EVENING SITTING.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLI, Issue 227, 25 September 1907, Page 7

EVENING SITTING.

The House resumed at 7.30 p.m

Mr HERRIES wanted to know exactly what the Exhibition had cost, and he hoped to see before the session was over a full account of what the Christchurch Exhibition had cost the Colony. It began and ended with a scandal, and a Royal Commission should enquire into it. Another thing he wanted was a full report of what the Civil Service cost. Another question which would have to be settled before the end of the session was the question of railway employees. Everyone knew that there was discontent, not only with the pay but with the hours of work in several departments. Men were going away from the Colony to seek service elsewhere, because of the better conditions prevailing. If nothing was done to allay the discontent there might be a repetition of the marine strike.

Mr GRAHAM urged the importance of proceeding with the railway in his district. The necessity for completion of the North Island Main Trunk line was no reason why other authorised railway works should be starveu.

Mr OKEY referred to the necessity of bringing down a Civil Service Superannuation Bill, about which the members of the service were becoming anxious.

The Hon. Mr MILLS put in a plea for the claims of Nelson and Marlborough in the matter of railway extension.

Mr GRAY adhered to his former opinion regarding the Exhibition. It was a great waste of public money to have a man employed at £800 per year sitting smoking cigars and watching other men saw wood which would scarcely pay for cartage. The Exhibition had been a success, despite the management.

The PRIME MINISTER said that ira stranger had been in the House that afternoon and evening and had not known what was going on, he would have assumed that there was concerted action in the matter of nagging at the Government. The whole grievance appeared to be that there were no Public Works Estimates bebore the House, and that there were no proposals but ordinary requirements to pay for the service of the country. At the rate the House was going the Public Works Estimates would come about ten weeks hence, after they had finished with the Land

Bill, Endowment BUI, Native Land Bill, Anti-Gambling Bill, Civil Service Superannuation Bill, Civih Service Classificaton Bill, Railway Classification Bill, Fire Brigades Bill, Conciliation and Arbitration Bill, and Post Audit Bill.

A Member: What about tho Local Government Bill?

The PRIME MINISTER said that ho had omitteu that, but the list quoted would be an indication of the work before the House. Proposals had been" made all round the House which would cost many millions oi pounds, in addition to ordinary expenditure, and which would burst the country if any Government attempted to give effect to them. Last yearthe Government had provided for £4,/'OO,----000, including renewal, and this year there would be about the same amount. In the debate there were only about two speakers who had not urged the expenditure of millions m excess of the amount the Government could sanction. As to travelling allowances, he had given the House full information. As to Mr Kelly, who had got £50 for certain work connected with the Commerce Department, that i gentleman as a pressman had facilities for obtaining information which others could not possess. He was neither a Government servant nor did he get travelling allowances. Di- Bell had only half-pay while out of the Colony, and received nothing on account, of travelling allowance. He deprecated the attack upon a certain tTucW, and the manifest ttesire,, to bring him before a Parliamentary Committee. As to the Exhibition, he asked if before assuming the losses would it not be well to wait until the matter was all over and settled? Mr Herries had alluded to scandals connected with the Exhibition. Moneylenders had robbed an unfortunate man who, forgetting his position, had appropriated some Exhibition funds and left the Colony, and the Government were urged to bring him back, under the assumption that there must be some other scandal in the background. The Government would not shirk the fullest enquiry as to the expenditure over the Exhibition. As to the railways, before the session closed proposals dealing with the railway service would be submitted. Ine Prime Minister, continuing, said that it was not the duty of Members to 1 create a spirit of unrest. He asked the House and the railway service to wait until his proposals were submitted. ~ -, On the question for the second reading of the Imprest Supply Bill the discussion was continued in the House. The Bill passed through the final stages, and was passed.

TARIFF BILL. A message from the governor, conveying amendments to the Tariff .Bill, was brought down. The PRIME MINISTER explained that raw cotton would be admitted free if imported before th iSlst December next, if it were shown that it was imported under a valid contract made before September 30. Medicated infants' food would also be admitted free; likewise automatic airbrakes, as it was not intended to give any one firm a monopoly. The -Bill also proposed that the ad valorem duty of an article should be defined as the f.o.b. value plus 10 per cent. Twenty per cent, would be imposed on galvanised cup-headed nails. In Schedule A, Class XII., any painting, drawing or photograph in any medium having a value for duty exceeding £20 should be assessed for duty at £20 plus the value of the frame and mounting, if any, and plus the value of the canvas or other material upon which such painting, drawing or photograph was made. The Council passed the Imprest Supply Bill through all its stages. 'After midnight, in Committee on the amendment to the Tariff Bill, Mr BARBER moved to admit raw cotton duty-free, and Mr J. ALLEN moved a further amendment extending the time during which it may be admitted free to March 31, 1908. The amendments were lost, and the Governor's amendments finally passed.