HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Evening Post, Volume LVI, Issue 25, 29 July 1898, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Yesterday's Sitting, imprest supply bill. This Bill was further considered after we went to press. Tbe Premier, continuing his remarks, said that if the Bill was not passed he could not pay the monthly accounts. Regarding the alleged increase of taxation due to the alteration of the tariff in 1895, the fact was that for the 20 months from the passing of the Act to the 31st December last the net increase was only £38,749. The increases on beer, spirits, and cigarettes alone was £39,525, or £1000 more than the net increase. Tbe remissions due to the alteration in the tariff included £65,838 on tea alone, £22,000 on fencing wire, and £9000 on wooipacks. He hoped the House would come to a division on the motion at once. Mr. Buchanan remarked on the fact that the Premier had made the matter one of noconfidence. (Cries of "He has not.") The Premier — I did. The Speaker — Then you were entitled to speak for an hour. The Premier— l will continue. The Speaker, who appeared to treat the matter as a joke— We had better make it half an hour. The Premier did not press the matter, and resumed his seat. Mr. Buchanan, continuing his speech, asserted that there had been au enormous increase in the Customs duties paid by the people, following on the alteration of the tariff in 1865. (The Premier— That is not due to the alteration in the tariff.) Mr. Hogg contradicted the statements of Mr. Buchanan. Mr. Montgomery drew the attention of the House to correspondence that had taken place between the Treasury and the Audit Departments. Captain Russell condemned the delays of the Government in bringing forward their financial proposals, and complained of the want of information on matters on which they should be fully informed. He referred it length to the scandalous overcrowding of the lunatic asylums of the colony. There would have been no objection last year, he skated, if the Public Works Statement had brought down proposals which would have enabled every lunatic in the colony being properly provided for. The Government appeared to think that everything was in a satisfactory position, but the report of their responsible officer — which he quoted at length—showed, he submitted, a scandalous state of things. The Minister of Lands thought Captain Russell must have been reading the Evening Post on the lunatic asylums of the colony. This complaint about asylum accommodation was a chronic one, and existed when Captain Russell was in office ju*t as much as now. The present Government had done a lot towards accommodation in the asylums. It had even erred in putting up rooms which the officers of the Department ought to have used for dormitories if the overcrowding was as great as supposed. In some directions there was far too much extravagance in the^syluins. As for Mr. Duthie's motion, every information desired from the Government could be gained without such a motion, and it was only wasting the tiaie of the House uselessly. Mr. Graham, referring to the statements of Captain Russell concerning the lunatic asylums oC tho colony, said that he could relieve that gentleman's mind concerning the Nelson Asylum. Dr. MaoGregor's

reference to Nelson was quite correct as to what existed at the time the report was written, but since thon further accommodation was being provided there. Mr. G. Hutchison said the responsibility for this debate was entirely due to the refusal of MlO Premier to i^ivo the House the information that he should give. It was notorious that any information that he (Mr. Hutchison) asked for was always refused. Concerning Mr. Duthie's amendment, it could not be denied that in the three years since the alteration in the tariff the Customs duties collected had increased by £343,220, or ab the rate per head of the population, including everyone in the colony — Natives, inmates of asylums, and, in fact, everyone —it had increased from £2 3s 2d to £2 9s lid, an increase of 6s 9d. If it was reckoned at per head of the producers of the colony, it would he an increase of fully £1 per head due to the revision of the tariff in 1895. Another matter was in regard to the exports and imports of tlje colony. While the imports had increased the exports had not kept pace at all v\\,h that increase, and at the present time there was only an excess of value of exports over imports slightly above the amount necessary to p:i} r the interest on our national debt. In 1891, when the present Government came into office, the exports exceeded the imports b3 r over £3,000,000, which was sufficient to pay the charges of our national debt and leave nearly £2,000,000 over. These figures conveyed a warning to everyone in the colony. In 1891 the imports represented £9 6s 9d ; per head of the population, and the exports j £18 2s. Last year the imports represented £10 Is and the exports £12 11s 9d. This indicated that our products were not increasing at the ratio of our population, and that we were in an unsound position. Mr. Ward said that Mr. Duthie's amendment involved very great issues, and he considered that there were not many members willing to abrogate to a Committee the high functions that belonged to the Executive of the country. ' As to Mr. Hutchison's reference to the exports and imports of the colon}', to take the exports without the values of the various articles was unfair. If the values of the articles exported had been the same in 1897 as they were in 1890, instead of there being a decrease there would have been an increase of £1,300,000. Surely the Government was not responsible for the fall in values. Upou the question of the Customs tariff, a fair comparison would be the proportion per cent, of the duties collected to the total values of the imports. This comparison would show a drop from 26"25 in 1894 to 23-69 in 1897. What had been the issue put forward by the other side of the House ? What uas the alternative to take the place of the Customs taxation ? (Mr. Taylor — Land Tax.) No, a borrowing policy. How were they to go on with public works, railways, and roads and bridges ? The alternative proposal 'oE the Opposition was clearly a borrowing policy, because if they could not get money from the Consolidated Fund they would get it somewhere. Mr. M'Nab pointed out the little attention paid to rifle shooting as compared with drill in the control of our defence forces. He also wished to call attention to the lack of development of the trade between the colony and the Cape. The Government should see that pressure was brought to bear upon the shipping companies to take the route back by South Africa instead of by Cape Horn. Mr. Massey objected to the Premier's treating the motion as one of want-of-confi-dence, since it prevented hon. members in many instances from voting on the merits o£ the question. The point raised by tbe motion was that the Customs Tariff of 1895 should be referred to the Public Accounts. Committee. The Customs had been increased by the present Administration, and the progress of the colony was practically nil. During the last five months, for instance, the arrivals in the colony had been 6515, and the departures from it 8775. If a previous Administration was responsible for the then decrease of population, the present Government must be held responsible for what is happening now. Properly speaking, the Financial Statement should have been brought down before this Imprest Supply Bill. Mr. Morrison thought it impossible to frame a tariff that would satisfy all sections of the community. After further debate Mr. Duthie's amendment was negatived by 37 to 20, and the House went into Committee on the Bill, whereupon Mr. G. Hutchison again raised the question of the refusal of the Government to supply information, mentioning particularly the case of the H. C.W. Wrigge, who recently received the New Zealand Cross for services said to have been rendered thirty years ago. Mr. Hutchison protested against the refusal of the Government to give information as to the reasons for this award, and mentioned the objections that had been raised to the award being made. The Minister of Defence defended the award. Captain Russell supported Mr. Hutchison's demand for the fullest investigation of the circumstances of thejavvard. The Premier warmly defended the award. Eveutually the Bill, which provided for £395,000, was passed, and the House'rose at 1.15 a.m.