EVENING SITTING.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11340, 1 August 1902, Page 6

EVENING SITTING.

The House resumed at 7.30 o'clock. LOAN BILL.

Mr McfiOWAN, continuing bis speech. l«ald one of the speakers in the debate had blamed the Government for not giving adequate assistance to prospecting, but he (Mr McOonvan) contended thai the Government had done quite a.s much as could reasonably be expected in this connection. The Government had to promote a uniform development of the country, <nnd could not be expected to foster one industry at the expense cf other industries. Some of the* stronger criticisms in this debate had emanated from the Government supporters, but the Government did not object to fair <riticijf.n. Mr Millar had objected to the expenditure on unproductive works. The Government had liko rejections, buft at ■times thia class of expenditure could not bn avoided. He referred to the erection r.f in .v law courts and the railway station ! at 'Dunedin. a« cases in point. Another spraker bad alluded to the increased burden per head of population caused by the increase in the public debt, but that was not stating tbe position fairly, because although the public debt had'increased the privnte wealth L*id also very largely increased- Making a comparison for the part eleven years, Mr McCtowan pointed out that, whereas -during that period tbe grow public had incr«_is?d by £14.136.097, the private wealth had creased by no lessTa sum than £94,219,500. Tho taxation per bead in these years had increased by 9s 6d, but the private wealth per bead bad increased by £62. He contended tbe true ability of the colony to brar this loan should be judged by the assets behind it. and chimed that instead of the colony having anything to fear it bad nerer been in a better position to face a loan. Sir WTLLIAM RUSSELL, replying to Mr iMcGowan's figures as to the private wealth of the colony, stated that the value of private assets had been arrived at on a valuation he believed to be absolutely absurd. He reiterated his conviction that the country must inevitably go to the dogs if we went on as at present. Constant borrowing would inevitably bring this country to ruin unless* members had the pluck to face Cite position and say that this borrowing nrn-t cease. The loan proposed in this Bill was far too large, and he would vote with »ny other member to reduce it. He claimed that the loan ™P*f* *°f road., bridge., opening up of goidftdds, XTW-t *» be Wded over to tholocM

bodies of the district- concerned to te expended by them. Sir WiEiam repeated the hgures quoted by Mr June. Allen on thq previous night to show that the present Go- I venunent had power to borrow during the current year (if it wished to exercise that power) £4.659,000. It was enough to stagger anybody, or make any responsible absolutely shiver. He also ported out that the Dunedin. Christchurch, and Wellington municipalities had proposals under consideration to borrow in the aggregate a sum of one million, and this amount, would have to be added to the public indebtedness. He combatted Sir Joseph? Ward's contention that the cessation of borrowing would spell disaster, and ctaimed; that a-tapering-otf policy when carried out by Sir Hairy AtKinson had not detracted from the progress of the colony. Sir William also adversely criticised the railway finances of the Government. Mr G. W. RUSSELL asserted that the interest swallowed up such a large quantity of the revenue that all th-it was left to"carry on the business of the colony wa.«» the revenue from Customs, the profits oa the railways. and the revenue from th-i Marine Department. Was that, he asked, tlie kind of position in which to place a, young colony like New Zealand? He agreed it was necessary to borrow, but not to such, an extent as provided for in the Bill. He wanted to know why the Minister desired power to raise £450,000 for the purchase oi railway stock, wb*n there was no indication whatever in the Department officer's report that such additional stock was required? He went on to criticise the Government for importing rolling stock sm largely from America, when it could bq better made in the colony. Mr HASELDEN condemned the system) of co-operative works, and advocated the) freehold system. Members on the Government side'of the House had admitted theitf I mistake in voting for the Public Revenues I Act Amendment Act. and he hoped to sec! it wiped off the Statute Book. He prophesied that after the general election tlw Government party would be found on tho Opposition benches. Mr A. L. D. FRASER tacug.it wilit Mr Jris. Allen, that there was too much luxuiv in our publio expenditure, and th.----j colony should go slow in this direction. I He admitted the necessity for the completion of our main arterial lines, but he hau very grave doubts about the 'claims of the Otago-Central and the Midland lines. Some of the smaller linW niigjlit well be abandoned for ever. More lani Should be opened up for cettlement in the Hawke's Bay district, and he regretted that recent native land legislation tended to defeat this desirable end. If a fuiflie* loan was asked for, he urged that it should be devoted to securing a suitable class of emigrants of which the colony was in need. Hon. J. CARROLL defended the native legislation of the Government, and said I its aim had been to place native affaiis and native kunds on such a footing that I both tihe natives and the country would derive the highest advantage. He had great hopes that recent native legislation would prove a success, and not turn out the failure prophesied by Mr Fraser. In defending the Maori Councils Act, Mr Carroll said the natives were handing over to the administration of the Councils large blocks of land that had never been throug'ii the Native Land Court. The next step was that the Councils should be allied toi the Lands and Survey Department in the work of surveying, reading,- and cutting up these lands, which s-'houicl then b=> offered to the public for settlement under the terms of our land system. Discussing the Lean Bill, he said he thought the amount asked fo:; was scarcely sufficient to meet the growing requ' re mentis of the country. Lcoking at our prosperous condition, it was easy to see that with the. judicious expenditure of, say, a couple cf millions, the ie venue-earning pow-er of the colony j would be very largely increased, so that the interest could be easily earned.

Mr LA WRY adversely' criticised tlw Noith Island Main Trunk line, which, he a.5-ri-tf<l, pa >eN th.ough a howling wil-rixi-n-,-<. '!'|;p however. \ii>.s commrtr?d t> t'-iis liiip. ,-md mns*. co on will it. by.i th- S rat'erd i;>-;t? 'v.iiiM Iviveheni Intfrr. Ciuimi.n'iny on Mr (1 W Ru<- >? V "? -rr-- 1 - '"' v ' ; <* t'"'f »-» I«iv.- been logical that n r.i'. :• -...lov-d have co-i-HudH by moving :ui ;<m"n-in;!?nt cleclirm-; lb" rm...nc'al p7«ip—-:!.!s cf the f.f>vemm"iu had not th; confidence cf the Hou*e or country.

Mr J. TV. THOMSON urged the fioy-ernmn-t to make .in effort to be satisfied with borrowing one million a rear. There were many people in the country who would be plea.«ed if our borrowing could be limited to that amount. It was not right, ho contended, that an expiring Parliament sOmuld piss a measure of t.ii« kind. Mr SYMES thought that a considerabhlarger amount of the loan money should have been devoted to the construction of roads. Ho dealt at length with tbe Uardsh ps of the back blocks settlers, who were compelled by Land Boards to reside on their sections, and vet were given absolutely no facilities of ingress or egress, although their lands were heavily loaded for road ing.

Mr K. O. ALLEN believed it a proper policy to borrow moderately in the Home market. He praised the management of the railways, and complimented the (in, vernment on the concessions granted to farmers. He suggested the construction of a light line of railway on the Otajm Peninsula. * ° On the motion of Mr FIELD the debate wns adjourned till 2.30 o'clock to-morrow The House rose at 12.30 n.. m .