CHIPS FROM " HANSARD" ON THE LOAN BILL.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9520, 12 September 1896, Page 9

CHIPS FROM " HANSARD" ON THE LOAN BILL.

"Every political milestone of the last three years shows that the financial history of the present Government is nothing but a history of financial imposture, and that the followers of the Government have- been partners in the imposture."—Mr W. C. Buchanan. " The Premier recognises no higher duty that he has to the country but to remain in oflice, and bribing the constituencies is the only way lie thinks of ; so we have this Loan Bill."—Mr Wilson. "The residue (of the Opposition) will be no more fit to form an administration than is a half-grown pullet fit to scratch worms for a family of fifteen or sixteen chickens."— Mr Frank La wry. " It is a sad and humiliating thing to find that throughout the country the word of a Minister is not relied upon."—Mr McGuire. " And here I must say that this question (the million loan) is of so- much importance, that we will nt/i allow a ."vote of this House to stop 'aU' iV ,pr6gr._3.S-" , John M'Kenzie.

"At the present time we are paying £4500 a day for interest. And are we going to make this country, better by"adding more than £100 a day eVeryyear to' the amount?" —Mr Saunders.

"Sir, I propose that tho preamble of the Bill should be this:—' A Bill to insure Reckless Expenditure on the Part of the Colonial Executive without the Possibility of any Control or Restriction by the Elected Representatives of the People, and to enable the Colonial . Treasurer - and the AgentGeneral to borrow a Million of Money whenever, wherever, and however they please, and to appoint Whosoever they please to exercise the same Unconstitutional, Uncontrollable, and Indisputable Power to pledge the Credit of this Colony at an 3* Time and for any Purpose.' That, Sir, is what it practically comes to."—Mr Saunders.

"The hon. member (Mr'Saunders) has more than once commented on the fact that I stated in mj* first Financial Statement that we were going to abstain from borrowing. He was perfectly right, and it was perfectly right, too, and that was the policy I advocated, and believed at the time to be the right one."—Mr Joseph George Ward.

"Six years ago the Minister of Lands dubbed himself the bead of tbe Skinflint party, and spoke in strong terms of the extravagant ideas of the member for liumara."—Mr Pirani.

" The Post and Telegraph Department, that used to be one of the best departments we had, is becoming a burden on the colony." —Mr Pirani.

" We have onlj* to look at the expenditure iv the district of the honourable member for Waimea-Sounds, the Government Whip—and I cull from his own paper of last year a statement that by the energetic efforts of the honourable member himself £6500 had been voted by the Government in the district. Now, anybody who knows that- district will know that it is impossible for that amount of money to be spent in legitimate public works."—Mr Pirani. " My opinion is that if millions more are added in the next- few 3*ears to the public debt of the colon 3*, it simply means repudiation sooner or later."—Mr J. W. Kelly. " To propose to borrow £200,000 to assist the mining industry—what Hoes it mean? We are going to borrow this money to assist capitalists who want no assistance—men who are bringing money into the count. \ r ." —Mr J. W. Kelly. " I think the Cabinet, before they fixed a name for this Bill, thought there was a great deal in a name, and "that, at any rate, there was one name the3' were bound to avoid, and that was a Bill to borrow."— Mr Crowther.

. Specimen of Parliamentary verse— " They not only put them on land, Sir, Build houses and stables and pens ; And would 3*ou believe 'tis a fact, Sir, They advance them to buy cocks and hens."

—The Poet Fiatman. *' Voting this money for the Treasurer to spend as he thinks 'fit amounts to complicity—the action of Government supporters is no longer complacency, it is complicity."—Mr Geo. Hutchison.

" From the way the expenditure on roads and bridges continues to be treated, we might suppose it to be the Loaves aud Fishes Department."— Mr Geo. Hutchison.

" Who has had the benefit of tiie wasteful expenditure of the past, and who are looking for the scramble of the future? Mostly the hangers-on of the Government and those speculators .behind them who are making them move like puppets in some

marionette show. Those are the people who expect to benefit by this loan expenditure."—Mr G. Kut.hir.on.

"I consider that one part of the administration has entailed many evils, and that is what is spent on co-operative works."—Mr McLachlan.

" There was one point that in the course of the debate on this matter had been lost sight of altogether, and ho thought hon. members ought not to forget it. That was the admission of the Premier that the politics of the New Zealand 'Times would be conducted by a Committee consisting of the Premier, the Minister of Lands, and the Chairman of Directors of the New Zealand Times Company."—Mr Pirani. 6653