THURSDAY JULY 3.

Clutha Leader, Volume XVII, Issue 834, 11 July 1890, Page 3

THURSDAY JULY 3.

In the Legislative Council — The Arbitration Bill and Oaths Bill were taken in committee and progress reported with leave given to sit on Tuesday. The Children's Protection Bill, Public Bodies Corrupt Practices Bill, and Educational Reserves Leasing Bill were read a second time. In the House of Representatives — Mr Rhodes resumed the debate on the motion that the House go into Committee of. Supply. He said he save his vote last evening to the Government, not because he had been an ardent supporter of them, but because he preferred to see them in office rather than any that could be formed by the Opposition. .Referring to the land question he said he had always opposed the acquisition of private lands by the Government, and had held: it would be too great a strain on the revenue to Buy up land in any considerable quantity, "'but if he should be re-elected to the House he should be favorable to this being done to a moderate , extent. There had been. such, a chorus of complaints from the South Island about the management of the

railway corrimissionerslthat he felt sure, thab a block vote; would be given* at" the ekictious in favor of the railways being again taken over by the .Government. MV Blake, speaking in opposition to the Government's policy, said that if the Government wanted to impose 'taxatibnV the 1 sooner they gbt: through .the. necessary business,and,getthe.elecjtions over with an early' meeting next <year;the better. . . }-.'.-> .:■-' ;<■ Mr Allen asked how, much sincerity there "was in"regard to retrenchment in the • members of the Opposition 1•, The late Government asserted that the expenditure could only 1 be reduced by rL100,00.0, whereas 2 the present Government actually reduced it to the extent of nearly L 300,000. He was as j strongly opposed.to the property tax as. Mr Balance himself, and he should be the titeb to vote for a land and income tax if he 3aw:theopportuni.ty for doingit, but that opportunity, had.not yet arrived. To his mind tin reason Why people left the. colonies was because the; expenditure of loan money had come: to an end,-and noc because of the incidence of taxation.. As;to the surplus, everything had been plainly, stated in the statement, so that no'one could be misled: about it, and one point which '' had riot been touched upon before was that there were two months' ■ primage duty yet to be collected which had to be put to a reduction of the deficit of two years ago. He felt sure the amendment proposed by Mr Ballance was utterly impracticable. Mr Walker maintained that all the arguments advanced by. men on the Ministerial side of the House went in the direction of condemning the Financial Statement, and none more so than Mr Allen's. The Financial Statement 'was not an honest one, and ac- | cording to Mr( Bryce's opinion it meant nothing but borrowing. Ministers had now been three years in office and he ventured to assert that there was never more dissatisfaction at the administering of our land laws than at the present time. : Mr Marchant said that nothing had struck him more forcibly than the tone of hopefulness that pervaded the Financial Statement. He charged Mr Ballance with great inconsistency in his public utterauces and with being able to make different speeches to suit different occasions, quoting from Elansard in pi'oof of his assertion. Mr Ward strongly condemned the advance that had been made to the New Plymouth Harbor Board. The Financial Statement was no doubt an able one, but he regretted that the rules of the House did not prevent a budget being written, as nobody could tell from whom it emanated. He opposed the continuance of the primage duty. As to the railway commissioners he expressed the opinion that the general manager was simply a buffer between the Government and the department, and had to raise a certain amount of revenue at the dictation of the Treasurer.' A strong reason why there should be a dissolution was that it was generally supposed that the Government intended calling a number of gentlemen to the Upper Housp, and he thought that was undesirable till some change was made in the manner of making those appointments. Mr T. MackeiTzie contended that the present Government had raised the credit of the Colony in the London market after the management of the previous Ministry had destroyed it. If lie were asked who was deprecating the ci'edit of the. Colony he should say it. was Mr Walker and other Opposition members who were constantly acting in that manner. As toland administration, he said in no country in the world | could people take up land on more" favourable terms than in this Colony. He admitted that it was grave reflection on the Government that land in the South Island could not be obtained more freely. Speaking on the Estimates, he said House, should set its face against any increase of salaries, and as the Government had gone through the disagreeable part of reducing salaries why should there he an increase now? He supported the Government because he did not see any justification for a second session, and beccause the Opposition had not definitely any policy of retrenchment. Mr Yerral moved the adjournment of tho debate, and the House rose at 11.20 p.m.