New Zealand Mail. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 1886.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 746, 18 June 1886, Page 16

New Zealand Mail. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. FRIDAY, JUNE 18, 1886.

That £Boo,ooo threatens to be alongstanding bone of contention in the House. It again put in an appear-

ance suddenly and unexpectedly during a debate, to which ic was, at first sight, apparently irrelevant. Once to the fore, it held its ground cheerfully and exercised the rival ingenuity of the Treasurer and ex-Treasure r for a considerable time. The strange thing is that there can be any question in dispute when the issue is apparently such a simple one. The point is this : Sir Julius Vogel, in his Financial Statement, said that the Government proposed that the new loan they .were about to ask for should be “devoted exclusively for railway purposes,” but stated that for “ other works ” there would remain the balance in the Public Works Fund at 31st March, which was over £SOO,OOO, “ to be voted as the House pleases on other purposes than railways, such as buildings, purchase of Native lands, roads and other works on goldfields, reading, etc.” And he added that he looked to its “yielding at least two. years’ provision.” Major Atkinson, in criticising the Budget, pointed out that there was not £BOO,OOO “ to be voted as the

House pleased," because there were liabilities amounting to £1,094,000 against it. Sir Julius Vogel rejoined that the money was available to be voted for such purposes as they pleased, including liabilities . He argued last night that liis meaning was fairly deducible from his words, and that there was no warraut for concluding that he did not include existing liabilities in the sums to be provided out of this £BOO,OOO of unexpended loan. Now we have not the slightest wish to misrepresent the Treasurer or to deal with his statements hypereritically. We are aware that he allows himself an agreeable scope in his use of facts and figures, and he is quite welcome to this privilege. But we desire to get at some plain facts, stripped of all adornment of sentimental tropes, and we therefore feel bound to point out one serious omission in his Statement and speeches. If, as Major Atkinson contends, and as Sir Julias Vogel virtually admits, the £BOO,OOO is subject to liabilities already incurred representing about the whole of that sum, then we should like to ask, From what source is the cost of fresh works to be defrayed ? To us, as to Major Atkinson, the statement that the £BOO,OOO could be “voted as the House pleased on other purposes than railways,” being made as a part of the proposals for new works certainly appeared to imply that the money would be available for such new works. But i! this was not the meaning, then we should like to know from what source is provision to be made for new works ? The million and a-half loan and the North Island Railway loan are to be rigidly devoted —and very properly so —to the specific railway works set down in their schedules. Nothing else remains but this £BOO,OOO, and if that be practically all absorbed .by existing and unavoidable liabilities, whence is the money to come to pay for new roads, buildings, &c ? That is the point on which a clear and precise explanation would be very acceptable.