PARLIAMENT

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVIII, Issue 8051, 3 August 1904, Page 2

PARLIAMENT

Tuesday, august 2. legislative" council. The Council met at 2.30. The Hamilton Parsonage Site Bill /Harris) was read a second time. The Counties Act Amendment Bill was read a third time and passed. The Attorney-General moved the second reSng of thf Indictable Offences Summary Jurisdiction Amendment Bill, limitSe the right to trial by jury to offences, and providing that the jumdic?Sn inferred P on tfi» Supreme (W £5» the Act of 1700 may &* exercised by a District Court in respect to all offeW wShin the jurisdiction of such time. A t on The Council rose at o.&i. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. TUESDAY, AUGUST 2. *" h Spowe^g bill . Mr F W. Lang (Waikato) presented a , SE£*5Tt»S! Mr »»*£ t-gsa.-ssisr : wsms. Cfwas absolutely no prospect of cheap Hp expressed regret at the denudation S and use it for the advancement of "skW^ Steward (Waitaki) considered hss!i Jt^rsr'si colony The land for settlement policy iSternad been lost through delays in with right of renewal on revaluation. The present land ballot system was unsatisfactory, and he urged that when an appUJant hid been unsuccessful he * should have preference in the next ballot over a man who was going in for the baflot for the first tune. Money could be provide! Jr the purdiase of estates for settlement by allowing Crown tenants to pay the capital vilu* of their holdings up to say SXcnThs of the total so as to make the Crown the- actual landlord, and he believed that two million of money wou.i be paid under such a system in four y€ Mr'A. L. Herdman (Mount Ida) thought that if Ministers energetically put their shoulders to the wheel and properly atfesnd«d to their departmental duties there would be no need for Parliamentary Un-der-Secretaries. The whole Budget was an elaborate and vigorous defence of the .f rentier, and particularly in justification of the increase of nineteen millions in the public debt during his term of office, lie urged that there was urgent need for reform in the public service, for education, ability and talent were not made a test, and the Civil Service examinations were totally disregarded in appointments to the service There was grave discontent in the public service, which he contended had never been in such a chaotic and corrupt a condition as it vras at the present time. Mr Herdman contended that Ministers 'by their interference in Parliamentary elections had lowered the tone of public life in the colony. Touching on the education question, he said it was idle, useless, and unprofitable to consider a teachers' superannuation fund without first raising teachers/ salaries. He declared himself a believer in optional freehold. Mr J. Graham (Nelson City) urged that loans weft necessary for the development of the colony, and that the burden was not felt by the people. The State coal mine's establishment had compelled ono of the largest proprietaries in the colony to reduce the price of ita coal by 5s per ton, and consumers would get the benefit of that. He defended the financial policy and administration of the Government, and twitted Mr James Allen with having so little of genuine fault to find that he had tumbled into many errors in his oa\< culations. Mr T. M. Wilford (Hutfc) was satisfied there was need for amendment in the Railway Classification Act. He referred to the beggarly pittance of 7s per day which was paiq to casual laborers in the servioe, and asked whether it was fair that a large profit should tie obtained from the railways by sweating certain classes of the employees. Railway men should also be paid fortnightly instead of monthly. Referring to the native land policy, he said it was a policy of drift. As a solution of the question he suggested that the Government should act as trustee for the natives, the Public Trust Office being an agent, not to sell native land, but to lease it, and receive the rent for the owners. i Mr T. Parata (Southern Maori) t No, no! The debate was further adjourned..