GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Press, Volume LVI, Issue 10410, 29 July 1899, Page 8

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

' / ' (PBBSsr >sipratATioW' ■■ y'A l FAin**, Jtjrr 2&V - :^§Bh» -■ \'■ ~LEGisLk'a3yE : com>tpjp« The House it-eiat 2,30.p.m. s Vv. : ;■: ''AN'ELEbTIVEOOUjfCtt^S .Some time was. spent in JL_*___Wfe motion by Mr MacGregor that thrfiis# should be made elective, and -tfoa should be referred to- the referendum a-t.next general 'el«*ta*£%&' Mr W. C. WALKER.oiipoSSSI passul, and was followed by Air a similar strain. ' '- ■' ;^|fplHl . -The question--will come" up-for. $_k_%WSL cussion next sitting day. ~ • .. ™^$|§a| ■- PROGRESS OF-BIUL&^^M The Napier Harbour .Board Ao^iPMfi and Endowment Improvemeat Bill -o^S« final stages. The Law of Libel Ameadmeat Jiffl^^V througa Committee witjb - mi^^SfiNl ments, progress being reported at chu^^l^ The Council adjourned a* -4.46, HOUSE 01? REPRESENTATt^^ AFTERNOON" SITTING : >%S The House met at 2.30 p. m ,' * 3f§£ THE TOTALISATOR '^M Mr FLATMAN gave notice toSHfe on Tuesday next tha Totalisator ■___%&.' . Bill No. _. • ■ RAILWAI- STATION LICENsIPf . Mi? FLATMAN gave notice to ! __ffl_% tew it they were prepared at the &_\ _Wa present leases to rettue to grant _ _____S.^ : licenses at railway stations th"X*u^,,ij*|p IMPREST SUPPLY The Imprest Supply Bill No' 2 ysts&gs duced by Governors message, ■ ; . ™v£sp On the motion to so i_tn G_mhuj£_j_:-3 - -, . T'W^ Air BUCHANAN complained of '&_*§_}% mier interrupting .the course of -btiriK&:i set down in tne Standing GrdewTllll^ esC^ pi^r^\^swe f ot q«estioas. ;^-; Mr PiRAM made a similar comn!a&%%- - Mr DOTHIE complained tffffSg ; taut question P ut by him had'rcinauWt- : the Order Paper for" weeks. '"&-J Mr-UUIXM-.SS suggested that _tf _%_&'■ mg Orders should be altered in the $___£ ut laying before a Committee -*if all motions, for returns.befoie untthteW : " country to the expense of preparTna iEWK?*" Mr fcJEDDoN, replying-& thechSSfev, delay had occurred m,the aiisn-eriuif <jhjgp tions, said that was not due to t&jMß* ment. The No-confidence motion Wlpl layed the answers for a fortnight.'' 'Qffijj__i< occasions, when, fie was prepared questions, the members putting- thi%3ais* were not present in the House, -&m&<_w£g< attending religiously to marine race meetings. The fact was that >&_?&_s■ stituencies of some'members' would niffimz the-* were present An the House if theYW r - nofc put the questions on the Older -Map Some returns asked for would cost'-graSsf', and were worthless" when made «p. regard to a question' by Mr G. that the correspondence relating of land by owners under the -Lands tlement Act should bo piodueed, had not been made, because ii knew, that the price ut which thev J the land was to be made public, tsuch'Q|p\' would.be greatly restricted, and the'Qoval!! ment would have to pay more for land, $ft|P regard to a question as to' whether a su«Qsp- ; hud been appointed ro the Pnhlic IruSlfS' he said that the .statement was that. Mr Martin -had only received absence. Referring to a question tlie -oaper by Mr.Duthie, he said colony's inscribed stock "had never besffllfr fused quotation by tlie Stock ~Exchange£§i|!? J that the Government's system of dealing these financial operations had reaulteClaW commission last year alone of £10,000.^^g : The House then went into Comimfct&ms Supply, and the Imprest' Supply of £395,000 -was reported without aujensj£i ment. ■ . , . - ■ .'A^MI On the Hoiise resuming, Mr HOTMtM SON referred-again to the Waikakaij|j||||lß .per-ry acquired by the Gwenitoenbui^ji||» "rumours"were afloat *td. the effect $at l|tesK purchase was'clouded that was why he wished-the on the subject produced.-' •■' -'-• . Mr SEDDON said he had. the fullest ws§f£ fidence in t/he.Hon. J. MlCepzicVjudging!" hi the purchase of the* ;VyaikakuhL which he believed was' one of the sactious that had taken, place under and the Government oould' have some thousands, of pounds- advance what they gave for it- .The upon the transaction reflected upon Pnrclinse Board, not upon tTue Mr Seddon replied to. Mr Pirani's re the "tag" to the Public Accounts Auditor-General, contending that ,the,Ailfe;' tor should have called tho attention ,offi™2f Government to the informality reUtl*B£j§p v the payments-to the Wellington din Technical. Schools • before the. year had ended. '_.' „ - .-/., >Mts|V On the motion to go into Ways,and Means, ■ ■,- -v- --'^^ci Me«s» DUTinE' and N KENZIK censured the ' manner in which he had attacked' tor-General. ' . ■ '^'&MfThe debate was interrupted by o'clock adjournment. '" AA'^^&l EVENING BiraN&.'|B|lS' The House resumed at 7.30 - IMPREST SUPPLY MUkjfj|S. Tlie debate on the Imprest Supply $Msjo£!j! : contiuued. 5 , -," c'"-iS^^: Mr MOORE denied the ment that he had been hijl the shipping rates for produce, '.*,*£_s& < Mr BUCHANAN !efen"ed'' to" fiffi&f&i mier's speech at Eketahona, " charged the Freezing Companies ton with carrying ;on a m'on'opCrly.'U, , Freezing Companics'had left a 'pertttAf_W(y' door for any speculator or to sheep-frozen. The' Premier had statement simply in the interest of a | ment candidate for tie House. . - § Mr ROLLESTON "hoped that 1 passing of the Bill the Premier seme intimation when tlie Statement and Estimates'wotitd W ; down. The House was lacking formation that should,before •been in the hands of members—• n '? t^CS|: /!' Lands and Education reports. '' such information members could ,?°*'*]J9i£f*perlv criticise the policy of the Qoi&s&ski- :- -. The PREMIER again made ] tion regarding the "tag" to the counts. He blamed the "Audit ftlJMp. for its action in. connection asserted that the system of red, tape^#:*, ; > curse to the administration of Ii he nad simply charged the MW»*«M2j&;;. to the technical schools to penditnre" nothing .would have- : about the matter. The Premier-«|}gS*. ferred to the Wellington by-election* .statement that had been made ilm \Sm& : suit of that election was damaging to**ssip£ vemment. He contended that the people on the roll who, did that election did so as a silent ther were not saithfied with date, to that at the general d&\*s_&W&< very prdbi-ble thai the poll different result. He repeated the I "'5JN£ that the freezing companies had* C to keep dtwrn the price of «heep 4 aU»«^ ; pense of the farmers of the W«irt^3^fe^ The Bill passed its third reading ?.||?|g|% V LANDS FOR The PREMIER briefly »*-*»*'*7iiWs? reading of tho Lands for Amendment Bill. __ „ ~ . x Mr G. HUTCHISON sscd the most important and t & had come before the House for a u*Gßgss The ksue wohld soon become; W?>3m_lPi nationalisaition. To the Oppo»t»«JgHE*gJl the cre.l> of taking away the talncd in the Bill, and, given to th• BJLjjfi "nietit, to piactJcully confiscate of t"nmll «e.tleis. • .» 7 u__wSS_W Mr -defended of the Government, freehold been tlie only system m land-conld be-vaken up, very. ■ttwild have been setUed on the»fgi% pared with the large niambcr up secciona during the pa-ft- ffi__Ws&mM ridiculed the proposal ot the go in for 'a freehold*system, the aggregation of lai'ge sufficient confidence in t^V c T a S!SBW

' >•»'.'. ■ — .^^.-^p. — ■M_'_*_*>9b m*'to to dawlcd by the free-Jr»H-iVdanglijd tyefore their eyes, . #C SCOBlfi MACKENZIE ouoUd.the ,$? ___& of Acts showing that labour legisf i'- SSThad commenced long before the ad* £ **atof the present Government. With re- '■' ™Lj t0 land settlement, he submitted that •^mjapari** oll between the settlement for *i y<fftrs previous to the advent ni the preGovernment with,that of the. latter t t a similar term, would bo much to the BnVarit&ge of the previous Government, , v_ HOGG depicted the state of the coun- ■ try bcf° xo tlie Pt eaftat Government came into ■ «oifcr a™* compared H with that which \, Cj prevailed' since. He lauded the land •> QjjgY and iabour legislation of the past IjflaVesn. The labouring classes, he said, had to be emancipated from a specie* of ""' 4'raldom when the present Government took office, and were now enjoying the fruits of lesri&UUciti in their i-tteresu. Mr DUTHIE quoted statistics in proof flAhe s:at«nent that as far as settlement was concerned, the country had retrograded .'during the past year. He doubted very ■ much the success of the Bill in providing ■fame* for workmen, and .would like to hear ; .. the Premier explacn the' details of the -" acli&ne- 1 '" - PIRANI contended that theßill did ■ opt provide a solution for the workmen's •woes dlfficuhy. J. W. THOMSON, while admitting that there were some advantages in cutting UP huge estates, failed to see that the taking - Jffj of the holdings of small settlers would lie either just or expedient. Mr was afraid that the Land for Settlement Act would ultimately result -ia the lands of the colony falling • into .'toe hands of tho foreign moneylenders. The -,oulv safeguard against such' a thing hap«ejHDg was to give the people a chance of the freehold. slr MONK complained that trains were not ran to suit workmen employed in the tovja wishing to reside in the suburbs. <Mr FIELD did not see why the Bill should not apply to other classes besides trorlnnen. Ho was distinctly in favour of the freehold tenure in the countay, but Dot in the towns or suburbs. ', Mr SLIGO gave general support to the Bitt, ' Mr CREGAN regretted that the principle of revaluation had not been embodied in the Bin. • Mr McNAB supported and Mr HERREES owposed the Bill. .. Ux ROLLESTON said the country must ' ttogress. the State must supersede private ■ rights, bat on fair terras. - To -meet the hrge amount of money borrowed production must bo increased and settlement promoted. He thought that the betterment principle - iboulcl have been embodied in the Act, and "thai the land taken iCOinfmlsorily should first be sanctioned by Parliament. " Messrs Duncan; Flatmah, Carson and "• Moore sunportcd the Bill as amended. Mr SEDDON having replied, the third tending was carried by 44 votes to 4. Tha House rose at 2 aim.