PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 179, 31 July 1896, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY GOSSIP.

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY

(IT JJBI*6BA?S.— fk^UMimTAKX «' rOBIER,)

Wkllingiw, Thursday. THE NOCONFIDENCB DEBATE.

The preliminary business in the House is disposed of in a few minutes, and the no-, confidence debate i» reamed by Mr George Russell, who, in opening, denies absolutely that be bed asked the Leader of bhe Opposition te table a wot-ou of noconfidwee. Going into the finapcea of the colony he ahowa thab there is undoubedJy • neb surplus of £130,000. He exceedingly regrets that some years ago ib was decided fcbftb the sinking fanda should be brought into revenue. * Since 1891, he calculates, no less than £779,5(51 has been added to the revenne from thia eource, while indirect taxation to the amount of over half a million haa been extracted from the workers. The amount of direcl= taxatiob shown a deqreaee of £379,000. Referring to the administration of the Landa Department, he polnta out thab the amount received aa territorial revenue in 1895 was Sees than thab received in 1888, when one million acres lees were disposed of. Speaking of railway administration, he says that no remissions have been made on the freight of frozen, meab, which industry in hia opinion has saved the colony on more than one occasion. Ho gives a detailed statement of the colony a public debt, and tbe different rates of interest charged, and advises thab bhe Government efiicera in London Bhould be empowered when bhe value of the colony's securities fall to purchase auch. He contenda that the Advances to Setblera Acb has reduced tha rate of interest His opinion aa to the desirability of making the Bank of New Zealand a State Bank baa undergone a change, and he tfajnka the best thing wou d be for the colony to sell oub its interest in the concern. _._..__ -Mr Willis gives a general support to the Government though he indicates thab he is opposed to the old age pension scheme and several other of their proposals. Mr Eraser deals at length with the Government's dealings with local bodiea sinking funds, which he says is the key. note of the presentdebabe. Major Steward, who briefly defends the new standing orders, supports the Government's administration except in respect to the seizure of sinking funds. Mr Geo. Hutchison continues to debate in the pvenipg to sparsely filled galleries. Capb. Raseell'a motion in hia opinion is a most excellent one and pontains a declaration of the Opposition policy. The Government-, actions respecting the local bodies sinking funda he deals with in a few cauatic remarks, disapproving of those actions. He contenda that without further borrowing tbe Government haa sufficient fanda to carry on public wprka. The surplus on last year's accounts waa £250,000, aa stated in the Budget, and be is of opinion that the presenb year's revenue has been under estimated by £100,000, which gives the sum of £350,000 available for public works. There ia, he says, a aqapicifiua sound About tbe Budget proposals as to borrowing for roada on goldfields, and to open up the eeenie wonders of the colony. Such works should be left to the local bodies. Last session's tariff, he contends, presses be.jv.iy on the class least able to bear it, and bore the impress of tbo finger of tho middleman and the thumb of tbe monopolist. He hopes that the next Parliamebt will demand an alteration ot the tariff in bhe direction of exempting from dpties. all artjgles peoeesary for clothing and feeding the people, He conclndea a forty minutea speech Of declaring 'b&b H the Government ami judged oo their own deeds be has little. d»nbt that tbty will be defeated-

MR WARP SPEAKS. Mr J> Q. Ward, who rises next, ia greeted with hearty applause, He compares Mr Hufcohison'a «pwch toHemlov'p "Olilquy over Ophelia's grave, bub he gives him credit for it» dispassionate tone as to increase of the public debt, be detail" the purposes for which tb§ presenb Government had raisod BIBUM, and points out that of the amounb rsjiied only was interest payable by the company, which at 3_ per cent, means an annual interest charge of £.IQ,£OO, or 3|d per head of the population. The sjoMng funds eJ local bodies have not, he emphatically declares, been seized by the Government, and the money is still in tbe bgpds ef the public trustee. It is true that debentures bave been issued against them, bub, according to the evidence of tho Controller and Auditor • General, it is not unusual jfor jequri.V against which debentures have been issued nob being used to redeem. fcheno when febey mature. Ha noiets out tbub tbe Atkinson Government failed to provide £16.100 for sinking funds, and tbe Ballance Government bad'nob provided £20.020 for the same purpose, Since. 1891 the Beddoo Governwent. Nil provided £47,819 for sinking funds. Though previous Governments had not complied with tha law, no member of the House bad questioned the mfMer. Ho advocated tbe payment of sinking fund, to lenders nnd thus tbe io«n would be gradually repaid. As to the Customs tariff. b9 Stl-WB that £2,000 less haa been collected under the presenb tariff. Ho dfc._i-.da tbe piopo«ais of the Budget as to raining money fur different, purposes and be concludes by stating that the Government under the adminsbr&tior. of which the population bad increased will be found to have'the confidence of tbe people ab tbe next elections.

QTHEB SPEAKERS,

Mr Montgomery epeake. in no undecided toaea respecting the Governmenb'e dealing with the sinking fund, of which he disapproves. He defends the general policy ef the Government, though pot agreeing with the details of their administration, but speaking generally he coys fcb»b the administration has nob been so bad as the Opposition have made oub, Mr Allen does not approve of tbe Government proposals respecting assistance to fche goldfields. Mr McGuire speaks fco empty benches and galleries. He deals mosbly with the grievance of bbc New Plymouth Harbour Board bondholders. The debate was adjourned on the motion pf Mr McNab, and the House rose at 12.40 •_n_ OPPOSITION TACTICS.

Itia said that the Hon. Mitohelson by no means approves of the latest tactics of tho Leader of tho Opposition, and thinks that he has lent a too willing ear to the representationa of bis followers. Captain Russell himself, It is eald, has confessed to Certain Ministerialists who shall be nameless, that he it thoroughly sick already of the position into which he has been reluctantly forced by the demands of his followers. He has not the remotest hope ef escaping a crushing defeat when tho division ia taken on hia motion. A few sanguine members of the Opposition believe that the result of Captain Russell's motion will be to detach members of the Left Wing from, the Government ranks under the pretence of forming an independent party, and the Oppoai-. iioniets have, by artful flattery ant. ,-inning appeals, baited tbe trap. So for their success has been small.

THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

A number of new bills recently passed by the House of Representatives .were introduced and read a first time in the Legislative Council to-day. The Minister of Education referred to the no-confidenco debate new proceeding in the House of Representatives, and said it war unusual

under auch circumstances for the Council to continue its sittings. He moved that the Council on rising adjourn until Tuesday next. Tbia waa agreed to. Dr. Grace waa appointed a member of the Library Committee in place of the Hon. R. Pharazyn, deceased, On bhe motion of the Hon. Mr Stevena, the Council proceeded to elect by ballob a member of tbe Banking Committee in the room of the late Hon. R. Pharazyw. The ballob resulted in the election of tho Hon. Mr Bolb. . The Council then adjourned until Tuesday. The Hon, Geo. Jonea gave notice in Legislative Council thab on the.nexb Bitting day be would aak whether the Bank of New Zealand waa in a sufficiently solvenb poaitidn when ib established ita pension fund to ahow auch liberality towards ita employees, and whether any retired officers of theßank are now in receipt of the pension. The aame hon, member also gavo notice to ask what pay the telephone girls receive, and what boura they work.

THB FACTORIES ACT,

The Factories Acb Amendment Bill proposes to enacb that in order to check the sweating evil, ib aball nob bo lawful for any perßon who has work from a factory to do at home bo aub-leb it, or to do it on any bub hia own premises. For breaches of these provisions a fine not exceeding £10 may be inflicted, and if any owner of a factory knowingly permits work to be sublet he will be liable to a fine not exceeding £SQ. The Bill also proposes to provide, in order to prevent the spreading ot disease by infection or contagion that ib will be unlawful to manufacture gooda in any factory, workroom, or dwelling • house whero a person suffering from an infectious or contagions disorder resides or has resided for the previous fourteen daya. A penalty not exceeding £10 is provided for'breachea of this clause, lb ia aleo proposed to prohibit faobory employees doing work elsewhere than in the factory, and the occupier ja liablo to a fine not exceeding £10, and tho porson dome work to a fine not exceeding £5 for permitting or doing such. Jo is also proposed to romove the restriction to working during meal houre.

SPECULATING IN WATER RIGHTS

Mr McQowan is asking the Minister of Minos if he is aware that valuable water rights aro taken up in the goldtiolds, and held for sale or speculative purposes only, apd if so, will he frame and have issued such regulations as will effectually prevent such practice being continued ?

ABBATOIRS,

The Premier'a Bill to amend tho Slaughterhouse Acb, provides that, in any proceeding against any person for permitting drainage to flow from any abbatojrs or slaughterhouses into any stream running through abbaboira, it shall be sufficient defence, if he satisfies the Court that the stream is nob thereby polluted. Section 5 ot the Act of 1895, is to be read subject to this provision.

LAND REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE.

Tbo land revenue collected in the Auckland provincial district during tho past year was £24,799, an increase over tbe previous year of £1,309. The mileage of district roada constructed and maintained in Auckland was 876 miles, and tho expenditure thereon £61,576. The total expenditure on main roads throughout the oolooy waa £246.893.

JOTTINGS.

The Minister for Land's Fair Rent Bill ia the same measure he introduced lasb session.

It is expected that the no*conh'donce debate will be concluded on Friday nighb or early on Saturday morning. Less sanguine individuals Bay it will continue till next week. The speeches, with the exception of thooe of the Premier, Mr Ward and Mr G, VY. Russell, have been of a rnediocro nature end have been characterised by an absence of anything new or startling.