Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price 1d. FRIDAY, MAY 21, 1886. A Useless Debate.

Wairarapa Standard, Volume XIX, Issue 1835, 21 May 1886, Page 2

Wairarapa Standard Published Tri-weekly, Price Id. FRIDAY, MAY 21, 1886. A Useless Debate.

The debate on the “ Address in Reply ” was the most dull and useless piece of business which could possibly be conceived. To began with, there was nothing whatever in 44 The Speech from the Throne," and consequently hon member! could say very little on the subject worth listening to. Still, here and there, a point worth noticing was made during the debate. Major Atkinson said there was a great omission in the speech which was not justifiable under the circumstances of the colony—that was the neglect to propose a Representation Bill. They Government might smile, but he could tell them they had got to bring in such a Bill, and he warned them—just in a friendly way—that they would not get through much business until they said what they were going to do. These remarks of Major Atkinson are founded on the facts that the populations of nearly all the electorates in the North Island have largely increased, and that a readjustment of (representation is therefore necessary, giving an additional number of members to the constituencies in that division of the colony. The reference to this subject elicited a statement from the Premier 44 that when the returns of the census came in the Government would bring down a Representation Bill, if they thought it was needed. 4 ’ In referring to the railway s Major Atkinson 44 cautioned the Government that if they proposed to make networks of railways and neglect roads, it would be hanging a millstone round the neck of the colony. For it was useless to have railways without roads to feed them. 1 ’ This opinion is perfectly sound, but the idea of the Government is to spend all they can on railways and neglect road making. Such a policy is wrong. By all means push on the construction of railways in a prudent way, but let there at the same time be a fair amount of expenditure on roads. Then Mr J.W. Thompson remarked that last, year they had been told the depression was passing away and that it ought by this time to have disappeared altogether ; whereas it now existed in full force. The Government had told the people that they could remove the depression, so that the people were now looking to the Ministry and Parliament for assistance. He therefore wanted to know what the Government were going to do to remove the depression. Apparently this way of putting matters was embarassing to the Government; and so it happened that Mr Thompson got no answer to his query. The debate dragged on a little longer, and the Native Minister having dilated on the many great things which he had accomplished, the discussion came to an end and the Address in Reply was adopted. The debate was of no earthly use. It would have been better to have moved, seconded and carried the Address in Reply without all this profitless talk.