PARLIAMENTARY.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 6059, 19 September 1894, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

(Br Tbibsbaph.) WELLINGTON. Sbptembbr 18. LEGISLATIVE COUNOIL. Ibe Council met at 2.80 p.m. THB I.ATB MR H_ET. On meeting the Oounoil at once adjourned out of respect fco the memory of the late Hon. Mr Hart. Sir P. Buckley, Captain Bsillic, and Mr Bonar made a few remarks appropriate to tbe oocasion. TH_f SHOP ASSISTANTS Bir.l. Ihe Labour Bill. Committee b.fore the adjournment brought up their report on the Shops and Shop Assistants Bill with amendmente, the prinoipal one being m olause Jl— " compulsory half holiday." The amendment is that railway book.stull keopete shall bo compelled to observe the half holiday. The committee further reported that they had no reoommendation to make with regard to the Bill whioh was ordered to be committed next day. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2,80 p.m. COT/HBB 0? BUSINESS In reply to Mr Mitohelson the Premier said that tbe Government intended first to get through the financial polioy Bills, after whiob they would proceed with the publio works proposals, Native Land Bills, Lioen* sing Bill, eto. He would be m a position about Friday week to say what Bill, the Government intended to drop. It would be impossible to bring the session to a olose before the second week iv Ootober. BEPW3S TO QUESTIONS. In reply to other questions it was stated that the Government were not yet m a position to inform the House what oourse they would pursue m regard to the proposed bank amalgamation $ that money would be better spent m making roads and bridges for oountry settlers than by devoting it to a grand national exhibition of art., manufac* . tures, and industries, and that it woul<T be a mistake for tbe Government to take the initiative m holding such an exhibition ; that it was not desirable at present to offer a bonus on the export of olover seeds ; that it wbb not desirable, owing to the prevalence of phylloxera m Australia, to remove the prohibition on the importation of grapes into the colony ; that the Government were quite prepared to have reoiprooal trade relations with the Australian colonies, but tho proposal was not favourably received by those colonies, notably New South Wales j that the Government were of opinion that the whole audit system m the oolony waß unsatisfactory, and should be altered, the Government would go into the matter during the reoeas, and hoped to submit a comprehensive soheme to the House on the subjeot next session 5 that as soon as the Cabinet saw its way to grant a sum of money towards the ereotion of an inebriates home the work would be proceeded witb. ADVANCES TO 6ETTLESS BIU., Mr Montgomery resumed the debate on the seoond reading of the Government Advances to Settlers Bill. He supported the Bill because of the polioy it initiated for giving cheap money to farmers, but thought thore was a good deal io some of the objections raised by Sir Bobert Stout. He did not think the Bill would drive capital and loan companies from the oolony, but it would tend rather to reduoe their rates of interest. Mr Duthis attributed the rise that had taken plaoe m the rates of interest since the present Government took office to a feeling of insecurity their legislation bad caused. He did not think it would be possible for the Treasurer to raise money m London on the terms proposed ia tbe Bill. He thought the __*.ill was altogether dangerpu?. Mr Hogg strongly supported the Bill, although h$ thought that the highest spm to be lent should b. £600 instead of £5000, the latter sum being m his opinion far too large, If his views were adopted instead of £1,600.000 being raised by the Bill, £500,000 would be quite sufficient as an experiment, Mr Buiok was m aooord with the prinoiple of tbe Bill, but urged several committee objections. He was opposed to leaseholders being included m the Bill ; objected to money being raised fio high as 4 per oent ; urged that one-half sajlpation should be substituted for two thirds valuation, and thought that the lending power shoald bp limited to £500. Mr Willis hoped the amount allowed to be borrowed under the Bill would be reduoed m committee, The Bill on the whole was a good one, but would require very ooreful consideration. Mr Meredith m supporting the Bill eaid that he thought the maximum loans should be fixed at £3000, or even £1000. The Government would need to keep the expenses idowc, otherwise the oost of management would create a bad feeling m the country. The debate was interrupted by the 530 p.m. adjournment. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. Mr Bell severely criticised the Bill and expressed the opinion that no business m the world depended as muoh on Bpecial individual e_r.ll as money-lending. , Mr G W Bussell spoke strongly iv support of the Bill, whioh lie said would make or break tho Liberal party. He thought that 1 the proposal £0 lend money for 36_- years was > too long, and £b_.t mortgages should be i renewed mors frequency, ' Mr Orowther said the whole success of the Bill depended on the administration. He - thought too muob time was being wasted . over the Bill. Mr Maslin questioned very much whether tbe Government were justified m taking this ' new departure. The soheme was altogether j of too large a character, and would un- } doubtedly create a land boom whioh might prove very undesirable. He should support the socond reading of the Bill to affirm its prinoiple. Mr Allen said that one great argument against tbis Bill was that many of the moneylending institutions who held doubtful securities would AC- a mean, of getting oat of their difficulties by ita means. Tbe Bill was m reality only another means of supplementing _ fcbe-coneolidatod fund and publio works fund iv an indirect manner. I Mr Saunders did not so muoh object to thei 1 Bill ss to its principles, and eaid tbat the Government eamo into office on the avowed b intention of carrying out the prinoiple of r self-reliance enunciated by the late Mr 1 Ballance. He could not, therefore, support t this Bill without going back to his oon. I stituents. , Mr Barnsbaw was distinctly opposed to the i Bill. The only portion of it he could support ■ wbb the title, which he thought was a very c taking one. Being a strong supporter of Mr , Ballance and his non-borrowing polioy he " could not vote for a Bill of this kind. Mr Wi Pere urged that the Bill should a [apply to natives. He should like to see it c get into Committee where it could be r amended. s Mr O'Begau strongly opposed tbe Bill. It f would give money to tijui ftfJl-tO'do people and not to tho small farmers, and Wit, to prove disastrous to the whole colony. Mr Massey thought that m this matter .the |a Government were rushing m where better a ! men had failod, He opposed tbe -i-1 .«

detrimental to tbe . best interests of the, colony. Mr Duncan eaid that tbe Bill was a valuablo one at the preient junoture, and he would heartily support the Colonial Treasurer. Mr Hutchison thought thnt the principles of the Bill were such that they should command the support of the whole people of New Zealand. Mr Pirani would vote for tbe second reading of the Bill as he believed m cheap money for farmers, but be did not believe m the system sketched out m tbis Bill. It would have to be considerably amended m com* mittee. „. Mr Buohanan, although his sympathies were undoubtedly with the small settlers, oould never be led to see that it would be safe m a oolony whioh was already heavily m debt to borrow money to lend Bgain to settlers. Mr Thompson felt sure that when the Bill oame out of Committee it would be so alterod that Mr Ward himself would not know it Ho oould not vote even fortheseo.nd reading of the Bill. . ( Messrs Grahame and B MoEenzie would vote for the second reading. The debate bad not concluded when the telegraph office closed at 2 a.m.