PARLIAMENTARY.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11604, 19 August 1899, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

[HOUSE OF REPRESENT AT IVES.

. Friday, August 18.— The Hon. the Speaker took the chair at 2 3) j» m

The Canterbury Co'.le^e and Canterbury Agricultural College lud'.uiuity Bill was read a third tune.

Leave of !'!>=c? co wa? nrantc i Mr Smith for one wrtk, on acccmnt of ill Smith.

Tho ISorouth of Stritfoid, Privite Itoads, Feuiuuon Act Amenelmtnf, floto rui Domain, and Auckland Harbour Board Ensfo vcrit g Bills were i itroduced and read a H r st tiaie.

Keturns were ordered sho\ing the amount of premiums paid for fie insurance by or on behalf of borrowers under the Advances to Settlers Act, and thy total amount paid by underwriters ol account of destruction of properties thus insured.

Mr McGuire resumed the debate on the Financial Statement. He wished h9 could congratulate the Treasurer on ihe result of thc> Str^ment, but could no: honestly do so, as ie was q-iito uureliibl", aud full of fiction. It \uib purelj an electioneer ing naaniffgto, because it contained a good many biibes, but that was only what might ba expected from the Premier. He depreraM d ihe Jand being farther burdened with taxation, and u-ged (hat the greac importance of the question of federation v.ith Australia should receiveearly consideration. As an instance of the p3rsimoi ijus saving by the Government, ho pointtd to the ur,e\pended balance of the Edneatkm Vote (£12,C00). in face of the face thr.t Fehoo.'s ia many country distiicts^'ere required. Referring to the Customs cutks, he coatesided thit the Goveirmeut increased tint form of taxation by £400,< 00, and this by a Government that pretended to be so greatly interested in the welfare of the people. He hoped that the Q overnment was id earnest in its promise to reduce the rate of interest to local bodies. It was Mmoly seandaku3 the miLner in which st- ttleiß in the back blocks had been treated in regard to failing to supply them with Toids However, there was hope for t he set tiers yet, as the towns bad found out the Premier, and ho was now trying to curry favour with the country. Ba declared for freehold tenure of land, end mged the Stratford route for the Korth Island Maiu Trn.Dk Rai'way. He condemned the rnilway manßgement, and characterised ths marine end Wrigg scandals as blots upon the administration of the country.

Mr Pazata considered that tho amount proposed to be borrowed should be cons sidernbly increased, *o that tin miin Hces of railway ui/i.t bj complied and roads made wlirr^s rtquhtd. Ec elected to tho proposal to fxpeud £50,001) in the purchase of catir:- JaLds. 'J be- lime had come when tb'.t Fjstem -hould be abo'i-hed, nr.il the rtrnaicirg area of name "aids be vested in a native council

Mr Monk contendfd that the Budget had received from the Opprsition more explicit erilic'sai than from the Government side, who indulged in g<:niralstat?--dents and suvh afcsurd assertions as that the colony wes row pajicg Ips« interest on borrowed capital tnan in ]8?0. The system of dtaiing in native 'and was a crime. They should encourage thj natives to utilise their grants, r.nri give thefai power to lease That area they could not work. He defended the freehold system of land tenure. He was not afraid of borrow icg, but what he was afraid of was that the money would bt> squandered for political purposes The debate was interrupted by the 5 30 adjournment. On resuming at 7.30,

Mr Monk continued his speech, referring in condemnatory terms co the Civil Service, and urging tho necessity for placing it beyond political influence Befeiring to ihe labour laws of the Government, he denied that labour had been protected thereby, and condemned the attempt that had been made to prevent the c-mplojment of the young people of the colony by the Master and Apprentice Bill, a measnre that instead of assisting would retard the industrial efforts of the young people.

Mr Cadman said the Opposition had, in critic : siig ihe Financial Statement, only touched the fringe of the financial operations and the position of the colony. Small items had been taken exception to, but the leading principles had been ignored. With regard to the bonowing policy, he faid to be fair the Opposition should have admitted that of the amount borrowed £4,700,C00 had been expended on public works. Then when the Opposition were asked for a policy they replied that they would cis close their policy when they got on the Treasury benches. As a rralter of fact, they were cot unanimous on any point. On the question of freehold land tenure they differed very materially, and they were not nnanimousas to appointinga Civil Service Beard. Further, they said that they -would not disturb any of the legislation passed by the Government. "Well, heccnld speak from experience and he believed that if they reverted to the freehold system the result wcnld again be the aggretsiou of large estates To appoint a Livil Service Board would, in bis opinion, simply bo au abrogation of respoßpibi'ity on tbo part of the Government. "With regard to railway management, the Opposition contended that they wtre be'ter managed under th<control of ihe Comtni3-ioners. Weil, his reply <o that aversion was to challenge tho Opposition to make the question one of thjir plas-ks at tho forthcoming election, and the people's opinion would decide, it was taid that the Premier dominated the Kou&c ard Cabinet, anci ran the v. hole colony. Well, hi .'oektd upen ih-j i.teeition as complimentary to Mr Screen. Ihcii tuke the Land foi Settlements Act. That measure ba J now hid a f*ir trh!, ai.d had proved a fucces*. It was stid that the amount of lacd tax wtu!d be reduced by the operation of the Act. TLai might be*, but the difference was mace up by r.n ircrease in tho Cuv tcoi- duticM, owing lo larger population en tho lard. Speaking on the question oi ihe adaiciatration of ihe railways, he said that tho Oppo-itiou generally th&N tertfd thcms'.'lvtß behind the Ootnmi:,-s-iottrs whin cii 1 idling tho railways. Personal!} 1 , ho hid ah\-a\s studiously avoided referring to the CommisMoutrfr, as they wtre not thcro to defend thi m selves, but if tha Opposition wanted to co'nf ;i r e tho minagc tnent of the Jii'v/jj; th<-y hho.i'J toicj.—.re it with their on a / 'miijNtr,tii^- 1 . F-_ir and boucst eriti cifrn wos dcirablr, and he courted such critict-m of bis administratioD, but tht basis of tuch critic^s-n bhould not be mere a.'strtion. It had been said, for instance, that had tho harvest cut las jear been as good as expected, and had grain been rushed into the stations all ai once, lhj Department couid not havt. overtaken tbo trtffic ; but the fact was ttat these rircumrtances did not ari-e, aiid the Pepartment did uudertske \h tiaffi; mrtctsfully. Jfe ctitici-cd iii detail tho at'acks that had bei v madt upon bis administration, contending that the raiiv.ajh h'd not been .••tan-id, but, e-n th.j ccu.lrary, he aEierted that thyj were in good order, and he would havo tho .-■niir.factioo, when ho iceigiud hipobitiou shortly, of say ing that v. hen h. took chirgi) of the railways- thuy were camiiij,' £2 14s Gd por cent., aid that when lie left them thoy were returning M ti-i lOi percent.

Mr Caucn dofeuded the Commitsionenfiotn the chargo that they had staivec 1 iheiailuiijfi, the truth tc-ing th.ifc thej were t.ol \otcd fuflicicut funds to pro--pe-riy cany otic lluir sugt;cHt.ioi,s '1 he proposal to borrow a million pounds ou the eve of an election w^ a. piece of clrclici.criii'g lie advocated that the w bole of that loan should bo devoted t" the- completion of tho North T-slaii'l tiui.k laiiv.ay. After next election a new Minia'.ry would bo forninl, no lnittei which par.y wai prc'o'T'icaut, u<,d rri'm Kn ' ":{•'-. -t-tnt hi portfolio \rin \mv\i\uf. their CQCUtl's (shut, lie hoped Ibifc afioi the election members would bo fret to vote as they pleased, instead of doing

! as thoy hid lately done. He deprecated this servile attitude, and stigmatised tho Mai iae and Wr'gg scandals as degrading to the Administration. After tlia telegraph effbe closed, a riiscusfion ensued upon a point or order raised by Caplain Bussell, who mide a personal explanation regarding the Bussell Isnd grant, refuting a statement by the Premier ar.d the Hon. J. Carroll that the i»rant had bepu improperly obtained. Tho Premier and J\ies3rs Hail-Jones and Carroll replied. Tho ' debate avis a^ j turned, and th^ Home ro3o at 12 15 a tv