Parliamentary Gossip:

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 248, 17 October 1894, Page 2

Parliamentary Gossip:

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY

(by telboraph.—parliamentary re

PORTER.)

Wellington, this day. My last telegram of yesterday dealt with the Midland Railway Bill. To-day's Columns must perforce contain much o' that measure, around which flowed a weary debate. Taking up the stream of discourse where it was cut off yesterday, let ua hear what further the Premier has to say in *avuur of the Bill. He quotes the amounts out of loan money which have within the last ten years been spent) on the different provinces, to show1 how little comparatively has been spent in Canterbury. Then, ajrain, he contends that an extension of time should be conceded, as, if they do nob treat the Company fairly, it will be a bad thing for thecredib and honour of the colony. Litigation should be avoided, says be, and be concludes by saying that the presenb proposals will settle once and for all a difficult question. Those who support the Government in its self-reliant non-borrow-ing policy must support the Bill,1 ■''■■. Sir R. Stout characterises the Premier's speech as misleading. Then he goes into the history of the railway, endeavouring to prove as ho proceeds that the Company has had advantage after advantage and has picked out the eyea of the country. What it now demands is that the House should give it £618,250 in cash for the worthless land which remains, as well as to permit them to abandon the Nelson line altogether. In other words, the colony is asked to rai3e a loan of over £600,000 and give it to the Company to enable them to construct £1,000,000 worth of railway, and then the railway is to belong, not to the colony bub to the Company. He urges that the matter could be settled by arbitration. As to fcourisb traffic Sir Robert Stout has yet to learn, he says, that it requires a railway to the VVeeb Coast to develop it. It the Company are unable to fulfil their present contract, it will be time enough for the colony to say what course it should adopt. If tho land endowment which they are to receive for £618,250 is so valuable bs is claimed, why not set the land aside as an endowment for the making of the railway? He (Sir Robert) holds that £640,250 will certainly not be the whole amonnb the colony will be asked to pay. That will only be the beginning, and for that reason and others he urges the House not to assent to the Bill, which is a borrowing measure.

Mr Graham, of Nelson, follows with a eulogy of Sir Robert's speech, the most brilliant;, he says, that he bas listened to since the beginning of the session. Thab speech has surely convinced honourable members, if arguments can convince them, that the proposals set forth in the Bill should nob have bhe assenb of Parliament. He considers Sir Roberb's speech contrasts most favourably with the speech of the Premier, who, he thinks, evidently knew thab he was fighting a losing cause. Tbe latter's expression of great sympathy with Nelson Mr Graham scornfully refuses to accept. Nelson does not want sympathy, says he, but merely justice, common justice, which ib will not have under bhe Bill. Mr Graham protests against bhe original contract, which included Nelson, being cancelled, and declares that both the Premier and tbe'Minister for Lands promised before the election that the original contracb would be carried out.

Captain Russell contends thab it is all very well to speak of treating the Com-, pany fairly, bub ib is jusb as important and righb that the colony should be dealt with justly. He thinks the Premier is inclined to make too much of bhe interests of the Company, and too little of the interests of the taxpayers of the colony. The captain is on the side of Mr Graham, inasmuch thab he also does nob believe in Nelson being thrown overboard. Ib is nob fair that Nelson should be treated in that way. For his part, and in spite of all tbe Premier has said, he does nob see in what way the colony is to benefit by the alteration in the contracb which the House is asked to agree to. On the other hand it appears to him very unwise that the House should consent to payment by the colony of £21,830 a year, in order to benefit the Company.

The Minister for Education traverses the reasons adduced for and against tbe Bill by previous speakers, and comes to the conclusion thab tbe favourable reasons are good and sound. If the Bill is not agreed to, he says it will be hung up, and there will be an enormous amount of litigation, besides Canterbury will lose a great area of valuable land without getting the railway. He reminds the House that last year ib agreed to the terms asked by the present measure, and he hopes they Trill pause before breaking the agreement made lasb session to assist in construction of the line for which Canterbury has been waiting without complainb for twelve long years. Mr Buchanan raises a laugh by alluding in his opening speech bo Mr Reeves' speech as a resurrection address, and the laugh is redoubled when the Minister quickly retorts, "It has brought you up." After referring to the extravagance of the Yogel Government Mr Buchanan contends that the presenb Government has outVogelled Vogel as far as borrowing goes. In most respects Wairarapa's speech is Wairarapian, and, therefore, tedious, and ab one poinb the House is so empty that he has to stop for a few moments until the bell has been rung and a quorum obtained. From the Opposition benches Mr Bell rises to supporb the Bill, which he considers entails considerable sacrifice on tbe part of the Company, and means, as far as the colony is concerned, an extension of time for the fulfilment of contract.

Clutha Mackenzie takes exaatly the opposite view to Mr Bell, and goes strongly against the measure, while Hone Heke, a young disciple of Stoub, echoes the opinion •of the latter, that the measure is a borrowing one, and says he cannot supporb ib. Mr Allen also speakß against the proposals, and is interrupted by the dinner adjournment. When the House meets in the evening, several small matters are attended to before Mr Allen resumes the debate at the point where he left off. Dinner has in no wise lessened his antagonism to the Bill, and he attacks it boobh and claw. The contract, and nothing but the contract, is his motto.

Mr Bubton tells the House that his recollection of pleasant days spenb amid the fine scenery and kindly hearts of the West Coast would influence him to give his supporb to the Bill, and he came to the House this afternoon wibh the intention to supporb the Bill, simply because he was actuated by these sentimental considerations, bub, having listened to the arguments laid before the House, he has deliberately come to the conclusion thab he cannob give his vote in favour of it. To show that be has fully grasped these arguments, Mr Button goes into the provisions of the measure with lawyer-like exactness, and discusses them. Then he digresses slightly to take a review of the policy of the Government, which, he declares', with some heat and amid a little uproar, to have shaken the confidence of capitalists in the colony. > Resuming his examination of the Bill, he endeavours to show thab the Company is entitled to no consideration: whatever, and finally reiterates his intention to vote against ib.' The Minister for Lands* with warirjth, advocates the passage of the Bill. He'poinba

oub thab ibis the intention of the Government to get back land now locked up by the Company so as to open ib for settlement. Ib is in the interests of the colony that that land should be secured.

The member for Waimea (Mr Mills), faithful whip, is dead againsb.thejßill, while Mr Duthie says he will support the second reading. What he will do in its further stages, he does not say. Our ex-Mayor, Mr Crowbher, looks with no kindly eye on the proposals, while Dr. Newman thinks the course to pursue is nob to pass the measure this session, and for the Premier, during the recess to enter into negotiations with the Company to get them to clear out of New Zealand. He considers that this mislaid railway is the last to which the Government) should turn its attention. The firsb in his mind thab should be attended to is the North Island Main Trunk, and the second the Otago Central. That record breaker in vocalisation, Riccarton Russell, rises to tell us that he can only say a few words, as he is suffering from a severe cold. He talks for twenty-five minutes at a speed and with a loudnesa that makes one wonder what he might do if his organs of speech were unaffected. He declares very strongly in favour of the Bill.

Mr Guinness and .M> Pirani follow in the same vein, and ab twenty-five minutes to twelve the Premier rises.

He contends that ib is unjust to endeavour to withhold from Canterbury those advantages which the railway will confer on her. He askß those who are against the Bill and who say that Canterbury has been too well treated, to look at the Public Works Statement, and there they will see how small, in proportion to the amounts voted for the provinces of Auckland and Wellington, is the sum proposed to be spent in Canterbury. Coming to the contract, he-contends that the whole of the trouble with the Company has arieen from errors committed by the Stout-Vogel Government in drawing out the first contract, and with all his mighb the Premier burls argument" and accusation against the first-named member of that coalition Ministry for misrepresentation and onesidedness. The Company is not in a position, he says, to make the Nelson connection. If ib were he would be the laat to stand in the way, for he believes just as much as anyone in the House, or out of it, that wo are bound in honour to complete the railway to Nelson if it possibly can be done. On Nelson's member, Mr Graham, the wrath of Mr Seddon falls heavily for certain remarks thab gentleman made in his speech againsb the measure before the House. In conclusion, he asks that justice should be done, and thab the amended contract, «as proposed, should be carried out*. If our honour in tho eyes of the world is nob to be affected disadvantageously, we must carry ib oub. After Sir Roberb has rißen to explain that he had nothing to do with fche original contracb, and Mr Seddon has also made a personal explanation, the question of tha second reading is put by the Speaker, the boll rings and the House fills to take part in this important division. Members file into the righb and left. Ib is clear aba glance thab the "Noes" have ib, and when members have resumed their seats and the division lisb is read out, it is found the second reading is refused by no less a majority than six, 26 voting for the Bill and 32 against ib. The following is the division lisb :— ayes (26). Bud,do O'Regan Carroll Parata Collins Reeves % Guinness Russell, Gr W. ; Hutchison, G. Saunders Joyce ' Soddoa Mackintosh Smith, G. J. McKenzie, J. Stevens McLacblan Steward Meredith Tanner Mitchelson Ward Montgomery Noes (33). Allen Mackenzie, T. Buchanan Massey Bnick " McGuiro Button McNab Carncross Millar Carnell Mills Crbwther Morrison Earnshaw Newman Fraser Pinkerton Graham Pirani Hall-Jones Russell, W. R. Harris Smith, E. M. Heke Stout Hutchison, W. Te Ao Kelly, J. W. Thompson Lang Wilson * Pairs. Ayes. ■ Noes. Cadman Green Duthie Maslin WiPere Lawry The House immediately adjourns- at the comparatively early hour of 12.10 a.m. CRIMINAL CODE BILL. A conference between the two Houses over the amendments in the Criminal Code Bill has proved resulbless, there being ho prospect of a compromise when the meebing broke up. MAGISTRATES. The Hon. McGregor moved in Council yesterday, relative to the tenure of office of District Courb Judges and Stipendiary Magistrates, whom he wished to be independent of the Executive of the day. In the debate which ensued, the Hon. Stewart approved of the motion, especially as bo Districb Courb Judges, whose work he said was in excess of that of Supreme Courb Judges, and he expressed the opinion that bobh Stipendiary Magisbrabes and Districb Courb Judges were more important than higher judged. Hon. Kerr contended that the motion was a reflection on the previous independence of these officers. Sir P. Buckley denied thab the Government ever interfered with the course of justice. Unfortunately, however, many magistrates were oub of date and he wished as soon as possible to replace them with trained lawyers and do away with District Courb Judges. Sir George .Whitmore said that there were many able magistrates who bad nob been trained as lawyers, and as to political influence, he said there was a notorious instance of ib under a previous Government, and he had known of others during a long course of years. After Mr Feldwick bad moved the previous question, which was lost, the motion was put and carried by 25 bo 8. RAILWAYS AUTHORISATION BILL. This is a short, special measure, empowering extension of the Whangarei-Kamo extension line from the termination of the line in the parish of Hikurangi to a point to be determined by the Governor in block 11, Hukerenui survey district, and of the Helensville northwards line for four miles— that is, to a point nine miles northwards of Kaukapakapa. MASTERS AND APPRENTICES BILL. The Labour Bills Committee has reported thab ib has taken a considerable amount of evidence upon the Masters and Apprentices Bill, and recommends that, owing to want of time to deal with so importanb a measure this session, the evidence taken be printed and circulated among employers and labourers' unions, with a view to obtaining an expression of opinion on the matter, to that the Bill may be considered as early as possible next session. JOTTINGS. In the Council yesterday tha Stamp Acts Amendment, Works Supply Act Amendment, Abattoirs and Slaughterhouses, Public Works and Dairy Industry Bills went through Committee and passed. The Trustees Act Amendment Bill was reserved for third reading till next day, ;.-*.■■

Mr Harris yesterday presented a petition from Mary Ann Dean, of Rangiriri, praying for relief in connection with the death of her husband, who was killed on the Waikato railway last year. . "I don't trust anybody in this House. I know bebter," says Dr. Newman.