HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3423, 11 December 1879, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The House met at 2 30. READING FOB THE JUTITOt.

Mr DeLsijtour brought up the report' from the Heportinp, and Debates Conmi ttee to the effect t bat the cost of translating Hansard into the Maori language, ■• as to be available* for the information of the native race, would be £750, and a recommendation to Government''to make provision therefore, if they see fit to do so. . BUTTON ANtt HIS PDBCHASBf. The report of. ttte Native Petitions Committee on the petition of Geo. Davey, making certain imputations opon the character and dfalines of Sir ttattoo, M.H.K., in the acquisition of native lands, was brought up and read. The report recommended tbat no action be taken on the petition. Sir George Grey moved that the report be referred back to the Committee, the greater part of whom had not heard the evidence, and who had never been present until the vote on the report was takes. As a member of the Committee, he had move*l a resolution that tbt>se members be not allowed to record their votes on .the motion, bat an amendment was moved,by Mr Ormond, which hid the effect ;of burking further discussion, and the amendment was curried, which, under the circumstances, was most unfair, as it prevented him from putting his views before those members who had net been present when the evidence was taken. Mr Ormond explained the action he had taken in the matter. He said.after sitting for about a month, a determination 'was come to. and embodied in the,report npon that, Sir George Grey proceeded to move a number of resolution* embodying his particular views on the subject.' All that he did was to more a resolution that these views, of Sir Goorge Grey's,* "hieb, in his opinion, and the opinion of other members, mcr« erroneous, and ctleulated ,to mislead the House,- should not bo embodied in the report, Mr Kolleston. a member "of the Committee also made an explanation of the facts of the case as transpired in Coot* mil tee, defeuding the report as it wai made. Sir George G/ey, in reply, stated hit resolution could not have come before the Houiie, and thereby have, as alleged, produced an - erroneous opinion, unless the*e resolutions had been adopted by the m»j >rity of the Committee. It war monstrou* that a member of the Committee who attended all the meetings, and listened closely to all the evidence, should not be allowed to bring his views before the Committee. The resolution was carriel by the Committee amidst unseemly merriment. Mr Koilest-m denied that suoh was the case, the accusation being reiterated by Sir George Grey. The motion for a recommittal of the report was lost by 31 to 36. On the motion of Mr Ddljtute«r it wat agreed that Ministers' evidence should bo

printed. -■■'.■■_•) .;• - f: Eeplying to Mr George, Mr Hall said Government were unable to eotnplj with the request that instruction* be given tothe Post Office Department to open * money order and saving* bank at the Post Office, Little Omaha in Auckland provincial district. .': TJKPBOVIDED VOI.

Mr Gisborne asked the Colonial Seem, tarj whether the Government; will place on the Supplementary: Estimates a gratuity in the case of deceased Dt Dermott, surgeon of the gaol and Innatie asylum of Hokitika, as a contribution toward* the support of his widowed mother and an* married t-iater, aged respectively 89 and 60 years, who were dependant on him, and now left in very straitened circumstances. . ■ '

Mr Hall replied the Government had no evidence that the ladies referred or were dependent on the deceased on the contrary he had reason to believe they bad other relatives.

lieplying to Mr Hutcbinson, Mr Bolleston said no representation had been tnade to the Government relative to the decision of the Resident Magistrate given at Fielding bj which an information, charging a person' there with arson • ia to far us one d«y last month he snt fire to a house and burnt it down, and the charge not. being denied, had been dismissed on the ground that the person ao acting h alleged was the owner of the land, on which the Houne was erected, and had no malicious intention nor purpose of perpetrating a fraud in burning the Mid house.

Mr Thompson asked whether the Government intend placing a sum on the estimates for roads in blocks of land laid aside on deferred payments and dis« posed of prior to January lit 1878 as was done last year. '' Mr Holleston replied that £10.000 had been voted ia«t year for the purpowe.and it was understood it was made as-.a final expenditure. The Government had made no provision. for the matter.Unatjear, although : a eo«aid«iable provuioa |raa made lor openimc such lan la for sale.

THAMES MAIL WAY. Replying to Sir G. Grey, Mr Oliver ■aid there was no intention of chancing

kato railway will not strike the Waikato Hirer at Hamilton, but near Tnupiri or any other point. The adjourned debate "that the House resolve itself into committee to consider an address to the Governor praying ti»Ht 20.000 acres of land io the Rodney coucty be set anidc lor the purpose of constructing roads in the said county." Tho motion was carried on the voices.

Mr Tole moved the second reading of tbe Kawakawa Incorporation Bill. The motion was carried after a discussion.

Mr Dick moved tbe secoud reading of the Ofctgo Harbor Board Endowment Bill.

Mr Macandrew opposed tho motion as it now stood; he was prepared to give them the endowment asked, but was opposed to the extension of the borrowing powers proposed. There was great diff.-reiiee of opinion as t«» the beneficial expenditure of the £250,000 already expended by the B»«rd. His opinion was that the money to a «reat extent hud been misapplied. They had no legal claim to ths land asked for: however to settle tbe disputes that had arisen he was willing to concede that point, but he hoped the Bill would be withdrawn. What wa3 asked for was 88 nere» of water to be reclaimed from the sea, and at present tht-y bad not the means for carrying on such reclamation works—in fact they would be just as far forward next session as they could possibly beat the Bill passed this session. Practically ■peaking the Board consisted of one man who was left to do pretty much as he liked.

Mr Oliver said that originally £600.000 of an expenditure was contemplated, and at present not half of that amount was •pent. The work done practically speaking was of no use until a further expenditure wa* made. The railway ran along the line of *mall bays propo«ed to b" reclaimed, and the sooner the work was don© for the benefit of the railway the better. Mr Stewart explained the reoson the bill was. not brought up at an earlier period of the session, it was the difficulty in getting the committee together to agree as to the provisions of the bill. No grant was required in respect of the land taken from tho Board tor railway purposes. The position of affairs was this : If money wa* not available for carrying out the proposed works then the money would nave to be provided to bring the harbor back to the original state, and to stop the work at its present state would be most disastrous to the district. The gentlemen who constituted the Board were ell gentlemen who devoted a large amouut qf time to tbe work, and he thought it was wrong for Mr Macandrew to cast an imputation on them. Mr Fulton said a great deal of dissatis faction existed both in Dunedin and elsewhere With the proceedings of the hoard. He had no objection to the endowment, but in common he objected to the borrowing clause. Mr McLean thought the bill would not be carrii dat this late period of-1 lie session. Mr Macandrew's election for Port Chalxners depended upon the Opposition he Cave to the board. It was to be regretted he had gone the length of stating thut the work was left in the bands of one man.

Mr Bowen spoke in opposition to th« borrowing powers; they had commenced operations at the wrong end. The proposed reclamation operations were judicious in respect that they would enable the Port Chalmers and Dunedin railway to be improved ia a variety of ways. Mr. Dick replied, and the motion was put and carried on the voices, and ordered to be referred to the Waste Lands Committee. The Married Women's Property Bill, and the Appeals from Justices Act, 1876, were withdrawn. The aDHPi'dmeßti proposed by the legislative Council in the Mines Act. 1877, Amendment Bill, were not agreed to, and Messrs lieeves, Fion, and PeLautour were appointed to draw up the reasons for the dissent. The Auokiaod Improvement Commislionera Transfer of Powers Bill was reported and read a third time tod passed.