which Sir Robert was interested. |ji."v-" ■ IHE TBEAStmER'S ACCUSATIONS. Ife, ; . . In the course of his reply on Tuesday |& " : ' night Mr Ward accused the member for %i- : r y Otaki of haying written for financial journals ml"' . --' - ; in London concerning the ex-Treasurer's ¥ii t - ■ ' private, affairs. Mr Wilson mentioned in |v-;," „ the House this afternoon that he had called pg; . '..on Mr Ward and given- him an assurance i|.'Y that he had not so written, and the assurfef;- ance was accepted. fe=V • , BANKING COMMITTEE. fpi . It iB probable that the motion for the gsr* proposed banking committee as suggested px:. by the Premier will be met by an amendment %f : in the Houße for the appointment of a Royal fefciSijk. Commission to consider thu whole question. fe^ 8 ?^ The Council Bet up the following ■ com- '£;;":;' ' uiittee to investigate the banking matters p3'v jointly with a similar committee from the |.;-v House : Hons. Arkwright, Bowen, Jennings, $?.-„. . Kelly, Montgomery, Ormond, Stevens, and g ..; v \ Walker. •. . • '•k' ■> - . . ' • FIBST READINGS. ];■:■' : ' . The following measures have been read iS=i- in the Council for a first time : Coroners % : (Hon. W. C. Walker), Infant Life Protection &V (Hon. W. 0. Walker), Defamation (Hon. H. P;. tfeldwick), and Divorce (Hon. Wm. Bolt). ?-!-■. THB PREMIER AND THE MINING SfHDICATE. fc;.' . ThePremierdeniedintheHousethemember gj.' for Ricearton'a right to question him as to f." - - his acceptance of office as a paid member of ■>■■' a mining syndicate. He bad been a regia- ■. - tered mining advocate for many years past, ."I-'/ , and Mr G. W. Russell had no more right to I. : question, him as to the fees he got as such -■'._ than he had to put the present question. " /".Mr Seddon further denied that he was Wi~,-, .'- associated with a "leetle German band," ,';'.;:'■■-', . bnb said that the syndicate in question was W-, " -"',. registered in London, and had on its>direc- '{¥ ; * ': • torate men of the highest financial position. y/- •.•"': * " ASSETS REALISATION BOABD. i; 1 " .' - - • x Mr Crowther was informed thatjthe salaries V ■ v '- P a id to members of the Assets Realisation f/- ! Board are £750 to the chairman, £250 to Mr I . ; Fraser, M.H.R., and £250 to the Premier. |j\ _' THE VACANT JUDGESHIP. ''%*;. ' .The Hon. Mr Cadman promises to give s : ; : . ' . the House before the week closes the name j : ?' ■. of the new judge. yii^K ■ ' . ■ ■ babbits. $?£''--,' r The Stook Committee are to be asked to $y?'f' to position of the Rabbit Depart|»v;---, ■ ment and its workings. Mr Larnach suggests S>fj' ' the adoption of wire-netting. &*V;,.- ■ , ' PENSIONS. P ■"''-'} „, .- Pensions in connection with the Justice ' ' Department are payable as under : Charles „■".-,; J. Haseldeo, £155 19s Id per annum from iV-V •" July I 1 ; Wm. Somerville, clerk at Danedin, ?%i-- : : ,-,£l9S from July 1; Wm. Gabriel Filleu), i^iX ■'■■ V Oamaru, £140 16s 8d from April 16 last ; ¥f-A '..; George Henry Barnes, ex-bailiff at Dunedin, fjf^.' £100 from February 16 last. S;t. '••;-■■ ■ THE EX-TREASURER. 0/«".'-''.: Mr .Ward, who was to have left for south ' this afternoon, has postponed his departure Rfe;' till Friday. W;?&. ' To-day.— Mr Ward has received telegrams S-.-.m" :j and letters of sympathy from men of all S^V. - - shades of political opinion throughout the }p%:-'' '. .colony and from some of the Ministers in '•iJv'j. , !otbeif colonies, including the Premier and SfiVn.*.' ; .Minister of Education of South Australia. S"j, -;-" .- Several of the* Liberal Associations in the >;'f- .} ' ' -colony have aIBO wired to Mr Ward expressr-:- r Q. -. -ing their unabated confidence in him. jvr~ ; >"" '.. ' " , JDRIES BILL. ! 0g: •;■■.. "■ : The Juries Bill, which the Hon. T. ?\, Thompson has charge of, provides for the . ■ ,■ '- 'abolition of grand juries as well as special :|:' f 'v"j - J ur i es - ,^ n ' ieu °^ grand juries the Crown •fy_>'; : ' Solicitor, Solicitor-General, or Attorneyj?,;cr- l V General .is to sign indictments. Additions %■■?-.-. V '; to. the list of exemptions' from jury service ff:'- ',.,-' are visiting justices under the Prisons Act ';-?; thote engaged on railways. Payment >j<f : for civil jurors is raised to eight shillings a \>-\ .'day,- and if no jury Bbould be required '^ : -| ' - reaaonable expenses to all travelling more £<-:.' '•'■"' than' three mileß will be paid, after which ['i-.J" the sarplns if any (which is to be derived •i/f ; ~ from the first day's fees) is to be equally iO "'. • divided among all jurors. The jury fee in , ' ■ 'criminal .cases will, be six shillings a day and ' ;; "'.. ..four shillings additional for every night a :• ; ." is necessarily absent from home, The ':'[."'■. .challenges allowed are reduced from twelve >j) , ; •; to nine. ' ,-. '"';-.-, • . . OOLD DUTIES. r : -'„' r The Gold Duties Act Amendment Bill „ - repeals section Bix of the Gold Duties Act 'v. '-.' • ;- J1882,*. substituting therefor a new clause '"■;] } , 'providing penalties for neglecting to make ; v , ' the, necessary declarations and forwarding :•;-'. ."-: : . them to the olork of the County Council. ,-;-"- ,;■ ■' Welld?gton, to-day, iy -""• • . CABINET CHANGES. '-'"..-': ..' \ In the lobbies last night it was freely I _'. stated that Mr Hogg was to be 'the new !.;.-;'." " Postinaßter-General. Ido not believe there ,'",;. ; Is, any ground for the rumor but hold to my •'*,'"", - l opinion telegraphed yesterday that Mr %'■-"" 'Seddon will take the portfolio. ■C ' - . , ADDRES3-IK-BEPLY DEBATE. fi~. ■-'. "The. addreas-in-rep!y waa moved in a ■;•'>■ ' ': ■ ■ speech of an hour's duration by Mr Lawry, ',:.■'.;, . whose -object it was to avoid reference to ;.;, "matters which had been the cause of so '-\ -.:. much recrimination during the recess. An , 7 " • even trivialty ran through his remarks '•• .: ; which prevented the House taking him fe, '_>'■, ■ serioualy, aud in this respect he differed from ?;■'■': ' Mr Meredith.the seconder, whose ponderosity • •'. , " somewhat wearied his auditors, though he ; .' f carried the House with him. Some graceful ■J • , compliments were paid by Mr Meredith to . . tha late Fon. Sir Patrick Buckley and the late Hon. Dr Pollen. Captain Russell's speech in opening the attack on the policy of the Government was .' ,- . listened to with respectful interest and -, ahowed the great advance the leader of L , ■ ; ,the:OpposUion hfts made as a Parliamentary r ," ', debater. He agreed with those who had : , ■ preceded him that the only distinguishing ■ • , feature of the speeoh from the Throne was its , . length, and he looked on many of the Bills ,*< . promised as only intended for electioneering ''"*—- purposes, and did not attempt to criticise them. While he would assist in reforming ' the system of local Government ho would be t no partyto limiting the voting to one man L:. • - one vote. $?:'• , ' The debate was about to collapse after • '•< . ' ' the supper adjournment when Sir Robert . '. Stout took the floor. He was evidently _■;■>. hampered by the time limit, but he criticised ■ - severely the land administration, :-'".* "; After the Premier had replied an adjourn- ,. - of the debate was carried. ';;■-'. ; ■ XHK PRINTING OFFICE. j'. i, , . The case of Caraon, MoNamara, and ■ .;• ' .-Jenkins, who were dismissed from the Goji; .;..-' vernment printing office in consequence of 'f ;-■:". • ' v ; charge, preferred against Mr Costall, has -' ;. '-'-been left in the hands of the new Govern- %'"''-•■ . .inent printer, and the probabilities are that "«-"•.' '.'... eventually they will be reinstated in their ®'"?v ' •.' former position.