PARLIAMENT

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 90, 13 October 1914, Page 8

PARLIAMENT

* TO-DAY’S PROCEEDINGS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL ' The Legislative Council met at 2.30 o’clock this afternoon. The amendments to the Licensing Amendment Bill agreed to by the conference of both Houses were adopted. The Remounts Encouragement Bill and the Public Bodies’ Leases Amendment Bill were read a first time. The Leader of the Council (Hon. H. D. Bell) moved the second reading of the Fisheries Amendment Bill, a short measure to enable monthly and weekly fishing licenses to be taken out, consolidating the Tourist and Health Resorts Department’s work with fisheries as a • regular acclimatisation society. . The Governor is empowered by notice in thb Gazette to fix other- dates for the commencement and duration of the close season, but the season shall not bo less than five months. The Bill was rend a second time. The Taieri Land Drainage Bill, the Rangitaiki Land Drainage Bill, and the Hauraki Plains Amendment Bill were* read a second time. The Minister then moved the second reading of the Local Railways Bill.

* (Proceeding.)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES The House met at 2.30 p.m. Notice was given by Mr. Poland to , ask the Minister for Health if he will use his influence with the Public Service Commissioners to have all Government health inspectors placed on the superannuation list. Mr. G. W. Russell referred to the fact that, in consequence of the Huntly explosion, 500 men of the Taupiri mine’s staff have been thrown out of employment, and he asked if anything could be done to relieve the consequent unemployment. The Hon. W. Fraser said he could not find workXfor 500 men in the neighbourhood i of Huntly. The reason for the Taupiri mine being closed was the expression of a doubt as to whether the explosive that had been used in the past was a safe one. That question had been referred to a Court of Arbitration, and it might be that Court would find that the explosive was safe, and that the ' work in the mines should be continued. In the meantime he would do his best to provide work in necessitous cases. He added that during the last two months he had found work for between 1100 and 1200 men, ' TAUPO RAILWAY. In regard to the petition of the TaupoTotara Timber Company, the Native Affairs Committee recommended that the petition to extend the line from Mokau to Taupo be granted. The committee pointed dot that the provisions of the Local Railway Bill would not apply to the district, as it was unsettled. The committee also recommended that the petition and the report be referred to the Lands Committee, and that the Government be recommended to take the matter into very favourable consideration. Mr. W. D. S. MacDonald urged that the district could only be opened up by means of railway communication. The report was received. RAILWAY DEVELOPMENT. A Bill providing for the expenditure of £3,200,000 for railways improvement and authorisation was brought down by Governor’s Message. Mr. G. W. Russell remarked that tue Bill provided for the expenditure of £1,570,000 for new stations and build ings at Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston North, Lyttelton, and Hastings He went on to quote from the Bill tc show that it represented altno.V entirely an Auckland scheme. This w r election year, and there was no means of raising the necessary money before the election. And this came from a party which had always hurled the sneer at the Liberals that it did such things in election years. The scheme was altogether beyond the capacities of New Zealahd. The Government came into office on a policy which entailed a cessation of borrowing as far as possible, and now it came down with a Bill to provide for the expenditure of £3,200,000 on railway extensions, largely in the direction of railway stations, of which Auckland would receive over £1,000,000. Such a policy would have startled even Sir Julius Vogel. He was surprised that the Government had brought, down such a Bill, and he suggested that the better plan would have been for the Government to next year set up a Commission of Enquiry as tet what works should first be taken in hand. This was a wild-cat scheme of railway improvement; it was a proposal to construct the railways halt i a century ahead of their requirements, and it would be better to assure the safety of the railways first before indulging in such extravagant expenditure. The Bill meant an expenditure of over £3 a head for every man, woman, and child in New Zealand, and showed that the Government was the greatest collection of boomslers, borrowers, and plungers that the Dominion had ever seen. (Proceeding.)