PARLIAMENT.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 35, 9 August 1895, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Yestkrday's Aftkknoon Sitting, animals protection act amendment. The amendments made in this BiU by the House were agreed to. FINAL STAGKS. Tbo Dunedin Drainage and Sewerage Bill (Hon. W. D. Stewart) and the Auckland and Parnell Kndowmpnt Lands Bill Ithe Attorney-General) wire rtnd v iliirii tii'ic and pusscd. BSPBINT OF STATI'IES BILL. Tba Attomay -Gtnoral, in moving the Second reading of this Bill, said it was similar to the Act passed in 1879, and jrivon effect to in 18*2, when the statutes of the colony were consolidated. Farther codifioation had now become neceseary. The Bill proposed to appoint three Commissioners, who would revise, amend, and prepare for publication the General Aota of tbo colony, which would be then submitted to the Legislature. The Hon. T. Kelly would like to have seen the names of the Commissioners in the Bill. He objected to the title of the Bill, whioh should have been " Revision of Statutes." After some discussion, the second reading was agreed to. EVIDENCE FURTHER AMENDMENT. In Committee on this Bill, seven new clauses were added, as recommended by the Joint Statutes .Revision Committee. MINING COMPANIES ACT AMENDMENT. On the motion of the Hon. J. Bonar in Committee, olcuse 11, which applied the pro visions of the Joint Stook Companies Act, 1882, to mining companies, was struok out by 16 votes to 10. Progress waa then reported, with leave to Bit again, on the motion of the AttorneyGeneral, who wished for time to consider the effeot of striking out the clause. SECOND BEADING. The Auckland Harbour Board and Devonport Borough Exchange of Land BiU (the Hon. W. Jennings) was read a second time. DEFAMATION BILL. This Bill was discharged from the Order Paper, on the motion of the Hon. H. Feldwick. THE UNEMPLOYED. The Hon. W. C. Walker resumed the debate upon the Hon. W. Bolt's motion for the establishment of co-operative settlements as a means of grappling with the unemployed difficulty, and the adverse amendment of the Hon. B. Fharazyn. He held that the currenoy question wbb the real cause of the present depression in the labour market. The present laws of banking were unsound, as they had to be suspended in every oriaia, at a time when all sound laws should be of the most use. At this stage the Attorney-General moved the adjournment of the debate, which was agreed to, and the Council rose at 5 p.m. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Yesterday's Afternoon Fitting. the financial debate. Mr. "Willis reßnmed the debate, and congratulated the Treasurer upon his satisfactory Statement, and the great success of the loan negotiations. When in England recently lie fonnd the most favourable opinions expressed regarding this colony. It was impossible to frame a tariff to jive universal satisfaction, but there were various anomalies in the present tariff which should be removed, and particularly the heavy duty on such things as brown paper. Mr. G. J. Smith said tho Government had largely inoretsed the public debt, and there was no satisfaction in being told that some of it was earning interest. A public indebtedness of forty millions was far too muoh to carry. They had paid excessive premiums on the oonversionß of their loans. His opposition to the Consols Bill had been justified by the results of the working of the Aofc What banking principles had guided the extraordinary transaction with regard to the .£150,000 of Consols ? The deposit receipts for this .£150,000, borrowed from one Bank and lent to another, had been included amongst the " unpledged securities " in London. The connection between the Estates Company and the Bank of - New Zealand waa most unsatisfactory and should be pnt an end to. It was unfair that the Assets Company should have the benefit of the colonial guarantee and rue flour and timber mills in various parts of the colony in competition with private enterprise. The South Australian treaty would in almost all its lines hurt New Zealand industries. The Canadian treaty could be considered when the Treasurer put on bit amended Statement. .The colony could not afford to pay two subsidies ior Pacific mail Bervioeß. Ihe tariff proposals were bronght down solely for the purpose of obtaining increased revenue From one end of tbo colony to another there had been more genuine distress than evei before, yet the unemployed were never mentioned in the Budget, neither was the question of old age pensions, though membeiE had been led to look forward to some proposal. The Government had missed a splendid opportunity of manifesting interest in the welfare of the people. Mr. Pinkerton agreed with much Mr Smith had said, and complimented him or "the moderate tone" of his "excellent address." It was hardly fair to say the unemployed difficulty was worse now than ii was three years ago. The public debt would increase so long as we were a borrowing people, and we would be bo for 20 years tc come, whatever Government was in office, unless the progress of the colony was tc stop. Government must have money fot the purohase of lauds for settlement, and when it was earning interest he did not mind if it was called borrowing As the Treasurer had promised that tbe tariff Bhould be amended in Committee, there would be no necessity to discuss the tarifl proposals at the present stage. The smallfarm holdings system should beoxtended, with inoreased assistance to settlers. The Statement was sensible and well thought out He was opposed to increasing the salaries of already highly-paid officials. 'Ihe failure* of the co operative system originated, not from the system itself, but from its abuses, and the unwillingness of certain persona to carry it out fairly. Mr. Meredith complimented the Treasurer on the result of his mission to England, and especially on tbo success he had achieved in bringing about aheap money. He waa not satisfied, however, that the securities were legally transferred to England, or on what ground they were legally pledgeable. Evening Sitting. Mr. Meredith condemned the tariff ac savouring of Protection. Mr. T. Mackenzie condemned the charges brought by Government memberß against employers of labour. It waa these employers who came forward when there was distress, as was the case in Wellington, and the "Liberals" who acouaed them did not fignre.in the subscription lists. The Government measures had failed to do what war promised of them, and the 'Advances to Settlers Aot was benefiting the rich instead of the poor. The tariff proposals meant an inorease in the burdens of the workers— • probably up to £50,000. The Hon. Mr. Carroll said the Budget debate, with the exoeption of Sir Bobert Stout's speech, to whioh he had listened with admiration, was not of an elevating character. The 1890 Canadian tariff tables had been inserted in the Statement by % mistake of the Department, but it was the 1894 tariff which had been disoussed in Cabinet, and on which the proposals were based. The persistent attempts of the Opposition to depreoiate the Treasurer's work and mission was to be deprecated .The reciprocal treaties made the Budget notable. It was time we emerged from the narrow bounds in which we had been living, and cultivate healthy commercial relations with other countries. Ihe assertion that Canada would benefit, and not New Zealand, by the treaty was not justifiable Initial difficulties were to be expected, but nevertheless the Advanceß to Settlors Act and the Land for Settlements Act were working veil. The net inorease of the pubho debt from 1891 to 1895 was onlj £193,791. Dr. Newman said the Financial Statement bristled with inaccuracies, and was the mot i inconsistent Budget ever presented to the House. The Treasurer bad more Treasury Bills afloat than any predecessor, and although assuranoea had been given again and again that the two millions guarantee would put everything right in oonneotion with thf> Bank of New Zealand, the Budeet promised further banking legislation this session. The Government was to be seriously condemned for not pushing on tbe Trunk Bailway. There was considerable expenditure but no progress. About £2,500,000 would finish the Otago Central, Woodvillo-Eketa-huna, and North Island Trunk lines, and tho morjey would be much better so spont than in assisting all sorts of schemes such as the Government were supporting. Not a single item of the tariff proposed would relieve any struggling settlers. The reductions would go to middle-men, and the increases would , have to be paid by consumers. The House should rise to the occasion and refuse to pasa the tariff in its entirety. The Hon. Mr. Steward said the South Australian treaty would affect New Zealand industries, and especially wines. At Blenheim, for instance, there waa wine as good as Australian. There were persons holding as much as from 4000 to 8000 gallons in stock now, so that there was good prospeot for the industry growing np. He nevertheless approved of reciprocity. The only items doubtful in the Canadian treaty were timber and fish, and if the timber difficulty was removed the treaty should be adopted, and the Treasurer commonded. Tho Tariff Commissioners faithfully and loyally did their duty. He did not agree with tbe Treasurer's treatment of their recommendations. The Commission had good reasons for its proposals, and they were preferablo to the Treasurer's recommendations. The total amount of the Treasurer's reductions whioh would reach the consumer would not be more than £10,000. Mr. G. W. Bussell moved the adjournment of the debate, and tho House rose at 12.25 p.m.