HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 11110, 31 October 1901, Page 6

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

. . v . Tpjesiiav* October 29.. . : VUBUC* WORKS ESTIMAIJES. After the- telegraph office closed tlie Public Works JErtamatee were further con* isidered. i " ' •■ ' ■ ' . T" ■ ' "'* 'Bw , total vote ior public buildings, £207,360, wk» paaared unaltered/ ' At the votes for jo arbour Defences, £25,000 Mr < MILLAR -nmv*d » reduction of 1 £15,000. * H« vMI da going through-the Estimates, bt found njb iewi 9. sum SbSn apJptotcd this yt&t tor defence, which meant thvten abiding* 'ptt' head for every ■ wan, %M ehM) in colony, and he prp«/the "wloiij stand it. MAltt*>dONEß*fakt *he money had, to? be expanded • on necessary worke.» J The cokinv shguld mehxtftili its defence* in good. oondition,rand he cbuld not ccc that the earn a?fctd %rij* too krge, '. ',j*" ~ ■MEBKiWm «app«rted the redoctioH, contending that tile dolony could not vtmnd , -the--strain. *■..' Thite JnoneyVshould be spent -on toads and " bridges. Mr MILLAR'S motion waa rejected - by 28 to 16. , . • ...,-• . Mr. SEDDON «eid «he rofce was chiefly for the emplacement of guns at Auckland' and Wellington, Everything relating to defence wtw,; b* said, euhmitted to the lisperial Defence . Committee, end it had approrod of what was being,done. ' r,m MEREDITH aaked what Eoniahment httd. h«fn,meted out tcpolpnel Pole-Peia-ton before he left the colony. MftjOT;*STEWARD, Chairman, ruled the qu«ra«t>wu out of order. . • ■~ Mc MfIRKDITH said irt would brjng it up «>n> another-occaeloiK* .. , . ths XQte wee named unaltered. • At the rote, £749,866/ for roads,.bridges, etc., , v ~•.,,. ~ K . '■' Mr ; O. W. RUSSELL said the total Land, Revenue was JD270.000, including £78,000. for >A*h SRka, while the total eißpnditure on roads for those landa was \O-5 ■. '. ' ' .--■ - Mr CHEARA complained fcha-t men Were ««ni \i FOitt.. Oamuru and other places to work , :ia* tho' PahiaUia distriot,. although men living in'iihat district were looking for * ■work.. < ..■••'., ; ' '■ The vote was passed unaltered. At" tthe' vote for contiugejxt defence. i>lßo.ooo, (agftinftt which is a liability of Mt «»id; in to Mr Hervies; tßat he. had cut the items down 16 the; loWt possible limit. With regard to tJie two submariae mining boats mi,the way out from Hoow, h# *aid nne would be statif>oed at Auckland and . one .atj Wellinctoe. Th*' itubinarine mining boat at Lyttelton had been condeciuned, . and tbt* Kllen BaJlaace would , go from Wellington to take its place, A motion by Mr Hemes to.reduce the vote by £10.000 was lost by 26 to 15. The -rot*" pjanwed unaltered. . The remaining votes w*re passed without ■ •tneodment, tho Public Works Estimates thu* being disposed of. The House rose at 4 a.m. Wki>x«»i>it. October 50. AFTERXOOX SITTING: Th« Houm met at'2.3o o'dock. QUESTIONS. In reply to question?, Ministers t!>t.?:tcd it would t>9 c very good tiling if reciprocity ff.uld .b? obtained with America, although Mr Seddcxn did- not think then , was much chsnrc of it. Ther* ought. hon*ver.to be » preffrentinl tariff between New- iSealend and th* Mother Country; th*t the recomof the timber tvnfenxtcc. that an nxfxrrt dur.y of 3s per hundred feet- be placed \ on wbhe pine ana kauri baulk timber, was 1 now.before tb* , .Cubinet. Th* statement re{mm Sydney; that Mr Seddon. ■ had -already arranged r'o ejffect 'meh' a dtrty ' ■wait »h»r*lutely incorrect; thnt no invitation - had yet been rer«v*d for this colony to be ' rf>pr*»eniol'nt the King , *, coronation, but it was «]>p<:t«d an invitation would come to har.d, in the rc<ef«. «nd.the Uovemment' \ wculd eonwsqucntly a*k for tbe nteosmrj- ' tlnaflcia! , provision- on ihie Suppileinennirv ■ fi*Jinaetfst t that recent *vrnts had fuilv ehftwra the yriwkim. of the «>urse taktn'bV the. government m appointing tb« Fetlera-

tion ObmuiisMon. The evidence alone'wa* worth three times the cost; thai th« recently announced innovation of the Tetepraph Department in regard to the treatment of messages to racecourses had be«n dsviserf in order to facilitate public business ever the telegraph wires on race days. ■- Tho Hou-ia rose, at 5.30 p.m.