EXTRACTS FROM HANSARD.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXI, Issue 5007, 11 October 1884, Page 2

EXTRACTS FROM HANSARD.

[by telegraph.] I • landing waiters' avages. Mr Guinness wished to know how it was that the landing waiter officer at Nelson got L 250 per annum, the landing waiter at Westport L 260 per annum, the landing waiter at Greymouth only got L2OO, while the landing waiter at Hokitika got L 270. He would draw'to this:— the attention of the commissioner the shipping done at Greymouth was about two or three times' as much as at Westport and Hokitika, and the officer at Greymouth was a most zealous and deserving officer. He therefore hoped that a mistake had been made in not increasing this officer's salary. Mr Ballance said there was no mistake, because the salary of the landing waiter j at Greymouth had been increased from LIBO to L2OO for the present year. boatmen's avages. Marine and Harbors vote, L 33,919. Mr Guinness wished to call attention to the item " boatmen at 7s per day," under the head of Greymouth. That was a very small wage to pay, and as it would not be in order for him to be increased he would simply ask the commissioner to take the matter into his favorable consideration and see if he could not increase the amount. Mr Ballance promised to make a note of the^matterjand institute enquirieSi

Captain Morris hoped the commissioner would also make a note of the Avages paid fco the boatmen throughout the colony. HIGHER EDDCATION. Higher Education vote, L 2600. Mr Guinness moved that the -.whole vote be struck out. This question as to higher education ought to be dealt" Avith by the neAV Parliament. His oavii opinion was that the people, ought to pay nothing for higher education ; it Avas sufficient if they supplied the country with primary education, Avhich they Avere iioav doing at a very great expense, and they Avere simply maintaining these high schools in large centres at the expense of the colony. Mr Bryce said that as part of the year had gone the hon. member ought to move a reduction so as to get an indication of the feeling of the House on the subject. Mr Guinness would adopt the suggestion and move that the vote be reduced by LIBOO. Mr Seddon hoped the hon. member for Greymouth avoulc! not press his amendment. In" his (Mr Seddon's) opinion higer education should go hand in hand with our public schools. What he should have liked to see Avas an increase in this item, and LSOO put doAvn for a high school at Hokitika and LSOO for one at Greymouth. Mr Hursthouse Avould support the amendment; of the hon. member for Greymouth. "The time had arrived Avhen every endoAvment for higher education ought to be applied to primary schools. ■ The country could not afford secondary education. The whole colony Avas taxed for the benefit of the few who lived in the centres of population, and rich men's children Avere being educated at the expense of the tax payers. He hoped soon to see some great Liberal introduce a bill to confiscate the whole of the endowments set aside for higher education. , Mr Guinness 'wished to strongly disavoAV any intention Avhatever by his amendment to interfere Avith the system of .primary ; education. On the contrary his object Avas . to strengthen and support it ; but one j argument against the system was that it 1 cost too much, and he thought if any item could be decreased they should reduce it to disarm the opponents of the system, and yet not to interfere Avith that system. He. maintained that all the State should provide for Avas primary education, and in that direction his endeavors Avould always go. - The committee divided on the question 1 ' That the vote be reduced by L 650 ." Ayes, 17 — BroAvn, Buchanan, Buckland, W. F., Connolly, Dodson, Duncan,Frazer, Hursthouse, Levestam, Macarthur, Menteath, O'Callaghan, Wakefield, White, W. Wilson, Guinness, Hatch (teller;) ■ Noes, 45 — AUwright, Ballance, Barron, Bevan, Bradsliaw, Buckland, J. C. Fergus, Fulton, Garrick, Gillies, Grigg, Johnston, Lake, M'Kenzie, M. Mitchelson, Montgomery, Moss, Newman, O'Connor, Peacock, Rees, Richardson, Rolleston, Ross, Seddon, Shepherd, Shrimski, Stout, Sutter, Thompson, T., Tole, Trimble, G., M'Kenzie, Walker (teller.) Pairs — For : Hirst, H. ; against: Whyte, J. B. Majority aginst, 18. Vote L 2600 agreed to. AVALLSEND COAL MINE. Mr Guinness asked the Minister of Mines whether the Government intend to take any steps to enforce the covenants and conditions in the lease of the Wallsend coal mine, Grey River, and if so hoAV and when. He desired to draw the Minister's attention to the fact that on the 29th June, 1875, a lease of this coal mine, consisting of one thousand acres, Avas granted to the Greymouth Coal Mining Company, Limited. That lease contained a condition that the third year the lease Avas granted coal at the rate of jfteen thousand tons per anmun should be taken out and sent by rail to the port of Greymouth. He thought the Minister Avas aware of the fact that that condition had »ot been complied Avith, and for the last six months at any rate no work of any importance had been done in. the mine. Volumunous correaponpence ap- \ peared to have taken place betAveen the assignees of the original leases and the Government Avith regard to the nonj performance of the covenant. The. present I lessees Avere the Westport Oolliery Company, and he thought it Avas very necessary to knoAV whether the Government had ) made any arrangements or agreement I Avith this Company to forego the covenants I and conditions in this lease, especially as the House Avas about to be asked to authorise the expenditure of Harbor j Works at Greymouth. It Avas also ' desirable to knoAV Avhen those persons ', holding a very valuable property Avere ' going to be made to carry out the terms of i the lease. i Mr Ballance replied that it would be i inexpedient to enforce the covenants and ; conditions in the lease of the Wallsencl coal mine for the following reasons: — In July, 1882, the Westport Colliery Com- . pany became the transferees by purchase I 9000 shares in that company and I LSOOO cash from the liquidators of the j Greymouth Wallsend Colliery Company i of the lease in question, and in September, j 1872, the Government agreed to Avaive for tAvo years the covenants and conditions of the lease. 2. The undertaking of the Westport Colliery Company that a sum of ■ ! L 2,.000 should be expended by that comj pany on the un-watering of the mine j during a period of six months from Ist i October, 1882, in sinking shaft for that ■ purpose, such shaft being intended I ultimately to 650 feet, and that ten men j should be employed in Avinning coal by I means of the shaft Avhile the new one Avas in progress. Up to Ist April, 1883, a sum of LISBO Ava.° expended in sinking the shaft in question, Avhich later operation was considerably retarded by the frequent occurance of fire clamp in the shaft, and also the flooding of it to a height of 70 feet, both of which difficulties had to be overcome, the latter particularly, by a large expenditure in labor and more powerful machinery. The "AA'inning" of the coal by ten men, which could only be effected by making use of the old shaft, was found to be inpracticable owing to the discovery that it Avas in a very insecure condition from disuse and consequently dangerous to human life. Nevertheless the company have fully shoAvn the bona fides of their intention to work the mine property by the large expenditure they have gone up to the present in their efforts to bring it into working order, and as such an undertaking can only be developed by a large expenditure of capita], it would be impolitic to compel the conditions of the lease under the circumstances now set forth to be carried out. The conpany has duly paid the ront of lease to datei