HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. WELLINGTON.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2096, 22 September 1875, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. WELLINGTON.

Tuesday. At 3 p.m. the House went into Committee on the Imprest Supply Bill, and passed a resolution granting £180,000 on imprest, the Treasurer having explained to an inquiry by Mr Wood that the money was , particularly requested for immigration and public works. The resolution was reported to the House, and ordered to be considered to-morrow, the Treasurer saying he would then ask the House to pass it through all its stages. Abolition Debate in Committee. The House then went into Committee on the Abolition Bill, to consider clause 15. An amendment in the first section of the clause was moved by the Treasurer to provide that the funds accruing from the sales of land, &c, from agricultural leases in goldfields districts are not to be considered as goldfields revenue, but go to land fund, was agreed to. The last clause was struck out, and the following amendment moved by Mr O'Connor, and accepted by the Government, was inserted in lieu thereof: —It provides that, " After making the deduction therein provided, the balance shall be held for the purposes of this Act, to be a general rate, and shall be paid to the public account, and a separate account thereof kept, and such balance shall be paid over to the governing body or board of the district from which such revenue has been received, together with any proportionate endowment which may accrue from the land fund and from the consolidated revenue,' to be computed in the manner provided in the nineteenth and twentieth sections thereof." "

Mr Bradshaw then moved the following addition to the clauso as an amendment:—" The governing body to be elected solely by miners who have held miners' rights or business licenses for not less than three months previous to such election."

After discussion, a division was called for, resulting in a majority of 22 against the amendment; the ayes being 13, noes 35.

Sir George Grey then moved, as a further addition to the amendment of the clause :—" Provided that one month after rassing this Act, the Goldfields Act, .1870,. and the Amendment Act, 1872, shall be deemed to be repealed, and thereupon the export duty of gold shall absolutely cease and determine." The hon. member moved this amendment because he thought it unfair to impose an export duty on mineral which was obtained with great toil and difficulty. He thought an export duty on wool would be far more fair.

The Treasurer stated the Government would oppose the amendment. He thought Sir George Grey should withdraw his amendment, and the Government would give him an opportunity to bring in and discuss a bill for repealing the Goidfields' Acts which impose an export duty. f Sir George Grey declined to withdraw the amendment.

Mr Macandrew supported the amendment. The goldfield revenue was so small (only £12,000) that it was not worth any longer bothering about. Mr Stafford said he was not sure he would not support the amendment, but he thought the carrying of it would be no advantage to the gqldfields, for by the additiop to the clavi.se just passed the governing bodies of the goldfields districts would, receive £2 to every raised by the gold duty. Mr Shepherd, of Otago, proposed, in the place of one month after the passing of this Act, word should be " after the coming into operation of this Act." The Treasurer said the repeal of the gold duty would be a great injustice to the

goldfields. It might help a few large communities, but the miner would gain nothing. His wages would not be one penny higher. Where, he.asked, would the money come from for roads, bush tracks, bridges &c, in the goldfields ? If the two amendments were withdrawn, he would give Sir G. Grey an opportunity of bringing down a bill to-morrow repressing the duty on gold, when the question could be discussed on its merits. He considered the present time inoppor-i tune for doing so. The House rose for refreshment at 5.30. This day. EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at at 7.30. Sir George Grey, in reply .to the Treasurer's statement that a miner would not be benefited by the repeal of the gold duty said, each miner would be relieved to the extent of fourpence a day, which meant a loaf of bread to each miner and miner's child. The whole world never heard of anything so shocking as continuing that taxation when we could do without it. He would like to see it telegraphed to-morrow that so shameful a tax was swept away. The -Treasurer characterised such talk as pure bunkum; it was attributing to Him language he never used. The tax did not affect miners individually; companies and banks it did a little. •

A long discussion followed, in the course of which Sir George Grey wa3 twitted with wanting tp bring down an amendment affecting the whole mining population, and that without consulting them, or even having it on the notice paper, it was raising a false issue; his tactics were called unstatesmanlike, stump oratory, and mere party action. Sir George Grey denied that if the clause was not carried he would introduce a bill to repeal the gold duty and almost give freehold tenure to quartz miners. He was acting independently and solely because the tax was obnoxious.

Sir George Grey's amendment was negatived by 39 to 22; Mr Shepherd's amendment was negatived by 49 to 14; and the clause was passed as previously amended.

Clause 16 Mr Beeves proposed to amend so as to make the Colonial Treasurer pay to each board one gross fourth of its land revenue for carrying on public works. This was the very pith of the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works.

The Treasurer said if the amendment affected Canterbury only, it would be unfair in its action.

Mr Montgomery adduced a long array of figures to show that the Government intended only taking from one province to give to another, as Auckland and the West Coast had no land fund.

The Treasurer denied this, and said the Government were asked to put £150,000 additional on the consolidated revenue, which meant additional taxation; the 15s per head, liabilities must be met either from land revenue or increased taxation.

Mr Reeves said if the amendment was rejected the southern provinces could rest assured their land fund was irretrievably gone.

Mr Bowcn: We are not taking a penny; you want Canterbury to have more than the law allows.

Mr Wood said the bill altered the whole law on our finance; it was really only introduced to cover a deficiency in the finance. . ~

The Treasurer said if Mr Wood knew anything of finance he knew what he said was not true, and challenged both Mr Wood and Sir George Grey to ask for any return they liked to show what state the finances of the colony were in, and it would be immediately produced. The Treasurer asserted in the strongest terms, and defied Mr Wood to prove the contrary, that there was a surplus this year, instead of a deficiency as Mr Wood stated.

Mr Wood replied that the returns produced were not to be relied on, and characterised one (Canterbury return) as scandalously false. Mr Bowen said it was absolutely correct. '

Mr Eolleston, who was appealed to, pointed out that the difference of dates caused the discrepancy. Mr Wood regretted in the heat of the debate using such language, but the return deceived him, in not containing the information asked for.

Sir George Grey maintained that the surplus referred to was a manufactured surplus. The Financial Statement was fallacious. lastead of a surplus there was a large deficiency, which in fairness to the colony, ought to have been openly stated.

The Treasurer said such statements were absolutely contrary to fact. Mr Beid and Mr Montgomery wanted more time to discuss the matter, and moved the adjournment. Mr Pyke said if eight weeks were not enough two centuries would not be.

The Treasurer agreed to adjourn if the first sub-section passed. Mr Murray spoke for an hour. Mr Beeves' amendment was put and negatived by 31 to 14.

Mr Wood moved that the land fund be appropriated annually. This was negatived by the voices. Mr Montgomery moved that at the end of the first sub-section be added "provided that in such debts and liabilities the railways constructed out of colonial funds are not included."

Negatived by 30 to 12. The clause was amended by the government lines 45 to 47 being struck out, and was passed.

Ths House adjourned at 3.15 a.m