PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13488, 31 July 1907, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

— » LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Per Pres^s Association. Y^RLLINGTON, July 30; The Council met at 2..°,0. PtfItEFOOD. The Attorney-General moved the second reading of the Pure Food Bill received from the Lower Rouse. He explained the object of the Bill, which is to make better provision for the< ; sale of food and. drugs in a pure state. Dr. Findlay wont on to show glaring instances of fraud in connection- with -the manufacture of food stuffs, and declared that conditions* such as be had referred to should bo remedied., '-With regard to the shortage of weight in bread, he said that where a baker, -took money for bread of a certain alleged weighty he should be punished if the iJread ,he sold was of less weight.'.' , „-;j The Hon. Mr .George^<coA tended that the title of the Blll"AVa%% I bsolu l tely misloading, inasm.ueb/^ ijt^&abled impure, food $0 be soJdcifiifiA-natui^e, .of -the adulteration was* set forth. Ho complained th&t 1 ,, if'.rtfoe^jneasure passed, it wo uld prevent ' f he ' 'introduction of ■ all proprietary ,medicine 3. . / • The Hon." Mjr, Jonea said tljo. pill-pro-vided a c'e~rtar)tf "thing should be .done, and then- mbttkp* fe; prbviso that it need notfbe d6&©r.^liet«©bjected to /Justices of the Peace determining cases brought undfi£ thje Action the ground that Justices might be interested in the person prosecuted. \ >yho}e" thing .ifa&; like a sieve. 4 one*'c6ura get" out of it' any way one chose. The Hon. Mr Paul traversed the Bill's provisions, and pointed out v \ number of articles which might .be- included in the measure. If it were ne- | cessary to have a Pure Food iliil, it desirable to protect the community until the food- passed the lips of the consumer. He made special reference to cooking in hotels, etc., and the utensils used. There was nothing in tfte Bill regulating the manufacture and sale of bread. The sale of meat, also required consideration, and the objectionable practice of conyeying i\ in open vehicles should be abolished. | The Hon. <Mr Callan was surprised that tobacco and cigars had not been included in the Bill, and manufacturers I of these brought under, its provisions. The Hon. Mr Jenkinson suggested that the Attorney-General should submit the Bill to a Select Committee to consider the objections raised. ' The Attorriey-General,- replying, defended the provision relative to ,drugs as necessary to prevent the sale of what was injurious.- Generally, he. contended that there *was ample provision 4n the Bill .to cover the objections* raise^. The second reading was agreed to. PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE. The Attorney-General moved the second reading of the Public 'Trust Office Amendment Bill; passed by the House, to amend th© Public Trust Office Consolidated Act, 1894, denning powers of the Public Trustee in respect of un-cared-for 1 property. The second reading was agreed to. ! The Council rose at 4.40. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30. . The Whangamomona County Bill (Mr Symes) was read a first time and referred .to the Xocal,. Bills Committee. MILLION LOAN BILL.'' In moving the second reading of the Million Loan Bill, the Premier stated the' Government would have a total of £2,115,800 available for Public Works expenditure as against £2,040,319 last year. It was important that the House should authorise the raising of the present loan. Last year's loan realised a profit of £4116j. The, amount raised last year in the colony was £659,500 and in Australia £345,500, the total amount raised being £1,006,800. . Referring to' the present loan; he said he had received an offer of the whole amount at a premium of 2 per cent., but had refused it, as he had reason to know he could obtain 'half a. million outside the colony at 102, by paying brokerage of one 'half per cent., which he thought very satisfactory. ' * Mr James Allen, said the information as to how the loan was raised last year had only just been made known. He desired to know if it was not time to cease borrowing money at 4 per 'cent. He contended it could be borrowed at less outside the colony, and we should be able to raise a loan at 3i. If the Government had borrowed outside the colony at 3s, he would have been satisfied. The colony * borrowed from its own Department, the Post Office, at 3i and 3 per cent. He considered the money of the Post Office should be used fpr the Land for Settlement, and not for Public Works purposes* He was perfectly in agreement with the policy of borrowing to assist local bodies, and it was necessary to borrow money for settlement purposes. Yet the Government seemed afraid- to borrow for , land for settlement purposes. He contended that the money should be raised in the cheapest possible' market, and he hoped the Premier would ndt be tied do\vn to this 4 per cent. Thp colony was progressing, and he hoped n*ext year to hear that the colony had raised its loan at 3J. even if it had togp putside. He desired to know if repairs to bridges (railways) and trucks, replacing rails, etc., were charged to revenue. There was no, depreciation account in the Railway Department, and he contended that state of affairs should "be remedied. He maintained that the £200,000 on the Loan Bill for additional rolling stock should be charged to revenue, so that we could know' what the exact position was. It wasjrgunourr ed that there would be .a £400,000 vote for the North Island Main Trtltfk line this year. He agreed that the railway should be pushed on. Further, it was also rumoured that £500,000 wotild^be spent on the Arthur's Pass Tunnel, and he desired to know if this amount was included in the present Loan Bill. He considered the colony should have waited for a few years before' committing itself to this expenditure. Referring to the £25,000 on the Bill for goldfields development he said he had noticed a similar amount on last, year's Bill, but what did he find When, the Estimates came out he found that the amount was £55,000. He wanted to know where all this money went. It was far better for the Minister to cut down this amount in the schedule and place it to the purpose of opening more lines. Dealing with tho £50,000 apI propriated for telegraph extension, he I wanted to know what had become of

the material purchased out of this vote. It seemed to him it was utilised for o:diuary repairs to the telegraph sei- x^ . The- money should bo spent or. :.; v works, and r.ew works only. '-;!..' growth of expenditure on. ,:onTii\'_;> . - defence out of Public Works • hh/. l; was enormous of recent years. t- • urged that not one penny of the lo • v money should be spent on that o'v-'.. Re bad hoped that reform would h.y.v, amoxigst others, been*taken in har.d the Government. la congratulating i!i,\ Government on establishing a Si*:!; : " Fund, he urged that a sinking f- r [ should be established for this loan, v this were done the colony's credit wor.l i bo much sounder, and tho colony ! o able to raise loans at a raiicli lower ratof interest. The Hon. Mr McGowan quoted fl--ures showing that during his period <; office lie had spent more on prospect im:;. assisting the School of Mines, i\vA goldfields development than had been spent during tho previous nine yesr.s. *?,lr Herries expressed the hope tha^ the Premier would give the detail* l-.! amounts of last year's loans. As to iV railways, he hoped the Premier \\m\U devote a little more money to the Gif-borne-Rotorua line, which, if extend^-'. four or five miles, would pay hands > •. i - ly. He asserted that no line in the colony would pay better than a line from Gisborne.to Auckland, no niatt'v by which route the Government mistake it. He objected to the Government investing the funds of the Y\n: Office in Government debentures. Mr Laurenson expressed surprise tbet anyone should object to investing IV .t Office funds in Government debenture-.. It was a good thing for the depositors. . who had the advantage of their savin.':; being invested on good security. Tic supported Mr Herries in advocating; tho extension of the Gisborne-Rotorua lino. ; Mr Mills urged that the Picton-Sod-don line should be continued so as to give a through route from Picton to Invercargill; and thus complete practically a line from Auckland to tho southern extremity of the tfouth Island. Mr Ross urged that the Governmer* would havo-to. come to the relief of local bodies in the back-blocks, as rate? were very high. Unless the Government came to their assistance with public works, local bodies would lo strained to breaking .point. Mr W. Fraser said the Opposition could compliment the Treasurer on hi 3. success in raising last year's loan, lie did not think better terms than 4 per cent, could have been obtained in the ! Home market, but he hoped to see the colony obtaining loans at 3J per cent.. Mr Hogg said the Bill was a measure ■that should realise the general snpp'«r. of the House. He urged on the 21i::i - ter of, Railways th«s urgent nccc=r.^ - for revising the railway tariff. J: * urged that along with tho devolopr.ic:.i. of land for settlement, the rough cc:;rtVy' should be roaded so cs to rJ'wvr sawmillers to remove timber and su: •:; ->- queutly place- settlers on the land.^ V there were only good roads avai!a!;>. they would notr see the spectacle ci: country workers flocking to the tow: , bnt if good roads and bridges wevo made they would -have townspeo.)] > taking to the country. He con&klorc d the Government would do well in de^ voting more money for roads and brie}..,. and less to railways. Mr* Barber supported the borrowii's policy for the colony. Mr Mackenzie advocated the formation of a number of narrow gaugo railways a> feeSers fon the&niain lines. Mr Thomson advocated the construction of narrow gauge railways, and tho pushing on of the smaller lines on i'vj tjompition of *he North Island Ucln Trunk. ' Mr Hanan complimented the Oppo:.tion on its attitude towards the I3iJI. Members of the Opposition had been accustomed fo howl down previous L ):.:i Bills, but they now apparently recr :- nised that borrowing was necessary iVy the development of the' colony. Z\o. urged that the Government should g,: -c attention to completing tho main tru:»!: lines of the colony to a paying v^ i^t before proceeding any further i:i < direction of opening new and sniallor linos. He advocated a vigorous roauing policy, which was necessary to tho development of land settlement. Mr Mander advocated the cor.ziv notion of railways by small contrac-'-;. which Were more satisfactory than d - labour. Ho severely condemned tho c; - struction of the Midland railway, v,: r, i i he asserted was onlyita'ken in Land ; r the purpose of giving the city of Chr 1 ohurch cheaper cbal. He characterise- 1 | tho work as a w f aste of money. He fr ] ! hoped the Government wculd have hu ' sufficient backbone to refuse to proceed with the Arthur's Pass tunnel. Mr McLachlan oifered his ad\ioo '* the Premier in two words, "Dci:t borrow." Mr Major advocated construction ox the main trunk lines. After that m- \ quiry should be made as to which ; the smaller lines should be procec 1c 1 .with. Mr Gray (Christchurch North) u-~- '. that the Midland Railway was of c-; - nial impoi-tance, and should bo c<_ pleted as early as possible. After* midnight, the debate was c""tinued by Messrs Field, Symes, Sedfl'.-.. Rutherford, Flatman, Barclay, Pc: and Malcolm. j At 12.45 the Premier rose to re; l. • He defended the Government's ad v : in paying 3 per cent, for the use of t .^ Post Office funds. He contended t- ; it was more advantageoxis to Ixrrmoney in, the local market than fr - -. the London market. He defended rh,railway policy of the Government iv--^-rally, particularly regarding the I : land Railway, to which ho said t ! country was committed twenty y<v: -. ago. , ' Tho second reading was agreed to v.\ tho voices. Tho House rose at 1.17 a.m.