The Financial Debate.

Southland Times, Issue 15034, 31 August 1901, Page 2

The Fi nan cial Debate.

[BY Tkl.l. .KAill. ]

i no r.M nn; si'K. ! VI. XXI .U.Ti.R. I

Wlllim-to

, Friday

j The debate on the Financial Statement, which languished «v distressingly nn Wed in.'Hduy, took an unexpected und sensational turn an Thursday and continued vigorously . to- tl.iy. Some of Thursday 'fl speeches can he described as sensational witliout exag- _ gelation. It was indeed an tid pa ted that some of tho Government supporters would speak their minds plainly about the rate of expenditure in which .Mr Seddon wa> indulging, but it was not anticipated that so staunch a follower of the Government, so prominent a leaderof labour as Mr... A Millar would go the length that he did on Thursday. In language that was plain to a degree and eritieaf to the point of severity Mr Millar praeli cally admitted that he had been deceived and that now that he hud taken suliiuicnt pains to ascertain the true position for himself he waa astonished and alarmed. Mr Millar's speech was a l>olt from the blue and he was followed by Messrs Graham and Hornsby, both of whom are in tho rank and lile of the Great "Liberal Party. These honourable meml>ers followed up Mr Millar's onslaught and by the time they were done, what the Premier rails " the good ship Finance '* was pretty well scuttled by her own crew. The speeches of these members makes it certain that there will be a lively scene or two when the Estimates conic t-o be considered. To-day's speakers were of different calibre, but Mr Meredith aimr.l several shots at the battered hull of " the good ship Finance," and Mr Fraser (Napieri frankly acknowledged he did not believe that the visit of tho Vorks cost only I*s. ,000. The Southlan'! members v ho have spoken — Messrs Gilfedder r.nd Hanan— have not dealt much with tho financial position. Mr Gilfedder, in a sentence, commended the wisdom of going slow, and then turned t . the education question. On this subject Mr Gilfedder dwelt at length. Re had the work of the Teachers' Salaries' Commission at_his fingers' ends, and his speeuh should admirably pave the way for consideration of that document in the House. Mr Hanan covered a wide range of topics, most of them of interest and importance. Mr Fisher indulged in a good deal of biting sarcasm at the expense of the Opposition and of those members of the < .overnment party who had been more candid than kind. The Hon. J. McGnwan, who tilled up time from 10.10 io 10.30, confined himself to his own department, that of Mines. He quoted a large number of figures to show that mining was active, the gold export was going up ; it was being demonstrared that mining is a profitable enterprise. He found scope for specially glowing roconls in the Thames gold fields. To-day's debate, as a whole, was not equal in importance to that ot yesterday. There waa less substanco in it aud more padding. A NEWSPAPER oris ION. Under the heading of "Candid Friends' t he K voting Pos. deals with the speeches of Messrs Millar, Hornsby and Graham in thi. \iay: " The speeches made iv the House during the financial debute yesterday mark the commencement ot a new epoch in the history of tho colon,. For years the Colonial Treasurer has been in the habit of bringing down a budget which every member of the part}' would support by speech and vote, no niatlei how glaring its inaccuracies or how concealed the true state of the affairs of the colony. Now we have changed all that and instead of iho time of the House being occupied by thr; Opposition vainly endeavouring to convince their fellow members that the Budget was a sham and a fraud we have Government supporters succeeding each other in giving expression to seiriments with regard to the Statement which a very fow years ago would have made tho people of the country realise that they wore living in a fool's paradise." The article concludes-. " Some, nf the members of the Government party who have thus assailed him (Mr Seddon) are men of standing aud ability and their words cannot be lightly regarded. The statements they have made have gone forth to the country and will be road and commented on by thoughtful people of all classes, who will see in them the beginning of a new era when the colony will wake Iron) its apathy and discover, not, perhaps, without some pangs of regret, ihat the feet of its idol artfeet of clay. Meanwhile the idol is bar bound ut a West Coast port. It is well to be au idol till the clay feet are revealed."