PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 4070, 17 June 1882, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

POLITICAL GOSSIP. [TELEGRAPHED BY SPECIAL COBRE3PONDEFT.] FIRE BRIGADE BILL. i FniDAY, June 16.— The Fire Brigades' Bill was thrown out last night, after a short debate. The debate arose on the proposal to compel boroughs to maintain a fire brigade by levying a rate. THE VOTING POWER OF ELECTORS. The great debate of the night was on Sir G. Grey's Bill to curtail the voting power of electors to one vote, thus practically doing away with the property qualification. Sir G. (Trey was assailed by somo of the Opposition, and by many of the Government supporters, and the debate got very warm by three o'clock this morning, when the Bill was rejected by 36 to 10 votes. ENCOUNTER BETWEEN GREY AND SWANSON. There was a pretty sharp encounter between Sir G. Grey and Mr. Swanson on the question of the leasehold vote and the re* commendatioa made by Sir G. Grey when Governor in 1848, with respect to giving votes to freeholders only. Sir G. Grey replied by stating that the Constitution granted to New Zealand was a very liberal one at that time, and it had been a matter of negotiation for years before 1853, and was a matter of compromise, THE PROPERTY VOTE. The House is not yet ripe for doing away with the property vote, though in the not distant futu-c it may be generally accepted as the correct principle. NATIVE RESERVE BILL. To-day, the Native Reserve Bill was debated, and an amendment was moved by Mr. Kelly to the effect that the House is of opinion that native reserves should be administered by the Land Department, through the Waste Lands Boards. Ec condemned the Bill as constituting the Public Trustee the head of a huge Land Department, and concentrating the administration at Wellington. The amendment will receive a large support. The debate was interrupted by the rising of the House for dinner. THE FINANCIAL STATEMENT. At 7,30 this evening, the Financial Statement is to be delivered, and the members will then be in a position to judge of the Government policy, and decide whether they will keep them in office or not. AN ATTEMPT TO STOP BUSINESS, A mo Lion was carried to-day to adjourn the Hoi'se for a day or two in addition to the three non-siting 1 days, in order that the members may visit the Christchurch Exhibition, but from conversations I have had with the members, I do not thiqk many Northern members will go there. The reasons adduced for the visit to Canterbury is that it would enable members to gain practical information with respect to the native industries of the Colony, and thus be able to legislate in the right direction.