PARLIAMENT.

Opunake Times, Volume III, Issue 116, 13 August 1895, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wellington, Thursday. ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS. The Hon J. Kelly presented a petition, signed by 15,000 Roman Catholics, praying ilut education board inspectors be permitted to inspect Catholic Schools. CRIMINAL CODE ACT. It was announced that a conference cf the two Houses on the Criminal Code Act Amendment Bill had failed to agree. PROGRESS OF BILLS. A reprint of the Statute Bill was read a second time. The Family Homes Protection Bill and the Evidence Further Amendment Bill were passed through committee without material amendment. HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES. Wellington, Thursday. TARIFF. Mr Seddon asked the leader of the Opposition whether he had been consulted by Mr G. J. Smith before the latter gave notice of motion to the effect that the tariff proposals of the Government were unsatisfactory. Captain Russell said the first he had heard of the matter was seeing the resolution in print. Mr Smith said he had not consulted any member of the House before proposing his resolution, and he hoped the Premier would not treat it as one of want of confidence, but would allow members to vote-on it as they pleased. FINANCIAL DEBATE. Mr Willis resumed the debate on the Financial Statement. He congratulated Mr Ward on having brought down such a satisfactory Statement. He praised the Colonial Treasurer for the great success attending the raising of the loan in London, and said that whilst recently in England he found most favorable opinions expressed regarding New Zealand. He was not going to condemn the new tariff, as he recognised it was impossible to frame a tariff that would give universal satisfaction.

Mr G. J. Smith readily admitted that the Treasurer was acting in what he considered the best interests of the colony, but he should allow other members to have their opinions also. It was to be regretted that the public debt was being increased from year to year. The tariff proposals were evidently intended for an increase of revenue, and •were not in the interests of the colony at all, and would not tend to encourage industry. The colony could not afford to pay a subsidy to both Vancouver and ’ Frisco mail services. He regretted that the Statement made no reference to the unemployed difficulty or the question of old age pensions. Mr Pinkerton said the public debt must increase, owing to the necessities of the colony, and if the Opposition were on the Treasury Benches to-mor-row the debt would increase in the same way as at present. He admitted that the Advances to Settlers Act was at first a failure, but he hoped now that the Act was becoming better known, its effect would be more beneficial. As to the unemployed, if the Government assisted them in getting laud for small homes near towns, it would tend to settle the difficulty. He defended the co-operative system, and said it was the abuse of the system, and not the system itself, that caused it to be a failure, as alleged by Mr Duthie. Mr Meredith spoke in praise of the Government policy t He could not see that the Government had anything to do with the congested state of the labor market. Mr Ward had done great service to the colony at Home, but there was one little matter that required clearing up, and that was: On what authority the Trust Fund securities were sent to London, and, also, on what legal authority they were declared pledgable by the Treasurer ? Mr Thos. McKenzie said the Government tariff proposals meant an increase in the burdens ou the workers of New Zealand to the extent ol £50,000. Mr Carroll said he desired to make it clear that Mr Ward.had the 1894 Canadian tariff in his possession, and on it the treaty terms were based. It was true, however, that by some mistake the wrong tables had been inserted in the Financial Statement, but Mr Ward would explain the matter fully later ou. This explanation -was made now in case people should say that it w r as on the 1890 tariff that Mr Ward had based his reciprocity proposals. Mr Ward here laid on table the correct Canadian tariff. Dr Newman said from start to finish the Financial Statement bristled with inaccuracies. Mr Steward speaking as chairman of the Tariff Commision entirely dissented from the Government tariff proposals ; otherwise he praised the Government policy. The debate adjourned on the motion of G. W. Russell. Mr Seddon announced that owing to the failure to arrive at an agreement with the Council as to their amendments in Criminal Code Bill (raising age consent) Bill had to bo dropped.