HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5558, 28 July 1886, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wellington, July 26 (continued.) The Premier said that the reaaon for bringing-down the amendment was to give some members of the Opposition the opportunity to make two speeches in the debate. The Government would not accept the amendment, nor would they allow the Opposition to dictate to them as to what the schedule of the bill wonld be. If the House agreed to the amendment others could carry on the bill. In referring to the speech of Mr Ormond, he said that he first made an attack on the public works policy of the Government, and then wound up by complaining of the amount of money expended in his district. He asked was that a statesmanlike way to attack Government. There never could be a successful financial policy if the~e was continual preaching for roads and bridges by the districts. Districts should not rely on Government. Referring to immigration, he said that the colony should be made so attractive that immigrants would come to it without public aid. j Some of the objects of members were to I remove the burden on land and place it on personal property and customs revenue. ! He referred at some length to the speeches | during the debate. Referring to railway management, he said that the services of Back and Smith could have been retained \ if higher salaries had been paid, and he could not blame those gentleman for accepting better positions in the sister [ colonies ; but their departure could not be made the subject of attack on the railway management in this colony. Referring to railway boards, he saw danger in handing 1 over any of the Government departments | to non-political boards, unless such boards were responsible to Parliament. He defended the votes for the Blenheim, Tophouse, and Westuort-Inangahua lines. Referring to railways, he could see that to support the Manawatu Gorge line was giving a premium to the WellingtonManawatu Railway Company to ask an I extravagant price for the purchase of their line from Wellington to Palmerston. A good deal had been said about the North Island trunk loan, and that a large amount had been inaccurately spent on roads and river work ; but he denied this, and quoted figures in support of his statement. The purchase of native lands along the line had also come out of loan. He always contended that a colony could not always go on borrowing for all kinds of works. He thought the colony should construct its buildings out of the-Con-solidated Fund. Road 3, with the pxception of those intended for the opeu'ng up of Crown lands, should be left to locrl bodies. With reference to railways, no doubt sorao of the lines would have to be provided for out of loan ; nn\ he now, as he always had} dis-

agreed with the opinions held by some hon. members— that roads were more important than railways. He believed that in two or three years the colony would have to Btop borrowing. Whenever he had proposed that the amount for school buildings should not come out of loan, hon. members never rose to the occasion. When he had proposed economy in the Civil Service he never had been backed up, and the House was not sincere in the policy of no borrowing. . If hon. members who supported the amendment were sincere in their desire .for economy, .why did they not propose to knock the £175,000 off the schedule, and say — " We will not borrow this amount." No, they would not do this, but divide the amount mentioned among their own districts. What Government intended to do this year (with lines proposed to be struck off) was only to have a survey made ; and if the Midland line was not . gone on with these lines would be abandoned. He asked the House not to agree to the amendment, and he reminded members that the time was not far distant when this colony would not have to go into the London market. Ggvernmentwere doing i all in their power to promote economy, and he hoped the House would assist them. He again asked the House to reject the amendment, as it was not moved in a friendly spirit. Major Atkinson, referring to the Premier's speech, said that the latter had come into Parliament with the intention of introducing economy and a better system of local government, but he denied that this had baen accomplished. The reason of its failure was that members had not supported him, but he (Atkinson) heard this statement for the first time. He denied that the Premier had ever assisted the House to go in the direction mentioned in his speech. It had always been his firm conviction that Government would have to purchase the WellingtonManawatu Railway Company's lina r and he did not believe that the completion of the Gorge line would affect the price to be paid. He believed the reason that the amendment of the member for. -Mataura was brought down was because the opinion of' a section of the House was that the railways now under construction should be completed to a working point before any new lines were undertaken, and he quite agreed with that course. Referring to the purchase of native lands, he objected to the amount being taken from the North Island trunk line. The House had never refused school buildings expenditure being dealt with locally, but they refused to deal with the subject piecemeal, and asked Government to disclose their policy on the question. He ventured to think the House wanted a reduction of the loan. He asked if the Premier was sincere in regard to economy. If he was, let him come down and cut from L 50,000 to LIOO,OHO off the Estimates. There was the true criterion. Most hearty support from his (Atkinson's) side of the House would be given. In this respect the Opposition would cheerfully agree to any suggestion by the Premier. If the Premier was sincere the schedules in the bill under consideration would hay* to be reduced. . Yogel denied that his return to the colony was to introduce a new system oi borrowing. His reason for again entering into politics was to endeavor to lift the colony from the position it had been placed in by the late administration. He criticised- at/length the. speech of Atkinson, and defended the Government from 'the .accusations levelled against. them. As to the amendment, ho thought its terras too obvious for members to fall into the trap, and auch a resolution was utterly inconsistent with the spirit of our Parliamentary institution. (Left sitting). Yogel said the Government were carrying out a policy of decentralisation and cultivating friendly relations with the Natives. They were desirous of constructing railways to points which would be remunerative. It would be better if the House dealt with the main parts of the policy instead of attacking the broad fear tures. Montgomery said he would not join any Government of which Yogel was the headJ He, in 1884, determined to support the present Ministry, but they had not carried out their] promise respecting local government, taxation, Ac. Conolly moved the adjournment at 2.10 a.m. Stout said if the amendment was put and negatived he would agree to an adjournment, not otherwise. The motion for the adjournment was lost by 33 to 26. Rolleston said that the debate showed that they were divided on many points, and only kept together by a compromise. He condemned the system of browbeating by the Treasurer towards the House, and he should never forget the attitade assumed on that occasion. The speeches of the Premier and Atkinson were statesmanlike, but that of the Treasurer was petulant and offensive. The Treasurer had said that he had come to the colony because of misgovernment, but he asked the Treasurer whether he did not in his calmer moments feel ashamed of what he had said. He then referred to the manner in which the Treasurer had used his position of agent for the colony at Home to make claims on the colony ia time of great depression. He defended the Atkinson administration, and said that the Government had passed liberal land laws and had settled ihe native difficulty. He ventured to say that the members of the Atkinson Government are respected throughout the colony, and the Treasurer was not justified in referring to the members for Egmont as he had done. Mitchelson moved the adjournment of the debate at 4 p.m. Lost by 24 to 21. Moss spoke on the Public Woiks policy at some length. At 4.20 a.m. the Speaker said he desired to remind the House that the Hansard staff, owing to the lateness of the sitting, had broken down. Atkinson asked the Premier If ha still persisted in forcing: on such an important debate without being reported in Hansard, Stout said that the members were evidently talking against time, and his compromise had not been agreed to. j Moss said the Premier wanted to stifle discussion. He then continued his speech. Reese moved the adjournment of the debate at 4.45 a.m. He said that Sir George Grey wished to speak on the bill, and it was desirable that his remarks shodd be reported in Hansard. Si out said if that was carried it would defeat the bJI.

A^kineon again appealed to the Premier. Hfe laid he Lad never heard of such proceedings as that the Premier should burke

discussion on such an important debate. He warned him that such a course of action could only prolong the sessioa, and he would take care that the colony would know of the Premier's action Rolieston asked if the House was to be KP V'q thls , m , anne F: 'He wished to know the Speaker's ruling on the queßtion. Grey % appealed. to .the -Government to. allow him t© put his speech on record, de said he wished_ particularly to reply to the Treasurer, who had represented himself as a poor man"; but he was in a position to prove that he had drawn large sums of money from the cqlqny._ Cowan said he thought matters had come to a deadlock, and he hoped th« Premier would agree, to adjoarh. -, The motion for adjournment was then putand agreed to, and the House roß© at 0. 10 a.m. :\ ■■'•■'• July 27; J The House met at 2.30. Peacock moved the seconds reading \ of the Cathedral Site (Parndl) Leasing Bill. Agreed to. ■• • ( . m Stout moved that the question on, the Order Paper be postponed till to-morrow,' as Government had not ; been able to prepare replies to all of the*; Agreed to Replying to Grey^ Stoufpsaid he preferred that the question relating to the unemployed should:- stand over. MIL next day. He assured the House that the Government were not neglectful; -of, thematter. •■••■ ..<*.■> Moss moved tlw adjournment of the House. He said he had receired telegrams from Auckland to the effect that this was becoming a very seriouß question The. Minister for Public JWqrks pointed out that the unemployed could find employment on the gum fields if they desired it. No doubt Government. would be able to ask for works on the, Supplementary Estimates, which would give; employment to those men. After . further!' discussion the matter dropped., ,■ ' Cowan resumed the debate on the Loan Bill amendment. It could not be continued in any other way thanKfarihp direction of Government taking back their Public Works policy and recasting it. Government could not but accept it asopne of no, confidence. The. debat^ha^ assumed more the appearance of a ; flght l for office than for the interests of the country. He hoped Richardson's amendments would be rejected by a substantial majority, though he admitted the schedule might be improved. He regrett¥cTthere~waa~any necessity for the bill atall He defended the Government from the charges as to the purchase of native lands, but thought they might be twitted with their railway administration. He regretted the House did not sanction the Government proposals for school buildings. It was not the Ministry who were responsible for the effacement of party lines, but the Public Works policy and parties would not be clearly defined till that policy was nearly complete. It was said that the proposals really meant , borrowing two and a. half millions. There was less attempt' 1 at economy this session than for years past. J. Thomson was opposed to excessive borrowing. He took exception to the mode in which it was proposed to expend money. He objected, however, to the attempt to remove the Government by a side wind, and would votg, for the second reading. W. F. Bucklandhad no doubt Cowan would always vote for the Government while there wrs a paosp.e,ct of their buying the Waimea Plains Railway (a remarkfor which he was called to order by the Speaker, and which he withdrew), and continued to say that hitherto the money had been chiefly spent on railways to the exclusion of equally desiring objects, such as the development of the mining industry and the initiation of new industries. The expenditure on defence works was simply a waste. Lake reviewed the speeches of the previous speakers on the Government side. He twitted Dargaville with being ready to turn his face to every favorable breeze, from whatever quarter it came. The purchase of Stark's property at the North Shore (Auckland) was a notorious instance of twisting property tax .valuation to any purpose. He condemned the land purchases along the Northern Trunk Line, and objected to the charges for snagging the Wanganui river being cast upon that railway. He intended to support the amendment. Buchanan thought the Premier's speech was little else than sound and fury, and challenged him to prove his assertion that the Opposition members were actuated solely by the desire of obtaining votes for their own districts. He denied that Government had ever meant to put any restrictions on borrowing, or that the Minister for Public Works had introduced any reforms. The hon. gentleman traversed the Public Works proposab at length, and was still speaking at the adjournment.