PROCEEDINGS IN PARLIAMENT

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 41, 11 October 1900, Page 4

PROCEEDINGS IN PARLIAMENT

(From our special correspondent.) On Monday evening the Premier informed the House that he did not thiu'-w it right to join T.winmi i 1:1 sending a i able nit —a ire the South A'n'can war with a vie*v to lnfl'iem mg tin dec* ions. character. The House uot through a good deal of business on Tuc-diiv 'Ihe New Zealand Consols, Mielland Railway Authorised \rei I/ind Settlement, Government Loans to Local Bodies, l.ncoui.i^iincut ot Fisheries Rotorua Town Council, Manual and lechiucal Instruction, and We-t Coast Reser\es Settlement Bills were redd a second time, put tluough committee, and finally passed The Maori < ouncils Bill passed its second reading, and was refer led to the \ati\e Ait'.urs (JoinmitU'e. On Wednesday afternoon the Premier informed the House that, in accnrd-ince with the general wish ot the members, he had cabled to Lord Roberts the congratulations of the House on his birthday, and received a reply stating that he ami Lady Roberts weie pleased at tli>' compliment, and saying that ho would always be proud of hiving under his command the bra\o men sent to South Airica by this Colony. Later on Mr Seddon Raid that some anxiety had been cxpres«td a=; to what day would be proclaimed as Peace Day. It was not possible to say when the present guerilla warfare would cea-e, and as the Transvaal and Orange Free State had been annexed there would probably be no formal declaration of peace. The Government had considered the matter, and, with a view to giving due notice to the Colony, they had fixed the Prince of Wales' Birthday, the 'Jth November, as the date foi the celebration. The Representation Bill, which was read a first time on Wednesday, proposes to increase the membership of the House by six. all of whom will go to the North Island. The evening sitting on Wednesday was devoted to consideration of the Lands tor Settlement Act Amendment Bill and the Electoral Act Amendment Bill. An Opium Prohibition Bill was read a first time in the House on Thursday. Several measures were advanced stages, and the Electoral Bill in committee took up the whole ot the evening Bitting. Immediately after the House meeting on Friday afternoon Mr Seddon read a copy ol a cable sent by him to Lord Roberts congratulating him upon his appointment as Coinmander-in-( hu f. and expressing a hope that he ere long will ha\c command oi all the military forces of the (Empire. Lord Robert" m his i< ply luartily reciprocal d a ho;u thnt the office will ere long w.ciui'e all the military for< os ot the Umpire. The l'rt nr.ei ga\e nonce to move tint a Royal commission be appointed to impure into the de-ir ihility of Xlw /"aland federating \\ith the \u-trahan ( omuionw e.ilth. In th' 1 e»cniii-T the loreign Insurance Companies' Deposits, nndCi.il Se l \ ili 1 \.anu ation Bill* pa—ed then hiial sage On NitnuKiy nioininr the, li<>u-c unit into onm.itue on the Private Industrial Schools ln-pt«.tie>n and liniu-tt i il Schiols Act Ainendiri nt lj.ll A dett riuinid >iu<iiipt was made by Messrs iMil'ar, Ru-stll. Atkinson, llut< herein, .md others to ainei,<l tin Bill in the uiieitio'i ot w ithdidw mg all lioMrimitin a-si-tancc from priva 1 c indu->tiial mJiooU. '1 o .Mr M lllar b< longs the niibiou- ck dit of getting an anic'idme-nt mtrodiii ed wliK h Wutild hu\r this effect weie it not loi a ti clinical iirot. On the motion for the third reading, the Piemier nd the responsibility tor the st( p that had hi en t iken m the Bill would 1..M with the -e \\ho had made it. 'I he < lovci iin -in would 540011 piying money to these schools as long a- the pppri'pnation la^ti d. Some of tbe-e schools ha i erectt 1 building- on i.he anm uta'iding tliat chiMnii sht.nlil be commit el to them, and if State aid v\ as now withdr.iwii thiy had a pert.ct right to computation The i!nrd reading was agreed to on tin.' \oices. and the Bill \>^ id.