GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13609, 18 December 1909, Page 9

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

(ABIUDGKD PRKSS ASSOCIATION MFOM.) "

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Fred at, Decembeb. 17.

AFTERNOON SITTING. The Council mot at 2.30 p.m. BILLS.

Tho State Guaranteed Advances BUI was put through its tinal stages. Tho Piifcio Works Act Amendment Bill was road a second time. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Fhidav, December 17. MORNING SITTING. Tho House met at 10 a.m. THE ESTIMATES. After formal business had been, disposed of the House -went into Ooiumitt<>e of Supply tor furtnw consideration of tho l^timau-s. Ai tho vote tor Ocean Mail Services,

The PRIME MINISTER gave figures snowing the expenditure and receipts in connection with tho services via Suez. The Union and Huddart Parker companies, he said, received a joint subsidy ot £Io,OOJ, but alter deducting po 8 *" ages, etc., the not cost cf the service was £38<>0 a year. There was also a tour-weekly service via Vancouver, which cost £141*4, and a five-weekly service via San Francisco, which cost £1000. Negotiations were proceedins: with the Canadian and Australian Governments with a view to making Auckland a port of call lor the Vancouver steamers. He hoped to receive their decision. shortly. This service would bring Auckland within 30 or 31 days of London. Attempts were being made to establish a service from Auckland to San Francisco, but as no subsidy was now being granted to it, there was no possibility of any company taking up tho service. However, it was almost certain that the United States congress would pass a Shipping Subsidy Bill, in which case the steamers would run to Auckland via Honolulu. He hoped that such a service would, be soon running. It was intended to maintain the present five-weekly service to Tahiti so long as the Mariposa was running, but this was only a temporary arrangement. He considered the Dominion should endeavour to obtain a service via., Suez, which would call at the chief New Zealand ports. The cost of this would not be very great, and the service would be well worth it.

Mr GLOVER moved to reduce the item "£3500, Cost of the Island service Wellington to Rarotonga," By £1000, as an indication that it wms desirable to discontinue this service owmg to its excessive cost. A service could be maintained from Auckland at a cost of £1250. as against £7000, the cost of the Wellington-Tahiti service. Mr HERDMAN asked if it was a fact that there was no Union steamer ready to convey the mails from Adelaide direct to Now Zealand, and if so this should be remedied. In regard to the port of call for the mail service this must he regarded from a national, and not a local point of view. Mr MASSEY expressed doubts as to tho possibility of a subsidy on the San Francisco service being renewed. Ho quite agreed with the Prime Minister's suggestion that it was desirable that the Dominion should arrange for a direct service via Suea. Mail services ought to bo brought up to date, and* rendered more satisfactory than they bad been, for some time past. Sir JOSEPH WARD replying to Mr Herdman. said that it would be impossible to alter the running of the mail boats from Australia, as to do so would mean an outlay of £15,000 a. year. For £8000 a year it would be possible to have a combined service connection with . Wellington and Auckland from Fiji, and Auckland would get* the benefit of tho Vancouver service. In this way a better service would be obtained by degrees. The Government's proposals were sound snd businesslike. He believed in an all-Red service, but considered that ihere should be an alter-' native service. Ho had formerly, arranged for a Vancouver service to call at Wellington, but this had been opposed by the Wellington merchants,' with a result that the benefits of the service had been lost.

Considerable discussion followed; chiefly centred round the statement of Sir Joseph Ward that in 1895 he had, as Postmaster-General, proposed an agreement for the Vancouver steamers calling at Wellington, but this proposal was defeated, owing to Wellington mercantile opposition, and the service had been availed »>f by Queensland.

Mr T. E. TAYLOR read correspondence bear in ft Out the statements of the, Prime Minister, to whom lie paid a tribute for his • good work as Postmaster-General. Had the proposals in connection wllh the Vancouver boats been carried out, our mail service to-day would have , been a Canadian one, and the al]»Red route would have been civen effect to. Mr Taylor said that the Union Company was becoming a taxing machine on the Dominion, and he honed ite monopoly would be largely reduced in the near future by State enterpriee*, especially by completing the railway system with a State ferry between Wellington and Lvttelton. Mr GLOVER'S motion was lo*t. The House rose at 1 p.m.. AFTERNOON SITTING. • ' Tho Houot resumed et 2.30 p.m. in Committee of Supply on the Postal department's Estimates. The total vote passed unaltered. At the vot« for the Mines Department —£24,507,

The Hon. R,. McKENZIE said the "Mining Journal" had been costing £1000 a year, and returning £20, and the Government had come to the conclusion that the result* achieved by tho Journal could be Obtained' at a much less cost.

Mr POLAND said there ought to be some safeguard for the public against the danger of investing in mining companies which were based on wild cat schemes. If reliable reports were furnished by a Government official, tho remedy would be supplied. He asked the Minister whether private companies could have the benefit of Dr. Bell's reports. [ The MINISTER stated that no private company was entitled to have Dr. Bells reports, or those of any other official, until they were first published m the annual report of the Mines Department.

The total vote passed unaltered In4rnai e A&, f ° r ** D *P**™»t of ALLE? i urged **»<> *tepa should be taken to enforce the AuditorGeneral's tags on local bodies' accounts Legislation ought to bo introduced so that local bodies would be compelled to take notice of these tag*> The Hon. D BUDDO said local bodies had adopted the attitude that expenses in connection with conferences should be paid out of public money, but in certain cases expenses were being charged which were not proper; therefore, tins Audit Department had to call attention to same by means of tajjjj. . £11*902 » itom " ElectoraJL Department, The PRIME MINISTER fc9 jd ho would place proposals before the House next session for an amendment of the Electoral Act.

Mr MASSEY moved that the vote be reduced by £1, an an indication that in the Electoral Bill mentioned by the Prime Minister provision should bo made for the repeal of the Second Ballot Act, which, he said, was the worst

system which the Dominion could have adopted. Sir JOSEPH WARD characterised Mr Massey's tactics as amusing. He did not propose to discuss the Second Ballot Act on the Estimates. The amendment was lost by 43 votes to 23. Tho House -ose at 5.30 p.m. EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at 7.30 in Committee of Supply on the Estimates. At the vote for the High Commissioner's office, £"004, Mr HOGG moved to reduce the vote for tho trade and immigration reftfesentative, £583. by £1, as an indication that the increased expenditure in this Department was not in accordance with the retrenchment policy of the Government. Mr WRIGHT supported the amendment, ond criticised the work of the High Commissioner. Sir JOSEPH WARD said the two officers who had been sent to the London ofiico were appointed in connection with arrangements which resulted in a saving of £2000 a year. It was a mistake to think that there was very little work done in the High Commissioner's office. The High Commissioner required clerical assistance in carrying out his varied duties in connection with the work of the Dominion. There was no increase in the number of officials. One—Sir Walter Kennav.oy—had gone out, and another had taken his place. Mr HANAN drew attention to the fact that good positions had b~en found for high-salaried men who had been disgruntled under the retrenchment scheme, such as Mr Dcnne, late head of .the Tourist Dep-artment. the country getting value for the salaries these officials received? In reply to Mr Arnold, the PRIME MINISTER, said the {present office of ,the High Commissioner was not in a central position in London, but Mr Hail-Jones was looking out for mere suitable premises. Mr BUCHANAN expressed TAgret that no officer had been sent Home who was fit to undertake the duties of immigration officer. It was absurd to suppose that Mr Donne's qualifications Jay m this direction Sir JOSEPH WARD said that he considered that Mr Donne's experience rendered him a capable man for the position. Mr G W. RUSSELL said it would be a, mistake to attempt to economise on •i j s Commissioners office provided that the Dominion received an adequate return f<*r the money expended on it. N Mr McLAREN said expenditure on officer was not justified until the Government's policy in regard to immigration was known. The im- > migration policy of lato years had been extremely unsatisfactory Jsl.S 0 ?: D ' BUDI)0 said «»* many men had been encouraged to come out by the shipping companies. Probably a few had been assisted by the High avo?d D tV° ner ' ** Was d£ffiouJt *° J£ ? ave to j£Z^\ the Commissioner's - be ? n very strict iv selecting ♦fSKL J?™? 1 *"" 1 *?, f»d related facte to show that men had been induced to SL ; !K Dom i inio ? throughv misleading, statements by the shippinc companies. . *■** «» .« p EOGAN aai 4 h" experience was similar to that of Mr Laurenson in regard to immigrants. A paper had been circulated at Home by the companies, containing a note: "For further information apply to High Commissioner's office." This led mtending imfjgraofej to suppose that these leafJets had. been issued by the authority ot ,tpe High Commissioner. Mr T .E. TAYLOR, referring to the expenditure on the Tourist Department offices in Christchurch and Sydney, saiu Zlf far more Palatial than usej - °^-i n Christchurch ought to not worth £35 as offices for the Tourist Department. He- also asked for in2S£ £*& i & the P recis « performed by Mr Donne. The amendment was defeated by 36 - Totes to 29. • Advertising Office—£lsß4. ..- . 'Mr HERDMAN asked what was the total cost of Government advertising last year. Mr MASSEY said the Government probably spent £20,000 in advertising yearly, and the cost of the administration of the Advertising ' was out of all proportion to the expenditure. He alleged that the Department was, created for political purposes, and produced a copy of blank slips supplied to the Department for use in cutting out press comments.on.political speeches. These were pasted in two books, known in the House as "black " ". books." la the Old Country such duties would be carried but by a political party, Jmt here it was done at the ,ex- - pease of the taxpayers. '< ; f. Sir JOSEPH WARD said the De- . partment was not created or used for political purposes. The amount spent ' m .advertising last year was approxi- .--.:• »*tely.t£l6,7oo. The Department was ' ?2* - to multiplication of - advertisements (which were growing afc «ffl_ excessive rate), and to regulate the of the various State de- - partmoata, which formerly inserted adWrtisementa "without check.. ' 3tr JAMES ALLEN moved to reduce tte-jote , by,v£sß4,--'6n the ground that w Prime Minister's reply was unsatisfactory: , ■

: -The amendment was lost by 43 votes to-SJoyiarjd the total vote was agreed y ■■'**>%':■ .'■'';;' :.';.:-': : ■■'''■■■■■'. ;AV-;the Tote for hospitals, the very of hospital fees paid by ;tl» patients who receive, treatment* to I* Mr Field; r - ,-?»,- .MINISTER tSP PUBLIC HEALTH renlirdtliat a large proporor the patients in hospitals were - poor -who could not afford to v P?y_ fee «* _He agreed that a number of Boards nad not collected as much is they might done, and, the T)epartment had,CT.H«»d attention to this. The, ratepayers who now had to elect Hospital Board*'should see to it that . more money .was collected; At tie vote for the Publio Health Department, Mr MALCOLM moved a rednetion, as an indication of dissatisfaction with ■-• the Appointment of Dr. Mason as Consulting Medical Officer in London at a „ «|l*Ty of £900 a year. "<*The amendment was negatived by 29 Totes -to 17. '•■.-.->. The Estimates were still under dis■enwion when the Telegraph Office closed »t2 a.m..