ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT,

Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 22, 25 July 1885, Page 2

ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT,

- - .». LEGISLATIVE COUXOIL The Colonial Socrotary informed Captain Frazer that Government possessed no information regarding a supposed misuse of a free pass issued to a member of the New Zealand legislature for use on the Austratrahan railways. It was Btated that the Government did not intend to amend tho Pabho Trustees Act this Bession, and that the annual report of the Government Printing Office would be presented on Tuesday. Several motions for returns were agreed to, amonßst them being one asked for by Mr. Brandon of the number of applications for Crown grants of land within tho Provincial District of Wellington for which grants have not yet been issued j the numbers of the sections or parts of section, and districts wherein situated, for grants of which euoh application were made, and the dates of such applications. Leave of absence for a week was granted to the Hon. Mr. Walker «"><* the Gaming and Lotteries Aot Amendment Bill was read a third time and passed, as were also tho West Coast Settlements Bil of d the Industrial Schools Bill. The Criminal Code Bui was considered in Committee, and reported with amendments. The Import Supply Bill JSio. 2 was passed through allits Btages. The Council rose at 4.45 p.m. HOUSE OP KEPRESENTATIVES. In the house, yesterday afternoon, it waa reßolved that on all future Wednesdays oaring the session, Government business should take preoedenoe, and that the Houbo should sit next Monday, at 7.30, when private business shonld take preoedenoe. Mr. Stout moved the following motion without remark, and it was oarried without debate- That a Select Committee bo appointed to consider tho petition froraßettlera a « I^SS lB^ of Fiii « and the general position of the Western Paeifio Islands in their relation to New Zealand. Such Committee to oonsist of Hon. Major Atkinson, Mr. Fitzherbert, Mr. Garriok, Sir George Grey, Mr. Leveßtam, Mr. Macandrew, Mr. Moss, Mr. Ormond, Maior Steward, and Hon. Sir J. Vogel ; three to form a quorum, and to re£?i * m silS,V reekB -" A n Imprest Supply Bill for .£3Q0,000 was passed through all ite Btages on the motion of the Treasurer Major Atkinson asked what the amount of . r^bho works expenditure was per month for SS 0 *™.8?. 8 ? months - 2 ho Treasurer said that if the hon. gentleman would give notice of his question, he would be very happy to < answer it. Mr. Stout mentioned that last month the expenditure had been .£75,000, and tluß month it would amount to .£lOO,OOO. The House then went into Committee to consider the proposal to negotiate a fresh San Francisco mail service, at a ooßt of not 80000* 1 ? 80 ' 000^ annnm * The Treasurer field that the servioe had been a remarkably successful one, and there should not be opposition to it. There was no mail servioe they could adopt that would be more efficient or useful, and as to the cost, it was a mere bagatelle. It was a very great advantage to < a large part of the colony from Taranaki to Auokland. Auokland had made very great . progress, and when the Panama Canal was i amshed it would make still greater progress. • He quoted statistics to show the advanoement Auokland had made during the past < ten years, and said surely some consideration } Bhould be given to the fact that it was inooin- { parably the best of the two services. He ' questioned whether it was desirable to get ( ?i_°. ,, c Fris °o boats in order to run a ] ortnightly aervioe by the direot route. If the insco service waß out of the way, there would be the ohanoe of a slower servioe, as Shaw, Savill & Co. were adverse to the pre- , sent rate of speed, and we should be thrown ' baok upon the Brindisi service. He had not muoh hope of getting a subsidy from the United btates. It would be an enormouß pity to deprive the colony of this service + and a gross injustice to Auokland and Tara' naki especially, as well as to the colony as a ? whole. There was another point to bo oon- l sidered. Should war break out, this eervico would be of the greatest value. Mr. Lovestarn moved, as an amendment, that the whole question of the mail servioe be referred to a joleot Committee to report thereon. The Chairman ruled the amendment out of order, no notice having been given. Mr. Sutter said it was dear that the servioe was only for Auokland, and there could be no other object in oarrying it on. He moved, in ao11 ? revi ° U9 .notice, that the C £30,000 be struck out, with the view of inserting the following scale of remuneration —viz., The Postmaster-General will pay to the contracting party at the following rates • Lotters, 12s per lb ; packets, Is per lb : newspapers, 6d per lb." Mr. Levestam moved that Progress be reported. Mr. Macandrew held that the subsidy was too high, and if they paid it at all it ought to be paid to the direct service. He hoped the Government d< would agree to report progress, in order that « the matter might be referred to a Select v>. Committee. Major Atkinson strongly sup- ° ported the Government proposals, agreeing m mth the remarks of the Treasurer on the °J suoject. Mr. Downio Stewart opposed the. ~. niotjcNf-dft-cne 'gtoWt tH'-BTOnomy! and Messrs. Moss and Hnrst spoke strongly lH J?T. fa £ our . of the Bervio ° beiu * renewed. e i premier Baid the Question was really c- whether tho Government should start another ie direct aervioe or continue the 'Frisco Bcrvioe, m and he did not think that any real gain would se accrue to the oolony by the abolition of the >n 'Frisco route. Mr. Hursthouae admitted o. that the mail service by 'Frisco had been a Q- success, but held that as a passenger service >g it was not an unqualified bucoqsb, while as a is mercantile service it was an absolute failure. >y The direot line offered enormous advantages for passengers, and for merchandise, and ie New Zealand had better concentrate all her ie energies to keep that line going. On the 4 1 Committeo resuming at 7.30 progress was rein ported, in order to enable the Minister of i s Mines to deliver his Mines Statement (a B> Bummary of whioh will be found in another part of this issue). The speech occupied ;5 an hour and a quarter in delivery, and ir when it was conoluded the House again „1 went into Committee on the San Franoisco ;„ mail resolutions. Mr. Pyke said tho subsidy proposed to ba given would be better expended upon the diroot service. Amorica >t would give nothing, and all we imported c from there waa a few tine of salmon, a few o brooms, and some Governmental bananas ■ from tho Sandwich Islands. He indicated 0 an amendment which he intended to propose, ,j yzz , that the subsidy be continued providing x A , me , noa contributed not less than one-third of the cost. This ho thought would meet g the viewa of both sides of the Houbo. Mr. Levestam again moved to report progress with a view rf referring the whole question i- to a committee. Sir George Grey argued •- that there was a probability of the mail sergr vice becoming absolutely profitable in a c short time. The servioo united us with the Sandwich Islands, and, further, it was the B meanß of bringing to this country a yearly f increasing number of tourists, whose manners, habits, and intellectual development must have a beneficial effect upon tne in- ;• habitants, while at the same time those • tourists were the means of money being circulated in the oolony. There waß atao the advantage of oolonists having an opportunity of mixing with 50 millions of s people Bpeaking their own tongue, and he - felt that if he were a wealthy man, h» would - pay the difference himselt. in order to pro- • v i d ? a meanBm ean8 of mixing with this great mass . of English-speaking people. It seemed in1 oredible that for the sake of .£2OOO that ■ line of traffic should be closed. The greatest loss would be .£3OOO, and he believed that I m/Tn in tnr -f? yeara there wonld be a profit of AlOOO. Mr. Peaoook having spoken in favour of the servioe, Mr. Holmes went in the other direotdon, and tried to show that , the service was of little or no commercial : value. The Treasurer, Sir Julius Vogel, > exulting in ths exuberance of their fa £? 19 y had aaked tho Committee to vote to bring to New Zealand what? A few bogtrottera to improve the morals, manners, and intellect of the people. He wished to know why we should spend ,£30,000 tor that purpose when we had c - suoh bright speoimenß of intellect in our midst as the Hon. the Colonial Treasnrer and the hon. member for Auokland City Eaßt." He quoted statistioß to prove that the commeroial value of the servioe was a small and diminishing one. Mr. Turnbull regretted that the question had been dealt with from a narrow provincial point of view. He waa in favour of the subject being referred to a Committee. Sir Julius Vogel, after criti- ', owing the variouß speeches, stated that when i the contract was entered into for the 'Frieco i mail it was understood that it would be conturned, and it would be very muoh like a breach of faith to discontinue the service i now. Mr. Buohanan spoke against the subsidy, and Captain Bussell spoke in ' favour of the continuanoe of the aer- y vice, going so far as io Bay that it ahould even be made a 35-day Bervice in i ffy new contract. Mr. Fisher said while J the Treasurer had urged the Committee Hot « to take a local view of the question he had J himself dealt with it from a purely looal standpoint, referring only to Auokland. As , to what had been said of the tourist traffic ; ho pointed out that the 'Frisco boats last , yearhadonlybrought27opeoplehere. Sydney ' was the only port which advantaged by the ° service. Tho Trisoo aervioe was only quicker ' by 2* days in reaching the colony, beoauso it touched at Auokland first, but by the time it reached the Southern ports it would be extended beyond the 2J dayß. Nothing whatever was paid for the direct service. Mr. Montgomery thought both services should be maintained, but the duration of the renewed contract should not be longer than for three yeara. He would support the renewal for that period at a coat of £25,000 F per annnm. »r. Newman thonght we paid h too much for our mail servioe. We ahould li not pay moro than the contract p: should not ba for more than threo years, and w we should get other oonntriea who benefited ft by the Bervice to assist us in the ex- gi penditura. Several other members having A spoken for and against the proposals, tl the question for reporting progress was put ai and lost by 53 to 16. Mr. Montgomery then n< moved that three years ahould be substituted m for live years, and this was carried on the m voices. Mr. Suttone amendment waß next in putandlostby43to3l. Mr. Pyke'a amend- a] ment was then put, viz , that the granting of la the renewal should be conditional npon the Aj United States contributing ono-third, or not St less than jeiO.ooo per annum, to the coat at

This motion was lost by 50 to 24. A further motion, to the offset that tenders phonld bo palled foi. Negatived upoji ihp- voices, iho jwo'iKiozi hm ftmcukJ xvau sifrtvoil to without division nnd reported to the House The House then adjoumod.