Mr Stewart's Evidence Amendment Bill provides that a priest shall not be required to divulge any information received by him under the seal of the confessional, or be liable to be committed Jfor contempt for re fusing to do so. It also provides that a wife may give evidence in favor of her husband or a person on his own behalf. Mr Fyke's Party Processions BUI makes it a mis demeanor for persons to meet aid parade in procession for the purpose of celebrating any festival or anmveßary connected with ''religious or other dutmc_on or differences." Justices of the Peace are empowered to in stantly disperse suoh gatherings by repeating the following:—"Our Sovereign Lady the Queen charges and commands all persons being here assembled to disperse themselves, and peaceably to depart to their own homes. God save the Queen?' And that any person refusing to disperse shall be liable to a penalty of -60 or imprisonment not exceeding three

I months. The Pharmacy Bill is promoted by I the chemists and druggists of New Zealand aa a protection for the publio against the danger which necessarily attends such a business if carried oh by incompetent persons. Mr Sutton has given -notice that on the 23rd inst. he will move thai; subsidies to local bodies be paid at «_te usual rate for tho next half year, in view of the proposals of the Government to provide other revenues whioh, in the present state of the law, cannot be available before July, 1881. Reeves* annual motion relative to the imposition of a tax upon imported coals will come up for discussion in a slightly different form next Thursday, when he is to move that " Taking into consideration the present state of the Treasury, and for revenue purposes, it is, in the opinion of this House, desirable that an import duty should be imposed on all coals coming into the colony." The rate of the pro posed tax is not mentioned, but I presume it will be the same 5s per ton as on former occa- J sione.
