With regard to the country, the only law there was club law, and if that was found to act well it was a reason for legal izing it, and not allowing a thing which was beneficial to the community to be con trary to the law. With respect to Maori dogs, also, that objeciion could be discussed in committee, and in the towns he believed the Maoris must be liable if the bill was to be put in operation at all. It was only on Saturday last -that that he and the Attorney General were accosted by a gentleman who had lost several sheep by dogs, and who charged them (the Colonial Secretary and the Attorney General) with great dereliction of duty in not putting a stop to the nui sance. With regard to the objection to internal taxation, this could only be consi dered in the light of a penalty, as it was not for the purpose of raising money but of abating a nuisance. He hoped the bill would go through the second reading and it could then be discussed in committee Mr. Ludlam thought it would be well if the bill was subject to the same restrictions as the road bill, that, at the request of a majority of Magistrates, it could be put in force, but not otherwise. He considered the loss caused by Maori dogs to be enor mous, and he thought the Government could do a great deal to abate the nuisance by re presenting to the Maories the damage which was caused by their keeping so many dogs. - The Lieutenant-Governor said that with regard to the taxation ofmaori'dogs, he was bound to state that the Government could not, and would not, sanction it. He would remind the Council that the recent insurrec tion in Ceylon arose from the imposition of a, dog tax, and he thought such a tax on Mauri dogs would be very objectionable heie, where the Maories had been accus tomed to .keep several dogs for so many years. -.-,-, - Mr. Moore said that with regard to what his Excellency had said respecting Maori dogs, he thought such an exemption would render the bill almost useless. 