LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12829, 25 November 1903, Page 5

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23. The Legislative Council receivcdi 1 • the Appropriation Bill at 7.6 a.m. In the course- of an 'hour's debate the Hon. Mr KlGtr expressed', regret that, so, ■lii'tle good work lmd been done during tho session, wtfiich was especially remarkable for the large proportion of unimportant measures passed.- He regarded fho vote of £15,000 for the lato Queen's memorial' as a sinful waste of money and an unwarranted piece of extravagance, and ho firus'tod that it would be the crowning folly of the Premier's Imperialism. He contrasted'this session with the tcssioii of 1894, when " our politicians had not learned the art of bowing down, and wo wero not inflicted With the grovel about Imperial questions fhttt we had lmd in previous yean." Mr ltigg werii on to complain that tlie remuneration-oi' the Chairman of Committees in the Legislative Council was not equal to tlio position. The Hoii. Messrs JBNKINSON, W. 0. SMITH, and ■THOMPSON also spoke.

The Hon. W. CARNCROSS expressed tho opinion that there had been a wanton wastfl of time, and that tho work dono had not bee® altogether commensurate -with tho amount of time devoted to it. Ho agreed with Mr Rigg's remarks about- tho £15,00!) vote, «uhl said It wan a melees, wanton extravagance that would not be Jippreoiated by the country, but would be severely condemned.

The Hon. Mr ERASER urged that more good would havo been dono in spending the £15,000 voted for tho Queen's memorial in making roads in the back' blocks..' The Hon. A. PITT, an replying at 3 a.m., contended that the verdict of the colony would bo that no more important work had been done in any previous session. A? to the £15,000 vote, he remarked that had the vote been taken in tlio year of the late Queen's death not a word would have been said against it. He joined in the congratulations to Mr Sneaker and to Mr Bigg, Chairman of Committees, on the able and courteous manner in which they had conducted the business.

Mr SPEAKER and the Hon. Mr RICH expressed their gratitude for 'the compliments paid them, and thanked tho Council for its assistance.

The bill was reported unamended from committee, Tead a third time, and jiaescd at 8.27 a.m.