HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5557, 27 July 1886, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

Wellington, July '26. The House went into committee on the Port Chalmers Fire Brigade Bill, which was passed without amendment, read a third time, and passed. Levestiitn moved that'the withdrawal of the Nelson Forehore Reserve Bill be postponed till Thursday. Agreed to after some discussion. Trimble resumed the debate in committee on the New . Plymouth Harbor Loan Bill, and spoke for several hours, during which the bell had to be frequently rung for a quorum. He waa still speaking when the Houao roae for dinner at 5.30 a.m The House resumed at 7.30. \ Mr J. M'Kenna resumed the debate on the Loan Bill. He criticised at length the speeches against the proposals, and he con- j tended that the reason of such speeches I was that the Opposition were sorry they ' did not occupy the Government Beaches. Referring; to Atkinson's objection to borrowing, he said that • the hon. gentleman had in four years and two months raised £9,250,000, or at least had had the spending of it. If the colony was to stop borrowing now it would mean a loss of over two and a half millions by works in the course of construction. It would also lead to stagnation all over the country. He did not say the Government were perfect, but for the two years they were in office they had administered the affairs of the colony fairly. G. F. Richardson thought the new works set forth in the Financial Statement were not given effect to in the bill now before the House. He said the Government were responsible for Russell's amendment last session, as no sooner was it moved tha;i the Government accepted it. He suggested Government should vie more energy in acquiring lands along the North Island trunk line. The mosb .important line under the consideration of the House was, he thought, the Woodvilie-

Palmerston, which would connect the East and West Coasts of the North Island. So far as his district was concerned the money allotted to it was sufficient to construct the line to a working point to meet all requirements for time to come. He spoke against the amount for construction for the Blenheim-Top-house.line, and also that from Westport to Inangahua, as without completion these works were nothing, and were quite uncalled for. Taking into consideration the position of the colony, he thought it extremely bad policy to proceed with any new lines. He moved an amendment that no new lines be commenced until the lines at present under construction are completed to a working point, and that the votes for Blenheim to Tophouse. (L 68,000), Westport to Inangahua (L36,000)be struck off, and that the vote for permanent way sleepers and rolling stock be reduced by L 44.000 ; and that a saving of L 175,000 be allocated to the : following lines : — Helensville northwards, • L 35.00 0; Napier-Palmerston North, L 45.00 0; Blenheim- Awatere, L 25,000 ; Otago-Central, L 60,00 0; and the Seaward Bush line, LIO,OOO.

Dargaville seconded the amendment pro forma, and thought the reason of its being moved was to give members who had already spoken another opportunity to air their eloquence. He criticised the speeches made against the bill, and favorably compared Ballance's administration as against that of Bryco, and said that the popularity recently obtained by the, member for Waitotaroa was being ( used by the Opposition in their endeavors to regain some of the popularity they had lost by their past administration. He said that during the Atkinsons regime the average expenditure was seven (?) million and a half annually, which been spent in such a manner as to secure the member for Egmont a long tenure of office. Atkinson should be the last member to charge the Government with change of front. Dr Newman said he would vote for the second reading of the bill, and also for the amendment. He pointed out that the cardinal policy of the present Government was the completion of the main trunk lines, and yet in their third Public Works Statement there was no attempt to carry this out.

(to be continued.)