HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5544, 22 November 1879, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

?j- If hQ-Hoiise. metidt f «.36.^rilUT &>r«(x{\ ;- : - | TflEl tiAsM idAiNST_J^ sumon. Mr Hamlin gave no^cpfthSg he would" introduce a bill to indemnify 4*. B^YSf6rr, v g^nfrbmtjie cons&&uencfter|pi! t any '^v^^ Hence he. might give 'before' -the r NatiysX •■' J '..v' - ftujisfficbift^"..^ v^ Replying to a question, Major Atkinson said that he. expected t)ie property Tax BUI would-be'onjh^^lb'^a'n'fearly iMPjMacaiidreW.ajakjed; the Pubiip/,.'; (.Works StatemeniJ!wbuid;b,e;prought down. ••) as qntUit^was brought dow,n the Hpuste, f<j was ito.t in' a position to jdiscuss [the Span-, o oialj [policy.^ He; also buggesteil that it v f : inight:be As well to defer igoing jtato,oom»'. [':■' mittee ! of Supply tintU the financial policy/ ■■■£ was discussed. ; \ 1 j±i ... hii':-.-:-;-^ .Major Atkinson said that the Public Works Statement . would belbrpughtTdOwW >■ .in a dayor two. He had already infoririecLk the House that the Qbvernmerith'ad^cqni"!- «'" mitited the>.colony to "the expenditurerof <* f one-arid^a-half of ■' motfey/'- aM '- that it would be absolutely niecess&ty to '- " v provide 'for? the expenditure of r £76loQO< r ; r The financial policy 6f the Gbvernmeni '""' Was now before the '' House. : j^The^Ml¥ :i of the proposals, were of but secojalarf mi*' '",! ' portance. , It /frould.' be^^pr^tTtte.^otile \\ ''■.'. to say whether it wished .tfl.^jdjsc^sV . A that. policy, that, nighj; .or/ajfc:/any iO (Qtneie ; : - tiineu, The details off the ; policy "couid-be f ; discussed as each measure wasi brought ii down k) The . Government were prepared; ; i» to hear anything Members hadntovS&y'oh- ••; the subjecta If they were not .prepared r t to do that the Qoyet?nment would ask^the -=M Souse to "prodded ,with ; thd'cOnSideratittti,of the;eatimates : at r oiHse» "-"'■■■'" ■ ;l{} '""^ '^-t- <-4 .■ : ' BEGisTßi.^i6if of ' BL^aloßs'lifiii. 0 '^ lv •'•';"' The Itegistratibn 6£ Jlwto^B'ifi^Ss"., reportod, read a third time^andr passed "' n>i I.IQO'Ax'VpBSID^S^ "^ !On ithe Wo tibii for going into donimiitee' of Supply, Mr- Pyke moved- ihai-the" — • , House do' not' assent, to' ;-the" motion *ifiti£ : / an assurance be given'' that 'the vGovern.ment would make provision for the carrying on of public works in^c'oiSitiesTfeefpre the subsidies to local • pufelia^odiSswOTe^' discontinued: ■ ' ; ; " :i! •'-'■■'' -sit tiLs&tSE&y! 1 Mr, Hall said that .in the finaticiarafetfei'^ ' raent made by the Treasurer, he: htid! diS^'-V tinctly promised that.'the whole. scheme. of local finanance would, during; the/recess, be placed on a satisfactory footing. — The rpresent state idf things ,'cbuld go bn, bu£i£.': T the subsidies were to be continued) further ? ' and -heavier .taxation than' that .proposed !-» woi\ld ■: have" to be resorted to; . iThe/systeml of subsidies as at i present iiritfdrce was most unfair.- Some, places w.ere-wealthy.:;;. and bthers.wefe poor and alzaggling^i'iuid" yet both received the same rate of sftb-"-sidy. It was neccessairy^to "devlselcar^ v". fully a scheme to equalißel.thafincongruity, but he could hot be expecfed^^to say on the spur of ithe/mbmeht-iWhat rthev. Government would do for the Adjustments of local finance.; He would, however, promise that the matter would be considered ~, r with cwef ulness and literaUtyi.hayibg rfue ! regard always to the financial.* -.> state of the colony. ,- '::.." Mr Shephard urged the necessity for- 1 a temporary provision being made'fbi* the period between the. date of .superseding 1 ' 0 the subsidies and the : maturing: of J a nefr^ scheme of local finance. .-,'' .. .' ' , '*.V' V I After some remarks from ■Mr :: Gisb ! orne^ and Sir George Grey, the amendment moved by MrPyke wasiput and oarried^/t v ; EEDISTRIB.UTION.CIF SEATS. Mr Stewart moved a further amendment tbTthe effect :that:boiisidering, r thei'-' circumstances under which the Government took office, the House would refuse to grant supplies until the' Government gave a distinct pledge [that they rwquld during the present; session bring- down theweQiltribution of ;Seats BiiL,. } He7argl^d^^ the Regulation of ElectipnsJSilPgl^e^l^^ . the House without the redistribution .J measure placed 'the. colony in ; ;a, more:.: illiberal condition than it had /previously : been. He had already attempted to eki'i tract information from'thePrem'ier on ih'e point, but the effort had f been! a failure. < The amendment waV pujif arfdPlost on the voices. , ' ! '*;',-.. /,.,.. ,'■; '■'sttppiiY.':7 ; , ■;,l'''V T .; ' l ' " The motion for going "into '(Obsmittee of Supply was thenput andcarriedl : ... , The estimates, w ; ere brought, ,oni {or 1 consideration, and on the" first ''item" being;. put 1 ,.'". . ■-.._..'..!' . Mr .Montgomery, moved .tha,^ progr^ssi; be reported. He. saicUt: was inexpedient to pass the estimates just now with the meagre information they'.Bad.fl (It would, he thought, be shown, when the public works and other ■ statements 1 ! came^dofyu, that it would be necessary 1 : that^^e?(JstiH, mates l»e very considerably cut^owp^J :^ Mr Shephard pointed out^thlt'^the* salaries proposed in the Postal Department were in excess of those paid last year. ! thb present state of ih ; c finan'ces'hefthought' that that was a. mistake.'' ' ! 'i ;o ' ; 3r>inp ovid Mr Hall pointed but that\tnel' work W the department ,ha^^ncreaßVd! , Very considerably, and it was, bnly/ fair' 'that increased remuneration should be paid. '; , Mr J. T. Fisher said that the .incretwa " had been, proposed by the later.Qjovernment, and it was one which, considering the importance of the department,, was both fair and reasonable. - -''f}/ .' y^ Mr Ballance- denied ; that the : esfciniays were those prepared by the latedbveriiinent. If he> was rightly informed the estimates now submitted had ndt been carefully considered in Cabinet." J '■ Tfiey were only departmentai, and no attempt had been made to ascertain how far they .fitted in with the general finances of the colony. He would support the yi^wa of Mr ; Montgomery that the consideration of the # estimates should be postponed until they ™ had detailed particulars of the .financial proposals before them. : ' v " MrTurhbull said he would feel it his duty to propose a reduction in tie salaues. The time had now arrived -whenlit would be necessary to cut down, all departmental salaries, from the highest dbwn"tb J^He | very lowest. In. the.. meantime it would ' ,be much more ■ advisable •$o .adqpjif shß motion . for postponement untiL-*the financial proposals were bejd"re|-;ih,e House; ■':..;."', ■■•■"' /^f'Wifr^j' Mr Speight spoke in supp^rt^o^tlfe amendment for po'stponingthec'onsidetaftion of the estimates.' ;i: - : ' : ' : "' '-'i ■'<'■': Mr Swanson thought the dstitiiates might very well be rßdubfd 'by^b'ftOCf. He was 6n a committee that day at which an expose of the. rotten state of the 1 iublio service took place. 'It was ' shown that a number of highly paid ...civil servanfe / were not onlr peless.but 'absolutely ? mia. -i chievous. He warned new| membSrs, from his own past, .experience; that^tiere was not the slightestf.pq'ssißility of making any material redaction unless, estimates were sent babk.fOjT reconsideration by the Government.' ' '"- ;ii Mr Hall said that it wag the extravagant demands of the public whi<sh. necessitated the large Oml Service . complained of."* A, post-oflice was demanded here, a telegEanhoffice there, and so that.was the way Se service had become so very large. It was not the doing of .Minuter*/ iti was aithine for which'the extravagant demands bHlto public were solely responsible.' f )-. :i;f Mr Hislop 'Buppbrted the proposal for the postponement of the estimate,*, -oc

Mr Hutchison suboitted that they might fairly inD^ease Jhe salaries paid and deduce the riutaje^f Mt&S^'|H"'^Kere , were a wlible noalfor'Ke^iaeSfi&^sti'aTes for example, Now a great deal of the work done by them might be undertaken ljvr the JlP.'i ThfeWJaS I fcovef nin'T*ft~ Official for every 190 inhabit ants'- of the colony, man, woman, and child, They ought to set their faces against the app untment of an gfSpial here.andthere r He suppoH'ett'the amendment. LJ 'J.J The debate had not ended when our tileasage wajj despatched at 1 o'clock a.m./ J =-. el