HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXII, Issue 2570, 12 September 1867, Page 3

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10. Tho Speak vii took the cluir at 2 1/ clock. , NKW MBMBER OF TilH KXKOtmvB. The OviLOMAL SiOJitKrARY announced that the Hon. Hyde darns ii.td juned the (io- ; vemuieut, an<i w:w sworn v: tlu previous day as v member of (ho Executive. PETITIONS. Mr TANCRED presenter a petition from five director* <>f the High ftlrhdoi, Lhristdiuich, • pniyiiisj the House to take the 04iabli»liuie.nt , of university scholarships iuiu is fuvotubie con* * dldeiiltioi). Air JOLLFIi) presented a petition from pertain carter*, Itu'iiuM'st, &c, of th.i districts uf l'iiutiru ..ud (j-iiuNtoue, praying r the eauolitshnickt uf a local bo t rd far tno-te. ilisi.ru-ts. ;«. Hie petitions were ordered to lie on the table. MAUINK DKPAKTMKtfT. Tin-. Hon. J. .11 VLL Liii upau the table (ha third report uf the Aluriuo Dvipanuiont. UKPOUT OP PUB-IC PKTirtO.Vd COi£Al£l"Cßß. Mr C. WILaON brought lip the r-purt «»f the Public I'tiMtiotit) Co.nuiiuoe on the petition of . J. 16 inhubitiint* of tho town of VV.ingttnui and • ihe dißi.ncts uf Uungitikei a\i\ Wun^.timt. PKXITION OF I1B.VU? B\UO^H. On the motion of Air 0. Wilson, the rop-.>rfcof ' the- I'lioiie i*itifio:js (Joininit.tee on the petition uf (leur.v 13a<ieke w is orde-ed to bo pruned for im« iiieniaio circulation. PUOTBCTION UF OKBXAIN ANISf AW COMMITTSB. * , On l he motion of Mr MuuidON, the Pro.eutioa of Curtain Amiiialn (Joimniuec vr.ts granted au extension ol tiino nil Friday for bringing, up their report. STANDINa OUDgR3 OS PBIVATE BtLtS OOUSTICTSC. Mr o'ilOilKii, by leave, mor.-d thit th« Orders on Private Bills Committee t8 ht'nueforth empowered to uut in oonjunctiou with the commit tef app >inte for n siiuimr purple by the LegUl ttive (Joiimil hb a j «int uonuniitee, and . that in addition to the dUuding Orders already : reforred to thtvn, any othvtr Ordcra reliting to .. pi-iv.ito BtiU now before th ; tl>n9e be referred to their consideration. Agreed to. OTAGO SJUCHKRH TttHNK Bit LWA.Y BILL. Mr MAOANfUitKW, by leave, moved thiife su.h Standing Or.lew on Privafca Bills At pre-lud« ' such Bills being reported and read a third time . the eanio day be eudpended, in order tlut til* Ota^o Csouihern Trunk Railway Bill may be dir podeil of ut »>in'e The motion was agreed to. TBLRGHAPH B^rWßKtf WRLtIX&TOH AND Wi,« NOANUI. Mr WATT asked the Ifjn. tho Postmwter* Q-etieral, whether an extension ol the eleutric tele* . graph from Wellington t.» v\ r an^uuui is provided lor in the sum of £iß,'Jl)o whioli appean on th« prcsr'nt. I'.fltitnatea? The Hon. J. HALL stid that the House had not ye f provid d for tho erection of any telegraph, stive, atruuk ttflograph throug'i the North Island, and the earn mentioned did n t therefore iin-lude tlie fost of the erection of a telejtmph Hue between Wollinßton and Wani?anui. A pjrriou of the sum would ba fxpended on the construction of ft telegraph in the NeUon province under a gUftrau- -- 1 tee from the Proviuoial llovernment against au/'/ loss on the working of the line ; an-l if the W**l- ; lingto'i ProviHiu.vl U-owrnin *ut would offer a like gutirnutHe, tho G-overuinent would fcnk" into «on» siderntion whether a telegraph could not. M'-.y erected between Wellington and Wiinganui. DKBT OP HAWKR'S BAY. Mr ORMONU a«k.'d the G-.ivernment whetlie* • th- Hum Of £t,fis7 7" 7<l, wlu'kli is ntftred in'f-ha KiimtU'ial tStaU'inent til" the -Kirn. the (Jolotllftl- '• *re« 3 it*tr, to'be tin.' tvv t lie provrii'-'e uf- Hawko'i ' B.iy 'o tlie eoiony u-idm % " I'lieSu-'phw •Revenue* ■■'• Ai-t. 1«55," is .xolclv due on Ht-coUnt of.mlvaneai und v tliut, Act ? ' When he puc r\w q te^mrion notice paper, he uu le-.-aido I th it die sum in* ;C ' < lude.d other alvunee.* tliau those wade under &• . / _ Hixr^lui UeVeuued Act. ,

The COLONIAL TREASURER said the raw Wa* solely 'due an account of advances under tlmt Act. fobbst badgers. Mr HEAPHY asked the Minister for Defence, if ifc be the intention of the Government to allot land to the officers and men ot the original company of Forest Rangers, and if co, when effect will be given to such intention P It was one of , the stipulations, when the corps was formed, that ! land should be given, not only for service, but also for distinguished conduct; but, after the service for which the men had enrolled hod been performed, they wore (old that no land would be given unless they served for three years. Many i of them refused to do so, and, in consequence, obtained no land. The COLONIAL SECRETARY (in the absence of Colonel Haultain) 6-aid the Govern- j tnent had refused to allot any land to those men of the corps who had refused to re-enroll for ; three years service, as no other corps had received land for less than that term. The corps was enrolled for a special sGrvice, and received a higher rate of pay than the men of other corps,.j getting, between pay and rations, about 9s 6d a ' day, while other corps received only about ss. Many of the men only served for about three months, and under all the circumstancps ifc would | have been an injustice to other corps if land had, been given for lees than three ytars Herrice. There •was nothing stated in the conditions to the effect that land would bo given for less than the usual term of service. NEW ZEALAND COMPANY'S LAND OEDKE9. Mr BURNS asked the Colonial Secretary, whether it is the intention of Q-overnment to issue a Gazette notice to all holders of New Zealand Cdmpa-jy's Land Orders, requesting immediate applications for Crown Grants ? The COLONIAL SECRETARY said rto doubt if would he advantageous if all floating titles were settled ; but he was not aware that there was any law in Existence that would enable the Q-overnment to compel owners of land orders to apply for grants ; but a Gazette notice might, perhaps, induce them to do so. ADDRESS TO THE QOVEENOB. The SPEAKER informed the House that in obedience to its command, he had presented the Address passed itist Friday to his Excellency and had received the following reply.: — Mb Speak ru and Gentlemen op thb Hofsb of Representatives—! " The assurances you give me of your regret at my removal from the Government of this colony are very gratifying to me. "To yourselves 1 1 shall always feel grateful for the support you have invariably afforded me, for the efforts you have made to provide the large sums requisite to secure the pacification of tho colony, and for the courage and resolution with which you have met and overcome all difficulties. "I agree with you- in believing th it when the passions of the moment have passed awuy, and and personal feeling and prejudice no longer obscure tho perception of the distinction between right and wrong, it will be universally admitted th.it this colony has made noble exertions to suppress a most dangerous rebellion. "In striving, whatever might bo the peril of the moment, so to accomplish this, that tho rights and privileges which belong to all subjects of the British Empire should be preserved us far as. possible inviolable, New Zealand statesmen have given a worthy example. " Whatever obloquy I have incurred in aiding you in the duties you have thus performed, I can bear wilh cheerfulness, and I shall solace myself in aftor years with the remembrance of the language you have used in this address, and of the wishes you have expressed for my welfare and happiness. " G. GBEY. " Government House, Wellington, v " 10th September, 18 .7." CONFISCATED LANDS. Mr ORMOND asked the Government, whether the proposal contained in that pirt of the Financial Statement, which s ates Government had decided uto propose to the Committee that the confiscated lund 9 should, with certain limited exceptions, and subject, &c, bo handed over as speedily as possible to the respect.ive provinces for their beneficial administration," is intended to be applied in the case of! those lands aitiiiUe on the Kusk C>ast of the pro- 1 vince of Auckland between Opotiki and Moliia Peninsula; and whether if such be the intention due considerution has been given to the financial condition of the province of Auckland, and the consequent inability of that province to administer th.»3e lauds to the advantage of the, interests of the districts in question and the c.ilouy uenarally ? He had as lint intended to have brought forward this question as v notice of motion, which accounted for its present, form. The position of th.* friendly natives and late rehels on the" Kast Cjist lindibeer in a very unsatisfactory position for some lime, as the Native Lands Act hu-l not been brought into operation tlu-re. The lion, gentleman reviewed the p isiiion of tluve con (la- , cated lauds, and concluded hy recommending fchit the matter be left to be settled by Mr , The Hon. J. C. RICHMOND, in reply, said it ; •was a mistake to suppose that the land was out of the operation of the ordinary laud law, us, I with tho exception of a small portion of it, which was accidentally loft out of the schedule of the Act of list ses-ion, it could all be dealt with hy , the Native Lands Court. No hindrance hud been i offtved to Europeans or others preferring their claims to tho lund. He was not aware that the ■ GtavernniHiit ever desired to make a profit out of , the confiscated lanJs on tho East Coast, but : always intended that they should serve as a: means of rewarding friendly natives ; and of pro- ! riding for the cliim* of military Betllers. The Giverumfliit would he very glad to accept of the cervices of Mr McLean. THE IIANSABD. Mr A. S. ATKINSON, »s Chairman of the Reporting Committee, explained that the Hansard which should havo been published in the morning, ■ would probably bo distributed that afternoon.! It had been found impossible, in spite of the most j Btrenu)us otforis on the ptrtof both tho reporters and printers, to mc. tide Friday's proceedings in , the number, although 't was half us large again as usual. VAKIOUS OFFENCES PtTNISHHRNT BILL. Oa the motion of the Hon. J. HALL, the Various Offrnccs Punishment Bill was ordered to ''■ be discharged from the Order Paper. BKSIDENT MAGISTUATEB' BILL. The amendments mide by the Legislative Council in this bill were considered. The Hon. J. HALL moved that a conference with the Legislative Council be asked for to consider the amendments. Mr MaIN should vote against the acceptance of tht) amendments, as ho did not think the time ha J come for the abolition of imprisonment lor Bin.il! debts. Tli«» amendments were not agreed to ; and it was resolved that a conference with the Legislative Council should be asked for; the lion. J. Hull, and M -Bars J. O'Neill and Travera to be nianugord oa buh tlf of the tiouse. TIBST HEADINGS. The Surplus R-.venui'sAdjustinentßill, the Loan Con.-olid.il ion iiiil und t he tNblio Revenues Bill, were received by message from his iixeelloiioy ' the Governor uiui reud a fiivt time. conference. The amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Medical Practitioners' Bill, and ! tho Coroners' Bill were not agreed to, and it wuu ' resolved to request v conference; the muuiig-rs in respect to tlie former Bill being the same an m tho case of tho Resident M l 4 i. brutes' Bill ; with regard to the Coroners' Bill, fhe name of the Hon J. C. ltiih nond was substituted for that of the Hon. J. Hall. COMMITTEE. A resolution was rcp.iri.ed from the Committee of Supply and read » tveotid time. (UDNKUIN) PIUNCE3 STREET KESERVR BILL. ' Tlie amendments made by the Committee in this JBill wire agreed to, and tlie Bill read ft third

■ ' c «*• r time and passed, the title having bean previously „ amended. Mforiorm corporations artt. This Bill was recommitted, and pr >greea made. •BILLS TRANSMITTED FKOM THE UPPER HOtTSE. | A message was received from the Legislative 'Council, announcing that they had p;issoil the . Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act aud the Neglected und Criminal Childrens' Act; and had also made amendments in the Land Claims Arbii tration Bill ; in which they requested the cob* j currenco of this Hou>-e. The two former Bills were read a flrHt time ; ' I and the amendments made in the latter Bill wore ! ordered to be considered the next day. IN COMMITTEE. Tha Execution of Judgments against Heal j Estate Bill, was amended in Committee. ' ; BUILDING AND LAND SOCIETIES ACT AMENDMENT i BILL, ! This Bill was passed through Committee, reod a third time, and passed. SUBSIDIES TO MAORI SCHOOLS BILL. j The Hon. J. 0. RICHMOND, in moving the second reading of this Bill," said he had hoped that all parties would have looked upon the Bill i as common ground, but tho lion, member for ' Dunedin hail hinted that he intended to oppose it —a hint which he trusted the hon. member would not follow up. The umount the Govern meut asked for to carry tho Bill into effect was not very large in comparison with the object to be attained — £lO(X)for seven years. This sum now appeared on the Estimates under the head of .Native Purposes, but it would be struck off that if the Bill were passed. It was very important that permanency should be given to the endowment for educational purposes, if the House wished to do any good. It was almost unnecessary, at this time of day, to dilate upon the^ advantages of education ; and it must bo conceded that if they wished the natives to take any part in political aUuirs, they mur-t be taught the linglish language. The principle of tho Bill was that winch had been found highly beneficial in England — that of payment by results. A grant would be given iv proportion to the efficiency of the pupils in the branches of a primury Kn^lish education. Its main provisions were toencourage the establishment and maintenance of schools by the natives themselves; to establish districtsand committees; and to continue to subsidise schools already established. Its provisions wereexceedingly simple, and the idea of tho Bill had already begun to work in many places. In the fourth section there was a proposal to appropriate a sum of £4000, which was available under the Act of 1858, for the establishment; of now schools, but which hud : lapsed, to tho purposes of this Act. The House would see that co long as the colony had the advantage of tho services of the gentleman who had acted as Inspector during tlie past year, there was ro fear that the money wouid be uselessly spent ; aud it wa9 a mutter for congratulation i hut the colflny possessed the services of such a gentleman as Mr Kolleston, the Undersecretary for Native AlT.iirs. Mr J. O'JNEILL seconded the motion, as the Bill was a step in tlie right direction. A great | mistake hud been made hitherto in the schools in teaching the natives tho Maori instead of the English language. Ho shou'd like to see a grant of land set apart for these schools. Mr PAKKIiR slid a large quantity of land had been set apart for native schools, which was laying idle or had been misapplied. What funds had been obtained from tho reserves had been chiefly spent in salaries. It was not the time in the depressed condition of tho colony for making grants of money to these schools, which were moreover unnecessary, us the lands set apart, for tho schools would, if utilised, furnish sufficient money to support the schools. Mr BU RNS would not oppose the Bill, although he thought it wouid do little, good. The House I had committed many blunders in native affairs, and lie was afraid that this would bo another. Were the school reserves handed over to tho provinces, ho should have much more faith iv the Bill ; but as it was an educational measure, he did not think himself justified in voting against it. Mr HEAPH¥ would support tlie motion. There couid bo no doubt that during the la9t few years the natives had retrograded very much in education, as the reports of Air Kolleston showed. A move iv this direction would be v wise economy, and any money spent in education would be saved in gaols and police. Mr CARLE I'ON said as the House npppared on the whole favorable to the Bill, it was unnecessary to say much about it. The House hud never i relused to vote money for educational purposes, no matter by whom proposed. Ho agreed with ; the hon. member for Motueka that the nutivv re.-erves should bo utilised ; but he thought it | would bo found impossible to obtain any return , from them for some time. He must say, moreover, that whenever the.-c reset yes acquired value, . a disposition was alunvu t.» divert them to other purposes. He did not think that the Bill would iieee«iale the creation ol another department, as the existing machinery might be used. Uniformity of ucii<ni wa9 absolutely necessary in nutive uff.ira ; and how Ihis was to be attained if any matters aff cling the natives were entrusted tothe» management of tlie provinces he did not know. 1 The Government tuii>ht very properly compel the ' natives to do something towards the sunport of ' the schools ; for until the natives went hand in hand with tlw Government the full mevsure of benefit would not, be derived from the votes of the House, ho also supported the Billon tho ground of economy ; for things had oxiw to such a pass that wo must either civilise or exterminate the [ Maoris. The latter would not be 'ircumo.i of by ; the House, at>d therefore it. must, bo ready to vote the money required to civilise iho natives. The • natives must for the future bo governed by moral influence. Moreover, the Representation Bill j . could not b« carried out unless the. natives were j made acquainted with the English language. So far as his own experience went, ho did not believe the u.oney given for native schools had been spent in teaching tho nutives the Maori language, I although ho believed that tho knowledge possessed \ by tlie scholars of the English language had dej creased during the last few years. I Mr J. WILLIAM3O> was >{lud that the Bill j had been brought, forward this session, tis it i showed that the Government and tho House intended to f^ivo effect to tho Representation Bill. Tho knowledge of this fact would leave a favorable impression upon the natives. In some districts of the Auckland province the natives had»coiitri- ' butttl to the support of the schools euher by labor, goods, or industry. It was a mistake to suppose that the natives had not been instructed in tho English language in these schools. At the Three Kings Institution, the children were taught to write- as well us read in English. Ho was glad tha< a spociQc sum wus about to be set ap:irt for the schools. The knowledge tint such was the case would have a most beneficial i-ff/ct upon tho natives, and might also enable the Government ito engage elfi ient teaul'ers. The maximum formerly given was not found sufficient to pay good teachers ; but he hoped this evil would now be corrected. He trusted tin." reserves would be found sutliciont in a short time to maintain tho schools. Ho wua very that the G-ovoruuieut had thought proper to bring forward this Bill, which he should henrtily support. , Mr MUKISON would support the Bill. The' papers which had been laid on tho table seemed : to show that tho schools hid made 6utisfaetl>ry ' progress, although they had, of course, suffered from I ho »ar. Mr REYNOLDS was exceedingly sorry that he could not ngre.o with tho apparent, majority of I the Home. JMo omi could bo a greater udvocute i for education thuti himself j but the. education of. the natives was a special education, und should' bo provi-led for by the provinces in which the nuiives dwelt. If the House made a grain, tho money should be handed over to the provinces, for administration. He had no faith in the '■ management of t l ie Generul Government. He; did not hold voluntary principles; but many; sett lei s did, and they would olji-ct to subsidising j qfiy schools where reli^ioiiA iusirnrtioii w..s given . I i lv* published report* on tie native fcduiois weie an^ tiling but Siitislitcturj, umi it was iiiadvisab.e to perpetuate a system, which for twenty rears, tho Government htul uot buea übie to aiako answer.

Mr TANORED oonfiidered that the reports should merely convince the House of the necessity of n change in tho present system. The real value of the Bystem that would be initiated by ' the Bill was that the natives would themselves be compelled to 'eomo forward und aid themaelvea in the work of education.' It also took the ! management ot the schools out of the hands of | both the General and Provincial Governments, §0 that tho objection that had been urged on that j score fell to the ground. The plea of giving the whole management of the schools into the hands of local boards, as was provided in the Bill, was an exceedingly good one. Mr JBALL had been looking forwnrd to a measure of this kind ; and at the present time it •was a matter of great importance tlaat the Maoris should be instructed in tho English language. , He advocated this in the interests of peace and 1 social order. A great deul would depend upon the management of the schools, but the pa9t labours of Mr Rolleßton gave to a certain extent ,a guarantee for that. The hon. member for Dunedin had only taken a partial view of the matter. i Mr G. GRAHAM was very glad that he could ; give his hearty support to the Government ow this J occasion, and was sorry that the Bill should be I opposed by tho hon. member for Dunedin. It j was time that we began to feel that the natives I and Europeans were one people. It was money ' well spent to got any people to learn to read. The great want of the natives had hitherto been books ; but this had probably been caused through want of funds. The better educated the Maories became, the less money we should havo to upend upon soldiers and police. Attempts should be made to get the nutives to concentrate ; and they should be told that if they would do something towards their own education we would assist them. Mr BRANDON said if he thought the object of the Bill was to teach the natives the English language ho should not oppose it ; but if they were to be taught such a patois as that introduced into tho Bill — where ho found the word " Ka/rili," intended, for " Gazette" ho presuraed-r-hu should object to it. The tlon. J. HALL was glnd to find that in a great question of this kind the onJy object ion that could bo raised was that the word " Kahiti" wuß in the Bill. He could not agree that this was a work which did not concern the colony, but belonged to the provinces; and must say thut it seemed to him that the work of educating the natives, almost the last work we should have to do for them, belonged particularly to the colony. And what woro they a.>kcd to do ? To give n miserable £-1000 out of a revenue of a million. The nutive people were their charge, and after the work they had passed through, hi trusted they would be found faithful to their charge. The Hon. J. C. RICHMOND replied. The Bill wus then read a second time. EAST COAST LAND TITLES INVESTIGATION BILL. The adjourned debate on the second reading of this Bill was resumed. Mr CARLJETON said, after some consideration, he had come to the conclusion that it was tho duty to support tho second reading of the Bill. I Aftor some discussion the moliou for the second reading was put and carried. NEW PLYMOUTH TOWN EXCHANGES BILL. This Bill wus read a second time. CANTEBBUKY PUBLIC EKSFRVES BILL. The Canterbury Public Reserves Bill was read a second time. ABSTRACT OF ARREST SOR DEBT BILL. Mr KliliViiS, in moving tho second reading of this Bill, said he was slightly in error in stut- ' ing, when moving for leave to introduce it, that j the Bill was a necessary adjunct to the Bankruptcy Bill, although it wns (supplementary to it. Tho Bill was quite a technical one, aud needed no remarks. The motion was agreed to. EEDPCTION OF THB QOVBBNOE'3 S ALARY. —ADJOURNED DKBATK. The adjourned debate on Air C Wilson's motion for reducing the Governor's salary to £2500 | was retimed. The COLONIAL TREASURER said the Govormnent had taken tho subject into consideration and would not object to tho amendment that had been proposed. Of course the amendment, if carried, must be embodied in a Bill, which would have to be reuerved for her Majesty's assent. ' Mr C. WILSON said ho was aware of tho ■ latter fact ; but although an hon. gentleman had expressed a contrary opinion, he did not believe that her M*ije>ty'd Ministers would refuse assent to a Bill reducing tho Governor's salary to tho amount paid before Sir George Grey usMimed tho government of the colony', lie would consent te> the amendment reducing tho salary to £3500; and hoped the Bill would bo brought m at once. Tlir- Miiienddiient wus put and carried on the Toiec.3, and the resolution as .nu nd;*d pissod. TlMdlttT AND GLADSTONE LOCAL B>AUD BILL. Mr COX moved the p< cond reading of this Bill, and was proceeding ro explain its principles, when ho wns interrupted by • Mr MOORWOU^h:, who objected that the Bill \ was the, same in substance an another Bill which ' hud been rejected by the Houcu — the Local Government Bill — and was therefore in:iduii«sable under Standing Order No. 9w. Tho principle of each Bill wiij tho same — t!ie appropriating of a part of provincial revenues to t-p.cilic localities. i The SPliAKlilfc sui<( that admitting tho prin- I ciple of tho Bills to be tho same, yet it was per- J fectly cleur that one measure whb a general and tho other a particular one, and thuref >ro there was biilficient dissimilarity between khem to allow of this Bill being entertained by th« iloupe. Mr o'OX said in 1M63 a meeting wuc held in the district which he represented to consider tho advisability of forming that part of Canterbury into a now province, but tho meeting came to the conclusion that ifc would not be bo advisable to do 8i». The ugitulion, however, wus kept up till J 1865; hut he and others considered it .would be | bolter if the district were put in a position to ro- ' lieve its own wants. Ho hud had the honor of presenting several petitions to the House on the j matter. Tho position of the Timaru and Gladstone districts was pretty similar to what it was when the meeting was held, and justified the demnidontho part of those districts for special legislation It' tho House now said in effect they would not listen to the petition of the inhabitants of Timaru and Gladstone they would be in reality pumshing them for not having formed themselves into a new province. Tho proposal in the Bill could be carried out without loss or inconvenience to the colony j and without seriously embarrassing the province of Canterbury. The 3il\ would catitfO ii. > undue inierference on tho part of the General Govern nt'iit with the Provincial Government. 1 hey pometime* heard a good deal of the. intcrfercnt'coft lie General Government with t he Junctions of tho Provincial Governments ; but nothing at other times. Those who spoke of the interference liked to get all they could ; but did not like the slightest dictation as to how (hey should manage the iiffairs of tho provinces. It mijjht be ' us'ked why ho brought up a question which had already been discussed. His answer was, that he considered it to be his duty to ask for special legislation, when ho was requested by his constituents to do so. Those who desired that the large ques--1 tion t-hould not be raised, wu^ht not on that account to object to this Bill ; as it did not affect it. The just ice of tho claims with which the Bill deult had long been recognised. A resolution was Home time since brought forward in the Canterbury Provincial Council, in favor of the establishment of local boards in these districts, and though it was withdrawn, tho mere fact of its having been introduced showed that he was not : proposing any tiling unconstitutional. It was very dilQcult to regard this Bill us a general i measure ; since it simply dealt with the peculiar I , circumstances of tho districts. The people of, '■ those districts had had to pay a hiph price for ' their lund —£ 2 an acre, and it would be hard if they did not. obtain the same measure of justice ius .-ettlera in other parts of the province. Sup- ! posing all these people asked for were grant©. l, it could not injure the colony. 'I he Bill proposed thut a certain portion of the tcrriional revenue j should lie net apart for tho use of the districts; - and that out ©£ tho debentures not y«t r»uod a

cum should be granted, a part to he expended on j works which had been voted for it* the last two sessions of the Provincial Council, but npon which the Totes had not yet been expended, and a part to be spent upon works allocated by tlie Genernl Assembly. A sum of £30,000 wns asked for out a loan of £753,000, most of which hud ben\ spent nt tho north end of the province I Thut money hud boon expended apparently upon : the supposition that all the business of the province would be transacted at one port ulone ; but it was evident that this would not be the case. Moreover, it would require a much larger sum than £750,000 to complete the railway, and it was not likely thut the Assembly would permit a further loan to be raised. He asked the House to pass this Bill, on the ground that it proposed nothing revolutionary j and he asked the province of Canterbury to pass it, for speciul reasons, chiefly, because it would calm a great ugitution, which might have serious results if allowed to continue. Mr MOORIIOUSE was not so obtuse as not to understand that, in all provinces there existed different complaints; but he would respectfully . submit thnt diseases in any body wero best left to jbo cured by the course of nature. Tho province ! of Canterbury, its Council und Government were I perfectly reudy to remedy any evils that existed jin that province. What was the duty of Provini cial Government? To administer the business of ■ a portion of the colony, which had been pet apart j as a province, because on account of its geographical features, it wus but deult with as an entirety. •If the principle thut the funds of a province must be distributed equally over the province, there would be an end to all settlement ami government. Ho fully admitted that very large sums of money had been spent on the centres of population iv the province of Canterbury, but it had been wisely spent. By passing such a Bill ac this, they would be encouraging' domestic rebellion, which would eventually destroy the provinces. As fur as practicable, tho reveriue of Canterbury had been expanded on those districts from which it wns derived ; but it had been found impossible to curry this out fully ; the central expenditure was, however, nearly over. He protested aguiii9t the idea that the province was unable to carry out tho public works now in course of execution. That House was not the place to disclose one's intentions ; but he thought tho demands of the ptoplo of Timaru were not unreasonable they asked for a portion of the loan, and for the construction of a breakwater and bridge. But he should like to ask the hon. member for Timaru whether, if the Provincial Oovernmont had bad the money in the provincial chest, these works would not have been constructed ? He entreated the House not to pass the Bill, which was brought down just at the crisis when there was a possibility of the province being ablo to do justice to the districts. Tho principle of the Bill had also been already disapproved of by this House, and it was not fair for that section of the House which hud been defeated upon the Local Government Bill to bring forward its principle under another name. Ho entreated hon. members not to be special and exceptional in their legislation. No proposal of this sort wus ufloat with regard to any other province, and why come down upon Canterbury ? With regard to the decay of tho provinces, he would say, as he had said before, that he did not wish them to live longer than they were useful, but thought th y would still be very useful, and he did not like to see their functions interfered with. He thought he was justified in eaying that tho Provincial Council 1 would, i f> tho Bill were rejected, and seeing that the province wus likely to be in a more flourishing state than it had been, do what his hon. friend seemed to consider justice towards those districts. Mr COX replied to the last sp.euker's arguments, nnd the motion wus put and carried on division :— Ayes, 32 ; Noos, 19. The Bill wus then reud a second time. BILLS OF SALE BILL. The Bills of Salw Bill was passed through Committee, and, on being reported without amendments, wus ordered to be re-committed the next day. TAKANAKI NAVAL AND MILITARY BETTLBK3 BILL. The amendments made by the Legislative Coun- ( ci. 1 in this Bill wore agreed to. ' j NELSON, COBDBN, AND WESTPORT RAILWAY BILL. This Bill was passed through Committee. MAIL SKRVIOE KKTUHN. Mr REEVEs moved for v return showing the cost of tho mail service between Auckland and Sydney, tho number of letters that have been conveyed by that route during the past year, and tho average co»t perliMt. r. lie might s.iy that ho did so with the object of moving, when the proper lime arrived, ;lmi the nuiil service between Auckluul and >yduey aliouid bo abolished. It appeared from a published return that the colony paid £5,71 M a month lor that service ; and making ..n e.-cnn.vto from other returns, ii. would hcciii th.it the colony paid at the rate of 17d rtd f.»r t-he conveyance, of eviirv lt-;ti j r between t>lios<* uortn. Tue time tu»le Was .ilaj b.idly arrange 1. After a short discussion, the return whs ordered. PETITION OF JIKNKY CUL'KTON. Mr HARRISON moved thufc the report of t,ho p-tition ot Henry Ctimton bo again referred to tlie Committee on Pu olio Petitions. lie did. bo because he thought thutthe Commit leohad arrived at their deeisumuudersomemisupprehousioii. The petitioner's iiiiuie wm appended to tho petition, which, moreover, did not ask for money ; but a>kod that tho petitioner's cuso might bo taken into consideration. Mr C. WILSON said one of the first duties of tho Public Petitions Committee wns to sco that every petition wus in accordance with tho Standing Orders. This petition was in direct violation of the Standing Orders, as thij petitioner's name had been signed by hU attorney. The motion was curried. MONEY ADVANCKD BY NATIVES. Mr LUDLAAI moved that any correspondence relative to a bond given to certain natives of the Run^itikei district, by Willium Davios of Wellington, for the payment of the mm of £600, bo laid upon table of this House, and uuicl thut ho had been informed thut the natives had been in duced to advance the sum of £6uO upon a bond written in English, and unstamped. Agreed to. [Iho bond wus subsequently laid on the table.] GLADSTONE PETITION COMMITTEB. Mr G. MACFARLAN (for Mr Moorhouse) moved that any evidence taken by tho Committee on the Gladstone Petition bo kid on the table, which wus ugreed to. CHEMISTS AVD DRUGGUST3 PKTITION. Mr CARGILL moved thut the report of the | Puolic Petitions Committee, on the petition of 83 Chemists aud Druggists bo referred back to that Committee for reconsidoiution. Mr 0. WiLSUN explained that the petition was nst drawn up in accordance with tho Standing Orders. The motion was negatived. EESIDENT MAOISTKATE's COURT AT LEEBTON. Mr S'JLTiVENS moved that the House will on Friday resolve itbelf into Committee of tho whole to consider tho following resolution :— Thut a humble uddre>s be presented to the Governor, praying thut His Excellency will cause provision to be made in tho Estimates for tho establishment of a Resident Magistrate's Court at Leeston, iv the province of Canterbury. Leeston wms the centre of a largo agricultural district, containing about 70,000 acivs, which is chiclly occupied by Mnull furinors. The He .rest Resident Magistrate's , Court was at ClirMohuroh, and sotuo of these persons, if they wislieu" to attend, would hnve to travel between 30 und 40 miles. He did nut ask thut a costly establishment should bo provided ; if the district weie visiteJ by the llosidont Magistrate of Christchurch or Kuiapoi it would bo sufficient. There was not a auUieient number of jiiftices in tho district to forma Coirt with regularity, and their private avocations were often so pressing lhat they could not attend to form one. Tim motion was negatived on the voices. TIME OF MKETING. On the motion «.f Mr J. O'iN kill, it was made an Order that tho lluttoo bhall ineec mi every Wednesday during tho remuinJor Oi thj session i ■at two o'clock p.m. % ' Tho House adjourned at 12.40 a.m. !

WEDNDSD-A-YvSEPi'EMBBRr 11. The S.pea£ub took the chair at &t? o'olouk. The minutes of the last sitting vrere read and confirmed. OTAGO SOUTHERN TRTTNK BAILWAYBIIX. Tho report of the Select Committee on this (private) Bill was couriered, adopted, and the bill read a third time and passed. PETITIONS. Mr COX presented a pefcitienfrora the Lyttelton Colonists' Society and Literary Institute, praying that the institution may be exempted from all rates and taxes levied under the Municipal Corporations Act. Mr TRAVfiRS presented a petition from certain shipowners, merchants, and others, residing at Tim iru, praying for the establishment of local self-government in that district. Mr TRA.VEK.t3 presented a petition from a large number of artisans and mechanics of Christchurch, praying that the Bankruptcy Bill may be so amend. 'd as to entitle them to the same relief from bankrupts' estates as laborers. The petitions were ordered ro lie on the table. MAHMJOKOUGH WASTE LANDS BILL. Mr EYE 3 moved that the Marlborough Waste Lands Bill be or.lored to be read a second time to-morrow. This was agreed to. THE ATTACK ON POKAIKAI. On the motion of the Colonial Secretaby a Sdecfc Committee wasappointed to inquire into the circumstances of the attack on Pokaikai, by the Co* lonial Forces under Lieuf.-Cobnel McDonnell. Committee to consi.-t of Mr A. S. Atkinson, Mr Baigcnt, Mr Clark, Mr G. Graham, Mr Ludlam, Mr M'Lean, Mr McNeill, Mr Paterson, Mr Tancred, and the mover, with power to call for papers and persons ; three te be a quorum; to report in a fortnight. KAILWAY COMMISSION. Mr McNEILL moved that a respectful address be presented to his Excellency the Governor, requesting him to bo pleased to issue a Commission to inquire into the subject of railway communication throughout tho colony ; and more especially todetermine which are the most advantageous lines for trunk railways, with a view to the reservation from sale of a portion of the unsold Crown lauds adjacent to such lines. And, also, to inquire whether in all Acts hereafter to be passed by the Legislature for the construction of railways, provision ought nob to be made for securing one uniform guage throughout the colony, and determine what that guago should be, •Some discussion took place, which resulted in the debate being adjourned till the next day in order to give Mr Burns an opportunity of bringing forwurd a motion for the appointment of a Select Committee to consider the necessity « f adopting an uniform guage throughout the Middle island. LAND CLAIMS SETTLEMENT BILL. Mr MAC ANDREW moved that the House will to-morrow resolve itself into Committee to consider of leave being given to introduce a Bill to provide for tho aettlemenb of certain land claims in the provinces of Canterbury, Otago, ard Southland. The motion was carried. PUBLIC DEFAULTEBS' DISQUALIFICATION BILL. The ii otieo went into Committee on this Bill. One clause having been read, Mr Uaughton moved that the Chairman do leave tho chair. On a division being taken, the numbers were : — Ayes, 18 ; noes, 22. The Bill was afterwards reported with amendments. CBOWN LANDS (NELSON) LEASING BILL. This Bill was passed through Committee, and reported with amendments. LAND BEGISTEATION OEDINANOE BILL. The amendments made in this Bill by the Committee were agreed to. BANKUUPTCV r.TLTi. The remaining clauses oi. ihis Bill were considered in Committee. SURPLUS UKVENUES ADJUSTMENT BrLL. ; The 'COLONIAL TREASURER, in moving | the second reading of this Bill, said, as the I Bill formed part o\' the financial policy of the Government, it was unnecessary to expound its principles at any length. Its main principle might be said to be, to relieve the province of Otago from a large debt. (Laughter.) The statement which had been distributed with the Bill would show in what manner the 'debts of which it- whs pr. p »sed to relieve the provinces had been incurred. In asking the House to affirm the principle of the Bill, it was merely asked to affirm part of th 1 fin mci d policy ; an i if the House did not approve of this Bill, the Government wou'd in consequence bo pre<'l(i(l«'d i from going on with tl 1 ir other financial measures. Mr Sl'l'.VliVS \v:>hed to k-iow if Ministers hi;l siiti-liol tho.'ii'ovo thut the acini of the Hill upon all tho other province* would be equitable. Hi- di I nof- say that, if it- were nm-q titublo ho would oppose it ; provided it would not have the effect of inamtaing those governments in existence, which could not .;xist were this relief not afforded to thorn. Any relief such as that, proposed to be given by the Bill should bo given in a porfectly clear manner. !,_ Mr H. A ATKINsON was not going to oppose »he Bill, but felt anxious with respect ti) the position which his own province would occupy under the-e arrangements. The province wou'd have. absolutely nothing; and the Government by this Bill, would be precluded from helping it. He would be bound to tell the House, if the Bill were carried, that it would have to deal with his provinces as it might think best. Mr MUD said the only part of tho Bill he liked was its title. He could not approve of the Colonial Treasurer's remarks with regard to Otago as that province would only b>j treated in tho same manner as other provinces ; and would, moreover, have to pa 1 ' a large sum to another province. Moreover, he would remind the Treasurer that the province had spent a large sum of money on account of its mining po;>nlation, which had j contributed so much to the reveuue of the colony. The proposal would create much ill-feeling in Otago ; and ho hoped Otago would nob be pressed to pay the sum i>et down against it. Mr IMRKEII complained at the debt of Marlborough being charged agatnst Nelson and Wellington, as those two were not the only provinces which had derived beneGb from Cu-toms Duties paid on account of goods consumed in Murlborough; and would, moreover, like, to know what course it was proposed to adopt for the future in regard to this matter. Mr BAIGENT agreed with the last speaker. Much of the goods consumed on the Nelson gold fields paid duty in Canterbury j and how was it, alter so many years' separation from Nelson, Murlborough had not got a Custom House ? The fact whb, they obtained separation under false pretences. Mr REYNOLDS objected altogether to the principle of the Bill. It was a bad principle to introduce, to allow tho provinces to repudiate their just debts. The colony could not, moreover, afford to give away £183,000 with tho one hand, while it was seeking to pay £260,000 with tho other. He hoped the provinces would all ofTer to pay their debts ; and he believed Otago would spurn the offer of £51 000 made in this manner. This was not wiping off the provincial debts at all ; beimusethpy would have tho same thing recurring in respect to Marlborough, TaranaH, and llawke'a Ba\\ Those provinces were placed in a very unfair position, as the goods consumed there largely ptid duty in other provinces. He hud been looking over the .-t temeut attached to the Bill, which certainly msido it appear as though the provinc. 8 owed £183,000, but he denied that they were in- j, debtod to tli at amount. Before passing this Bill, ' a Select. Committee should be appointed to ■■ exnniiie this stateine'ii, and ascertain what was . roally owing by tho provinces. Mr BRANDON would opp w* the second reading of this Bill,' because tho Bill was part of the financial scheme. Ho could not sepurute, this from the repeal of tho Allocation Act. If t.he dot of Aucklaiil to the c >lony under that At were .li^char^eil, who would have to pay it but the colon j ? It w.is perfectly absurd to -ay thab it' this were dove, the provinces would be bene-

fitted by this Bill Otagq would, in reality, undef Biu-h circumstances hare, to pay' a tety mud* larger num than she would hire ti pay if sheonlf had to disch.irge a debt cf £80,000 ; and he b* lieved Wellington would also hitveto pay a large* sum. If they once admitted the principle thrt oae. province should pay another's debt because it derived benefit from its Customs revenue, there was no knowing where the matter would end. Mr LUDLAM could not support the Govern* raent oh this question. The only argument he had heard in support of the proposal was that in I winding up account* with the prtvinces it would be better to wipe off the debt they owed to th» colony ; and he did not think this sufficient. Mr 0. WILSON thought it would be a suicidal act if they guve away £183,000 into one hand and i borrowed £260,000 in tho other. If the province! | were made to pay this debt, no further telt graph i extension curried on or lighthouses erected this year, and other items of expenditure avoided, the £260,000 would be made up. ; Mr CAMPBELL thought the proposal of the ■ Government very fair indeed, and could not; unI der^tand the opposition of the hon. member for j Duuedin. If the debt due by the provinces were 1 not remitted, the result would simply he that the provinces would have to raise loans instead of the colony raising one to pay it, und thus the con* Bolidnted loan would be increased. Mr TRAVER3 said the propositions of the Government were admirably calculated to neutralise all parties in the House. It was sugar plums all round ; but the largest amount was given to those provinces which had a large num* ber of votes. He objected to the scheme in toio. The proper mode of dealing with this matter was to leave it as it stood; and if any province* could not carry on their government without assistance, let the House vote money for th%t purpose ; leaving the administration of the government as it stood ; but he objected to a scheme which was merely framed so as to balance parties and secure its passing. Whatever the ultimate distribution of the revenue was to be, he could not believe tlmt the House would consent to half of the whole revenue of the colony being handed over to the provinces ; and he should like to see the whole of the estimates disposed of before the House was asked to assent to an isolated portion of the financial scheme. The Hon. J. HALL thought the last speaker had paid a high compliment to the financial "scheme of the Colonial Treasurer ; as he had shown thai it was a good thing for c.very province; and ha thought, in that case, it must be a good thing for the colony. It was not unnatural that the Nelson and Wellington members should complain that - their provinces had 'to pay the debt of Mart* borough ; but the fact was that those province* would merely refund a part of Marlborough'i revenue which had been collected at their port*. This was an intimate part of the financial policy of the Government, and he could not see how the other parts could bo carried out if this were rejected. Mr J. O'NEILL, as an Auckland member, repudiated the charge that he had be n bribed bj the proposals of the Government with regard to Auckland, to support this Bill. The hon. member for Christchurch seemed to act like an outsider who had failed to get into office. There wm no use in concealing the mutter, that Auckland must have justice done her, although there seemed a disposition on the part of some hon. members to crush her. With regard to the £25,000, which would have to be paid to Auckland, he would say thitb it seemed a pity Mutt Auckland had not got more deeply in debt, and then nothing would hare boon said about wiping it off; but because she had something to receive, there was a great deal said concerning it. Mr BQNNif did not think the Auckland mombera could fairly say that the H»use had ever sluwn any disposition to crush that provino*. as the voice of its members had been most effectively heard. The less they heard about the depressed state of Auckland and attempts to crush it the better. Mr MOORHOUSE intended to vote for the Bill. As a member of a Southern province, he was quite prepared to make a sacrifice for the benefit of tho colony; and ho f-lt it was absolutely npccssary that something should be done for Auckland if she were to continue to exist ai a province. He was quite prepared to accept any moderate proposal of the Government to eflfdrt this object ; but must also regard ths interests of his own province, an 1 by this p oposalhefoundthtkt.Canterb.iry would lose about £1700 a year. Tho onsy benefit it would derive would o* a closing of the account with the General Government, although at a greater expeme than any other province would he put to. ilh It, hl (riven the U-.iVi'rninent his assurance thafc, % all hough he would opp s> the details of Their fina'* cmi l scheme, .iet he woud su; p.trt them in -ay uio ler.ito pv )|)Osil to in nutuiu Auckland during t.li ■ c Miliuu moo of her difficulties, and should there'o c vote for th" Bi '. Mr UAItLEt'OV poi.ited out th it it was v t.erly iinu.iteriul to the province of Auckland whether it was reliev. d or not from the debt which ir ow,\4 to the colony. The ease stood thus : The Gen r*l Government owpd the province £25,000, ami it. Wiis quite imamteri.il to them whether it was p.. id by the General G ■ivcrnineufc out of the revenue or from a debt due to the colony by the province of Otasjo. Hothmght the proposal to utiike Wellington and Nelson pay the debt of Marlborounh a just one. The COLONIAL TREASURER, in reply, said the only object of the Bill was to wipe off the debt of the whole of tho provinces, and was not intended for the benefit of one province. With regard to the remarks of tho member for New Plymouth! that hot). moinber had only taken a part of the pi*o))o3<U of the Government into consideration $ aid as to the confiscated lands, if the provinces refused to accept them, the House -would have no excuse for not continuing the subsidy of £2200 a year, its a guaranteed land fund. Tho charges that the Bill was frame. l so as to soothe one side or the other, was utterly without foundation, except in the designs of those why made them. The financial schemes of the Government were matured long beforo tho Assembly met, and without consultation with the members of any province. The hon. gentleman com batted various arguments that had been used against tho Bill. Tho motion was put and carried on division tke list standing thus— Atks, 42— Messrs Atkinson, A. S., Atkinson, H. A., Ball, Br.idshtjw, Hunny, Campbell, C»rj»ill, Carleton, Clark, Cox, Dt*nan, Fanner, FeatherBton, Firzherbert (teller), Graham, G., Graham, R., Hall (toller), Hankinson, Harrison, Haughton, Heaphy, Hepburn, Hull, JTollie, Kerr, Maofarlan, G , Macfarlan, T., McNeill, Mervyn, Moorhouse, O'Nvill, C, O'Neill, J., Ormond, U'Rorke, Reid, Richmond, J. C, Stifford, Studholme, Taylor, Watt, Williamson, Wood. Noeb, 16 — MessrsArmstrong.BaigentjßrandqM, Curtis (teller), Ludlam. Macandrew, Mtin, Potts, Reeves, Reynolds (teller), Richmond, A. J., Stevens, Tuncred, Trovers, Wells, Wilson. LAND CLAIMS ARBITRATION BIM,. The amendment made by the Legislative Council in this Bill was agreed to. EAST COAST LAND TITLK3 INVESTIGATION BILK. This Bill having been passed thmu >.h Com* mittee and reported without amendments, WM read a third time and passed. CANTERBURY PDBUO RESERVES BILI. This Bill was pjsspd through Committee, read a third time, and passed. CONVRYANCIN& OKDINANOE AMRNDM6NT Bill. This Bill was considered in Committee, and some amendments Tnade. LAW PiiACTITIONBKS ACT AMENDMENT BILL. Me TRAVifItW moved the second reading of this Bill, .winch was agreed to. NBLbON, COBDbN, AND WKBTPOBP BATLWAY BIIX. The amendments inude in this Bill were agreed to, and the House then adjourned at I a.m.