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LEGTSLATrVE OOTTW!TT,.
Tuesday, July 15.
The President took the Chair at 2 o'clock.
ABORIGINES" STATION", POINT McLEAY.
Sir. ANUAS, if not out of order, would be glad
to obtain some information from the Hon. the
Chief Secretary with respect to the vote for the
aborigines' station at Point McLeay. He under
stood that an amount had been placed on the
Estimates for that purpose, but his question was
this:—"Was it a fact that the Government pro
posed to appropriate the amount only on the con
dition that an equal sum was collected for the
station from the public, or was the vote to be con
sidered as wholly unconditional ?''
The CHIEF SECRETARY would be obliged to
the hon. member if he would give formal notice of
his intention to ask the question. The amount
was on the Estimates, but he was not then pre
pared to say whether or not it was conditional.
Mr. ANGAS gave notice accordingly.
MINISTERIAL EXPLANATION.
The CHIEF SECRETARY said, before the
business on the Notice-paper was proceeded with,
there was a little statement which no doubt the
House expected from him, and which he wished to
make, with regard to what had transpired since
the last meeting of the Council. It would be within
the knowledge of lion, members that on Friday
last the.Ministry were placed in a very embarrass
ing position in consequence of the action of the
House of Assembly in regard to a series of resolu
tions hating reference to the sending of delegates
to Victoria. Seeing that the Ministry of this
colony were the lirst to propose a conference
of delegates of the several Australian Colonics,
they felt that their Ministerial character was to a
great extent involved in the vote of the House, and
feeling themselves placed thereby in an embarrass
ing position, it was determined by them to place ;
tlieir resignation in the hands of His Excellency the
Governor-in-Chief. Tliey were net satisfied that
the vote of the House of Assembly was the result
of a predetermination to embarrass the Govern
ment, and they therefore advised His Excellency
that if after enquiry he ascertained that the vote
was intentional, His Excellency would have no
difficulty in forming a new Ministry; but if not,
the existing Ministry would lie prepared to resume
office. In consequence of this His Excellency
placed himself in communication with the hon.
memlier for the Burra (Mr. Kingston), who had
taken an active part in the debate on the resolu
tions, but that lion, member declined talnng any
steps in the matter. After the conversation with
Mr. Kingston, His Excellency was pleased to send
for the hon. member for the Port (Mr. Hart), who,
thereupon placed himself in communication with
various other members of the House of Assembly,
and then with the Ministry, to whom he expressed
his decided opinion that a large number of the
members of the House bad no desire to bring
about any change in the Administration, and that
there had been ho combination for that purpose in
regard to the vote of the House. "\Yith this assu
rance the Ministry felt that without any sacrifice
of tlieir Ministerial character or reputation they
could resume office, and they were accordingly pre- :
pared to do so, particularly as there would be
another opportunity of ascertaining whether or
not there was any desire on the part of the House
of Assembly to support the proposals of the
Ministry to send delegates to the neighbouring
colony. He might further state that lie had that day
received a telegram from the Chief Secretary of
Victoria upon the subject, which showed how
anxious the Government of that colony was that
the conference should he held. He trusted, there
fore, that the motion to which he had referred
would be carried, so as to authorize the Govern
ment to send the delegates to Victoria as proposed.
TRUSTEES' AND MORTGAGEES' POWERS
BILL.
A message from the House of Assembly was
received and read, stating that the amendments of
the Legislative Council in this Bill had been
agreed to.
AUCTIONEERS BILL.
This Bill was received by message from the
House of Assembly, and read a lirst time. The
second reading was fixed for the following
Tuesday.
ELECTORAL LAW ACT.
Mr. HALL asked if it was intended to gazette
the Electoral Law Act.
The CHIEF SECRETARY replied that the
Ministry would advise His Excellency to issue a
proclamation on the subject, which would pro
bably appear in the next Government Gazette.
Air. SOLOMON remarked that the new Electoral
Act, when brought into operation, would deprive
the City of Adelaide oE two of its present mem
bers. Had the hon. member considered this
difficulty.
The CHIEF SECRETARY—If the hon. member
would look into the Act he would see that pro
vision was made to meet the difficulty to which lie
had referred.
FIRE BRIGADE BILL.
in Committee.
Mr. AYBKS directed the attention of the Council
to the printed copy of the amended clause which
he propo cd to substitute for the original of clause
5. The amended clause embodied the suggestions
which lion, members made when the BBl was last
iu Committee.
Mr. If aTT, said lie had gone through the new
clause, and he took the same objections to it as he
had done to the original clause. He did not see
any necessity for making a distinction between
insured and uninsured property. It was intended
that the owners in ail casejkhould pay alike for
the expenses of the brigade in protecting their
property, and therefore there need not lie any
special references to uninsured property iu the Bill.
The Bill was a species of novel legislation. There
was nothing like it in the whole world that he was
aware of; at any rate it was unknown in London
and Liverpool. He, however, quite approved
of it, for it was based upon equity. But he
thought that it might mislead some persons who
had not heard the explanations of the Hon. Mr.
Ayers, by leading them to suppose that the Bill
would throw all the expenses of the brigade upon
the owners of uninsured pmuertv. Such, how
ever, was not the case, lr the property was
insured the owners would have a claim upon the
underwriters, and if it was not they would be
themselves liable. In either case the charges
would be the same, and the distinction need not
he made in the Bill. The lion, member then sug
gested an amendment of the clause to meet the
views he had expressed.
Mr. SOLOMON did not think the word
"uninsured"' would lead persons to come to the
conclusion which the Hon. Mr. Hall supposed.
The new clause entirely got rid of the objection
to the former one by the use of the words "insurer
and insure.!,"' and lie thought that there was no
probability of its being misunderstood, but that it
was as plain as it could be made. He also thought
the amended clause provided a very just and
equitable means for the payment of the expenses
of the brigade.
Mr. BAIUiOYT remarked that it might happen
that ail uninsured house with all its contents was
burned down whilst the adjoining property was
saved. Would the owner have to nay a portion of
the expenses of the brigade in sucli a case? If so
it appeared to be a great hardship.
Mr. l'EACOClx did not- see any hardship in such
a case. The owner undertook to he his own
iusurer, and should not be specially exempted from
paying his full share of the expenses. If this
exemption were to he allowed it would he a pre
mium to persons not to insure the;.- property.
Mr. SOLOMON—According to the spirit of the
Bill there were 110 insured houses. The owner had
a right to take the risks upon his property if lie
did not insure; for he became his own under
writer, and was supposed to put by a sufficient
insurance fund to meet contingencies.
ML HALL remarked that the Hon. Mr. Solomon
had shown the reasonableness of his (Mr. Hall's)
own suggestion, namely, that there was no
necessity for any distinction being made between
insured and uninsured pioperty in the clause.
Mr. FOBSTEB was of the same opinion. The
intention of the present clause was not to charge
uninsured properly only with the expenses con
nected with the brigade, but that all property
should pay equally its share. It was perfectly
certain that this was the intention of the hon.
gentleman who had prepared the amended clause,
and lie thought that lion, member wgu'k? not
object to adopt the further amendment which ha/1
been proposed, as the efect would fee to repJot
the clause less -ambiguous.
Mr. A^itul he I ii ) o ijoiiii ):!. The original
intention of the ck'-u ;e was to protect the Insu
rance Companies bom hemp liable to pay the
expenses of the brigade in protecting uninsured
property.
The original clause was then agreed to be struck
out, with the exception of the fiist two lines, and
the amended clause in a modified form was added
thereto and passed.
The preamble was verbally amended and passed,
and the Bill was brought up and adopted. The
third reading was made an Order of the Day for
tiie following day.
MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS AC! AMEND
MENT BILL.
In Committee.
Tiie CHIEF SECRETARY remarked that clause
1 had been postponed for some verbal amend
ments. He then moved several such amendments,
which were agreed to.
The schedules and the preamble were passed
with some slight amendments.
The House then resumed, and the report was i
brought up and adopted. The third reading was
fixed for the following Tuesdav.
ADJOURNMENT.
Mr. AYERS remarked that there was not much
business ou the Notice-paper for the following day.
He therefore moved that the Council adjourn to
the following Tuesday.
This was seconded by Mr. BARROW, and
carried.
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