GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Inangahua Times, Volume II, 11 August 1880, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Wellington, August 9. ; The House met at 2.30. Mr Pitt gave notice that be would ask , if the Deceased Wife's Sister's Marriage Bill had been submi'ted to the law offices of the Crown, and if so, what opinion they gave relative to tbe effect it would , have upon property already vested in ; heirs under the law at present in opera- . tion. Mr Pyke gave notice of the following motion : — ' Tbat this House is of opinion that the report of the- Royal Commission ; on Railways, in so far as it deals with i lines which have never been submitted ! to or sanctioned by Parliament, was un* • necessary and uncalled for ; that, in. so far as it condemns railway lines, tbe ' construction of which has, after due consideration and careful enquiry, been sanctioned by this House, tbe said re» port has not sufficient foundation, and ' should be regarded as a mere expression of individual opinions, hastily formed 1 without any special knowledge or ex» ! perience on the subject ; tbat it woulrl, therefore, be 'unwise and highly detru mental to tbe beat interests of the > Colony, for the Government to shape its - Public Works policy upon the opinions 1 and recommendations embodied; in the » said report." The report of the Public Accounts 5 Committee was tabled as to the repay* ' ment of £800 in the Waka Maori case — 3 it waR that the amount should be charged 1 to unauthorised expenditure. 3 Sir George Grey moved that the re/ ' port be taken into consideration tomorrow. He argued that this was only fair to tho members of tbe Government 3 in office when tbe payment was made. 1 Mr Hall hoped the report would not . be taken into consideration at; this late period of the session. The report 'could 1 very well remain over until next ses« I sioru Sir George Grey replied that he had been placed, so to speak, upon his trial, and that by a very unfairly constituted , c^nnnitte. nnd he thought it only fair to 3 bim and Ins colleagues that the report be r discussed.

The motion that tbe report be cons sidered to«morr,ow wag put and lost. Sir George Grey then gave notice tbat on going into Committee of Supply, he would move tbat this report be cons* si'lercd, Mr Hall announced that he had received a communication from tbe Gors ernor, stating that he bad received a communicntion from Her Majesty's Gov ernment, asking him to undertake tho Governorship of Cape, Colony. The offer bad been maJe in such terms as had iadflccd him to accept it. Her Maissly's Government whs anxious tbat His Excellency should leave afc the end of this* or c k e S» nn ' n S °f next month. He was sure the announcement would be received by, the House, as it was by the general public, with regret. Sir Arshur Gordon, the present Governor of F ji, would succeed Hercules Robinson as Governor- of. New Zealand. The i?o<dislribution of Seats Bill is set down for second reading. It pro; vides for ninety for eightynine seat?, exclusive^of Maori represen' tatives. Wanganui V alone having tbe honor of two local representatives. Tbe 1 proposed alteration on the West Coast will give one member 1 each for BuUer, Reeftcn, Grejifßutb, Totara, Kumara, and Hokiiik*.^- ' " ' ~,Sif'