EVENING SITTING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6048, 8 December 1897, Page 4

EVENING SITTING.

The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. On the motion to go into Committee of

Ways and Means, Mr G. Hutchison referred at some length to what he considered the interference of Ministers with a stipendiary magistrate in the Lawliss case. He referred also to several returns he had moved for, but which had been refused by the Government. Captain Russell said that if the House did not adjourn before Christmas he hoped they would , not • consent to a fortnight's adjournment, but go right on Avith the work of the session. He quite agreed that they should get on with work, but they should first hear about the Public Works Statement. The Minister of Public Works told them that there were constant applications coming in for money, but had the Government no public works policy at I all, and were ;they waiting until all the applications from members came in before they brought down their Statement. He held that there-was no possible reason why the Public Works Statement should not be brought down at once. He strongly deprecated the attacks made on the judicial Bench by Ministers,., and sai't that if they went on as they Avere going at present, the name of justice woiild become a by-word in the colony, as it was in America. The Premier said that the Government policy was not one of borrowing and squandering, and they wanted to have the money voted before they prepared their public Avorks programme. He did "not blame members for asking that expenditure should take place.on reproductive works in their districts, as it was new country which required development. It was wrong for Captain Russell to accuse the Government of having no policy, because they were . exercising care in the works that should be constructed. He was following the course pursued by his late chief (Mr Ballance), who was a good authority in matters of this kind. He again asserted that he would be in a position on Monday night to say when, the Public Works Statement would be brought down. He had had no rest lately, and this was the most trying year he had had. It. was essential to him that he should have some rest, not the rest referred to in sojne of the newspapers which prophesied great political changes. He wished to say that he did not intend leaving New /Zealand except by the will of the people, and when, they wanted to get rid of him they, knew the way to do it. Respecting Judge Kettle and the Government, he considered that Captain Russell was placing Judge Kettle in a false position by his questions in the House. He asked what possible feeling his colleague had against Judge Kettle. The fact was that an officer in the Lands Department wa3 attacked by Mr Buchanan, , and Mr M'Kenzie naturally defended the officer and himself also. He (Mr M'Kenzie) had not the slightest knowledge that there was anything against Mr Barnes's character when he was appointed a valuer under the Advances to Settlers scheme. It was not fair to ask the Government to place correspondence on the table which would interfere with a course which he yet hoped would be folloAved in this case. ,He .referred :to the ' resolutions passed on this subject by Chambers of Commerce, all of which were opposed to the Government) and said that they were doing, an injury to a public officer (Judge Kettle.) and a wrong to the Minister of Lands. He learned from the Minister of .Justice that the correspondence was not yet closed, and it would be the duty of the Government to deal with it. The matter would be brought .to a head probably in a few more days, but any further enquiries on the subject would only do an injustice ito Judge Kettle. He hoped that the House would now get on with business. On the motion for the second .reading of the Imprest Supply Bill, the Hon J. M'Kenzie defended his action, over Judge Kettle, and said that an officer in the Lands Department was attacked in the House on the strength of what Judge Kettle had said, and be (Mr M'Kenzie), in defending that officer, had distinctly stated that he was quoting from a letter respecting Judge Kettle. He should be sorry if the Government did any injustice to Judge Kettle in this matter, and when it, came up his colleagues would find that he had no feeling in it at all. After a very lengthy debate the Bill Avas committed and passed without amendment. On the motion for the third readme: of the Bill, Mr Morrison blamed the Opposition for blocking the business of the House, and said that Captain Russell, Mr Rolleston and Mr Hutchison had taken the lead in blocking the Imprest Supply Bill. Captain Russell denied that he had been guilty of stonewalling the measure, and he had meant every word he had uttered. He said that it was rather out of place for an inexperienced member like the member for Caversham to be . continually lecturing members with much more parliamentary experience than he had, astohowtheyshouldconductthemselves. There were certain opportunities which came to every Opposition which they were justified in taking advantage of, and the whole thing wag due to the autocratic conduct of the Premier. The Premier said that he had not language sufficiently strong to describe the conduct of the Opposition that day. It was simply shameful, and they had placed a weapon in the hands of their opponents in future which they would be sorry for. He had never known an Opposition occupy such a degraded position as they had done : that day, and he should in future consider whether or not he -would reply to the questions put to him by the Opposition. He charged the Opposition with using what Mr Barnes had said about Judgo Kettle as a means of attacking the Government, and it was discreditable to them in the highest degree. If they could not get better material with which to make capital against the Government they must be in a bad way indeed. He had heard the member for Palmerston make very disparaging remarks about another district judge of the colony, -and the Opposition had cheeredthose remarks, whichhe thought a very unfortunate thing, as it 'was necessary that their Courts of Justice should be free from attack. He defended the Minister of Lands for his attitude in standing up for an officer of his department, »and said that nothing would have been heard of the matter if Mr Buchanan had not made an attack on Mr Barnes's appointment. It was true that Mr M'Kenzie lacked the culture which some Opposition members possessed, but he generally spoke his mind, and if the opinion of the country was taken it would be found that it supported the man who honestly spoke his mind, and who did his best for the good of the colony. He regretted that they had lost that day and yesterday, but he wished to say that all delay of that kind meant delay in bringing down the Public Works Statement, and the business of the country must proceed. The Bill Avas read a third time and passed. The House rose at 1 a.m.