GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1658, 10 November 1887, Page 4

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

The Council met at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. A number of petitions in favor of amendments of the Education Act, and one for the relief of the unemployed of the Auckland province, were presented. The Imprest Supply Bill was read a third time and passed. Sir Frederick Whitaker brought up the motion for the redaction of the number of members of the Legislntive Council. He said the task was a disagreeable one, but, is part of the system of retrenchment, it was demanded by the colony. In days gone by tha business of the country had been satisfactorily and efficiently transacted by a Bnialler Council. Mr Oliver expressed the opinion that the reduction in the number of members would have the effect of throwing greater power into the hands of a few. He considered, however, that members of the Council should not receive the houorariuna. The debate was ultimately adjourned till Tuesday next. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. JThe House met at 2.30 p.m. on Tiapsday. The Wesleyan Methodist Church Property Trust Bill was read a second time on the motion of Major Atkinson. In reply to Mr Ward, Major itkinson said Government were aw»re that the Company with whom they were negotiating for the construction of the Midland Railway had fixed a limit of time for the completion of arrangements, but he could not say what thnt limit was- He belie fed that the Company had adjourned its meeting to the 15th November. Replying to questions, it was staled that instructions could not be given thai 25 words be substituted for 10 words for delayed telegrams at the existing rates ; that the proclamation prohibiting the importation of live stock would ba referred to the Stock Committee ; that the cost of the lost torpedo was £250 ; that the Government did not feel justified in taking steps to provide for jurors receiving travelling expenses when attending courts; that £60,000 or £70,000 n yefr wa« received from absentee landowners in the property tax, and Government did not propose introducing special extra taxation on this class ; that Government would consider whether .the Codlin Moth Act should Eot be made compulsory, and lis administration handed over to the counties. The Premier, after a few remarks, proposed a resolution expressing the sympaty of the House with the family and friends of the late Mr Dommett, whose death had been announced by cable. Sir Julias Vogol, Sir John Hall, and Mr Kerr followed, and the resolution was passed. A motion by Mr Guinness that the House should adjourn for the Prince of Wales' Birthday w»s lost. The Premier submitted the followiDp names to compose the Midland Railway Committee :—Allen, Fulton, Hill, Grey, Russeil, Pyke, E. Richardson, G. F. Richardson, Hodgkins, Samuel, Vogel, Seddon, and Levestttm, —The moiion was carried. On the motion to go into Committee of Supply Sir Julius Vogel said that he proposed to deal with the Financial Statement in an impartial manner. It did not attempt to reconcile etpenditure with income, except by borrowing and vaeue promises of future retrenchment. He contrasted the proposals of the late Government in May with those of the present Government. It would be his business to show what a hollow sham Majar Atkinson's profeised retrenchments were. He claimed that had the late Government been allowed to carry out their proposals, they would, taking the half year's vote against the half year's expenditure, have saved £93,000 up to September 30th last on the annual appropriations. Compared with Major Atkinson's proposal*, the late Government would have come out £78,000 better than the former could show with all his economies given iu. The Treasurer had under-estimated the Properly Tax, and was disingenious about the Customs, gwhich he had estimated at £35,000 less than last year. The very day he delivered his budget he could have ascertained from the returns that it was for seven months only £2BOO below the estimate, and the best months of the year had yet to come. He assured M>jor Atkinson that he had qniio fai ! er! to understand the meaning of. the sinking fund transactions, and illustrated the position with figures.. The result of his (Sir Julius Vogel'*) dealing .with.this fund had been the means of saving the colony three-quartera of a million of taxation during tl e last three years. Coming to thn proposals for economy, he said that post experience was that they were always havino discassions on the allowances for the Governor. To get rid of these discussions the salary and extras had been fixed by Act. If they meddled with the amount now ihey would have this all over again. He thought that four Ministers only should rpside in Wellington, and tt'o rest, with much jroaller sdaries, should reside at home and look after local matters. He was in favor of aellina: all Ministerial residence*, but ha oi&liked cutting down the hoDorarium. At any rate it should only be done during this Parli'itnent. Personally he thought members ought to be piid for their services, and not receive it, under the n"me of honoraririm. H>' discovered a tendeny in thete pr<ipoß*lfl soul the proposal reg-inling the Legislative Conned tow-irds a cou."piracy agiiina! the democacy, w t'C'i would end in placing r-p'esentation *t 'ha mercy of rch people. Wiiile hs w.t« opposed to lh" reduction of tho number of members on principle, by was pr - pared to accept this dictum of the country on thnt [,oiu\ He asked whero the saving w a to com" fmrn by reducing aiibadit-H to kjc-il bodies. It would an additional halfpenny of property t:<x to enable them to meet ihe eno>moiis burden which wriM now going to hocast niton them. As to the expeo ! "d saving ot £GO,O(JO on the Education Votf, the best of opinion that not more th»n £31,00) could be B>.ved. He w>rued the G,.vsru» merit thai if they persisted in their refusal of particulars of the way in wl ich the economies weto to be efficted in the d'paitmental service* they would not etay long on those bench s. Kegardii'g the noii.-political Railway Biard, the late Government had thought earnestly over the mutter, and the more they thought th« more difficult they found it.' Ho denied that the system was popular in Ytctoria,

He did not think it likely the House would give up the power of the purse to the extent the Government imagined. Looking at the proposals as a whole, he defied anyone to say that any amount of retrenchment would square matters unless they were to live on borrowed money. The whole object of the budget was to conceal the necessity of increasing the Oustoms Tariff, and to enable a weak Government to bold seat* they could not hold if they had the courage to come down with proposals on the subject. Everyone knew that the revenue was not at present equal fo the expenditure, and could not be made so without extra Customs duties. Speaking of the proposed loan he warned the Hause that to guarantee non-borrow-ing for three years would be most dangerous, and certainly lead to suspension of public works a year before the time wns up. He would limit the amount to £500,000, and if another £IOOOOO must be raised it should be deferred for a year. He was entirely opposed to restriction of the number of members of the Legislative Council, which would throw all power into the hands of a nominee body,

Mr Fisher said that the best criterion of the ex-Treasurer's labors was the stock market, and he quoted the prices of New Zealand bonds to show that they hud been steadily falling during.the last three years. Sir Julius Vogel had been pleased to criticise their retrenchment proposals, but had omitted to point out that thoy had beea careful not to take anything from the working man. He laughed at the idea of the late Government having saved the people three quarters of a million of taxation. Why, but for them they need have bsen no expenditure for a second session. He proceeded to discuss and controvert each section of Sir Julius' Voxel's speech in detail. With regard to education, the Aft only allowed a capitation grant of £3 15s, and all that they proposed to do was to follow the Act. In proportion to revenue, education cost more in New Zealand than in any other. Australasian colony. When the proper time arrived the Government would be prepared to explain every specific item of reduction they proposed to make. Sir Julius Vogel might call the Government weak, but he ventured to say that if the election were held over ngain the Govemmeot would be returned by two to one.

Mr Balhnce said that Mr Fisher had Just posed as a Radical member of the Cabinet, aid bad stated that the Government had touched the propertied classes through the Properly Tax. No doubt all the Ministers would come out full fledged democrat. Mr Fisher had not replied to Sir Julius Vogel's spdech. He (Mr Ballance) combated (he statement that it was not intended to trick working men. He condemned the reduction of Minister' salaries, and siid that the reductions should only be of a temporary character. Mr Fisher's views as to the reduction of I members did not ugree with those of the J Premier. Yet in 1881 the bitter hnd deliberately increased the number from 86 to 95. With respect to village settlements he denied that he had spent any money which hnd not been voted. He insisted that the experience of the railway board in Victoria had been the reverse of satisfactory, and instanced the revelations of the recent Windsor accident inquiry. He could not believe that the board would work well in New Zeaiand. He contended that the one-policeman policy had been an unqualified success, and notwithstanding; the allegations made aeainut him of increasing the constabulary force, he asserted that there were no more men in native districts than the regulation number. He dealt at length with the points in the Financial Statement which had been touched on by Sir Julius Vogel and Mr Fisher, taking the same line as the former. In his opinion much of the proposed retrenchment was in the wrong direction, particularly in tho Education vote and those savings affecting the Volunteer force. The House adjourned at 12.20 till Wednesday, it being understood that the financial debate should be proceeded with after private members' business had beeu disposed of.