PARLIAMENTARY NEWS AND GOSSIP.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11745, 29 August 1901, Page 5

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS AND GOSSIP.

[BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] Wellington, Wednesday. THE GOVERNMENT AND THE AUDITOR-GENERAL. The Controller and Auditor-General to-day ' submitted to the House the correspondence in regard to a difference of opinion between the Audit Office and the Treasury on the question whether the 4 per cent, debentures for £500,000 raised in the colony under the Aid to Public Works and Land Settlement Act-, 1900, have not been sold at a price which will yield to the purchasers on their purchase-money a higher rate of interest by the year than the maximum statutory interest of 4 per cent, per annum. The correspondence relative to an Audit Office objection to the form of the debentures in declaring their security by an expression not textually in accord with the Act has also been presented to Parliament. The memoranda are somewhat lengthy, but, apart from what 1 telegraphed you yesterday, there is nothing new to chronicle. When the papers were submitted to the House by Mr. Guinness, Six Joseph Ward said he thought it would be unfair to deal with the matter in the absence of the Colonial Treasurei (the Right Hon. R. J. Seddon), and suggested that consideration should be adjourned for one week. Mr. Hemes wished to make sure it would not be shelved altogether. Sir Joseph Ward moved that the correspondence lie on the table, be printed, and be referred to the Public Accounts Committee. He thought it was extraordinary that the document should have come before Parliament dyring the first three days when the Premier was absent. It would have been more in the interests of all parties if it had been' held over till his return. Mr. Pirani objected to any reflection being cast upon the Auditor-General,, and pointed out that the law required that when a difference of opinion occurred the correspondence had to be laid before Parliament forthwith. The Government did not follow the law as far as concerned certain returns they were supposed to lay on the table, sr. that it was refreshing to find one official in the Government service who did respect the law. Mr. Massey quite agreed that the matter should not be discussed in the absence of Mr. Seddon, but contended that i': would be wrong to refer the correspondence to the Public Accounts Committee, as such a course would preclude its being discussed during the debate on the Financial Statement. Mr. Bollard moved an amendment- to the effect that the report lie on the table and be printed, but this was lost on a division, and Sir Joseph Ward's motion was adopted. BREACH OF PRIVILEGE. The breach of privilege committed by the Evening Star, Dunedin, came before the House to-day, and was only disposed of a few minutes before the House adjourned at half-past five, Mr. Jackson Palmer, chairman of the Mines and Goldfie'ds Committee, duly reported a resolution of. the committee, calling the attention of the House to the tact that evidence given before the Committee had been published before the Committee had reported to the House. Sir Joseph Ward, who acted as leader of tho House in Mr. Seddon's absence, moved, "That a breach of privilege had been committed," and after two hours' discussion the resolution was carried. Since the offence against the rules of the House was clear and unquestionable, it may be wondered what members talked about for two hours, but the subject was really fertile in material for speeches. In the first- place, members had various ideas about the real gravity of such a breach of privilege, and in the second place in had to be determined what should be done to the offender. It was very plain that the House as a whole regarded the obtaining and publishing of two columns of evidence given before a Committee as something that the reporter and the paper could be rather proud of. Members went on to question whether the way in which Parliament dealt with breaches of privilege was not rather a farce. It declared that a breach of privilege had been com- i mitted, but a similar thing was done next j day. Members next proceeded to conjee- j ture the source from which the Evening Star reporter got his information, and stress was laid on the necessity for committeemen arid officials being more careful to maintain silence as to what occurred in committees. So the discussion went on. The House as a whole apparently regarded the standing orders relating to proceedings in committee very lightly, and was at no pains to conceal its connivance at the frequency with which they were disregarded. The discussion, as stated, wound up with a resolution that a breach had been committed, but this cannot be invested with much dignity or importance. The tone of the debate was light, but a pretence of earnestness was made in setting up a select committee to inquire into the matter with a view to ascertaining the channels through which the reporter obtained his information. The intention seems.to be to summon the reporter before the Committee and question him as to who supplied him with the information he obtained. It remains to be seen whether the Committee will do anything to signify tho displeasure of the House at the breach of its privileges. THE CYCLE BOARDS BILL. The petition asking the Government to take lip the Cycle Boards Bill as a Government measure is still in circulation among members of the House. It is expected that the Cabinet will come to a decision upon this matter at an early date. ' THE FINANCIAL DEBATE. The House once more launched into the Financial Debate this evening. Mr. Allen concluded his speech, and after Mr. Witheford, who was suffering from a severe cold, came Mr. G. W. Russell (Riccarton). In a strong speech, lasting his full hour, he handled the Government without gloves, and contrasted the present Liberal Administration with that of Mi. John Ballance, much to the disadvantage of the former; in fact, he accused Messrs. Seddon and Co. of having departed from every cardinal principle upon which the Liberal party was founded. The member for Kiccarton's speech also bristled with figures, which did not at all tally with those of the Government. After he sat down, the debate lost its animated tone in the tender mercies of the Government supporters who followed, and savoured much of being "kept going" to prevent a collapse. JOTTINGS. To-day Messrs. Fowlds and Napier presented Auckland petitions, praying for the speedy completion of the Main Trunk line north of Auckland. William Garrick, an inmate of the Costley Home, Auckland, wants the House to grant him some pecuniary assistance in return for his services during the Maori war. The Speaker, who has been suffering from influenza, is still toe unwell to attend the sittings of the House. _ The Premier is expected to return to Wellington to-morrow evening. "It is not only a record for length and verbosity, but I cannot help saying it is a record for humbug."—Mr. G. W. Russell, on the Financial Statement. Another petition, praying the House not to grant increased rating powers to the Auckland City Council before a poll be taken to test the feeling of the ratepayers on the question, was presented to the House to-day by Mr. Napier. Mr. G. W. Russell says that each man, woman, and child now pays 7s 8d in Customs duties more than 10 years ago—in Mr. Bal- ! lance's time. } "'I he greatest flapdoodle I have listened I to in the House" was Mr. Lawrv's plain unvarnished opinion of Mr. Russell's speech.