PARLIAMENTARY. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. [UNITED]) PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Thursday Evening.

Waikato Times, Volume XV, Issue 1244, 19 June 1880, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. [UNITED]) PRESS ASSOCIATION.] Wellington, Thursday Evening.

NO -CONFIDENCE MOTION. In the Hou-eof Eepre>entati\c- to-ni^ht. Major Atkinson mo\ed that tlio House go into Committee of Supply, when Sir George Grey moved as an amendment " Th.it the financial proposals ot the Government as a whole are not adapted to promote the welfare of New Zealand." His position was one of extraordinary diiiiculty. The Government had just shown its strength, and his task was almost hopeless. The wealth of the country was arrayed against him; but beyond the wallb of the House a vast majority were in favov of the pioposal he made. The holders of land weic determined to oppress the ma«s ot the population. The Premier of this country was to his mind a vampiie fanning them to rest with his wings'. Membeis kuew this tax would fall upon the consumer. Take a wool stoic. The wool is first t.ixed on the .sleep's back, it is then tixed in the hands of the mereh mt ; and consequently it is double taxed when it, goes into the hands of the minufnctuivrs. Then, again, the machinery of the muiut'a« < t.u r cv was tixed, and lastly, when they went to the retail dealer, thoy were ayrain taxed. Many poisons now went about in the garb of Colonial Ticasuier>, &0., who did not understand the tax. It \s as a tax that would fall on the man who invested his own cipitd in the colony, but (he man who did not mve^t his own money, but someone's eKo bey md the colony, would escape. That was overweighing the people allotjc-t-lier Better a tax paid on the nee( s-:mei of hie than this tax. h\ case the duly pnd would be ir cuiiiulalum inteusfc He tax was unequal. He would a->k where wi> the necessity for this (,i\. The Tre.vuier told them it w.is nee^ssiry on a"coi>ut of the repeal of the land ta\, and the deiiciency in the Treasuiy. Whence cune the deik'ieney r 1 He attiilmted tln> depression to the want of foresight in the day.s of their piospeiity. If tluy ]iad year-, ago done wlrit they were now doing, reduce their own s il.nies, and impose a beer tax, reduce the Civil Senile, etc., Ivid they tiKen warning in time, the ditfi"ulties would not have arisen Then the Tie.isuiei- spvead abioid repji .s prolii'heial to the t oiony. He then reviewed tlic financial pioposals iv delail. Tlie subsidies were to be swept away, and the Government proposed in hen therefoie. that a law should be passed enabling local bodie3 to ta\e l\ativo and wa^te 1 mds, and to put their hands into their own pock >ts., and tax themselves to the extent of 2s per U. Then, again, it was pioposed to restrict their borrowing power. They were not restricted in the Mine way in other colonies. Thou, again, it was proposed to rate Europeans lor the purpose of paying the rates tor the Natives. Why this ciui lty, which was only calculated to sow discord between the two races 'i He sympathised with the people in the South Island being called upon topiovide for Mich a tax. He could not understand the proposal to tax the Crown lands. Why not pay the direct subsidy instead of resorting to this round-about method v Then ag mi, a Board for works on loads was to be constituted with a certain proportion ot paid officials. Why establish another groat department ? He .saw no reason for interfering with the local bodies. He lidiculed t ! ie idea of the local bodies being placed in leading strings as was proposed to be done by the establishment of this central Board. In the arrangement for District ro ids they had another oxtraordmaiy p,o\ ision. So nonsensical a scheme ne\ or be tore entered the head of any sane body of men. He next reviewed the charitable uds ino-po-al. A pauper system was to bo established throughout the country. A poor law was unnecessary in New Zealand, and it would tend to ruin the population. It was calculated to lower the character of the populaion. Before imposing a tax of this kind the voice of the country ought to have been heard. Ho challenged them to go to the country dibtiicts, stating that if they did so ' the (-Jovernment would be forgiven all Let them bring dow n amended financial proposals ; let them do away with the Agent-<i uncial's Department, the Legislative Council, the Governor's salary, and not attack the Civil Service alone. But no ; they would not do that ; then he would tell them that there were a few m their midst who would never cease in their eUorts to secure these objects. Everything he hud seen convinced him

they were not intending to do justice to the people at large. When the appeals came to be made to the people, they were determined to get such a l'ailiament returned as would respect the tiue rights of the people. Mr Hall characterised the .speech as weak and transparently in error. They had not a .single word about what the speech professed about the finances of the colony. The speech commenced with a studied insult to the majority in that Hou.se. It was lamentable to Bee an elderly gentleman, who had arrived at a time of life when his passions v ere cooled, come cown and use the language he had done, simply because the House would not consent to satisfy ln.s lust for power and for offleo. They had laboured explanations of the operations of this tax. Now, he would like to know what difference it made whether the money was taken in tliG name ot a property tax or income tax '! Then again, about the reduction of Ministers' salary. Did the hon. gentleman, when he was in office, reduce his own salaiy? He believed it would be fotnd that the hon. member had drawn from the public fund more than he (the Vivmier) did. If th it did not satisfy the country of the insincerity of the hon. member, nothing wo ild. They hart been chiUengel to reduce the Civil Service, but what had the hon member done when he was in office ? Why, he had increased that service, and otherwise augmented the burden he now complains of. What they proposed to do in the matter of taxing the Native lands w.vs to pave the way towards teaching the Native mind tli.it their properties must eventually bear their f-u'r share of the responsibilities of the St ite. On former occasions the Government had been charged with living on bribes, and now they delegated the control of the local • fTurs to a Board outside th* 3 Government altogether. His complaints "were equally bitter. It, was not true they lnd taken oil the land tay as asserted ; tie fict was thit they had doubled the land tax. They were charged with having- spent large sums of money to the benefit of luge Lmdod estates Wh it drl the hon. member c!o v.hen he was in olhce rj He borrowed all he could, and when ho could borrow no moic, he aotuilly spent moury before it -\v.is bonowed. Then, aouin, the hon. member sent home for <3,000 pauper immigrants. That showed the reckless state of thinirs they had to fiee when they came into olhce. He had boon twitted with not having gone to Dnnedin and Invercargill, and addressed large audiences. • He had only followed the precedent when he did ;is he had done by getting his address circulated thioughout the colony. The simple question was • Should tlmy go out of oflice, and Iho hon. gvutlcmtm go in ? What hul iho hon. gentleman done whou he in ofli 'a 'i He was to ein.iucip.ite the GO, OOO Perfs, and do a »ieit m my groat things. They were to get electoral iclorm, a libcr.il 1 md l.nv, and yet nothing at all had. come out of .ill these spurious piomises Tli.it was the urn? they had made of their lea«c of politic. 1 . 1 power, and they were now askcvl to ronew that lease. The pioscn'^ Government had saved the colony from the brink oi n politic il mine, mlo Mbicb they hail plunged tlie country. Mr Md.i moved the adjournment of the deb.ite, stating th.'it the UppoMtiou was not in a position to conduct the debate a^ it should be. Mr Hill accepted the pmpcwal for adjournmonf., and .suggested tint the Houso should sit on Situiday and Monday to finish the debate. The House rose at 12.10 a.m.