PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 8670, 12 September 1891, Page 6

PARLIAMENT.

[BY TELEGRAM. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, Friday. The Council met at half-past two p.m. MINING BILL. . , . The Mining Bill was read a third time and passed. THE PROPERTY TAX. The second reading of the Property Tax Bill was agreed to. workmen's lien BILL. A hostile amendment to the effect that the Bill be committed that day six months was proposed by Mr. Pharazyn on the motion for the committal of the Workmen s Lien Bill. After a short debate, during which Mr. Mr. Fulton, chairman of the Labour Bills committee, pointed out that the Bill had been considerably amended by that committee, and he therefore trusted it would be flowed to proceed, the amendment was put fcnd carried by 16 to 12, the Bill thus being killed.

THE FACTORIES BILL. The Council decided to insist on its amendments in the Factories Bill, and the Committee was appointed to confer with the Lower House. The Council adjourned at five p.m. The Council resumed at hall-past seven. THE LAND BILL. In committee on the Land Bill, clause 31 ; " Penalty lighting fires in forests' was verbally amended, and further consideration of it was postponed. Clause 82 : Married women disqualified from selecting," was struck out by 20 to 5. Clauses 84 and So : " Land to be acquired for sole use of applicant," and "iSo person may select more than 2000 acres were postponed. other clauses of lesser importance Several other clauses of lesser importance were likewise postponed. On clause 119, " Crown lauds not to be sold for non-payment of rates," Mr. Bow en said lie considered the penalty of forfeiture was exceedingly stiff It was hard that a lease or a license should be forfeited if local rates on the same were not paid for in a period of 30 days. „ , Mr. Millar pointed out thai in another part of the '11 it was provided that a man whose land was once forfeited should not be entitled to apply again for land. Mr Stewart said that the last two lines of the clause were of a retrospective charactCMr. Stevens said that reference went back to land taken up under a previous Act, and applied to a new condition not then plated.The clause was agreed to. On clause l«>4r : 2S o person shall hold more than one license, ... , ~ Mr. Bow ex inquired why a man should not be allowed to take up the full area of 2000 acres The clause passed. . . . . Clause 166: Block of rural land to be set apart for occupation on co-operative system, was struck out. _ . , On clause 169: Governor may set apart village settlement for Maoris exclusively, Mr. Stevens said the clause involved a Dew principle. The Colonial Secretary replied that the clause provided for village settlement of Maoris who at present had not sufficient land. , , . After discussion the clause was passed. On clause 19*2 : 41 Leases to be cancelled subject to 12 months' notice." . Mr. Walker moved that tne time be two years. This was agreed to. ; ( Clause 222: " persons travelling with stock deviating from the road to give notice to runholder before entering on the run, was struck out. as the matter was provided for in the Sheep Act. * On part 10, clause 256: " Acts repealed. The Colonial Secretary moved that progress be reported. This was agreed to, and progress was reported, and leave given to sit again on Monday. the MINING bill. A message was received from the House of Representatives announcing that the Council's amendments in the Mining Bill had been agreed to. The Council at 10.20 p.m. adjourned.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Friday. PAYMENT OF MEMBERS BILL. After the Telegraph Office closed this morning, in committee on the Payment of Members Rill, Mr. Duncan's amendment, proposing to fix the payment at £210, was rejected by 30 to' 24. , ... , Provision was inserted to the efiect that any Legislative Councillor absent for the whole session, should receive no payment from the date of the proclamation convening Parliament until the issue of the proclamation convening the next enduing session. Clause 9, which provided that payments should not he anticipated, pledged, or seized in execution, was struck out on the voices. On the motion for the third reading, Mr. McGdike moved, "That the Bill be read a third time that day six months." Mr. Mitciif.lson seconded the motion, considering it monstrous that members should have voted themselves a payment at the rate of £100 per annum, especially as most of them had been pledged to retrenchment. Mr. Rolleston thought it would be sufficient to leave the country to judge the members who had voted for the Bill. _ Mr. Ward said lie had changed his mind on the honorarium question, and now held that the enlargement of the constituencies had brought an increase of responsibilities and duties, and an increase of salary should Mr. R. Thompson said that members could not consistently cut down _ Civil Servants salaries alter passing this Bill, and he would desist from the course he had hitherto taken in regard to the estimates. Mr. Seddon did not think the country wanted members to attend Parliament at a. personal loss. He thought the electors would sanction the amount which had been fixed. The passing of the Bill would complete the Liberal programme put before the country ten years ago by Sir George Grey, the planks of which had been manhood suffrage, triennial parliaments, and payment of members. Mr Earnshaw pointed out that Mr. Bucklaud, though he had gone to the Premier with the deputation which asked for this Bill, had since voted against it. Mr.BALLANCE said he had always advocated as high as possible payment of members on the principle that without it the democracy of the country could not be fairly represented. The House ought to be prone, of its work that day, for they had asserted a principle which the Liberals of Great Britain were still striving for. "No longer could odium be cast upon Liberal members in case there were two sessions in one year, for each membor would simply draw his salary — month by month — irrespective of whether there was one session or whether there were three. His own opinion was that £300, the salary paid in Victoria, would have been the proper amount. In passing the Bill they had done noble work for which no man need bo ashamed. Several other members having spoken the amendment was put and lost by 30 to 14. The third reading was then agreed to, and the Bill passed. bills PASSED. The Public Trust Office Bill, the Small Birds Nuisance Bill, and the Stamp Acts Amendment Bill passed their final stages. The House rose at half-past three a.m. The House met at half-past two p.m. dr. pollen's pension. The Public Accounts Committee reported on the Hon. I)r. Pollen's claim for arrears of retiring allowance to the effect that they saw no reason for altering the report they had formerly furnished on the question, namely, that the sum of £1389 15s be paid to the petitioner in satisfaction of his claim, and that the report be referred to the Government for consideration. After a long debate a motion referring the report to the Government was carrried by 27 to 21.

SELECTORS' land re-valuation bill. It was decided to disagree with the whole of the amendments made by the Legislative Council in the Selectors' Land Re-valuation Bill, and managers were appointed to confer with the Council. PRIVATE TRAMWAYS. The Private Tramways Act Amendment Bill, empowering local bodies to construct private tramway lines along parts of streets or roads was committed without amendment and read a third time and passed. land for SETTLEMENT. The Land for Settlement Bill was taken in committee, when all reference in the measure to native land was struck out. The other amendments made were of a consequential or verbal nature. The Bill was reported and put through its final stages. TILK RABBIT NUISANCE. The Rabbit Nuisance Amendment Bill was committed and read a third time and passed. The House rose at half-past five p.m. The House resumed at half-past seven. THE PUBLIC WORKS POLICY.

On the motion that tho House go into Committee of Supply, Mr. MitciielsoN sfioke Bit some length in criticism of the Public Works Statement, He said he sympathised with Mr. Seddon in the difficult task he had had to perform in preparing jus statement, especially as lie i had such a limited amount of money at his disposal, and so many demands made on him. In the allocation of the money available, Mr. Secldon had evidently tried to please everybody, but lie (Mr. Mitehelson) thought the wiser plan • would have been for the Minister to have acted as his predecessors had done, merely endeavour to complete lines that were already well advanced. The present Government had laid down a policy of non-

borrowing, but ,it was clearly indicated in the Statement that if the Government remained in office they intended to borrow in the London market, and at no distant date, for it was clear that much of the £659,196 which it was proposed to expend this year, would have to come out of a loan. He referred to several of the paragraphs of the Statement in detail, and condemned as useless several of the works for which money was to be diverted from other unexpended votes. As to the North Island Maiu Trunk Railway, he thought the prosecution of this work at the Wellington end would be of immense value _ to the colony, but he regretted the Minister could not see his way to expend a larger sum on the Otago Central Railway, and carry the line as far as Taieri Lake.

Mr. Geo. Hutchison said as a matter of 'fact the Government were borrowing at present, and borrowing surreptitiously by the conversion operations now going on at home. These operations, he considered, were not only borrowing in another form, but stockjobbing, and the amount which was now being converted would no doubt reach a million. He thought the proposal to carry on the Eketahuna-Woodville lino from both ends, to satisfy sotno local demands lie supposed, was perfectly useless, and it would require £100, to complete the line. Dr. Newman said it was very evident money was to bo expended where Government supporters were thickest, and a particular case in point was the Te Aroha line, in which the Native Minister and another faithful Government supporter were interested. Mr. Sedclon had led the people of the colony to believe he was going to do great things for them, but the fact was he had split the votes up so much that nobody would be satisfied, and a great portion of the money would be spent on unsatisfactory and unproductive works. Mr. Hogg looked upon the statement as a very able«effort to meet the position of affairs, as they found them in the colony. He agreed that the amount set apart for the Eketahuna-Woodville line was quite inadequate. Mr. Fergus thought the Rotorua line should be completed as soon as possible, and he regretted the Statement provided for the construction of only four miles of that really useful line, and this in the face of the fact that £32,000 was to be spent oil that miserable Te Aroha line. In his opinion the colony was paying dearly for having Mr. Seddon in office, as his whole aim was to spend public money in districts represented by Ministerial supporters. He instanced the EketahunaWoodville line, on which it was proposed to spend £17,000 in order to give work to the unemployed in the district represented by the member for Masterton, a strong Government supporter. They had been told in the Financial Statement that forty officers had been dismissed from the Public Works Department. by which £8000 was saved, aud only £2000 compensation paid, but that was meant to tickle the ears of the groundlings, as the whole of the salaries of the Public Works Department did not amount to much more than £8000. - Colonel Fraser said Mr. Fergus had never seen the proposed route of the Thames-Te Aroha line, and he could not therefore know anything about it. Mr. Palmer protested against £11,000 being taken away from the Helensville line, and said he believed the Railway Commissioners had advised the diversion of the money in consequence of the attitude he had taken up in the House respecting the Commissioners. Mr. Richardson declared that Mr. Seddon had actually £984,000 at his command, which he did not think agreed with his complaint of scarcity of money. It was evident to him that the Government were not very secure in their position, and they were determined that if their life was to he short it would be a merry one. His opinion was that in the proposals that were now being made Ministers were taking a big step in the direction of a new loan.

Mr. Rolleston said the Statement appeared to him to be altogether wanting in principle, and in that respect it resembled many of the Government measures, and it also savoured of indirect borrowing, and was therefore opposed altogether to the professions of Ministers. The worst feature of the proposals contained in the Statement was that they involved large expenditure in the future. The Government were proceeding on a wrong principle altogether, and were going on with works many of which did. not come within the category of railways which should be carried on at the present time. They also intended to erect their school buildings out of the loan, which he had hoped they had heard the last of. Was it, he asked, not a monstrous thing that iji they should remit taxation to the wealthy classes as they had done, by the reduction of the postage, and yet fail to provide funds for necessary works. Mr. Taylor moved as an amendment that I the neict session of Parliament be held in Chiistchurch.

Lost by 25 to 19. Mr. Mackenzie (Clutha) said the Public Works Statement did not at all meet with his approval. Mr. Seddon, ill replying, observed that he could not please everybody in his Statement, but he had gone in for the greatest good for the greatest number. With respect to the assertion of the Opposition that the Statement contained a borrowing policy he repudiated that altogether, saying there was not the slightest indication in it of borrowin'/, and that the charge had only been made for party purposes. In allocating the money at his disposal he had not token into account at all the fact whether votes were given to political supporters, but solely according to the requirements of the country. He defended the vote for the Te Aroha and Thames line, and said it was fully warranted from a business point of view. As to the Kumo-lliku-rangi line he declared there was no railway more likely to pay the colony than that section owing to its proximity to the valuable Puliipuhi Forest. On the whole he thought Mr. Mitchelson had spoken favourably of the statement, and as to Mr. Fergus' contention that there was no real saving in departmental expenditure, he asserted that £8000 was saved by the officers who were dispensed with. With respect to Public Works Statement as a whole, he contended that the Government had done its best in the interests of the colony. COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY. The House then went into Committee of Supply for consideration of the Estimates. Working railways, £699,000. Mr. Fish moved, " That this vote be reduced by £10," as an indication that there should be no increase of salaries over £200. [Left sitting, two a.m.]