PARLIAMENTARY.

Timaru Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 3688, 28 July 1886, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

[By Telegraph.] Wbliik^ton, July 27. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Mr Shrimski, after a short debate, withdrew his motion relative to the Parliamentary buildings being used for other than legislative business during the sitting of Parliament. On the motion of Mr Buckley, the Council then adjourned m consequence of the debate m the Lower Houso. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The following is the conclusion of Monday night's or rather yesterday morning's debate m the House on the Loan Bill : — Sir Julius Yogel said Government were carrying out a policy of decentralisation and cultivating friendly relations with tho natives. They were desirous of constructing railways to points which would be remunerative. It would be better if tho House dealt with the main parts of the policy instead of attacking broad features. Mr Montgomery said he would not join any Government of whioh Sir Julius Vo^el was head. He m 1884 determined to support the present Ministry, but they had not carried out their promises respecting local government, taxation, etc. Mr Connolly moved the adjournment of the House at 2.10 a.m. Sir Robert Stout said if the amendment was put and negatived, he would agree to the adjournment but not otherwise. The motion for the adjournment was lost by 33 to 26. Mr Kolleston said that the debate showed the Government were divided on many points, and only kept together by a compromise. He condemned the system of browbeating of the Treasurer towards the Houso, and he should never forget the attitude assumed on that occasion. The speeches of the Premier and Major Atkinson were statesmanlike, but that of the Treasurer was petulant and offensive. The Treasurer had said he had come to tho colony because of mitgorernnient, but lie asked the Treasurer whether he did not m his calmer moments feel ashamed of what he had said. He then referred to tho manner m which the Treasurer had used his position of agent for the colony at Home to mako claim ngainjt the colony m time of greatdepression. HedefendedtheAtkinsonadministration, and said that that Government had passed liberal land laws, and bad settled the native difficulty. Ha ventured to say that members of the Atkinson Government were cspected throughout the colony, and that the Treasurer was not justified m referring to the member for Egmont as he bad dono. Mr Michclson moved the adjournment of the debate at 4 a.m. The motion was lost by 25 to 21. Mr Mobs then spoke of the public works policy at some length. At 4.20 a.m. the Speaker said he desired to remind the House that the Hansard staff, owing to the lateness of the sitting, had broken down. Major Atkinson asked the Premier if he still persisted m forcing on such an important debate without being reported m Hansard. The Premier said members wore evidently talking against time, and his compromise had not been agreed to. Mr Moss said the Premier wanted to etiflo discussion. He then continued his speech. Mr Beeso moved the adjournment of the debate at 445 a.m. He said Sir George Grey wished to speak on the bill, and it was desirable that his remarks should be reported m Hansard. The Premier said if that motion was carried it would defeat the bill. Major Atkinson again appealed to the Premier. He said that he had never heard | of mch a proceeding, that the Premier should burke discussion on such an important debate. He warned him that such a course of action would only prolong the session, and he would take care that tbe colony would know of the Premier's action. Mr Rolleston asked if the House was to be gagged m this manner. He wished to know the Speaker's ruling on tho. question. ' Sir George Grey appealed to the Government to allow him to put his speech on record. He said he wished particularly to reply to the Treasurer, who had represented himself as a poor man, but he was m a position to prove he had drawn largo sums of money from the colony. Mr Cowan said he thought matters had I come to a deadlock and he hoped the Promior would agree to an adjournment. I The motion for adjournment was then put and agreed to. The House rose at 5.10 a.m. Tho Houso met at 2.30 p.m. to-day. Mr Peacock moved the second reading tt the Cathedral Site, Parnell Leasing Bill. The motion was agreed to. The Premier moved that the questions on the Order Paper bo postponed till to-morrow, as the Government bad not been able to prepare replies to all of them. The motion was agreed to. Beplying to Sir George Grey, the Premier said that he preferred that tho question relating to the unemployed m Auckland should stand over till next day. He assured tbe House that Government were not neglectful of the matter. Mr Moss moved tho adjournment of the House. He said he had received telegrams from Auckland to the effect that this was becoming a very Eerious question. The Minister for Public Works pointed out that the unemployed could find employment on the gum fields if they desired it. No doubt Government would be able to ask for works on the supplementary Estimates which would give employment to these men. After further discussion the matter dropped. Mr Cowan resumed the debate on the Loan Bill. Amendment could not be contrived m any other way than by a dire.-tion to Government to take back their Public Works policy and recast it. The Government could not accept it as one of no confidence. The debate had assumed more the appearance of a fight for office, than for the interests of tho country. He hoped Mr Richardson's amendment would be rejected by a substantial majority, though he admitted that the schedule might be improved. He regrotted that there was any necessity for the bill at all. He defended the Government from the charges as to tho purchase of native lands, but thought they might be twitted with their railway administration. He regretted that the House did not sanction the Government proposals for school buildings. It was not tho Ministry who were responsible for the effocement of party lines but the public works policy, and particß would not be clearly defined till that policy was nearly complete. Mr Sutler said that the proposals really meant borrowing 2J millions. There was less attempt at economy this session than for years past. ! Mr J. Thomson was opposed to excessive borrowing. He took exception to the mode m which it was proposed to spend money. He objected, however, to the attempt to remove the Government by a side wind, and would vote for the second reading. Mr W. F. Buckland had np doubt Mr Cowan would always vote for the Government while thero was a prospect of their buying the Waimea Plains Railway ; a remark Tor which he was called to order by the Speaker and withdrew ; and continued to say that hitherto money had been chiefly spent on railways, to the exclusiou of equally do- I serving objects, Buoh as the development of tlie mining industry, and the introduction of new industries. The expenditure on defence works was simply a waste. Mr Lake reviewed the speeches of previous speakers on the Government side. He twitted Mr Dargaville with being ready to turn his face to every favourable breeze from whatever quarter it came. The purchase of Stork's property at North Shore, Auckland, was a notorious instance of twisting the Property Tax valuation to any purpose. He condemned the land purchases along the Northern Trunk Line, and objected to the charges for snagging the Wanganui river being cost upon that railway. He intended to support the amendment. Mr Buchanan thought the Premier's speech was little else than sound and fury, and challenged him to prove his assertion that Opposition members were actuated solely by a desire of obtaining votes for their own dietricts. He denied that the Government had evor attempted to put any restrictions on borrowing, or that the Minister of Publia Works bad introduced any reforms. The hon.

gentleman traversed the public works proposals at some length, and was still speaking at the 5 30 p.m. adjournment. On the House resuming, Mr Buchanan finished his speech by hoping the Premier would fulfil the plodges he made last night more completely m the future than he had m the past. Mr Taylor described the previous speech as ougnr for tho Premier and vitriol for Sir Julius Yogel. He defended the Government generally and contended that if anyone had reason to bo dissatisfied with the Public Works Statement it was the members from his district, which was not mentioned m it. Mr Locke objected to constant motions of this character. He wbuld be quite willing to follow the leader of the Opposition m a decisive vote, but he would vote with_ the Government on this isßue raised by private members. Sir Georgo Grey B»id they had a very serious question beforo them. He did not consider the introduction of a large quantity of borrowed money an unmixed good, especially when, as he insisted was tho case, we were paying interest out of loon. He complained that measures of his which would have dono immense good to the colony, had been sacrificed early m the session by the Houso adjourning for a ball, and that railways had chiefly benefited owners of land who had paid nothing for the improvement of their property. The rates ought to be so adjusted that everyone would get an equal benefit from public works. The appearance of tho unemployed m largo numbers was alarming. In his opinion Government ought to provide work for these men at reasonable wages : not beat them down ; otherwise there would be a general fall of wages, and a great injustice inflicted on the whole of the labouring clashes of the colony. Begarding the pro. posed expenditure, he thought it practicable to reduce it, but if his plan of providing farmers witli capital had been entertained, it would have been much more easy and less violent to do it. The great holdings would also have been broken up. Mr Bevan objected to tho tone of the debate, especially Mr Brycc's lugubrious fore* bodings. He quoted from a speech of his at a banquet m Wnnganui m 1876, to show that he held very different opinions of Sir Julius Yogel then to those he had uttered recently. Ho entered at length into the arguments brought against the Government administration, and criticised the remarks of a number of the members of tho Opposition m detail. He described the Opposition us the political Agnews of the Treasury Benches. He particularly defended tho Treasurer from tho attacks made on him during tho debate, and reproached Mr Montgomery for his altitude to that gentleman. Mr Hatch considered reductions could and ought to bo made m tbe Railway Department. He blamed the Government for not having the debate finished on Friday night. Mr Dodson was not to bo deterred by Mr Bovan's speech from expressing his views. He would support no Government containing Sir Julius Yogel. He praised the Premier's speech, but it was at variance with the Treasurer's. There was no necessity for the Tophou?e line till the Midland Railway was made, and he would not object to money being applied to the extension of other lines, such as the Blenheim-Awatere. Mr Duncan strongly ottaoked Mr Bolleston's speech of the previous sitting, and announced his intention of voting against the amendment. Mr Bruce also objected to the no-confi-diMice motion being brought on by a Bide wind. He addressed himself at length to the speech of tho Premier and the other members on the Government side. He contended borrowing had a demoralising effect on the country and on the floor of the House, but admitted that he did not see his way to taper off borrowing j it was absolutely necessary to raise monoy to complete our railways. He would support a moderate borrowing policy. He suggested money should be found for the purchase of native lands by striking off the schedule some of the new lines. Ho warmly upheld Mr Bryce's native policy. Mr Gore said he thought the amendment held out great inducements to the Otago members. Ho did not intend to vote for it. Mr Beetham upheld the claims of the Mastorton-Woodville line. He would vote for the amendment. Mr Barron said the Premier's speech was a fine effort of oratory, but it was disfigured by tho special pleading. It was the speech of an advocate not a statesman ; of a man who would retain ofl'icc m face of any consideration. As to Sir Julius Yogel he objected to his being mixed up, when Agent-General, m transactions of financial companies, and asked what success had attended either them or anything else he had undertaken. He reviewed tho public works proposals adversely and wanted to know what would bo the cost of completing all tlxe lines m the schedulo of tho bill. He supported tho amendment. Mr Fulton said they had heard of a lie-down-and-wait policy, but the Government's was a lie-down-and-be-kicked ono. The roport of the Railway Commission, m which he had taken part, was against borrowing, and his views had not changed. He exhorted the Premier to stick to the views enumerated the previous day. [Left sitting.]