PARLIAMENT.

Southland Times, Issue 19088, 2 July 1903, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

~.- <•> - (By Telegraph.) (From Our Parliamentary Reporter.) 'Wellington, Wed., July 1. HOUSE OF ItEPlll-SENTATIVJiS. The House sat at <$.20 p.m. ■" A FLOO© OF BILLS. Among forty-Six bills read a hrst time wer© Mr Arnold's Bible __-S.ns in L'uoHe Schools j. iebiscite, Mr tiogg s District Courts. 'Mr -ill's Legislative Council Direct Election, Mr i.irKbride s .Mutual'- Fire insurance. Sir «' . Stewards Elective Executive, Mr McNab's Absolute Maioritv, Mr Ed's Totalisator Abolition. Mr* Field's Juvenile ainolcing Suppression, 'Mr "Herri.s Kating Act Amendment, Sir W. Steward's impounding Act Amendment (-No. '■£), Mr K. Mci-en_ie_9 Mining Act Amendment. Mr L'olvin s Coal Mines Act /amendment, _ Mr Puncan's Crown Tenants Heat JKebate Act Amendment, Orchard and Garden Pests, amd Tenants' Kights, Mr Mill's Government Valuation of Land Act Amendment, Sir .1. Ward's -Wireless Telegraphy, l'ublic Health Act Amendment, Local Government Franchise, Municipal Corporations' Act Amendment, Land Agents and Weights and Me.asures, Mr Carroll's Native Land Law's Aanendment and Sanddrift, Mr McGowan's Gold Duties, Mr Hall-Jones' inspection of Machinery Act Amendment, Harbour Boards* Act Amendment. Sea Fisheries Act Amendment and Coa9t wise Trade,. Hon. H. J. Seddon's Local Bodies Loans Amendment. Workers' ,- Compensation for Accidents Amendment, Counties Act Amendment. Road & Town "Districts Rating. Jmlusttial Conciliation and Arbitration Amendment Shops and Offices. ""EDUCATIOLVAK "MATTERS. Mr Arnold asked tbe Minister oi Education whether it is his intention to submit during the session proposals dealing with the thorough equipment of training colleges for teachers in the four real res of population. Mr Arnold s!»kl this was one of tho most important questions. Without training schools teai-h---ers vreht out ~to schools who wore not thoroughly qualified. •Mr Seddon said this matter had not escaped attention, and. he recognised its lt_portahc«. Careful dealing was required, _ "however, so that all teachers _shbnld receive the benelit of the training. and not only those in and around centres. He hoped to submit later a proposal. which would meet with general satisfaction. A question of colonial importance to school committees was put by Mr T. Mackenzie, who asked why extra capitation of 9d voted last session, chiefly cor the assistance of school committees, had not yet been placed to the credit of Education Boards ior distribution. „"" Mr Seddon said that this money would be "paid, : and the Government would also seeithatvit: went~ to the committees, who. he thought, were not sufficiently assisted: In regard to building votes, he thought the ajmount was smlncicnt, but its allocation was on a fallacious bass. (Hear, hear)# - . 'X AGKICUUTURAL POINTS. Mr tJuncan cannot /promise at present to abolish, the sheep tax, although he hopes soon to e'l.ct v reduction- • The Government has a proposal under consideration for extending the opportunities': to young men for gaining instruction in veterinary science, so a«to enable them to perform the work, of flieat and .stock; inspectors. Jxi reply to a question, Sir J. Ward said .he. intended to ha- ve a bylaw framed liking , the msixhnmm weight of sac' %■■ of wheat orf the railways at -onlh. Froih' :^iU - that could be gleaned, this . would "meet the "views of a majority of tnos© interested. From time to time the Government has Ween pressed to amend the {Loans to Local Bodies Act so as to enable local bodies to. borrow for the purpose of erecting creameries and dairy factories. _'ho attitude ta. -en up t>y the «ovcrn.riient has been that it would not ne judicious to extend the limit of local bodies borrowing from the Government. The Premier, replying to questions, reiterated this opinion, but said that the question would receive his careful siderationThe House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. ." - ; ADDI_BSS*IN-REPLY. On resuming at 7.30, Mr Rutherford (U'urunui) moved tho address-in-re-piy. comro-nicing, after the applause, in an apologetic vein and begging the leniency of the Speaker and the Press. He appreciated the honour of being chosen to open this' debate. •Mr Rutherford referrert \\6 - the illness of the Sovereign, and then passed on to the near uepur-tui-e of' the Governor, who had made himself \pry popular and would be bard to replace. Tne conlerence of I'reiuers at Home would be- productive of much good. He hoped that we would soon nave the Vancouver service, so that our mails and cargo could be carried In Hritistr bottoms.- Tha Hon. ftjabuia's ap--poihtment was a good thing, and he was glad tlHtft it was intended to throw open: Maori. iaiTfd9 and acquire further large estates. was costing us dear;" and when secondary education was ' thoroughly taken up it was hard to say what the cost would be. The grouping of Tand at ballots was not altogei-ii- - er satisfactory, since a. man often found himself in -possession of a farm wbieh he<did" not fancy, ftropi the first. Some provision should be made for poor iarmers. who could- not pay their rent, and so that small parcels of land could be leased by young people without .going to the ballot. The "ballot system oiten sent an- Auckland youth to Invercargill. : and an improvement Was retiuired. A slight of- the graduated land tax vonld not hiirt- anyone, although he dul riot believe that" the -aggregation of large estates was still going on. Ho believed in increasing the subsidy for the Australasian squadron, and supported the Governments scheme of opening -meat shops in Britain. Anything to improve the condition "of the lire brigades would •meet with support, and all members •would approve of legislation dealing with trusts and combines. The treatment of mere imbeciles should he improved by their being housed. away from lupatie*. Generally he endorsed the measures foreshadowed in the _overnor's Speech. *Mr Major ('Ha wera) seconded the motion, and also regretted the ot the Governor. He was distinctly »n favour of a> preferential tariff within ttu> Elmpire. Free trade was no ■ longer tne keystone "of British commercial suprc-macy,-and.world-wide free trade would mean that every man would have to work at the lowest wage, and artisans here- would 'be on the same level as those in China. It would be suicidal i° ! ' V 1"'" tain -to continue her free trade policy. Americans state their intention of dominating the Pacific, and that was tantamount to a threat. Germany was also hungry, and Russia spread her tentacles everywhere. It behoved the Empire to : hold together for her own -defence. It was imperative that there should be only one navy, and an increase ot the subsidy was reasonable. The love of freehold tenure of land was inherent in the breast, of every man who . edU X wished to build up a home for himself and his family. He did not think, with Mr Rutherford, that ballots should be confined. to those in the electoral instricts in which -the land to be balloted f Or was situated. He would support a proposal giving holders of leases in perpetuity the right to obtain the ireehold The residential clause in the Act should bo strictly enforced until a district was properly opened up. Consolidation of statutes was necessary. The proposals re the Bank of New Zealand met «"•«* his approval, and fie supported State fire insurance and the absentee land tax increase - The progress of the colony under the Seddon regime had been phenomenal. Of course mistakes had neen made, but. that was only human and to tre expected. V":' _\. POWERFUL SPEECH. SYr Mtissey congratulated the mover and seconder. He agreed that the bush settlers should be able to go on the land without' paying rent for the bint few vvrears: ' The Government had oyidehtly come round to the opinions ot the Opposition on this point. tie was pleased td hear the jeman^ of the last .peaker in regard to the freehold and ; _tOpert:he "TVOWW stick to them nnd ll ,*V;' > to open the door against which the •'l'retnier once said he had placed b:s ; back! He welcomed the new members, and believed they would settle down into' painstaking, earnest members. it was evident that the House would be •' given an opportunity of cowfirming the principle of a preferential tariff. He endorsed the theory, but thought it was impossible under *xisting conditions. They had to choose between Canadian ac-tion-and th© Premier's suggestion, by no 'means the same thing. Canada did not increase any duties, but decreased duties On British goods. The Premier pro-•oosed-to increase the duties on foreign goods. : ' He never had much confidence in the Premier's; jingoislm, arid he hoped Parliament would never sanction Mr SeddS T proposal to gp-.toMtsWe oi the Lmolre for preferential tariffs. On the ruuFe_t of^^reciprocity with Australia, nothinL'°h_T b-«i "done. The opportunity o&^^rec^drought had been missed. If the duties on hay, etc.. vie Amoved it wonld be of tremendous advantage to the small farmers of thr3 colony. Our contribution to the Australasian navy would be in-reaserl, but we would get a better defence and the bargain would be a good one. in * z extra expenditure could he saved on tne expenditure of the Defence Pertinent. In., "regard to' f*he Bank of . N.A. the^e had been an unsatisfied demand Borland and the Assets Realisation TJoard baa not accomplished the purpose ior wmen , it had been set up. If the <W*en£"« were, renewed those bank properties sliouiu bo sold, and the sooner the bank coma run on its own basis the better, Jne settlement of Maori lands was iui po> - tantr Large blocks were unoccupiea, and retarded the progress of t!.e who.c country. Acts had been placed on tne Statute Book which -made it impossible " "for" European settlers to go upon those lands, . and the Maoris were -?ncoura._ed to Jiold on till they got high rentals, and '■then -".hey could 'live in ease and com■"fprt. They did not want a native aiistocracv - Our system of public works w -as * '"not • satisfactory, pa ft icularly in regard to "railway construction Just tnoti^h waft-; being- done to keep \at.s

and the party right. The co-operative system- lost immense sums to us annually. Th© expenditure ,on roads and bridges should not be .cut down ; money could be saved in other directions. 110 hoped the Houeo wtoulu not conH.nt to preference to unionists. Ho could not concehe why a*- third-class work'.miin should be ghen preference over ■_ (ir»tcloss man because the latter \v a s not a unionist Country members had hecu very tolerant of labour legislation, but unless the < Jovenuuent let well alone a reaction would take place. The oresent constitution of the Arbitration Court "- should not be altered. It had given satisfaction that a judge of the Supreme Court was president. Tli e last loan was not raised on the sYrnip terms as the previous one. because we l 10( l to pay interest for seven months before we received the money. After all the expenses were paid our debentures returned £Ju 2s- ;"id per cent., and up to date Aye had only received 8 per cent of the money Th 0 loan was a failure. He had no objection to a Vancouver service but thought the present service would' be renewed. The steamers had done well and were bringing increasing numbers ol tourists, and friendly feelings with \merica were being promoted, and renewing the subsidy would encourage that sentiment Mr Massey twitted Mr Seddon on -the humours of his trip Home, on the cables received here anent Loid Winer and Cenerul Kitchener, and his acceptance of the national purse. Scchlonism did not mean Liberalism, nor did it mean good or honest government. 'and the 'Government was in danger aale s country was put before party, . U id unless information was supplied to members in regard to the expenditure and finance 1 here was no reason why all should not work together in the interests of the colony, but if that wan ti bo so t lion there must be honesty and openness (Applause.). Mr Hogg (Alastertonj complimented Mr MftSsey on the character of his speech -ri '„■ however, made some mistakes. Ihe falling oIT in the" export of manulactured goods did not mean that less was manufactured : the opposition had largely increased. Larger imports were also a sign of prosperity. He de-en-Jed tile co-operative labourers a nd th-ir political independence: and opposed the Ireehold. Tbe ownership of the laud mould never depart "from the Government and the people. He endorsed the raising of the graduated land tax and the proposal to aHsist the bush hitler* ihe debate will be resumed at 7 :W tomorrow. The House ad;ourned at 10. .0 p.m