HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Press, Volume XLVII, Issue 7611, 23 July 1890, Page 6

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Tuesday, July 22. AFTERNOON SITTING. She House met at 2.30 p.m. I . LEAVE OF ABSENCE. Leave of absence for a week was granted to Mr Valentine On account of illness in hiS j family. /.A . * THE TIMARU SEAT. Mr Mitchelson moved that a writ be issued for the election of a member for Timaru in the place of the late Mr R. TurnbuU. ' appointment of librarian. Replying to Mr Saunders, Mr Hislop said he did not wish to interfere with the appointment of 'librarian as recommended by the Library Committee, as by a resolution passed by the, House it was decided that such appointments should rest with the Committee Itself. The Government" had no functions in the matter except to put a sum on the Estimates. He promised to inform the Committee that such a proposal had been made to the Government. He assured them it was generally conceded that a librarian was required for the parliamentary library. ORDER OF BUSINESS. Mr Mitchelson moved the postponement of the questions till next day in order that the Labor Bills might be proceeded with. Agreed to. new bills. : The foUowing Bills were introduced:— 1, Mining BUI; 2, RaUways Authorisation BUI; 3, Electoral Act Amendment BUl; 4, Local Bodies Accounts and Audit BUL BAILWAY EXTENSION. Mr Fergus explained that the RaUways Authorisation BiU referred to the extension of the raUway to Te Aro, Wellington, and the extension of the Helensville railway. The House had already voted the money for the latter line and it was not proposed to ask foi any further appropriait. The BiU also provided tor a small siding at WingatuL - ; Mr Fish protested against any extension of the Te AroUne as being unnecessary, and said he should give it his most determined opposition at every stage. He considered ie was palpably a political job tor the coming elections. Mr _'erg_7S asked the House to wait for the second reading of the BiU beforet discussing its merits. He denied that the BiU was of such a nature as described by Mr Fish.

After further discussion, Mr Reeves (St. Albans) hoped the House would not waste further time over this BUI at the present stage, as that afternoon had heen set apart for the consideration of the very important labor,BiUs now before the House.

Mr Menteath pointed out that the Wellington people asked for no concession or land grant from the Government for the Te Aro Railway. They simply asked for power to purchase two acres of land at the price asked by the Corporation. The House could not have a better guarantee than that private persons were willing to construct the work without any concession of land or money. Mr Fish moved that progress be reported. . Mr Fisher spoke at some length on the whole question of the Te Aro extension, and said the Wellington Corporation had asked successive Governments to assist them, but without avail. Mr Fergus had told them that __-*<_> was to be given by the Government to the extension of this railway, but he would ask whether other members were to get a similar offer He -would teU the Government, as a Wellington member, that he refused to vote for the BUI as long as it was coupled with such other extensions as were contained in it. He was quite prepared to bear all the brunt before his constituents of voting against this BUI as it at present stood. Mr Samuel twitted Mr Fisher for posing before the House as the only man that had been moving for so many years to get this Te Aro extension. He also blamed the Government for not having more backbone in resisting the deputations; that had waited on them in reference co this matter, and said the colony could not afford to spend money on works of this description. Several other members supported the motion to report progress, and contended that the Te Aro extension was not required. Mr Menteath pointed out that the Manawatu Company and another private company were wiUing to construct tbis line on the condition that they were aUowed to acquire the reclamation, and they would be prepared to aUow the colony to take it back when it was found convenient to do so. They asked simply to be allowed to do the work themselves, and wouid undertake to hand back the reclamation when the Government were in a position to purchase it. Mr Mitchelson hoped the members would aUow the vote to be taken.

Mr Fisher objected to any portion of this valuable endowment being handed over to a body of speculators who would sell it back to the Government at an advance of 300 per cent. Mr Richardson (Kaiapoi) regretted that the Government had brought the BUI down before the PubUc Works Statement was delivered.

Mr Fergus eventually promised to allow the House to consider the TeAro extension separately from the other Mnea mentioned in the BUI*

Mr Fish withdrew his amendment for reporting progress, and the Bill was read a first ti"">

EXTRA POLICE AT BECNNBBTON. Mr Gr_tN__ss read a telegram he had received from the Mayor of Brunnerton, to the effect that great irritation was felt in that district at the presence of a body ■ of police in that place merely because an I amicable dispute was going on there at present. He asked the Minister for Justice for an explanation of the matter. Captain Russell asked the hon. member to give notice of the question for next day. He was unable to reply straight oft. Mr Seddon moved the adjournment of the House to protest against the action of the Police Department in this matter. It was an insult to the miners to treat them in this way. Captain Russell said he should be happy to give all the information in hia power when he obtained it, but it waa absurd to suppose that the Police Department could not remove a police officer to a particular place, if it were required, without his (Captain"Russell's) express permission. The motion for adjournment waa negatived. PUBLIC WORKS STATEMENT. Replying to Mr Ballance, Mr Mitchelson said the Pubnc Works Statement would be brought down on Friday next. IMPREST SUPPLY BILL. Mr Mitchelson said he should have to ask the House to pass an Imprest Supply Bill of __.75,000 through all its stages before taking up any other business. He might say the Government intended to take the second readings of all the Labor Bills that night, and before they went on with the Estimates. Mr Ballance said he should raise no objection to this. On the motion fir going into Committee of Supply for passing the Imprest Supply Bill. . Sir G. Grey moved an amendment — "That no supplies be granted till the Government gave an assurance that the new Parliament would be called together immediately after the general elections." He contended that his proposal was perfectly fair, and if the Government gave him the assurance he asked for, he should raise no further opposition to supply being granted. Mr Moss supported the amendment, and said he felt very strongly that some such assurance should be given. Mr Mitchelson could not compliment the mover of the amendment or its seconder on the opportunity they had taken for intercepting the supply, with the object of preventing the Government from paying the salaries of its officers. He had not taken the House by surprise in any way, as he had given notice on Friday that he should ask for supplies that afternoon. He did not propose to discuss the terms of the amendment and My what course the Government wouid te .c on it. Ihe motion for going into Committee of Supply was then put and carried on the voices, Sir G. Grey's amendment being lost.