PARLIAMENT.

Western Star, Issue 1576, 4 July 1891, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

<y Tuesday, 30Ji June,

At tke evening sitting Mr Fisk twitted Mr Bryce witk condemning tke appointment of Mr Ritchie as kead of tke Stock Department wken tke party to wkiek lie belonged made sack iniquitous appointment as tkat of Judge Edwards. Referring to Mr , Scobie McKenzie’s speeok ko admitted tkat it was a brilliant effort suck as was seldom heard in tke lions ', but unfortunately there was not the slightest pith, bottom or marrow in it and it was not calculated in any way to advance tke interests of the colony. The postal reduction was in kis opinion utterly indefensible. It was not asked for and it was not a fair proposal, as it was conferring almost the whole of the benefit on tke mercantile class of the colony. Although he was supporting the Ministry, if any member proposed a resolution subverting this part of the Government’s proposals ko would vote for it. He thought the proposal of uke Government to purchase private land would load to corruption of the gravest kind. It was to kis mind utterly unsound, and could not bo carried out without boi-r rowing The graduated land tax proposed was also utterly insufficient, and under it largo landholders would bo bettor off than they arc under tke property tax. He moved the following amendments ;—“Tkat the financial proposals of tke Government are in accordance with the general wishes of tke people, providing as they do for the repeal of the property tax and tke substituting of a graduated land and income tax ; that tke principle ol the change in tke incidence of taxation is satisfactory to Mto House and will promote the well-being of all classes in the colony.—Mr Gairacross seconded the amendment, | Mr G. F. Richardson, alluding to j the Judge Edwards affair, declared tkat any attempt to upset the appointment amounted to repudiation by the colony. He accused some of the prei sent Ministers of betraying Cabinet secrets, and instanced the case of tke Flanagans in Christchurch some few mouth'; ago, when a telegram opera. I in certain n wspapers to the 'life. 1 that Ministers had advised kis Excellency to commute the death sentence passed on the prisoners,

Referring to the savings alleged to have been made he quoted largely from figures in the Estimates and said tire expenditure this year would bo £3OOO in excess of last year’s al- ; though they were told there was a 1 saving of £II,OOO. After going through the Estimates he was in a position to assort, and ho challenged contradiction of the statement, that notwitstanding all they had heard of so many officers being dismissed from the Civil Service there were now eleven more officers in the service than when the Government took office. As far as he could gather from the Estimates the cost of the Land and Survey Office was £9200 more than before these offices were amalgamated. He denied, as stated by Mr McKenzie at Palmerston, the t the Stock Department was completely disorganised when he took office. The Minister of Lands had also stated that thousands sf pounds were spent by six inspectors without any control. That statement he characterised as entirely opposed to fact. The retrenchment effected by the Minister of Lands in his department came in for severe criticism at the hands of the hon, gentleman, and he asserted that a great wrong had been done to ths colony by sacrificing so many officers and replacing others with new men who had no practical experience at all of the places they were removed to. At the present rate Mr McKenzie would in six months have more officers in the Lands and Survey Department than he (Mr Richardson) had. He defended the officers in the Stock Department from the charges made against them of playing lawn tennis when they should have been attending to their duties. Notwithstanding the fuss the Minister of Lands had made in his search for dummies ho had not uprooted a single dummyism. i Mr John McKenzie moved the adjournment of the debate which was agreed to, and the House rose 12.30. , a.m.

Wednesday, July 1

lu the Legislative Council tlie members weao in a working mood. The Indecent Advertisements Bill was road a second time, and the bill to reform the constitution of the Council passed through committee. The term for which councillors are to hold their seats was extended from seven to 10 years, and the clause as to the election of a Speaker was made similar to that in the bill of last year.

In the House of Representatives yesterday, after questions had been replied to, Mr O’Conor madea personal explanation to clear himself from the charge of supporting the late Government because the Mokihinui Railway Bill was taken up by them. The Minister of Lands then resumed the debate on the financial proposals of the Government,ireplying at length to the speech of his predecessor on the previous evening. He was followed bv Mr Mitchelson, and then came Messrs Earnshaw, Harkness, and Mills. The debsto was again adjourned.