PARLIAMENT.

West Coast Times, Issue 14175, 27 July 1907, Page 4

PARLIAMENT.

(Per Press Association) Wellington, July 28. THE COUNCIL. The Council met; at 2.30 Hon Mr Barr moved for a return howiog the number of estates in the Colony of unimproved value between £20»OQO and £30,000 and every addi tioual £10,000 up to £20,000. The Hastings Recreation Reserves Bill .was committed and progress re* ported. The Oounoil adjourned until 8.80 for the Imprest Supply Rill. THE HOUSE. The House mot at 2,30 A month's leave of absence waa granted to Mr Rhodes on account of ill health. Mr Maaaey advocated the setting up of a Public Works Committee to wbioh all applications for the < ipeaditare of public works moneys should be referred. The Premier faid no matter what the Committee eaid or recommended the Government had to allocate the amount available for public works to the best advantage and must be guided b> its officers who went to work in the process of selection, irrespective of anything else. The Government would not be forced into taking in band any particular work .because a petition was sent in and favour* ably reported on by the committee. The responsibility was one for the Govern* tnent and the Government accepted it. The proper quarter to address a petition to was the Minister for Public Works, If the Government acceded to the demands now being made, it would require a loan of three to four million. Further, he added, that no new railway works would be undertaken, as there were seventeen or eighteen lines now in hand, and to open up new lines meant the allocating of publio works money in driblets to convey the impression that new railways were being constructed in particular districts. He contended tbat the whole tendency was to press the nutter on the Government in a manner n< t fair or reasonable. Ministers should not' be required to stand up day after day and resist from all sides of the House applications for extraordinary expenditure. No Government, unless it desired the ruin of the Oolony, could meet anything like the number of applications made for publio works. He oould not agree with Mr Masaey's suggestion of a public works committee, as the members would have to travel all over the country during the recess, inspecting and taking evidenoe. They would require to be paid and the cost to the country would be enormous*

The Imprest Supply Bill was brought down by Governor's Message-

On a motion to go into Committee on the BilJ, Mr Herries refeiring to the Bail way' Department, contended that if the Department had been properly managed, the baoyanoy of rwenne boasted of in the statement would hare been even greater than it was. He did not see any indication of any greater effort being made to increase the rolling stock, and he charged the Department with short sigbtedness in that respect. He waa snre if the Premier asked for £50,000 to increase the rolling stook, the House would gladly give it, as there was a deficiency in rolling etook all over the colony. He drew attention to the enormous inorease in the cost of construction per mile. It was stated year after year that the oost under the co-op-eratvre|eystem was less than by contract, yet the cost of eonetruction per mile had e'*adily iooreased, and asserted that as they got fnrtber into the oonntry, the erst would be further increased. Be oio tended tbat it was clearly proved that nnder the co-operative system the cost of construction tad inoreaied, and he hoped that largo pnblio works in the iuture would be carried out on the sontraot system. He asset ted tbat the Auckland Hoes had steadily increased as revenue producers, whilst the Inverrargill line bad steadily decreased. The Premier said he was surprised to pee Mr Herries doing again what he bad done on a former occasion. Ha thought it was unfair to try and create the im pression tbat any favouritism was being •hown to «ny portion of the colony. The statements of Mr Herries were contrary to fsot. The House adjourned at 6.30 p.m.

On resuming at 7.30 the Premier quoted figures illustrating the great development which had token place in the railway traffio since 1896 tod the effort* of the Government to cope irith the incwe. He showed torn tbd North 1 1 n<* t b« cause its principal line was iiiDOD plete, was id a different position to tfa« fcwuUt. ttuviwiug tht incrwut ia

the cost of construction, be pointed out that ther permanent way waa builb to a higher standard than in the early days ii accordaance with the heavier loads tht.\ were required to carry, During tbe tim< that he «ws Minister of Railways th: weight of locomotives had been increase by 30 tons. Dealing with the co-opera-tive system, he defended it in a v : goroofmanner, j>n ; » fcirg out that <york had beer fourd by this uaeuns for large bodies of workmen who otherwise would have be en worklesa. On tae \rho)& the system had been a good thing for the colony. Mr Herries referred to the number or accidents on the railways of the colony. Mr Massey. said that at present the railways in the North Island earned more than those in the South, and he did not agree with the Premier that wbfn the North Island Main Trunk line was completed the earnings of the North Island lines would show a reduction. Mr Massey aloo brief! v criticised the valuation system of the colony. Mr Fisher assorted that officers in tbe Civil Service who bad pacced competitive examinations were being blocked in pro- 1 motion owing to other officers being promoted wbo bad passed no examination. He mentioned four instances. Hon Mr M'Gowaa said that none of the appointments complained of blocked the promotion of clerks who had parsed Civil Service examinations. Messrs Qkey, Mills and Lang continued the debate. Tbe Premier claimed that the work of the Ra lway Department was being carried on satisfactorily aod the amount set down oo tbe Loan Bill was sufficient to maintain the standard, -The Imprest Supply Bill, which pro* vides fcr £623,000, was put through all stages aad passed. Tbe Hou?e adjourned at 11.59 p.m. [The Council met immediately and passed the Bill through all stages without d;scu sion.]