PARLIAMENT DAY BY DAY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXV, Issue 8358, 4 November 1898, Page 4

PARLIAMENT DAY BY DAY.

— r-r — , * ■ [PA&aiMENTABY REPORTER.] : ' . Wellington, to day. NATIVE LEGISLATION SHELVED. As with the labor legislation, practically the whole of the Native legislation introduced this session has been abandoned. Th'e^Nsiive Aflairs Committe yesterday ~ ' reported wilh respect to the Native Land Settlement and Administration Bill that after taking evidence at considerable length from the Native representatives from all partf of the colony in reference to the<queation involved, it is found impossible at this late period of tho session . ■ to give consideration to the measure It is therefore recommended that the Bill be allqwed to stand over till next session, and in the'irieahtimo all evidence taken in connection therewith be printed. - As to' the Landless Natives Bill, the same Committee recommend that the measure stand over till next year, the Government in the meantime to ascertain how many landless Natives there are, and to collect such information as will enable the Parliament to deal with a measure covering a question which, in the opinion of the Committee, should be brought forward at the beginning of next session. TICK STOPPED AT BELLAMY'S The report of the Joint House Com- . ' mittee ' contains this very significant clause : " That the custodian be instructed to use every endeavor to have all accounts du6 to Bellamy's paid at an early date, and that any member whose account shall not have been paid at the conclusion of the session he not admitted to Bellamy's until it is paid. . INSUFFICIENT ACCOMMODATION. In their final report for the session the Native Affairs Committee report drawing attention to the necessity for providing better, accommodation than has hitherto been • thei' case for the transaction of ■ business in connection with Native affairs, and recommend that a room of extra dimensions should be seb apart for the Committee and separate rooms for the interpreters and Native witnesses. COUNCIL BUSINESS. The afternoon was spent in the Council discussing in Committee certain verbal amendments in the Mining Bill recommended by the Goldfields Committee. The only .important alteration made in the measure was the excision by 13 votes to 14 of clause 216, which provides that the occurrence of any accident in a mine shall be prima facie evidence that each accident occurred through some negligence on the part of the owner. The Bill was eventually reported and read a third time. The Minister of Education moved the committal of the Industrial Conciliation aud Arbitration Act Amendment Bill, the second reading of which was previously agreed to pro forno. A debate ensued in the course of which several members ' advised that the Bill be not proceeded with. After discussion the Bill was committed, and the clauses struck out providing that unionists be given preference over non-unionists, that an employer shall not discharge any employe on account of an industrial' dispute, and that an employer commits a breach of the Act in dispensing with 'aft employe because he is a member of a union. The Bill ultimately passed the final stages, and the Council rose at 1.30 a.m. SHIITINO FREIGHTS, ETC, The Extension of Commerce Committee reported to the Houbc that it had no recommendation to make with respect to a request for legislation on the question of primage and charges upon wool and produce made by agents. Mr McNab, the Chairman,'moved that the report lie on the „ . table. Mr Dutliio contended that the House had <no right to interfere with arrangements made between the shipping companies' and their agents, and it did not follow that the producer suffered by the system of agents being paid by rebate of commission. 'Mr Buchanan said the efforts . ' of the Freights Reduction Committee last year had .resulted in, a saving to the colony of £160,000. , Mr Hogg said that shipping . agents, who also acted as agents for producers, worked against the latter and in the interests of shipowners in the direction ■ .of maintaining high freights. Any agent who might desire to hand over primage to the producer was unable to do bo. as the shipowners insist on them signing a bond not to band the primage back to the producers. The motion was agreed to. PUBLIC ACCOUNTS, The Pabliu Accounts Committee reported on correspondence from the Auditor and Controller-General respecting the transfer of .stores from working railways to the Pfablic Works Department. In thes^oi&sW- of a lengthy, report, the Comm;6fea/:' gtafed . that the -AuditorGeneraU % ac,ted in atricb conformity .with the law in tfie matter, and was justified in reporting the transaction to the House. ! ' ' The Committee, amongst its recommenda--1 . ' ' tions, suggested that the vote for working railways Bnould either be increased or the amouDt availablefrom unauthorised account for working railways 'should be increased by £50,000. Mr G. Hutchison complained of the fact that as the evidence had not been circulated it was impossible to discuss 'h '■- the 'report. ;, -Mr Montgomery pointed out that the report of the Committee did not refer to v, tho fact that the Audit Department Had been kept inthe dark as to the reasons of for the transactions. The result of the investigation had been that they now knew that the surplus had been increased by £51,000 by transfers of stores. Mr Seddon said that as the report stated that the Government was justified in the . course they took and that the AuditorGeneral, bad beeu justified in his action The Opposition could not contend that the _„ Committee had condemned the Government. No Government had ever received such an exoneration from a Committee as the Government had received from this Committee. Tho value of the report was enhanced 1 by the fact that it was practically a unanimous one, and not arrived at by a Government majority. The transaotion had not been done for the purpose of increasing the surplus, and had not had that effect. The position was that if the £50,0Q0 unauthorised had been available and had been spent their surplus would have been increased by £30,000. He denied that the Auditor-General was ignorant of, the reason for the transaction, as he knew what would happen by his refusal to unlock tho £50,000 of un- , authorised expenditure.- Under extraordinary circumstances the Government ■ had adopted tho best course in the iuterests of tho colony, and thero had not been a Treasurer since 18S2 who had not done exactly the same thing. Mr Dutbie considered that ou the whole the report was a very good one, but he disagreed with the recommendation suggesting au increase of the statutory limitation of unauthorised expenditure on this vote. The Hon. Mr Cadman said the abnormal increase of railway traffic had resulted in the vote for working railways being absorbed before the end of tho financial year, and when assistance was looked to from unauthorised expenditure to the extent of £100,000 it was found that the Auditor-General only allowed £50,000 to be used. He found himself in a position with plenty of money in the one hand and nono in tbo other, and had simply taken from one to increase the other. As an atnendmeut to tho report, he moved that an enquiry be made into the efficiency of the Audit Department. The Speaker ruled that the amendment was irrelevant to the tubject of the report. Mr Meredith moved and J. Hutcheson seconded the adjournment of the debate. This was withdrawn after a brief discussion, and further debate on tho report was interrupted by the 5.30 adjournment. I'ETITIONS. Two Gisborne petitions were reported on in the House yesterday. A request that the balance of honorarium due to the lato Major Ropata be paid over to Henare Mahuika to defray the cost of his tomb, etc., was referred to the Government for specially favorable consideration, and a petition that tho Tc Anauni, No. 13 section, be granted to Kopata's descendants was likewise referred to the Government for favorable consideration. 11OCSU I'KOCKEDt.VGS. The amendments made by the Council in thsStock Act Amendment Bill were agreed to. A conference was appointed in connection with the amendments made by the Council in the Mining Bill and VVages Protection Bill. After debate the resolution renewing the 'Frisco and Vancouver mail sei vices was agreed to. Mr Seddon moved the second reading of the Porirua School Grant Bill, but after unfavorable criticisms the discussion was adjourned. The second reading of the Separate Institutions Bill was agreed to, aud the House adjourned at 1.10 a.m.

- i Mr Napier Bell, the well-known marine i engineer, leaves New Zealand un the 4th : iust. for North Queensland, where he has ! bceu instructed tv prepare plans and t estimates to improve and deepen the i phiinuels and port of Towiibville. j