PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8670, 12 September 1891, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

[by TJCLEOBAI'H. —SPECIAL COItP.KSPON'DIiNT.] Wellington, Friday.

DR. POLLEN'S PENSION. There was another discussion to-day regarding tho arrears of pension claimed by Dr. Pollen. Tho Public Accounts Committee brought up another report stating that they did not consider that any good reason could bo urgod against tho payment of the money. Mr. Rees spoke in favour of the payment of the money, and so did Mr. G. Hutchison, who, like the member for Auckland, is one of the Public Accounts Committee. Mr. Duncan, however, com: menced what looked very like a stonewall, and proceeded to read speeches at great lengt.li from Hansard. Mr. W. P. Reevos protested against a waste of tho time which was so precious in tho closing days of the session. At last the question of referring tho report to the Government was carried by six votes. UNAUTHORISED EXPENDITURE.

The Public Accounts Committee havo submitted an interim report, calling attention to four items amongst the unauthorised expenditure for the financial year ending the 31st of March, 1891. The total amount of tho expenditure was £9982 3s sd, and the four items mentioned are the sum of £306 8s lid paid to the Hon. E. Mitchelson, Native Minister, by way of salary and house allowance from the 4-th October, 1890, to the 24th January, 1891, £150 to the Kev. H. C. M. Watson _ towards his expenses when lecturing in England on Mow Zealand, £f>2 8s Scl, part salary to Mr. Commissioner Edwards and the passage money of A. Bailey to London on his appointment to the Middlesex Regiment. With regard to the money paid to Mr. Mitchelson, tho Committee learn that though the number of ministers must be reduced when the number of members of Houso is lowered, there is nothing in the Act directly forbidding payment of an extra minister. PAYMENT OF MEMBERS BILL. In tho debate on tho Payment of Members Bill, tho votes of the Auckland members who wore in tho House were recorded as follow :— On tho question that the word "two" bo retained, when it was proposed to alter tho amount paid to mombers of the Lower House from £240 to £150: Ayes —Messrs. Cadman, Fraser, Hamlin, Houston, Palmer, Rees, and Sir C. Grey ; noes —Messrs. Buckland, La wry, Mitchelson, R. Thompson (Marsden), and T. Thompson (Auckland). Ib was aftorwards sought to make the amount 200 guineas, and an amendmonb to that effect was moved by Mr. Duncan. The Auckland members voted as follows :—On the question that the words "two hundred and forty" bo retained? Ayes, Messrs. Cadman, Fraser, Hamlin, Palmer, Rees and Sir G. Grey ; noes—Messrs. Buckland, Houston, Lawry, Mitchelson, R. Thompson, and T. Thompson. Those who voted for the third reading were: Messrs. Cadman, Fraser, Hamlin, Houston, Palmer, and Roes, whilst Messrs. Lawry, Mitchelson, andT. Thompson opposed it. The only Auckland mombee who paired was Mr. Shera. His vote was in favour of the Bill.

PETITIONS. A petition was presented to-day by Mr. i W. Kelly from Daniel Irwin, Opotiki, for a | grant of land for military services. The Waste Lands Committee have referred to | tho Government for consideration the petition of llussell Bates, who complains that the price of Crown land which ho took at Kai Iwi, was raised from 5s to 7s fid per acre, and that of Stophen Earl, who asks for a Crown Errant which ho purchased. The petition of Mrs. Graham, asking that legislation may bo passed, to confirm her position as owner of certain land at Ohinemutu bequeathed to her, has been referred by , the Native Affairs Committee to the Government for favourable consideration. THE PROPOSED RAILWAY WORKS IN" AUCKLAND. In his speech to-night in opening the debate on tho Public Works Statement Mr. Mitchelson said he was amazed at 1 what he would almost call the audacity of the Minister of Public Works in proposing a vote for the railway from Gralmmstown to Te Aroha. Any reasonable man who had visited tho place must come to tho conclusion that to expend one shilling on tho line would be purely a waste pf money. Between Auckland and Pat-roa the cost of carrying goods by rail would be three or four times as much as by water. Tho only useful purpose of the line would be to carry coal from Waikato, but at present the To Aroha railway wa3 not paying working expenses, and to continuo tho lino further would make it worse. He considered that the money for tho Auckland-Penrose lino would do "much better service if devoted to the Rotorua railway than spoilt as now proposed for tho extension of the line from Kamo to Hikurangi, and he would oppose the diverting of that allocation in the way suggested. When the Minister consulted him he told him that tho line from Helensville northwards would probably not pay unless it were taken as far as Wollsford, and that it would then yield a handsome rovenuo. However, ho could not agree with tho Minister in this proposal to divert the money for some line in the South. JOTTINGS. The Payment of Members Bill passed the Lower House this morning, at a few minutes past three o'clock, after a debate on the question of the third reading. The- general opinion amongst members appears to l>c that the Government are too sanguino in believing that the session will close by the end of next week. Many think that it will take about a fortnight to dispose of the business. This morning, discussing the Payment of Members Bill, Sir G. Grey suggested that the salary of a Legislative Councillor should be the same amount as that paid to a member of the Lower House, so that poor men might be able to enter tho Council. However, tho sum named in the Bill could not be raised. Sir George afterwards proposed that tho salary for a member of the House should be £150, but he afterwards withdrew that amendment, and voted for tho higher figure. " Several members," said Mr. Earnshaw, on the Payment of Members Bill, "say they want to see labour members in the House, but in voting for the lower figure ' (£150) they show me that they are not sin- | cere in expressing that wish." "But," retorted Mr. Moore, "you want a labour member kept all the year round at the country's expense." The Railways Authorisation Bill, given notice of to day by Mr. Scddon, authorises the construction of the To Aro Line, as well as that from Eketahune to Woodville. When Sir George Grey said lie thought that tho salary paid to Legislative Councillors should be tho same sum as that given to members of the Lower House, several members pointed out that those who were in the Upper House had not to meet election expenses. Sir George Grey wanted to know what that had to do with the matter? Mr. . Rees: "A workingman could not stand for the House, Sir George." " His constituents ought to see to that," replied Sir George Grey. The House were highly amused at this suggestion, and laughed immoderately. A Bill, granting tho pension to bo paid Mr. Hamerton, was introduced to-day. One of the most prominent of those who defended the Payment of Members Bill this morning was Mr. Roes, who said that he hoped that the amount proposed, £240, would be allowed to remain, although a cry had been got up by a portion of the press which did not wish to see labour members in Parliament.

Mr. Mitchelson says that a close study of the Public Works Statement will show that if the present Government remain in office, they are determined to borrow money. The Payment of Members Bill was opposed at every stage this morning by Mr. La wry. He said he had always believed that members ought to be paid as well as the colony could afford in ordor that merit, when not united with wealth, should be adequately rewarded, but he recognised that a certain section of the House advocated economy and retrenchment, and he did nob see how members could walk into the lobby to cut down the salary of a civil servant whilst they raised their own salaries. Evidently, however, Mr. Lawry's remarks were distasteful to the majority as they wore received with "Ohs" and "Noes." • A feature of the debate on the Payment of Members Bill was a lecture by Mr. Fish oil the necessity of loyalty to party. Mr. McGuire opposed the Bill, whereupon Mr.

Fish, who lias more than once threatened to walk across to the Opposition, reminded the member for Egmont that he had been returned to Parliament by tho aid of the liberal party, that lie ought to remember his obligations to that party, and not vote •at his own sweet will.

It was argued by Mr. Rees that the expenses which a country member has to meet comprised another reason why the Payment of Members Bill should become law. To that Mr. R. Thompson, who opposed the Bill, replied that the majority of those who had voted for the increase of salary wore town members. Amongst those who waited on tho Premier, and asked him to bring in the Payment of Members Bill was one member of the Opposition. He voted against the Bill, however, this morning. Mr. Carncross condoned his action, asserting that at the call of party he had told the others who had comprised the deputation. In the debate afterwards on the third reading Mr. Earnshaw took the opportunity of putting the member's name in Hansard. He said he was Mr. Buckland, the member for Manukau. Members of the Opposition say that Mr. Buckland went with tho deputation without any thought of supporting such a Bill, and merely to hear what was said. The Mmister of Lands does nob agree with the amendment made by the Legislative Council in the Land Bill.

In regard to the . statement that the Thames-Te Aroba Railway will run beside a navigable river, Colonel Fraser declared that the river has been found not to be

navigable. "From what I have seen of the House this session," said Mr. Richardson to night, "I am satisfied that this House would support the Government in a borrowing policy." The debate to-night on tho Public Works Statomsnt was conducted with excellent spirit. There was a large audience in the galleries. ■ With regard to the public works proposal Mr. Fergus says that instead of expending money upon a lino from Thames to Paeroa running parallel to ono of the best water ways in the world, Mr. Seddon should complete the railway from Auckland to Rotorua. -

According to Mr. Fergus, though it is considered the proper thing to run down the Railway Commissioners, they are managing tho thing successfully.. A member, who has been estimating the quantity of talk poured into Hansard this session up to a certain stage, finds, curiously enough, that tho Premier is first on tho list, though, probably, that result has been arrived at by estimating tho Financial Statement as a speech. The next longest speaker is Mr. Seddon, and third comes Mr. Fish.

Mr. Mitchelson describes it as monstrous that members of the House should vote themselves a large increase of salary, especially when nearly every one of them was returned pledged to retrenchment. There is very little respect for public men in this country, says the Promier. No man is more entitled to protection than the public man, ho says, and yet who is subject to more abuse than he in this country ? Mr. Mitchelson says he disagrees entirely with tho Native Minister in the dismissal of so many Native Court Judges, when there is so much work for them to do, in Waikato.

Two of the Labour party, Messrs, Tanner and J. Kelly, consistently opposed the Payment of Members Bill.

The Premier says that payment of members is a principle of democracy.