THE ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 86, 7 August 1878, Page 3

THE ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

[PBOII OTJB OWN COB.aE3POKPENai.Jy Wellington,, Saturday, : Jtt the LEtfistAtivE Council on Thursday/night the business transacted was not iof an important character, being chiefly confined ; to. tlie •; aßking, and answering ,pf questions, and the" readmgof Bills for the fii*st lime. The only' matter upon -whicli any discussion cropped up was tho appointment of a committee to consider "all Bills that might be introduced, into the.Cbiincil, affecting the Waste Lands of tlie Crowh: A ballot was taken, and resulted m the following j names, forming the committee :— The Hdn. Sir Franca Dillpn^ Bell, and t)ie Hons. Messrs. Bonar; FraW,' ; Halli"P6llenV Robinson, and Waterhouse. A i number of BQla^ere read a second time, and referred to select committees, amongstriwhich were tho Bill, Sheep -Bfll, Brands^Regis--; tration Bill, Cruelly to Animals Bill, and the Savings Bank and Profits Bill. - ; i)iip whole of TJinriday m the House, of RErkKSENTATivES was wasted by the hon. member for Motueka, m jus- attempt to clear himself from complicity m the destruction of tho triumphal arch, New Plymouth. Mr Hursthouse, certainly sacceeded m convincing the Minister of Justice and. the ; House, tha^ie^was not bodily "present j when thoJpiiTO^tge^iwasVcomiriittecl, but tlu^fortunately^ffoif^him his imtiappy^ .admission "that the . fact was thafr-he ttfok'. ■ particular care to absent himself at thetime, liaving gone a" "considerable : distance from the place," is" pretty positive proof that ho was a moving spirit, sub rostt m the aifair. The member for Kaiapbi, the late Minister for Education, waxed eloquent over .the indignity with, which a member of the House had been treated m having his name entered m a police report, scouted the. idea . that the police officer was mistaken m the person of Mr Hursthouse, and Btigmatißed" . the whole proceeding as a disgraceful polir ticalpartianstiip' on their part. Mr •owen," however, was equauy:unfortunte m his remarks, and when he asserted tHat it "iras the duty of the police i 6 know Severy ; member of tho.House by,sigb.t," the sarcasm so unconsciously uttered was too much for those^Bojgrituitously black-balled, and' the. chamber fairly rung again with the appreciation of the joke, r To ; t Jie speaker, ho xr-ri ever, the^matter vfv& anibst Berious one, and ' the look of. rebuke administered atiso unI expected an^^ outburst^ was almost" m trying to the risible faculties as the original cause; Of course there not possibly be anything m ;the shape of a row on without the ' fiery, little member- ;for Wellington -City" taking a liand, and having pneegot possession of the cards he fairly dealtall aroundhim. The Knight of MarsdeinV Sir Robert Douglas, was tto next to. buckle on. his: arniour m defence of tho Bupposed rioterj but why heßhoiild have risen to .his legs; was nptjquite patent, as his remarks were simply a Laudation of Mr Hursthouse and an abuse of the (Government, a.; vie.w : 6t the case which 'was endorsed by Mr Suttpn, ontfof the members for Napier. . After tlie' AT-rpfiSEr-G-ENEBAL had [spoken m defehcb of the action of his party, the Bx-PbemiE^i proceeded to give : his version of the affair, by^^hieh it appeared that the much-abused police were inlirely blameless, and the real culprit" Mr Grebrge McCullogh Reed; the -editor of Jthq i Dunedin " Daily Times," who hM accompanied Sir George Grey m the capacity of Special Reporter; After; somo^ hpura.had been wasted, andMessrs. Russell and,: Cabbington hadj contributed : their" quota ■'";: td the general Korero, it " became known that a deputation had at one timb waited, upont he Minister of Justice, asking, him to stay all further, proceedings, and thatthe requekt had been granted. Finally the poh'ce i report asked- for by the aggrieved member : was ordered to be produced. After -that matter bad be6n disposed of, Mr Barton floated again to the surface with -a request for a return showing the number of officers and warders employed respectively m; the gaols; ; of Wellington and Dunedin, ; with their riespective, terms of service- and respectivft salaries, their rp--Bpectivo hours of duty, and the average number of prisoners annually received into each prison. ; Also, for a; return of cpromotibns within the last two, years, of oflicers and warders from, inferior to| superior ;pr scions m the service/ In reply, the Miiustsr of Justicesaid he had iio objection to tho return being made fpr the. whole Colony.. Mr BowEN ask«d for the appointment of a select cpmmitt-ee to inquire into theiproseht state ;of the gaols m the- Colony, and improvements, necessary to onforco proper classificatibn. The motion was. agreed to, aß:jwas]-alao a : proposition made hj -ike. ' Attorney-General that the number -of the Waste Lands ConTOittee-; be^breqaed; . to : nineteen; 'niemberso The Mercantile Law ißill having been read a third "time and ip^ssed.i^the eitting- for the day concluded shortly after five o'clock. ; . ;■. - -

) Cpntrary to custonij . on Friday afternoon the Leoislativb Cottkcil had a more protracted sitting than tho Lower Chamber, notwithstanding which, very little was done of interest to the public. V

Firo was opened m the HotrSß of Eipiiß-" BENTATITES by the member for your District, who asked the Colonial Treasurer the ! amount Ipf salary drawn | by - eich ;Min ister since ■ ! tlTe accession to pfiiee;of : Sir George Grey, and the amount each Minister has received beyond his actual salary by Way bl house allowance, or travelling or other etpen?eß ; ; also the amount ' paid , by; each Minister iv occupation of' a ''Ministerial' resir'dejice for rent. A promise was given by^f r Ballanco, that the itifqrtnation? sipught^slipuld; bd.fbrthcbming, aftcrwhich Messrs. Stewnsy Wakefieltl, and Gibbs followed suit.; ■ the first ' inquiring of the Colonial Treasuer whether lie was prepared to inform tho House of the extent to which holders of consoHdfited stock have avuiled themselveg of tho provisions of " The New JZeftland Con iV Bbliflated Stock Act, 1877 ;" and, also, to wlmt extent the last loan-issue has been brought under the operation of that Act. Mr J3allance : replied m the affirmative, • whereupon the member for Geraldino, ■;becaiiio ihleresfcd;in the retierves adjacent to railways; Mr Gibbs made inquiries with ! wjjard tp the telegraph" from Motueka to Cbllihgwoqd ; and Mr Beeves,, wished to : know if it were iiiiended to amend- the Mining Com panics; Act-^or .if it were the intention of the Government to appoint; a Coinmis;sioner of Wnste Lands of the Kelson Soutli West; gold fields. To both questions a reI ply was received that (hey would be (alien :into. cpnsidera( ion. Tho Attdrney-GericrnJ next : explainf d somo of the provisions of Civil Serriee ATncndment IJill, 'staliiijf thai it was not the intention of t lie Government to destroy tliq tigliS of any one, but assort--. ;ing,tliat therewprano rights accruing since iß7£undpr 'the 18&& Act. Tliesame gohtleiimn m moving the seconding muling of the Fraudulent debtors' Bill explained I hfrfe'ite object wa* to consolidate and place m one Act the JiiW relating to the Bubject of fro adulen?; debt oi-3. So'Vno returns were i siedond; promised, and the House ad- • jon'uecl ali.e? a short sitting of ouc hour.