PARLIAMENTARY

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1314, 13 August 1886, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY

LEGISLATIVE COUNO) 0 Thursday, August 12, The Council met at 2.30 p.m. Tne Vice-liegel nsent was given to a lumber of Bills. The reasons assigned by the House for disagreeing with certain amendments m the Mining Bill made by the Council were considered in Committee. The Committee pjralsted only on ibe amendments in clause 130, being with reference to the resumption of private lards for mining purposes. The resolutions were reported, and a Committee appointed to draw up reasons for disagreeing. The Stamp Act Bill was read a third

time and passed. Managers were appointed to confer vith the managers of the Honse relative to the disagreements between the Council and the House in the Counties Bill and Muncipal Corporatism Bill, The Propei ty Assessment Bill was read a Grst time;

The Council adjourned at 6 p.m. and resumed at 7 30 p.m. The Property Assessment Bill was read a second time on the voices.

Dr Pollen, Mr Miller, Mr McLean, and Mr Wilson, were appointed managers for

the Council for the second free confer enca on the Government Loans to Local Bodies Bill.

The Council adjourned at 8 p.m.

HOUSE OF EEPRESENTATIVES.

Thursday August 12,

The House met at 2 SO, The report of the Select Committee on Vtr Va lu’a railway system was brougt up. The Property Tax Act Amendment Bill was brought down by message and read a first time. The Government Insurance Bill wc' received with a new clause, which Sir Julius Vogel explained was to enable Government to sign orders of discharge in connection with mortgages. The consideration of the olanse was postponed till 7.30 p.m. A long debate arose on the committal of the District Railways Purchasing Act Amendment Bill. The Bill was committed. In clause 4 Mr Richardson moved to strike out £27,000. Carried ty 27 to 25. Mr Dargaville proposed to insert £31,000. Carried on the voices. In answer to Colonel Trimble, the Minister of Public Works said he did not intend to drop the Bill in consequense of this vote. What he had said was he would drop the Bill if the £27,000 were retained. The BUI was reported with amendments, and on the motion for the third reading Mr Wakefield said it ought to go out to the world that by a majority of two, at the instigation of Government £4OOO had been presented to these grea o ■mpanies. This was a fact which would be useful at meetings of the unemployed. Sir George Grey urged the Premier to drop the Bill, because there were several members of the Government interested. The Premier said that Sir George Grey himself during the recess had pledged his word to help the ratepayers at Gore to get rid of their burdens. Some of t v em had to mortgage furniture to pay calls. None of the Ministers Interested had taken part in the discussion. They had purposely abstained. Sir George Grey explained that it was only the poor men he was in favor of relieving. Colonel Trimble and Messrs Whyte, Reese and Richardson having made a few remarks, the Bill was read a third time by 20 to 18. Sir George Grey made a last appeal to Government not to go on with the Bill, and another discussion followed, darings which Mr Wakefield alluded to the Stark purchase at Auckland as a case where man had got five or six times the value o his property out of the Government by alleged refusal to take various rums successively offered him. MrßiohardiOi said the statement was a deliberate attempt to mislead the House The Bill then pissed, and on the motion for going into committee cf supply Mr Kerr moved that the next session be held at Nelson. Mr O’Oonor wanted to move another amendment but the speaker luled him oat of order.

Mr Eerr’a amendment was lost, and the Public Works Estimates were taken into farther consideration. C a-s 6, Public Buildings. Mr Bur sell said the vo e for School ho ldings, £55,000, wea totally Inadequa'e The Premier recognised this, but said they had to provide according to their means. Some of the boards were considerably in credit. Considerable disc jas’on took place, Mr Guinness tooK exception to the votes for the New Plymouth High School and Waitaxi G rls 1 School. He moved that these be struck our. Lost on the voices. The Postal vote, £112,000, was then passed. Claes 9—ltem lighthouses, £7700 Messrs Kerr and Seddou protested against the lowness of the charges to shipping for the convoniencs offered Mr Lsrnach said he was collecting Information from other colonies and would consider the matter during the recess. The total vote of class, £127,800, was passed. On class 3, railways, item doubling line, Auckland, £SOOO, a disc ussion took place, in the course of which Mr Biohardson said that enquiries made pointed to the advisability of doubling the present line rather than building a loop line. The coat would be little different. A difficulty in the way of the present traffic was the tunnel, with a steep incline. Messrs Hursthouaeand O’Callaghan protested against the vote as an unnecessary expense. Messrs Peacock, Dargavllle and Moss defended if. Mr Hurstbonse moved to strike the item out. Lost by 43 to 9. Hamilton-Grahamstown, £20,000

Mr Hursthouse said the line would never pay, and to go further with it would involve liabilities of £250,000. Lost by 28 to 16. Napier-Palmerston, £30,000 Mr Macarthur took exception to the

laggard manner in which this important link in the trunk system was pushed on. He accused the Government of breaking a promise to carry it to completion at once, and contended that if the Manawatu Company’s line was the obstacle, they had it in their power to buy it at a fixed price. The remainder of the class, the total of which was £563,000, was passed without comment Vote Immigration, £19,200.

Mr Bal lance, in answer to a question, said the Government had only introduced farmers with capital, laborers, single women, and separated families, but had been careful not to import artisans. Dr Newman objected to the introduction of more agricultural labor.

Mr Ballance said none could be got now. The unemployed were artiz <ns and denizens of towns, not agricultural laborers.

Mr Moss thought it wrong in the prest n state of the country to Lyriug any mure people here at all. He dilated on the state of tho labor market in Auckland, where he said all the unemployed had found their way during the last year or two. Dr Newman moved the reduction of the vote hyJJJOOO,

Considerable discussion took place on the general question of the unemployed. Mr Moat said he had been told by gum-

diggers that any man could make a comfortable living and save money on the fields north of Auckland.

Dr Newman's motion wes lost by 20 to 13, and the vote was passed intact. This finished the Public Works Esti mates, and the House rose at 3.5 a m.