PARLIAMENTARY NEWS!

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 8930, 14 July 1892, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS!

THE ATTORNEY- AND

THE COUNCIL.

[BY TELEGRAPH.—SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Wednesday. Considerable surprise was excited yesterday by the attitude of the AttorneyGeneral in the Legislative Council,' on Mr. Stevens' motion for a committee on loan conversions. No reason for his strong opposition to that motion was disclosed in Sir Patrick Buckley's speech on the question. The plea that the appointment of such a committee might lead to a conflict with the other House is ridiculed as transparently absurd, and it is considered evident that some other motive actuated Sir P. Buckley in his determined resistance to the motion. The division to which he forced the matter was plainly a party one, as is usually seen in the Council, only Messrs. Baillie, Dignan, Kenny, Morris, Scotland, and Shrimski voting with the Attorney-General, or seven in all, against 17 on the other side. If Messrs. Swanson and Taiaroa were deducted from the 17 and added to the seven, making the numbers nine (Ministerial) against 15 (Opposition), the result would approximately represent the relative strength of parties in that chamber. NOT TO BE DRAWN.

To-day Mr. George Hutchison asked the Colonial Treasurer for particulars of his " illustrations " in the Financial Statement as under : —(1) The date of the 7 per cent, mortgage ; (2) the amount called in ; (3) the date of the loan boing taken up at per cent; (4) the amount advanced; (5) the term of the new mortgage? Mr. Ballance replied : I think the illustration given is complete—(laughter)—and that it is sufficient. Mr. Hutchison : Will the Colonial Treasurer answer No. 4? What was the amount advanced? In the Financial Statement it is said to be considerable. Mr. Ballance : Sir, I have given my answer. (Derisive laughter). ATTACK ON THE RAILWAY COMMISSIONERS.

Mr. o'Conor had a notice on the order paper to ask whether the Government will take steps to provide employees' trains to and from the principal centres of employment, to carry working people to and from their work morning and evening, at prices not exceeding 2d per five miles, 4d for 10 miles, and (kl for 15 miles, including returns. On its being put to day, Air. Seddon road the reply of the Railway Commissioners to the effect that there was no class of employment in New Zealand to and from which working people travelled in sufficient numbers to justify the running of employees trains, and the Commissioners did not see their way to run such trains. Mr. 0 Conor moved the adjournment of the House, and strongly insisted that there was necessity existing for such trains. He did not mean that special trains should bo put on, but that the fares on the ordinary trains should be reduced to the rates he had mentioned in his question. He complained of the answer returned to his question by the Commissioners, a complaint in which the Minister for Public Works joined, asserting that many of the replies of the Commissioners to questions asked in the House were not only not to the point, but were impertinent to the members asking them. This remark led io a long and somewhat acrimonious discussion, in which the conduct of the Railway Commissioners came in for severe strictures on the part of Messrs. Earnshaw and Kelly, the former stating that their answer to one of his questions was not only curt but insolent. Messrs. Dnthie, Fish, Buckland and other members strongly deprecated the sneers and slights of the Minister of Public Works whenever he had occasion to refer to the Commissioners. After the greater part of the afternoon had been wasted in this profitless manner, the matter was allowed to drop.

THE BRI'CE CASE. Mr. O. Hutchison asked the Premier today if he would so arrange the Order Paper that the resolution affecting Mr. Bryce might come on on Friday. Ho stated that Mr. Bryce's petition was not before the Petitions Committee, and that Mr. Bryce would bo here morrow and prepared to appear before the committee in support of his petition. That, however, would be unnecessary it' the Government would, consent to bring forward the resolution in question on Friday.

The Premier, in reply, stater! that the Government were very desirous of seeing this motion disposed of, but they were not in a position to arrange the order paper so as to bring it forward on Friday. Mr. Hutchison said that in that case

they could not complain of the course which would now be followed in respect of the petition.

CONSOLIDATED STOCK DEP.EN TURKS.

In reply to Mr. Rhode?, who asked the Colonial Treasurer—(l) to whom the £449,000 debentures were issued which were converted into consolidated stock debenture* under the Consolidated Stock Acts of 1884 and ISO 1, as mentioned on page 4 of the Financial Statement. ? and (2) why they were not issued at 4or .'U per cent ? Mr. Ballance stated that the debentures were issued as follows (Jcneral Post Office, £•-273,400 : < .'overnmenfc Insurance. £ 165.700; public works, £9000. With the exception of £44,000, the interest was reduced from 5 tT) 4h. With regard to the second part of the question, his answer was because the Government thought t he course lie had pursued was a preferable one.

THE ELECTORAL BILL. Much comment was excited by the curious spectacle presented in the small hours of this morning by two members of the Ministry going into the Opposition lobby on a vital clause on one of the chief Ministerial measures of the session, viz., on

the question of retaining the freehold qualification on the Electoral Rill. It was noticed that while this question was being hotly debated Mr. Seddon sat silent, while Mr. W. P. Reeves spoke dead against the clause ; but when those two Ministers actually voted acrainst tno Government in the division on the clause, the general surprise reached its climax.

Opinions are divided as to whether there is really a division in the Cabinet en this subject, or whether the action of Ministers was intended as a stroke of political strategy. The prevalent view, however, is that Ministers have wrangled over the point, and ultimately had to agree that each should take his own course. The Premier himself has notoriously vacillated between the two views, having at one time declared that the Government would retain the freehold qualification, and at another time that it would be abandoned.

Just before the Electoral Bill came clown, it was freely stated by prominent members of the Ministerial party that the Government even intended to make the freehold qualification a Ministerial question, and would accept as a casus belli the passing by the Council of a motion to reinstate it. The Government were going to take their stand on the residential qualification pure and simple and on the exclusion of all others. Nevertheless the Premier brought in the Bill with the freehold suffrage retained, and now two of his colleagues vote against

In political circles the prevalent feeling is that the Government should have avoided the scandal of thus publishing to the world the serious dissension amongst themselves, as seen in this morning's division, and that if Messrs. Seddon and Reeves could not conscientiously support a measure agreed upon by the Government as one of vital import, they should no longer have remained members of the Ministry from which they differed on a vital point of policy.

MONEY FOR ROADS. Mr. W. Kelly asked the Minister of Lands to-day if he will provide sufficient, funds on this year's Estimates to convert the portions formed of the following roads from narrowtracks into coach roads : —(1) That portion of the track which runs through the Motu Valley between Gisborne and Opotiki; ('2) That portion of the road between Opotiki and Matata where the Canterbury settlers are said to have taken up some 50,000 acres, and (3) That portion of the road between Tauranga and Te Aroha known as Thompson's Track. Mr. Kelly pointed out that there had been no railway expenditure in the district, and that these' works were very important, in order to enable settlers to get their stock to market.

The Minister, in reply, stated that the work would cost from £40,000 to £50,000.

PETITIONS.

The following petitions were presented to-day :—By Air. Cadman, from Richard Madden, Victoria-street, Auckland, asking for a land grant for military services ; by Mr. Palmer, from Edwin Latimer Clarke, Auckland, for relief in regard to two Supremo Court decisions; by Mr. Shera, from John Bell, having reference to the action of James Swales, and asking for relief ; by Mr. T. Thompson, from Michael Sheehy, for a land grant for military services ; by Mr. Kelly, from Rere Aramft and other natives, for legislation in respect of certain native lands. BELLAMYS.

In forwarding to Mr. Geo. Hutchison, M.H.R., a statement of accounts, etc., in connection with Bellamys, the Auditor says:—"You will notice that the profit and loss account covers the short session as well as that just closed, the books not having been closed since 1890, as £98 was lost over the short session. The working of the last session shows a profit of £180." The following is the profit and loss account, Bellamys, from Ist October, 1890, to 30th September, 1891: —Dr. : Bad debts written off, 18s 6d ; depreciation on glassware, £16; trade expenses account, £68 12s 6d ; balance transfer to Bellamys general account, £82 2? 9d ; total, £167 13s 9d. (Jr. : Profit cellar account, £91 ; profit victualling account, £76 13s 9d ; total, £167 13s 9d. THE DEBENTURE TAX.

Mr. Harl cness, the Opposition whip, gave notice to-day to ask the Colonial Treasurer is it true, as reported in the Nkvv Zealand Hkrald of 2nd July, 1892, that in answer to the question, "Is it your intention to bring in a Bill to relieve the English debenture-holders of double taxation ?' he gave the following reply, " Yes, I propose to bring in such a measure to relieve deben-ture-holders who have money on mortgage — that is to say, that they will pay on their mortgages, but nothing in the shape of income tax upon their debentures. That will be a great relief to some of them. We are not at all afraid of the debenture-holders or mortgage companies, but we are inclined to what we believe to be just and right."

ODDS AND ENDS OF EXPENDITURE. The following items are taken from a return showing details of the amounts expended during the year 1891-92 under the Colonial Secretary's vote :—Miscellaneous, as general contingencies: Night-watchman and extra ..messengers, £1193; cleaning offices, £882; travelling allowances of Ministers, £982 ; travelling expenses of Ministers, £1004; allowance to PostmasterGeneral attending Sydney Conference, £150; expenses in connection with the Residency at Rarotonga, £10 ; expenses in connection with hamper of game presented to Her Majesty, £22 ; flags for Government House, £14; passage of Sir F. D. Bell and family, London to Wellington, £305; passages of Labour delegates to the Labour

Conference at Dunedin, £*29 : subscriptions to newspapers, £104; special train on departure of the late Governor, £35; telegrams and cablegram, £2334.

IN' THE INTERESTS OF FARMERS.

Two measures of great interest to the

farming community came on for their second reading this afternoon. The Manure Adulteration Prevention Bill, and the Noxious Weeds Bill, both tabled by Mr. Thomas Mackenzie, who explained to the House that as the Minister for Lands had

undertaken to push through the Bills this session, carrying out practically what the farmers required, he would not delay the House with discussing his Bills, but would help the Minister to bring into force the legislation so urgontly needed, by giving way to the Minister. Thus Mr. Mackenzie, although losing the credit of carrying the reforms himself, succeeds in ensuring their becoming law probably at an earlier date. MR. LAWRY AND THE COMPENSA-

TiON QUESTION. I had a conversation with Mr. I,awry as to certain telegrams received from Auckland which stated that he had declared in the House that his constituents were not opposed to the principle of compensation. Mr. La wry informs me that he did not state anything of the kind. All he said was that lie had wired to the local affected bodies in his district, and had received no reply, but he read the telegrams received from those who had objected. What ho said was that his constituents knew what

his "pinions were on the subject of compensation at flic time of the election, mid they electa! him notwithstanding.

THE EXPORT DUTY ON OYSTERS.

lii the division on clause 7 of the Oyster Hill, the following Auckland members voted against the export duty :—Messrs. Auckland, Lake, La wry, Mitchelson, Shera, and T. Thompson. Those who voted for it were Messrs. Cadman, Carroll, Fraser, Houston, K.ipa, Kelly, Palmer, and 11. Thompson.

JOTTINGS. The Minister of Lands has promised to have analyses of soils made in Wellington, if sent from any district, the Government paying the cost, of freight. It' is not intended to bring in a Bill relating to bush burning this session. In reply to Sir John Hall, the Colonial Treasurer stated that the gum of £400,000 in the Colonial Bunk had been renewed for auother term of 12 months.

The Railway Commissioners deny that the silent system, or any other disciplinarian system, is in force in the Hillside workshops. The total amount, of tiie .3 per cent conversion loan, 1891, actually sold to tlis public up to tho date of latest advice was £325,000. The total amount received up to date, hud placed to the credit of the convert sion account in the books of the Treasury as the proceeds of such sales, was £249,000 ; and the amount of balance in "respect of such sales to the credit of tho public account in London £54,000. It is not. the intention of the Government to bring in a Rill this, session for the purpose of licensing tobacconists. Correspondence relating to the New Plymouth Harbour Board debentures will be presented to Parliament in a day or two. The Premier to day stated that he had not seen a telegram in the London Times to the efleet that the Government "must absolutely repudiate any liability in connection with the New Plymouth Harbour Board debentures, and that he had given, no instructions to send such a telegram to the London Times.

The Colonial Treasurer states that there is no specific engagement with the English creditors that the North Island Trunk Railway loan shall be spoilt upon the said railway.

At a meeting of the Waste Lands Committee held to-day, Mr. R. Thompson was chosen as chairman.

The Government will shortly be asked to state to the House whether they intend bringing in a Bill to validate the official acts of Mr. Edwards while he officiated as a .1 utlge.