The Closing Hours of the Session.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5938, 17 September 1890, Page 3

The Closing Hours of the Session.

APPROPRIATION BILL PASSED,

SPEECHES BY MR BALLANCE AND

MR MITCHELSON

RINGING DOWN THE CURTAIN,

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Wellington, This day. Not much more than a quorum of "probers of the House remained for the final sitting this morning. Questions having been answered, the Appropriation Bill was passed through its first and second readings, and the Committee. On the motion for the third reading the leader of the Opposition, according to Parliamentary usage, took the opportunity of reviewing the history of the session. He expressed disappointmontwiththerecentatatementthat the Goverument Commission for enquiring into the management of the Public Trust Office was to be extended to the Civil Service generally, for he did not think it was necessary. The Civil Service Bill, had it been proceeded with, would have placed the whole service on a satisfactory footing. As to the Auditor-General's memo, it appeared to him that that officer had been misinformed or had misinterpreted the meaning of the reductions made by the House. If he carried out the reductions in the manner he indicated, he would not he carrying out the instructions of Parliament. Specific reasons had been given for making them, and he believed that the Department could be so re-arranged as to rather increase than diminish its efficiency. He could not compliment the Government upon the way in which they had conducted the business ofthosession.Thisheattributedtotheabsence from tho House of the Premier, with whom he expressed tho utmost sympathy in his illness. Adverting to the Bills promised in the Governor's speech, Mr Ballance pointed out that scarcely any of them had been passed, and he claimed that the Opposition had in this respect done good service by j showing thai the Government policy did not represent public opinion. The Civil Service Bill he would have been glad to see become law, but the objectionable feature was the proposed control of the service by tho heads of departments. The Registration of Electors Bill, had it passed, would have disfranchised a largo section of the publio, on account of the inconvenience in registering votes. Then, as to tho labor bills. They had passed the House, but though the Government had a majority in the Legislative Council—(chorus of dissent from Government benches)—still the bills had not gone through. Ho believed that the Premier was honestly desirous of passing them, but ho was not sure that his colleagues were so. Touching upon othor questions Mr Ballance complained of the stifling of the country volunteer corps, and assertod that a specios of dummyism was being extensively practised. He criticised the land administration of the Government as tending to build up large estates rather than settle industrious people upon the land. Ho defended the action of the Opposition and the retrenches in regard to tho Estimates, and claimed that by their united efforts they had succeeded in carrying out tho £50,000 retrenchment promised by the Government without either affecting the efficiency of the service or curtailing the public conveniences, and they had also abolished the primage duty. A.B to taxation, he strongly advocated instead of or supplementary to the property tax a graduated land tax, which would alone enable the colony to grapple with the absentee question. If the Auckland members had been sincere in their professions of desire to abolish this tax, they ought to have supported during the session the efforts made to get rid of it. He expressed the opinion tho colony would yet see that the reduction in the numberof members was a fatal mistake. On the question of capital and labor ho advocated legislation to compel arbitration.

After some discussion the acting-Premier repliod. He referred to tho reductions mado in tho audit vote, and remarked that an unwise thing was being done in impairing tho efficiency of the Audit Department. The delay which took place the first eight weeks of tho session must rest solely on the Opposition, the action of which was discreditable to the utmost degree. Neither were the Government responsible for the abandonment of the large number of bills ; this, also, must rest on tho shoulders of the Opposition. Although the Government introduced the labor bills, and they were very anxious to have them passed, they were not assisted by the other side of the House to urge on the measures. Thoso which did pass were unsuccessful in another place. Tho Government had also done their utmost to legislate for a settlement of native land matters. He ridiculed the claim put forward by the leader of the Opposition that they (the Opposition) had compelled the Government to make large reductions in the Estimates and said it was not until Mr Monk moved m that direction that the Opposition followed in the same strain with a view to alienate somo of the Government supporters. The Premier had promised to reduce appropriation by £60,000, yet he found the total reduction mado by the House was £44,607, leaving £5393, which tho Government (intended to take off tho public buildings vote, thereby fulfilling the promise given. The amount spent out of unauthorised expenditure; was considerably less than was spent by their predecessors. Mr Ballance had taken great credit for forcing tho Government to abandon the Primage Duty Bill. The result of this would be a deficit of about _50,000 at the end of the year. Concerning tho Hutchison charges, tho acting-Premier 5 Dinted out that tho contention of the Government with regard to the production of books and documents had been upheld by the Chief Judire. He also mentioned that owing to carelessness in cutting down the salaries amounts already paid totalling £2000 would have to be taken out of unauthorised expenditure. Ho agreed with tho leader of the Opposition in expressing a wish that the elections would result in the return of a Government capable of conducting the business of the country in an efficient manner, and predicted that the members of that side of the Houso would be returned by a large majority. The Appropriation Bill was road a third time and passed. The business of tho session is now practically over, and the House will adjourn this afternoon for a fortnight. Prorogation will in the meantime take place by Gazette notification.