THE BUILDING SCHEMES.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 240, 3 July 1908, Page 9

THE BUILDING SCHEMES.

SIR JOSEPH WARD'S STATEMENT. ALTERNATIVE PLANS. HON J. R. SINCLAIR ON ARBITRATION. Thp Labour crisis was the theiho of tho Hon. J./ R. ; Sinclair's eloquent; contribution to the Addross-in-Reply debate in tho Council yesterday afternoon. .Speaking as a can- . did friend .of . the workers, lie appealed to them to-tako up a fairer and moro reasonable attitude. Mr. Rigg, oil tho previous aftornoon, had; mado several, suggestions for removing; tho • dissatisfaction of the workers, but tho burden of ;Mr. Sinclair's address was that tho wage-earners of New .Zealand tad excellent reasons' to be contented with their lot. \ Theieloquenco' of his description of this - country ' as' the workers' paradiso gave freshness' and graco to a rather hackneyed theme. 'Ho pointed/ out in another passage that Mr. Rigg's -proposal to maintain tho sanctity of Arbitration 'Court awards by causing ; .the parties' to give securi-

ties must; depend for; its success upon tho questionable. power of the ■ .unions' to, control their own- members; . Tho Hon. ,W., W. M'Cardle: followed as tho mouthpiece of - tho backblocks settlers of tho North on' quite

other- subjects; but. tho Hon. J., B. Callan

brought the debate, back, to Labour, with a courteous ( protest against certain of Mr. Eigg's remarks, touching 'the legal profession. 'The. latter member will probably, have something : more ;to' say on this point. " The Houso • received the Prime Minister's promised statement, regarding ' the future homo of Pariiament early in the afternoon. The unfolding of Sir Joseph Ward's proposals, or suggestions, occupied a full hour. The Prime Minister canie '■ prepared , with, , rough A plans -from the Government architects, and was able to submit-round figures as to probable expenditure. ' The destruction of ' the Parliamentary' Buildings, he said,'had hastened .tho necessity for a review; of ;the whole, "question of Government iccommodation,. and -his suggestions were <;ramed; accordingly.>' They tinvolye- the possibility of tho sale of Ministerial ■ residential sites, the'lease, in 'sections .'of ;the,'sites: of the present Government Buildings, and certain proposals. regarding -the streets in the vicinity: of Government House. As to the location of < Parliament Building, tho-, proposals favour the present temporary site, .ffith suggestions as to buildings and methods ' of keeping down the cost thereof.,. The financial proposals' willl. be found ' below in the; body of'the report. ' On the matter of the Governor's future fesidence, in the event of the present - vice-regal home' being, convortod into a.Parliament building, Sir Joseph Ward was exceedingly vague, purposely so in viejv of- the.'tendency., that would follow to raluo of tho land in tho localities so named.. ; ;.After • very /brief discussion, chiefly :on the claims of' tho Mount Cook site," the' Prime Minister's details and plans - were relegated to - a special committee, to be set up, which will report to tho Houso at as early a . dato • as possible.- Having temporarily'dispose*! of tho matter thus, the House ,ro'se-untO.iSO ihis. I,afteipoon.V,i;,V- ; : .