HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 10070, 10 August 1895, Page 4

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Friday, August 9. Tho House niet at 2 30. FINANCIAL DEBATE.

Mr G. W. Rusauil resumed the debate on the Financial Statement. Ho hud been returned to the Honae aa a supporter of the- Liberal party, bat after ctuefnlty studying ttic Statement) be bad come to the conclusion that ita dominant theme was one which conld have coma down from the most Tory Government that had ever teen iv New Zealand. He said this with deep and bitter regret. From a party point of view the Budged was absolutely colorletn. It wao a Budget) of para opportunism. With each a large majority at their back the Government bad n laso grand opportunity of carrying out an advanced liberal policy. The financial condition of the colony was far. from satisfactory, and the result would be that the colony would shortly have to go in for a large loan, to be scrambled for on the floor of the House. He was opposed t" the South Australian and Canadian treaties, and objected to £20,000 being thrown away on the Vancouver mall service. 11l waa v groat omission that the Budget madeno proposal for finding work for the unemployed, and the stagnation [of the labor market was due to the fact) that oar natural resources were not developed. Now that the Liberal party had got the tariff on the floor of the House, they would be very foolish if they did nob stand firm and .'bring it into line with Liberal principles. The reductions proposed by the Treaaurer were so insignificant that they would never reach the consumer. Be

intended to move that the duty on tea be removed altogether and an increase made on other articles, in order to make up for the losa. Mr Morrison Baid Mr Russell's speech was one of the most impracticable, un« workable, and halrbralned utterances he had ever listened to. As to what Mr Eusaell had said about spending huge sums of money in opening up the resources of the colony, he did nod think the Government would be justified in expending large earns in creating artificial settlement). He admitted that the co-operative system required to be worked on different lines thin at present, but Mr llussell himaelf had assisted to swell the nnmberß of unemployed by stating on pubic plat forms that it was the duty of the Government to find work for everyone who needed it. This was a moat rotten doctrine. Hfl referred at considerable length to Mr Ward's mission to England, and defended the position he took up with regard to the siuking funds. He hoped She good sense of the House would see that tho Liberal party would not be dividtd over tne tailff proposal?, and that the House would assist the T.easurer to mnke hi 3 suggestions ns acceptable as possible. Mr Bnick objected to the release of the sinking funds being regarded as ordinary revenue. The real fact was that for four years the colony in its internal administration had not paid its way by £95,234. One c^nsc of this state of affairs was the expense iv administering the public service, and there seemed to be very little sincerity in the retrenchment undertaken by the Government. The public offices were ds full to-day as they were before retrenchment was snppo»ed to have taken place. If a large increase in the burden of taxation was cot to take place, local bodies most look for less assistance from the Government, and the public must expect less favors from Government souicea. It was a blot on the Budget) that in face of a deficit) and of falling rcveune no suggestion was made of retrenchment id the public service. The Public Works fund was gradually disappearing, and if the colony was to go on with a Pabllc Works policy there were two alternatives before It. The colony must either go slowly and moderately and keep within its means, or pursue a vigorous policy, which meant {hating a loan of considerable magnitude. The real solution of the unemployed difficulty was in a vigorous administration of the lijnd for Settlement Act. The debite was Interrupted by the 5. SO adjournment.