NEW BILL.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4163, 24 August 1881, Page 3

NEW BILL.

The following Bill was introduced, and read a first time : — New Plymouth Harbour Commission (Hon J. Hall).

EDUCATION AOT AMBNDXHNT BILL.

Mr Fulton moved that tho Education Aot (1877) Amendment Bill be read a first time.

Th<» House divided :— Atbs, 41 ; Nobs, 26.

The Bill was read a first time, and, on the motion tbat it be read a second time on Thursday week, Mr Babbox moved thafc day six months. Mr Tubnbull, Bir W. Fox, and others, spoke in favour of the Bill. Messrs Speight, Beyob and Bowbn supported the amendment, arguing that the Bill could not possibly pass, consequently it would be simply a waste of time fco keep ifc on the Order Paper. The question for the adjournment was put and lost on the voices.

On tho motion for reading a second time on Thursday week the Houso divided :— Atks, 15 ; Nobs, 52.

NOBB, 52 :— Messrs Allwright, Andrews, Ballance, Barron, Bowen, Brandon, Brown, Bryce, Bunny, Collins, De Lautour, Finn, Fisher J. T., George, Gibbs, Gisborne, Sir Or. Grey, Messrs Hamlin, Harris, Hirst, Hurst, Hutchison, Johnston, Jones, Kelly, Kenny, Levestam, Levin, M'Caughan, Montgomery, Moss, Oliver, Ormond, Pitt, Beid, Biohardson, Rolleston, BusseU, Saunders, Heddon, Seymour, Shephard, Shrimski, Speight, Stevens, Hutton, Swanßon, Tole, Trimble, Whitaker, Whyte, Wood.

Atbs, 15 :— Messrs Colbeok, Dick, Sir W. Fox, Messrs Fulton, Hall, Hursthouao, Lundon, Macandrew, Murray, Shanks, Stewart, Studholme, Fawhai, Thomson, Turnball.

The amendment for the second reading that day six months was theu put and carried.

OAMABU HABBOUB.

The Amendments by tbo Council in tho Oamaru Harbour Board Act Amendment Bill were agreed to. The House udjourned at 5.30 p.m.

EVENING SITTING,

Tho House resumed at 7 30 p.m

BErBKSBNTATION BILL The House went into Committeo on lhe Bepreeontation Bill.

Clause 2 — House to consist of 91 mombors — Mr Speight insisted that tho number of membera proposed, to govern half a million of population, was out of all proportion. 52 or 54 he thought would bo amply sufficient. It was not calculated to bring about a better stato of legislation. A suggestion had been made to have tho number of electorates reduced to nine, leaving each district so constituted to elect its own members.

Mr Bastings moved that 91 be struck out and 60 substituted. The Premier's argument tbat tho increase proposed was not greater than tho representation had boen in by-gono timos whon the population was not so large, amounted to nothing He reminded them that tho conditions were different, Postal, railway, and tolegraphic communication had been promoted greatly since tlio3e days, and tho samo proportion ot repre_enti\_ieM tQ tho population was not needed now,

Mr Pitt spoke in favour of the proposal for a reduction of numbers.

The Hon J, Hall said the proposal wos one whicli ought not to hava been made in the absence of information as to ita probable effect.

Mr Shuphatid, after speaking for about an hour, and avowing his readiness to fulfil hi« duty to his constituents by continuing until to-morrow evening, moved that progress be reported.

This was negatived by 26 to 11. Mr J-EVBStam then rose, and is now speaking.

During the night attention has frequently been called to the absence of a quorum, bufc the ring of tho division bell always quickly made up the number. Many memoers bave evidently disposed themselves for a night's sleep on the benches, well wrapped up. [Left BittiDg."]

WELLINGTON, August 24. The whole night up to 1.30 am. waß spent over olauso 2of the Representation Bill. The Nelsou members, Messrs Seddon, Bastings, and others stono walling tbe Bill, and the bell having to be rung every few minutes to gefc a quorum. The nominal question was the.substitution of 60 for 91 aB the number of members.

Mr Seddon Bpoke for upwards of two hours. After 1.30, Mr Levestam spoke for half an hour, and then the Chairman left tho chair for half an hour.

On resuming, Mr Levestam continued reading long extracts. Getting tired, he said something about bribery, whereupon, to givo him breathing time, Mr Pitt called attention to the unparliamentary language. Mr Bastings, to help further, moved that the words be token down.

Mr Speight made a long serio-comio speech as to the danger to the noble cause by the use of strong language. After some discussion the Chairman called on Mr Levestam to withdraw the expression, which he did ; and having recovered breath, he went on speaking until Mr tieddon came to the rescue, by complaining of the discourtesy of Ministers in reading instead of attending to what was said.

Mr Lbtbstam then asked for a ruling as to whether sleeping members oould be counted to make up a quorum. The Ohairman ruled in the affirmative.

Mr Bastings raised some other point of order, and Mr Levestam, leaving the chamber, returned speedily with a fresh pile of books. After further speaking he moved that the Chairman leave the ohair.

The motion was lost on a division by twenty-three fco ten.

Mr Bastings then made a long speech on the beauties and capabilities of Wakaia, which the Bill proposed to wipe out. His constituents desired him to resist this in every postible way. He proceeded for a long time, when a rest was afforded him by attention being called to the state ofthe House. A quorum being rung in, he proceeded to read page on page from a treatise on political economy, making explanatory comments as ho went on. Another diversion having been made by raising some point of order, Mr Bastings went on again. At last, Major ATKiNSONraised the question as to whether the discussion should nofc be limited to Clause 2.

The Ohairman ruled against him. Major Atkinson then objected that Mr Bastings was reading what purported to be his speech.

Mr Bastings defended himself, when— his voice failing— Mr Seddon took him to task for lisping out his words like a lady. This giving him a rest, Mr Bastings went on again till 4.20, when

Mr Pitt moved that progress be reported. Mr Seddon supported it. Mr Bastings raised a point of order about a member snoring, which, he said, affeoted his sensitive organisation.

Major Atkinson said Government would not consent to progress being reported. He appealed to the minority now that they had entered their protest not to persist in hopeless obstruction.

Mr Pitt replied that they were determined not to allow the clause to pass that Bitting. If an adjournment were granted they would oonsulfc, and possibly come to some arrangement.

Major Atkinson rejoined that Government oould not allow a minority to arrange tbe work.

Mr Hubsthousb urged Government to consent to the adjournment. They were fighting their own best friends.

On a division, the motion to report progress was lost by twenty- two to eight. Mr Gibbs said that their reasonable request for a truce having been refused, they must keep up the fight.

At 5.10 Major Atkinson moved that Mr Seymour be relieved from the chair, and that Mr Hamlin take ifc. This was agreed to. Mr Fin Baid he would not have made the overture he did had he been aware, as now informed, that Government had threatened that the action of the Nelson members would weigh when the estimates came on.

Major Atkinson denied that any suoh threat had ever been made.

Mr WAKE-MELD said the Nelson members had his sympathy in the bold stand they made in defence of what they deemed tbeir rights. He saw no good to be gained by adjourning, but as they seemed determined to go on, he would keep up the debate till they had time to refresh themselves. TT« spoke till 6 o'olock, when another motion to report progress was rejected by 22 to 7. Messrs Seddon and Pitt kept things up till 6 30, when Mr Bastings suggested half an hour's adjournment, whioh the Ohairman deolined. Another motion to report progress was then lost by 22 to 7. A quorum had several times to be rung for. The talking was kept up by Messrs Shepherd and Levestam, and at 8.30 Mr Seddon appealed to Mr Seymour, who was again in the chair, to adjourn for half an hour for breakfast. There were loud cries of " No," and the Ohairman refused to do so.

Mr Skddon continued speaking for about two hours, when Mr Pitt, and then Mr Levestam relieved him.

Beveral motions to report progress were negatived by members, the votes ranging from 20 upwards against 5. Mr Siddon said he was of opinion that Mr Bryce, who had relieved Mr Seymour, was not properly constituted Chairman, and moved that he now leave the chair for the purpose of referring the matter to the Speaker.

The motion was negatived on the voices. At 1 o'clock this afternoon a motion by Mr Beeves to report progress was negatived by 29 to 19.

[Left Sitting.]

[FBOM OUB ■PKOIAL COBBBBPONDBNT.]

WELLINGTON, August 23.

The afternoon sitting was entirely wasted in a discus iion upon the Council's Bill to amend the Education Act, providing that School Committees be empowered to arrange for Bible reading in schools. As it waß a foregone conclusion that the Bill would be thrown out, much time would have been saved, and some expression of ill-feeling avoided, had tho fate of the Bill been sealed on the motion for the first reading. Apart from the principle involved, it was generally felt that tho provision that the Bible should be read by one or other of the senior pupils instead of by the teacher, was puerile. To-night the Bepresentation Bill is on in Committeo, and at present thero is every evidence that it will bo " blocked " at every stage. Many members have privatoly oxpressed their intention to speak against time. There are still 85 Bills on the Order Paper, and unless there is a slaughter of innocents even greater tban usual, there is no hopo of the session terminating within six weoks, not* withstanding the Governor's anxiety to get away to Fiji.

The names of the Hon E. Bichardson, Mr Macandrew ond Mr Napier Bell, C.E., are mentioned as a probable Commission to investigate the Now Plymouth Harbour Board subject.

A somewhat curious disclosure haa been mode with respect to tbo manner in which Now Plymouth endeavoured to bribe Waitara to withdraw opposition to the Harbour works. At the Waitara meeting one of the speakers, aMr Standish, said ho and Mr Kelly off .red to give £10,000 to Waitara out of the loan for Now Plymouth Harbour. Mr Bayloy and Colonel Trimble had then offered, on behalf of Waitara, to withdraw opposition to tho Harbour if £15,090 woro given to Waitara. Th>j negotiations, however, fell through.

WELLINGTON, August 24.

The House Still Sitting. The Houso is still sitting, with every prospect ol continuing for somo hours. Tho last division waa taken at 10.30 on Mr Seddons' motion. v That tho Chairman (Mc Hamlin)

leavo the chair." This vtu_ negatived, and the ob. tructionists on whose .boulders it has fallen almost exclusively to keep up the weary debate, showed signs of giving way. At this juncture Mr Beeves, who had jusfc arrived from Nelson, walked into tho House, and was received with cheers by tho flagging Opposition. He was of course perfectly fresh, and as he po. .esses notoriously the best staging powers as a speaker in the House, he win probably talk long enough to allow his friends to rest. Mr Pitt, is now speaking, evidently to give Mr Beeves time to get some refreshment and etart fairly. That is the impression afc pro.enfc. The expression that fell upon the countenances of Ministers, who evidently fully anticipated an immediate repri-vo when Beeves unexpectedly turned up, was very ludicrous.

[LATER.] [fbom: ou__ own coebespondent.J

WELLINGTON, August; 24.

The House is still sitting, and there are in' dications again showing that members aro again losing their tempers. Afc timeß it has beon difficult to prevent a scene. Mr Bryce, who is now acting as Chairman, is ruling with great clearness and impartiality. Mr Seddon has raised the question as to whether he is properly in the chair, not having been " elected," but merely nominated by Mr Seymour. Mr Seddon threatens to push matters to extremes, and has intimated that if removed by the Sergeant-at-Arms he is quite prepared to make a martyr of himself in whafc he considers a just cause.