PARLIAMENTARY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1254, 3 June 1886, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Wednesday, June 2 The Council met at 2.30 p m. QUESTIONS. Mr Buckley replying to Mr Bathgate, said the Government had no inten'ion to repeal the Contagious Diseases Act. EXPENDITURE OUT OF 1,04 N, On the motion of Sir F. Whitaker, it was resolved to have a return prepared showing the expenditure out of loan in eaeh of the provincial districts of the colony from January I, 1870 to March 31. I*B6. FIRST READINGS. The Charitable Trustees Extension Bill and Native Reserves Empowering Bill were read a first time. THE DEFENCE BILL Mr Buckley moved the third reading of the Defence Bill. After debate, the motion was agreed to, and tlie Bill wag passed. The Council, at 3 30, p. rn. adjourned to next day.

HOUSE OF REPRESEN TAT IVES.

Tuesday, June 1, The House mat at 2 30,p m QUESTIONS,

Replying to qu-stions Ministers said : The Arthur's Pass route for the Midland Railway has been adopted by a majority of the House in 1884. -It was intended to ask for a vote of £10,( 00 for the promotion of a special settlement scheme, —A New Z aland Year Book could not bo published except at considerable expense. —The Government had no information in regard to any operations under the Mortgage Debentures ’ ct—The Napier Lunatic Asylums had been practicilly closed. — Mr and Mrs Agnew had no claim on the colony.—A small sum would be placed on the supplementary estimates to meet the expenses of burial of persons found dead.

ENDOWMENTS. Dr. Newman moved—” That In the opinion of the House it ia advisable that reserves of land should now bo set apart for charitable aid, higher, technical and primary education, and harbors, and thd House requests the Government to give effect to this opinion by legislation this session. ”

Sir U. Stout recognised that the South Islands was more careful with its lands than the North, but that was the fault of the North Island He looked upon re serves as a mode tf keeping lands belonging to the State. In the North Island, when a new block was opened, reserves were made for primary education. The primary reserves in the South Island had been coioniaiised and were benefiting the whole colony. The time would come when members of the House would insist on no freehold lands being parted with, for he held that the freehold system was the curse of the colony. If the h. n gentleman would strike out that portion of his motion referring to harbors the motion would no doubt be accepte I. Mr Montgomery denied that the free - hold system was the curse of the colony. Mr Moss thought the perpetual leasing system so much advocated by the Government was laying the foundation of a groat deal of tronble. Mr Ballance contended that the homestead system In the United States had broken down and tenant farmers were increasing in numbers over freeholders. In New Zaaland the land was year by year becoming limited, while in the States land was almost unlimited. He would ask if they were to part with the laud of the colony where would be the land for the next generation. Mr Madandrew could not support the motion as it stood. He had for years past been In favour of setting apart reserves, but he thought they were overdoing this Charitable Aid question. He had-no objection to reserves for educational purposes but he could not countenance setting apart reserves for harbors and charitable aid.

Mr Rolleaton said he would vote for any measure that would tend to settle people on the land, for on th : a question depended the future happiuesa of the country.

Messrs W. F. Buckland, Rosa, Fulton, Reid, Hatch, J. C. Buckland Beetham and Turnbull spoke on the motion

The deba-e was interrupted by te 5.30 adjournment.

EVENING SITTING

Tho House resumed at 7.30. WANT OF CONFIDENCE. Mr W. F. Dockland resumed the debate on the Financial Statement by saying he labored under a disadvantage In coming after the leaders of the House. He then proceeded to read a parody on the Financial Statement. He contended tho Government had not grasped the position of the country, and that the position was even worse than was represented by the member for Egmoat. He moved an amendment—“ That tc enable the House to deal efficiently with the matter of retrenchment, the Speaker do not leave the chair for the purpose of granting supplies to her Majesty till such time as the Public Works Statement and Supplementary Estimates have been brought down to the House.” Mr Montgomery held that Instead of a surplus, they were really £36,000 to the bad. They were also £52,000 to the bad in land fund In a year, and last year they had to draw upon the loan for £40,000 to assist the land fund. Taking the tables attached to the Financial Statement as correct, he contended that the sum of £BOO,OOO would not be available for spending as they please 1, as was stated by the Treasurer. Not a single shilling of that sum would be available owing to the outstanding liabilities. The Treasurer was extremely sanguine, but the chief trait in his character was to borrow. They had to borrow for defences, also £200,000 for Road Boards. He thought it was most unsound to borrow to aid the ordinary revenue of the country. He considered the threatened appeal to tho country during the recess, before Parliament had any opportunity of judging of the Govern ment policy, was a most unconstitutional proceeding. Knowing that the country was overburdened by departmental expen diture, and that the present was a time for strong retrenchment in every direction he felt he should not be doing his duty, unless he proposed an amendment— That the Government should reduce their estimates during the current year by £75,000.” Ho neld that £IOO,OOO could be easily saved by a proper system of retrenchment. The Civil Service Bill was indeed drawn on new principles. Tha Bill was really a Bill to appoint a Commission to enquire Into the price of potatoes and slop clothes. He considered the Ministers' salaries were too high. If the Premier received £1250 a year and the other Ministers £IOOO, he contended that would be ample. He also held that maintaining a steamer and special trains for Ministers to travel in was fostering a system tho very opposite of simplicity. He asked members to support h’s resolu tion, as he considered an expression of opinion from the House in this direction should be considered by the Ministry as strengthening their hands. Ha moved the amendment because he thought it absolutely necessary in the interests of the country. Sir ii Stout said the motion meant that the House would refuse supplies to the preseat Ministry, and lie declined to accept it in any other light. This motion was a very different one to that moved by Captain Russell last year. That motion was aa instruction to nia Committee to reduce

(he Estimates, and no request was made to the Government in connection with it He was not an prised at Mr Montgomery’s motion. The hon gentleman was discontented and dissatisfied. He had hop-d travel would have irnptoved his ( nr Mont gomery’s) temperament, but he came back as melancholy as ever. He defended the , surplus stated by the Treasurer, and said Sir J Vogel had acted strictly according to law in appropriating £25,000 of the sinking fund. As to subsidies kept back, the consolidated fund was charged with £17,000 more than the previous year. Ho could not understand what bad been said as to subsides net being paid. Ab to the liabilities spoken of he could not assume that Major Atkinson and Mr Montgomery were ignorant of what those liabilities were. He said practically all the immediate liabilities were about £36,000, the others were contingent liabilities. Me was greatly amussd at the position taken up by'Mr Montgomery on the decrease in the land fund, when only a few days ago he attacked the Government fur not giving land away for nothing Coming to the question of retrenchment. Mr Montgomery had stated to his constituents that he would endeavor to get the departmental expenditure reduced by £IOO,OOO or £150,000 Aa for the Oivil Service Kill, it was drafted by himself (dir R. Stout) before Parliament met, and it was almost decided to nut it in the Governor’s Speech j If the Government were to take off 10 j per cent, all round it would not reach £75,000. How, then, was it to be done ? Did the hon. gentleman want fewer post or telegraph offices? No one was more anxious for retrenchment than he (Sir R. Stout.) was, and he contended that the Civil Service was not _increasing. He would say no Government could effect a saving of £75,000 unless they took 10 per tent, all round from the meanest laborer in the service. The Government were anxious for judicious retrenchment, but they were anxious not to create a scare such as happened in 1879, when large sums were withdrawn from the colony. What the Government objected to was hon. members corning down with a motion equivalent to want of confidence and to deny their supplies. He denied that their policy was one of borrowing, but it was one of moderation in prosecuting the public works of the colony. He was against a large borrowing policy, but he held that they should construct their public works with vigor, and at the same time with economy. He thought the colony would every year progress in wealth. All that they asked was care, vigor, and hope. He would ask the House not to decline to grant supplies, and to negative the motion.

Mr Fisher thought it came with peculiarly bad grace from the Premier to refer to a high-minded gentleman like the member for Akaroa as discontented because he brought down this motion. He deprecated altogether the Premier’s practice of imputing sinister motives to hon members who differed from him. It was the opinion of the financial authorities of the country that If they must borrow, one million a year was sufficient. He had ascertained, in travelling over the country lately, that there existed a system of corruption in the colony which had been built up by the present Government. He hoped the day was not far distant when they would have a reversal of some of the proceedings of this Ministry. ' Mr Turnbull thought every member would admit that Mr Montgomery was actuated by patriotic motives in bringing down his motion. As to the question of borrowing, he was not ashamed to say he felt sorry the Premier did not allow the Treasurer to bring down the proposals he advocated at Auokland. The groat evil which existed in the colony at present was its private indebtedness, and if Government had considered the difficulties of the colony they would have brought down a loan of five millions to relieve it from its depression. Mr Brycs moved the adjournment of the debate till next day, at 2 30. This was agreed to, and the House rose at 12 30.