PARLIAMENTARY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1294, 21 July 1886, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

Toes day Jolt 13

The Council mot at 2 30 p.m. The v. idiington-Manawata Railway De hectares Vaiidat: m Bill was read a second

time. Me Mantell moved that Government print a vocabnlar 7 of English and Maori terms in official t ranslations. The motion was agreed to on a division—ayers, 28 ; BOSS, 10. The New Zas’and Bible Tract Society Bill was read a third time and passed.

The recommendation from the Govern ment of an amendment of the Justices of

the Peace Bill, agreed to by and received from the Honse, was ordered to bo considered to-morrow.

! he Municipal Corporations Bill was read a third time and passed. A message from the House was received announcing that it disagreed in the Council’s amendment of clause 38 of the Local Bodies Loan Bill.

Mr Buckley moved that consideration re the message be taken to-morrow. The motion was agreed to. A message waa received from the House stating that It agreed with the Oonnoil’s amendment of the Wellington Harbor Board Leasing Bill. The Salmon and Trout Bill was received from the House andj read a first time. The Destitute Persons Amendment Bill was further considered in Committee, and amendments agreed to. Progress was reported, and leave given to sit again The Native Lands Administration Bill was committed, A number of amendments were agreed to, and progress reported. The Native Lauds Court Bill was farther considered, and progress reported. The Council adjourned at 5.30 p m. The Council resumed at 7-30. Mr Reynolds moved the second reading of the Government Loans t' Local Bodies Bill. He believed the measure would make local bodies more self-reliant After discussion the motion for the second reading waa agreed to. The Counties Bill was committed and several amendments made. A num'er of clauses were postponed ; progress was reported and the Council rose.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Tuesday, July 20. The Home met ,at 7.30. p m. Replying to questions, Ministers said that the compilation of the Maori HRtory was utlll far from being completed, and Mr White expected to finish by 1890 ; the amount already paid for the work was £1775; that the question of modifying the conditions of Government contracts where there were causes of discontent was under consideration ; that no reduction could be made In the proportion of passage money now required to be paid by friends of nominated emigrants. Mr Ballanoa said that the es *‘ telegrams received by him from the West Coast wore that all was quiet, and that there bad been no farther attempt at forcible entry. He also stated that Te Whiti was arrested that morning by the instructions of the Government, and he was now at Opnnako under a strong guard. He might state again that the criminal law would be sufficient to deal with the matter. Mr Larnach moved the second reading of the Harbors Act Amendment Bill which was agreed to Sir Julius Vogel moved the second reading of the Loan Bill, authorising the borrowing of £1.500,000 for stated railway purposes. The Cabinet had come to the conclusion that £BOO,OOO would aot as at first calculated, be sufficient for miscelaneons purposes for two years. £l3 0,000 would have to be devoted to the purchase of land along the North I'land Trunk Line, which had not been calculated upon . The sum of between £200,000 and £3OO 000, already paid for rails and rolling stock, would also be transferred to the new loan, which, with repayment of the first mentioned sum would, it was hopei, give margin enough. Ha wished to say that he had never proposed an extensive loan as had been alleged, bnt only to sKetch out a series of proposals ex tending over a number of years, and he read several telegrams and other documents which had passed between himself and the Agent-General in support of his statement. He deprecated remarks which had been made as to the unsoundness of the colony’s finances, andj said that the losses sustained in New Zealand wore small compared with those experienced in other colonies, and any loss by drain of population to Kimberley would only bo temporary, and an outbreak of a goldfield there must benefit all the colonies. It was not certain in his opinion, however, that the field would be so profitable as anticipated. He mentioned that the triennial property tax valuation just made, showed an Increase in value of borough property ot £4,769.'00, and of county property of £1,880,000. On the motion of Mr Bryce the debate was adjourned till 7.30 p.m. The Beer Duty Aot Amendment Bill was-partly considered in Committee, and, the House adjourned at 5 30 p. m. When the House resumed at 7.30, Mi Bryce continued the debate on the Loai Bill. The Government’s change o f fron in regard to the £BOO,OOO was no surprise, but he failed to see how the means pro posed by the Treasurer would make th( deficiency good. Sir Jul'' l ' l V<’<t<il certainly had led the people i g<d n j2 in for large borrowing. Air Bryce thee entered into the question of the borrowing policy at great length, and argued i that no on© realised the extent to which the colony was committed. He insisted we were paying interest ont of loan, and were going too fast. Ha agreed with the f Premier ti.at too much money was spem on public buildings. Expenditure on open railways required careful consideration In so young a country. So long »s a line was adequate to the requirements of the country that was sufficient, and furthur expenditure was undesirable. He criticised the I native lands transactions of Government. Government had not only abandoned their policy, but had also broken down in their administration. He ended by stating that the amount of the loan was too large, and ought to be reduced. Mr Ballanca said ho had never heard so much distortion and in the preceding speech. All were agreed that borrowing must be continued. It was only a question for what works they should raise loans. Government were not going beyond the limit of law id regard to the purchase of land by commission. They bad taken that means to procure land for the northern trunk line; it was very fair land, and this coarse had been taken at the express wish of the House. He defended the other purchases referred to by Mr Bryce. He contended that Mr Bryce’s criticism did not cirry very great weight, and if the*r administration was to receive no more serious attack than that it would not be much damaged. Mr Ormond did not consider the borrowing policy in excess of the requirements of the country at present. The Bill proposed a new departure by “earmarking ” the loan, but it did not give the fullest effect to principles. He regarded the Public Works Statement as empty and unstatesmanlike, and that it failed to grasp the requirements of the colony. He proceeded to deal j with some of the railway proposals mentioned therein to show that the progress promised when Government took office had not been carried ont. Their read policy was impossible and Imprejjr

ticable ; the railway board pioposa s h.d Veen passed over in silence, and no proper provision had been male for school buildings. There was «. great deal unsivisfactory in ‘he Gove; • rusnt land V purchases, b:i i he dn >t blame the Go-ver,-<ment fo." buying land along the northern trunk line. ! heir action with regard to immigratipn was not satisfactory. He contended Government had not fulfilled any of the pledges which they gave when entering- office The House was demoralised, and parly government was a failure, and for this the Government was responsible. Ciptain Sutter quoted a large number of statistics to show what the colony has to borrow upon, and finally found that it had borrowed too much drawing a . gloomy pio-ure of its finances generally. 1 Mr Duncan said if Mr Ormond’s ideas wore carried cut, we should have to spend at least three millions next year. s Mr W. J. Bnckland was disappointed with the public works policy of the Government, and the general waste of

money. Mr Moss also took an unfavourable view of the colonial finances. At 12.10 a.m Mr Mitchelson moved the adjournment of the debate, which was agreed to. The Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Amendment Bill was further considered in Committee. In answer to Mr Buckland, the Premier said that he considered Mr Pearson’s resolntiou foe throwing the cost of charitable aid on property tax, passed last week, was impracticable, and he did not Intend to take any notice of it. Clauses 8 to 10 and 14 were struck out with the view of inserting new clauses. The consideration of the latter was post - poned, an rest of the Bill paa ed. Progresses reported, and the Honse rose at 1. ■» a m.