Parliamentary Epitome

Western Star, Issue 374, 21 August 1880, Page 3

Parliamentary Epitome

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE*. Monday, 6th August. ... In Committee oi: Supply the vote Grey mouth-Nelson Creek, £75,000 was considered. Mr Pitt moved that it be reduced by a sum of- £21,000, the unexpended balance for harbour works. The House divided—-Ayes, 22; hors, 21. The following votes were passed Class 2, £14,870; cl.sa 3, Kawakaw, £47,000;, Whangarei-Kumo, £39,000 Kaipara-Waikato, £131,000; WaikatoThaiines, £99,000; Wellmgton-Napier, £37,000. MrSeddonmoved —“That the latter item be reduced £20,000.” The di- , vision was —Ayes, 11; noes, 33. Wellington to Woodville, with branch to Grey town, £120,000; passed, as did Wellington to Foxton, £36,000; Foxton to New Plymouth, £117,000; Carlyle to Waitan, £199,000; Nelson to Greyraouth, £13,500; Greymouth to Nelson, £70,500; Greymouth to Hokitika, £7000; Pit-ton to Hurnnui, £10,000; Hurunui to W-dtaki,£l7B,ooo; Canterbury Interior (main line), £15,0000. Progress was then reported, and she House rose at 3.50 a.m. Tuesday, 17th August. Replying to Mr Bamnf,~the Hon. Mr Oliver said an opportunity had been afforded Mr Armstrong, locomotive engineer of Southern railways, to rehut the charges brought against him by the Civil Service Commis/igioners. He (Mr Armstrong) got notice that his services would be dispensed with. The principal reason was that he had'not been a trained engineer, and it- : was on that account be nad got notice of dismissal. Replying to Mr liundon, the Hon. Mr RoUeston said that the boroughs unendowed under “ The Municipal Corporations Act, 1876,” bad de-, dined to take the endowments offered to them, or for which they did not apply, are considered by the Government tfl have no other claim under the

Act. ■ »•"< . ■ > ' ' : i ; : - Beplying to Mr Macandrew, the fcon; Mr Bryce said the Governtnont had under consideration - what was to be done with thejseven-ton and 64-pounder guns at present on the reclaimed land at Port Chalmers. Mr Pyke moved as an amendment on the original question—“ That in the opinion of the House the redaction of ten per cent should not apply to the salaries of £2OO per annum and under,” On being put this amendment was negatived, on a division, by 41 to 82. In Committee of Supply on the vote, Waitaki to B 1 uff with b ranch es, £346,000. Mr Shrimski mhyed the item compensation -to Otago Harbpiir Board, £25,000, bo struck out.: The vote'as printed was passed. Otago Central railway, £BB,OOO. In reply to questions put, the Hon. Hr Oliver said that the vote was simply asked to employ a number of men who were otherwised unemployed, and until they could find other work for them of more pressing importance. To make .this line to a point thot would make it at all useful for traffic purposes would cost not less than £358,G00, a sum which at present they could not afford to spend. As soon as the session was over he would go South to arrange to have the men removed to more profitable work. Mr Hirst thought the amount too large fqr.jtjbe which it was to be employed- ■ He-thought it might be more profitably employed on some other works, viz. the Orepuki line. Mr Bowen concurred, What the Government asked was to - spend £1,000,000 per annum for work that could pot be made useful for many years • to come. He moved that £20,000 be struck off. Mr Gisborne said that the system of employing the “ unemployed ” was becoming something enormous. They were employing those men in a most manner. It they had the money to spend, let them call tor

contracts, and by that means provide works for those that were at present unemployed.

The Hon. Mr Hall said that if men came to them and said that they were starving, what could they do ? The course they followed was to give them just enough to .subsist upon, without giving them inducements to continue upon that class of labour. Mr Pyke said the work done by the so caTl d unemployed had been as cheaply and as well done as it had been done by any other kind of labour. The fact was that the Government made the profit that contractors would otherwise make. Under proper supervision this system might be worked to advantage, and they would hear less of contractors making large suras of money out of- these works. It was because this line was to benefit the public estate and not private property that obstacles were thrown in the: way of it being gone on with. It was the only line which would open up the 700,000 acres of land that was locked up at present. He did not say it was flat country, but it was all, available land. The only accessible route from the West Coast to the Bast was by this line.

Mr M'Caughan moved that the vote be reduced by £36,700. Mr Barron said that if the House reduced the vote by a single penny it would be doing a very great wrong. Mr Wright moved as a further amendment that the vote be reduced £30,000. If they retained the vote as it stood, the question of the unemployed would settle the question of making this line at once. They would then be told that having, spent so much money it was absolutely necessary that they should go on, otherwise what they had spent would he money thrown away. Mr Moss, speaking from his own personal knowledge of the country, said that it would be doing a great injustice to reduce the vote. Mr Lundon said that this vote should be taken for the unemployed, and by that means these meu would be scattered over the Colony, and they would in that way s f and a better chance of getting drafted into other employment. Mr De Latour spoke in favor of the vote. Speaking from his own know ledge, he would say that wherever agri-’ cultural settlement in the district had been allowed, it had been singularly successful. He believed that the purpose was that this land was to be given on fixitv of tenure, and then in a few years more, when that had been done, there would be . no lack of advocates for this line, and then they would have to pay thousands of pounds compensation for the land taken. The motion for reducing the vote £20,000 was then put and carried. Invercargill to Kingston, £115,000. Mr De Latour moved that it be reduced £7500. The motion was lost on a division of 17 to 33. Mr Finn moved that the item Lutnsden to Mararo i be reduced £7500. This was lost on the voices, and the vote as printed was passed. ■Wednesday, Ann. 18. Western Railways, £64.001. Mr Pyke moved the reduction of the item, Otautau to Nightcaps, £12.000, by £4OOO. The motion was lost .on a division by 31 to 11. Mr, De Latour moved that the vote—Riverton to Orepuki, be reduced by £ISOO. Mr Pyke said there was a time when he bad a good opinion of some members of the Government, bvit,now he had lost it in every one of them. He would table b fore long a direct vote of want of confidencE. They were were false to the House, and the constituents who returned them. With large quesfons they could not grapple, but with small twopenee-balfpenny matters like this they drove their abject followers into the lobby to vote with them. The amendment was lost on a division by 9 to 36. The vote passed as printed. Vote—Surveys of new lines in North Island, £3OOO. Passed. Vote —Survey of new lines in Middle Island, £6550, was under discussion when progress was reported, and the House adjourned at.two a.m. Mr Pyke gave notice to ask, If the Government are aware that the line of railway recommended by the Railway Commissionersfrom Sheffield to Oxford was a mere pretext to get the line continued to Temuka, so that it might pass through estate* owned by the Premier and Mr Wright, a member of the Railway Commission ? Mr Hall stated that be might just at once say there was no foundation in fact for the iusinuation put forward by the question. Mr Pyke said he would read a telegram addressed to himself on the subject by a resident of the district who was well-known and highly, respected by*the House. (Cries of “ Name.”) Mr Pyke- I will not give the name. It was only the other day that a similar case took place, and you, Sir, ruled it was not necessary to give names before the telegram could be read. I,will lay. the telegram on the table after I have read it. ---■ -• The Speaker ruled that until the name was given the telegram could not be read.

Mr Pyke—Then I will not read it, as I can see the Premier does not want it read, Mr Hall said the vhon, member did not give the name because he was simply ashamed of himself and of the .part he had taken in the matter. Mr Pyke gave notice that on going into Committee of Supply he would move that a respectful address be presented to His Excellency the Governor, informing him that Ministers do not conduct the business of this House in a satisfactory manner. Major Harris gave notice that he would ask the Government, If they were prepared to call for tenders for gags for the use of members of the House ?

The Speaker said he was surprised at such a notice, and ruled it out of order. Mr Moss gave notice that he would move to-morrow that it is expedient to relieve the General Legislature of all

duties that can be more efficiently and

economically performed by local governing bodies directly responsible to the electors by whom they are chosen. Class s—Vote,5 —Vote, Road North Island, £594,000. Mr Shrimski proposed that the vote be reduced by £46,164. Vote agreed to as printed. Vote— Roads, bridges, and wharves, north of A uckl.and, £66,550. Canned. Vote —Roads and bridges in unsettled districts in Patea and Taranaki, £48,816 18s 9d. Mr Thomson proposed that it be reduced by £26,000. Negatived ou a division by 21 to 46. Vote as printed, passed. Vote —Opening up. roads and constructing bridges through lands lately purchased, £10,104. Passed, Yote —Nelson South-west Goldfields roads and bridges, £165,000. Passed. Vote—Roads to Greymouth and Westport, £15,000. Passed. Vote—Westhi,nd roads and bridges, £SOOO. Passed. ~ Note —Hokitika to Christchurch, construction, and repair of injuries and damage by floods, £15,427 19s sd. Passed. Yote—Roads to open upland before sale, £61,544 9s Id. Passed. Class 6 —Land purchases, North Island. Vote Chief office, Wellington, £120,622. Thursday, Aug. 19. • Glass 6—Land purchases, North Island. Vote—Chief office, Wellington, £130,622. Passed. £140,000. Passed. Class B—Telegraphß—Telegraph extension. Passed. Class I—lmmigration, £26,984. Re-* duced by £ 1000. Class 7—Waterworks on goldfields, £26,716. Passed. Class9—Miscellaneous public works, £129,178 9a 9d. Passed. Class 10 Lighthouses, £4550. Passed, Class 13—Charges and expenses on raising loans, £180,43019s 9d. Passed without dissent. Class 9—'Public buildings vote, judicial, £61,429. Passed as printed. Post 1 and telegraphic, £11,025. Mr Hall agreed to reduce the amount £550. Agreed to. Customs, £9OO. Passed. Lunatic Asylums, £55,500. Passed. Hospitals, £4OOO. Passed. . School buildings, £106,031 17s lOd. Passed, i " At 4.30 progress was reported, and the House adjourned until T. 30. The evening sitting was principally taken up with a debate on the West Coast Settlement Bill. The debate was adjourned. On the motion of Mr Dick, the Licensing Bill was discharged.