PARLIAMENTARY.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CX, Issue 13216, 27 August 1903, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY.

■HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Tuesday, August 25. EVENING SITTING. After the telegraph office closed at 2 a.m., the vote for miscellaneous services- in the Colonial Secretary’s Department was further discussed. At the item, “ Expenses connected with licensing committee elections (amounts to be recovered from local bodies) £83,” Sir Joseph Ward said the fullest inquiry would be made before any payments were authorised in the case which affected a Carterton licensing petition of some years ago. It was urged that the item should be struck off the Estimates until the case had been investigated, but this was opposed by the Government on the ground that it would prejudice the ease. After two hours’ discussion, the item was agreed to unaltered. Mr James Allen inquired as to the policy of the Government regarding the Cook Islands, and complained that the expenses in connection with the group were gradually mounting up. The Hon 0. H. Mills said a Bill would be introduced next week providing for a separate administration for Niue Island. He believed the administration of the islands would show a much better result than many people anticipated. Mr Harding moved to excise the item, “ Insurance of steamer Countess of Ranfurly £313,” ns an indication to the Government that the vessel should be sold and replaced by a more suitable craft-. The motion was lost by 32 to 10, Mr Ell moved for a reduction of £1 in the salary of the Resident Commissioner of Cook Group, as an indication that the Government should invoke the law to prevent the importation , of alcoholic liquors into the islands. This was lost by 26 to 11. Mr Symes moved to reduce the item, “ General contingencies £4500,” by £l, as a mark of disapproval of the manner in which the vote was presented to- the Hohse. The motion was lost by 22 to 18. The whole vote for the Colonial Secretary’s Department then passed unaltered, and progress was reported. The Houte rose at 5.50 a.m. Wednesday, August 26. AFTERNOON SITTING. The House met at 2.30 p.m. PETITIONS. Mr M’Lachlan presented a petition fromthe lessee of the railway refreshment rooms at Ashburton, praying for compensation, for loss of his liquor license, which was cancelled, owing to prohibition being carried in the district. Mr Parata presented a petition from Maoris -'north of Auckland, protesting against Malnita being described as King of the Maoris. THE NEWTOWN LICENSES. The Hon J. M’Gowan laid on the table a copy of a letter from Mr G. B. Nicholls, secretary of- the Newtown No-license League, to Mr Dinnie, Commissioner of Police, in collection with the prosecution of the Newtown hotel-keepers. Air Taylor said that it was evident that the Government was going to 1 bring about the same unsatisfactory state of affairs with Mr Dinnie, the new Commissioner, as existed with Mr Tunbridge. It was a positive disgrace that the Premier should drag up the head of the Police Department, and use him for party purposes, as was done last week. ' The Premier retorted that it was-Mr Nicholls who had tried to put Mr Dinnie into the position of taking- sides over the Newtown hotels. Similar attempts were made by the Prohibitionists during Mr Tunbridge’s regime. A more impertinent, impudent letter than Mr Nicholls’s he had ■•never met with in his : whole experience., Mr Seddon, added that he had been introduced to. Mr on his arrival, but otherwise he had had no communication whatever with him. Mr Dinnie had Shown great strength of character, in the reply he had sent to Mr Nicholls’s letter. The Hon J. M’Gowan said that instead of the police having been in any way interfered’with by the administration, there had been an attempt on the pari of certain people to influence the head of the Police Department by a confidential letter. During his term of office, there had been attempts made indirectly by the Prohibition party, by speech and. by letter, to unduly influence the police. The letter was ordered - to lie on the table. THE VAILE RAILWAY SYSTEM. The Railways Committee recommended that the petition of Mr Samuel Yaile, who asked that a trial should be made of his system, should be referred to the Government for consideration. Mr Massey 'moved to. refer the report back to the committee, as an indication that the House desires a trial to be made of the system. He took advantage of the opportunity to urge that the additional rolling stock on the railways should be charged to revenue, instead of to capital, and he asked, if they could not borrow money for the purpose of paying for this additional rolling stock, where would be the 5£ per cent that the railways are supposed to be paying? The present, system would land us in serious financial difficulties, and he expressed the opinion that the way out was the “stage” system proposed by Mr Vaile. Mr Dnthie said that he was not satisfied that Mr Vaile’s scheme could -be successfully applied to large railway systems like that of New Zealand. He argued on the same lines as Mr Massey on the subject of charging new rolling stock to revenue instead of capital, and -declared that if our railways had not been maintained out of capital, the Minister would not have been able to give the concessions which have been given of late years. He urged that a great deal of the present- stock should be discarded and that the state of the'lines was not sufficiently good for the traffic. Sir Joseph Ward said' that the result, of the arguments against, the railway management would he the imposition of rates which would- be ruinous in the extreme to users of the railways. The policy -now being carried cut was agreed to by the House in 1900, when an expenditure of £2,500,000 was agreed to, and some honourable members who were now opposing the management agreed to the scheme he then propounded. As to Mr Vaile’s system Sir Joseph said that an offer had been made by liim that a trial should be made if a guarantee was given for any loss, hut the offer had not been taken up. Replying to Ma Dnthie, Sir Joseph Ward said that out of the total revenue last year of £1,874,000 £632.000 was paid into the Treasury, and tiro balance used in the up-keep of the railways. The Chief Engineer hod reported that the track had been, maintained in good condition, and he defied any member to put his finger on any document in which a- rcspnnsibf: officer of the railways said that the Milway lines were unsafe. Mr James Allen urged that the Minister should, set up a Royal Commission to inquire as to the system of railway accounts, and to decide who was right, the Minister or those who opposed him in this respect. Sir Joseph Ward : The colony as a whole is satisfied with the administration. Mr Allen relented that the colony would not be satisfied in a tew years, and would sooner or later denvnnd a. Royal Commission to inquire into the whole matter. The Prem’er speaking just before the

dinner adjournment, .contended that Mr Massey wanted to bleed the nest of the colony to make up the loss that must result from a trial of Mr Vaile’s system on the Waikato lines. The discussion was interrupted by the 5.30 p.m. adjournment. EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. BILLS. Sir William Steward’s Statutes Computation Act Amendment Bill was read a second time pro forma, and referred to the Statutes Revision Committee. The committal of Mr Hogg’s District Courts Bill was postponed in order that the Bill might be considered by the Statutes Revision Committee. THE RABBIT NUISANCE. Sir William Russell’s Rabbit Act 1882 Amendment Bill was committed. At clause 5, providing a further penalty for repeated failure to clear land of rabbits, Mr Harding protested against inspectors being vested with the powers proposed in this clause. He said that in the past harm had resulted from the use of the powers with which it was now proposed to reinvest the inspectors. It had been proved that sonic inspectors had taken action in order to gratify personal spleen. Air A. L. D. Fraser deprecated the blocking of legislation of this kind, which was in the ’best interests of the colony. Air T. Mackenzie strongly urged that a Alagistrate should have a discretionary power to say whether a man should be fined or not. The Premier disagreed with this view, and said that the result of giving the discretion had been that the law was practically a dead letter, and the colony was suffering in consequence. It was almost impossible now to get a conviction, aind the law should have remained as it was. Under present conditions the rabbit nuisance would attain suoh dimensions that more drastic measures would be necessary. Sir William Russell pointed out that the Bill would only he brought into force in districts where a majority of stock owners or ratepayers desired that it should come into operation. Unless some such provision was made, it would be impossible to keep rabbits in check, as under the present law the pest was increasing in|f all parts of Hawke’s Bay. The Hon T. Duncan supported the Bill and declared that as the law stands at present no . Government inspector’would face the court, no matter how many rabbits there were on the-land. The discussion proceeded until 10.35, when when a motion by Air J. C. Thomson to report progress was negatived bv 27 to 21. Considerable discussion took place as to the penalty to be imposed for continued failure to keep rabbits down. The Bill proposes -a minimum penalty of £5, and a maximum of £IOO. Exception was taken to this on- the ground that it was too heavy, and Sir William- Russell moved to reduce the £5 to £2 10s, but other anembers objected to any minimum being fixed on the ground that it should not be within the power of any inspector to be able to impose a fixed penalty on- settlers without their having any chance to avail themselves of the ondinary rules of evidence. At , midnight Sir William Steward moved that the chairman should leave the chair, with the object of the Bill. Sir William Russell said that he hoped that the motion would not be carried, and he remarked that for some unaccountable reason member after -member had got up to stone-wall the Bill. At 12.40 a.m. Sir William-. Steward’s motion was negatived l by 24 to 18, and the discussion on clause 5 proceeded. On the motion of Air Fowlds danse 5 was amended by providing that the second conviction could not take place until three months after the find-. At 1 a.m-. a- motion by Mr Wilford to report progress was lost by 21 to 20. Ten minutes later Sir William Russell agreed to report progress. He said that he thought that by a conference with some members he would be- able to accept amendments of a workable character. 1 The motion to report progress was then carried on the voices. The House rose at 1.15 a.m.