GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 530, 12 August 1881, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

The lionsG oi: Eeprcseatativos met on Slomiay at 7.30 p.m. On the motion of going into ooinunltcu of Supply, Mr Thomson said that kr,t a 10 i per cent reduction was agreed iy on all I salaries.' Ho diascnlud lYoin tfr.-.t, coiitoudmg iliac salaries urrlcr £200 oiiouid he j exempt, tnd till salaries above thai, aw.n be. I reduced on a sliding aoale. On could not \ sco why iho reduction once nitidis khtmld run j hi; eoiiliuued. aiid he objected to iho pro- I posal for the rostorarioii of thu <:!r.oi.:;t. lio movetl r.13 fin jnuomiiueiil :—"That; Ihdvv siioai'i ho a rudnciiou or 10 pti , uoui I on ii<o or toUil anioniit oi j •.•iiS.ii'iv.'.i uf iL'J.OQ, tiiiil thnt bui;i; rydr.ciioii j slu.uM lie Ly tuo Gove:;;-- i

Tlie Hon W. IJolleston said that the previous speaker had not studied the estimates, and had failed to understand the drift of the resolution of last year. Its object was to reorganise the service, and bring it into a better state. If a reduction was insibted on, certain officers who could not well be replaced would retire on the pensions they were entitled to, nearly equal to their salaries, and the colony would in a double tense lose. Mr Pyke said it was very plain that Government desired to follow its own way without accepting , anj' counsel or advice from the House. He would support the amendment. Mr De Lautour said that, to his mind the estimates were upon the whole reasonable, and it would be mere precedont to leave them with the Government.. Mr Gisborne thought the wisest course would be to say that a specified reduction must bo made, and leave it with the Government to effect in the way indicated. Mr 'Montgomery said the amendment was only affirming the principle initiated last year. lie would support the amendment on that understanding, believing that it was only carrying out the policy inaugurated last year. Mr Steward agreed in the opinion that tho reduction of last year was gone about in a clumsy and unfair manner. He was not disposed, however, to support the amendment.

The Hun W. Eolleston said that he held himself individually responsible for every act done in connection vvilh the departments under him. Mr Bunny said he would vote against the amendment. Mr Bryce said the Government had given such an idea of their determination to make reductions as justified the House in leaving the whole matter to be further dealt with by them. Mr Weston hoped that the Government would not press the proposals made to reduce the police force. He would vote against the amendment. Mr Keid was not in favor of tho amendment, which was supported by Messrs Moss, Saundcrs and Turnbull. The House divided on the original motion forgoing into committee. Ayes, 27 ; noes, 22. In committee, two attempts were made to reduce particular items, when, Mr Bairon moved to report progress, saying if this was agreed to a fresh motion of a like character to Mr Thomson's could be brought forward in a full House, and if the question was decided his side would accept it as final instead of fighting the items. The Hon T. Dick said that if at any time during the progress of the estimates a majority could be got to affirm a general reduction, tho Government would accept it aa applying generally, whether the items had been passed or not. After a long discussion, the motion to report progress was rejected by 27 to 13. The Housr rose at, 1.30 a.m. On Tuesday tho Hon J. Hull made the Public Works Statement. Speaking of the railway traffic he said : — " The results of the traffic for the year have been, on the whole, satisfactory. In tho passenger traffic there has, indeed, bren a coni-idera'ole falling oil. This falling of? li.'is affected chiefly tho busiest railways of the country. On the Huninui Bluff lines, which furnish three-fourths of the whole receipts, it nearly reached ten per cent on those of tho preceding period, ihu length of the lino opened to traffic has been augmented by above 4-jj- per cent. There lias been a contemporaneous and very general and largo increase of the goods traffic revenue, amounting to 24 per cent, and dependent not rJone on the increase of tho tariff, hut of tonnage. Also on tho two classes of rc-cfinty, namely, pasaengers and goods combined, ii.ei'u has been an increase of nearly 10 per cent Thanks paitly to this angmenUiiion s-.nd partly to increased economy u> management, the nett returns from the railways as a whole have during the piißt yvi',l- boon equal to £3 3a 3d per cent on the cost of construction. While it may be possible lo effect still further economy in working expenses, the main hopo for improvement in the nett return from our railways imuit consist in an augmented traffic, which the lines with their present appliances are capable of carrying with but, littlo increase oi cost, and v gradual revision of the present tariff with a view to tho encouragement of traffic by diminished charges ; and the progressive adaption of that tariff to the circumstances of the several party of tho system is receiving constant consideration by the Government."

With respect to future operations tho lion gentleman said:— •' Honorable members will not bo surprised to learn that we are compel ed to disappoint some reasonable expectations, and to postpone for tho present some important uudejtakingy, the value of which is admitted. I trust, however, that this limitation oi : direct Government expenditure will, to a considerable extent, be compensated for by tho operations of companies, which will avail themselves of the facilities we propose to offer for the construction of railways by the system of land grant;;."

The or.ly reference to our local railway is contained in the following paragraph : — •' \ r otes will also bo asked on account of the branch lines now in progress to JTairlie Creek, Upper Aslibiirton. and Little River, , ' I? or the construction ol.' roads to open out Crown lands, if. 'v; proposed to ar;U iW £150.000, the ezpeniiiuiit; to be cyreatl over thrco years.

With regard to ii-migniiiori Mr Hull said thai at present, cii'uinr.f.iance.s did nut permit iJ.oai to do ino.-o tUaii jisvist aiiuai- ';(;;■ of pordou.-; "viio Lave ivocii to houiu dt;y;reG Kiii'pnswa by li»u or siibsidisod &:id to oiiioiiu tliis fth;;i;stav!cu vo a very limited rmmbor of iiUJglo '.voiii'dii Jiiwi to tjoiiHTiatc<l htmii.t{ratits v.'lio arc ttn:d'.jua to join their rjjinrion; l . in :!.'.« oolf.-ikt'. T!;.j LvovenniieiH locked Shite itniiiigratiort ooorations aw involvi.-ityci higher degree oi.' than purlmpa any other with which thoy w-nn cuarged. Tii'} hoi;, geiui'i.-ii'i.'in com;iuded an foHuu'w : Tiuiro ,\:\; fo v parts <>£' iLia iavored Itui.'! o? which u'u may jn>t oiirruuo-iably i:opc—r.ot to K.iy i.uiealt'.tr—:.h:it their advr.ntagtj.s of diiuate or roil, accessibility, mintiru! or oi.l)e.r wcnlib, will in dee tiuic make i.l-A'.m poj'uiloub ?.:i'.i pi'o-:-pe:Y:n:\ <t. it; the iuiuro-t. of r-ii to opcu i-.vory part of ilio inp.A u> v.v.lvrtrdiio a. , id iiuiuriry, unci aiuhoi'ily io wicJ.X; fiiiid li'/vCooiuy ioi' t'iui , voy oi thu v.'otkiS to t!O il:!ii-ji:<ikoii — W3 liOf-J ili ti'lo OAliv fui,!.u\;—\s'u aio hfci:iitj.r tiio l.i'/ji^aViU u> act Hi t> ■•. i::'r i:t:tiL)ii;ii i-pirHj to rcicolvi; iliftl iiic v/luU- s'.j'.ai-'On sii.'iii bt; u'cvclopert, ihui :\ yen \~ '• J-t ',]■:!•;: ;..«ia!i he i'or

our children, and for a multitude of our countrymen and race in this land, unsurpassed for climate and soil, and for the variety of its resources.

On the motion for going into Committee of Supply,

Mr Murray moved as an amendment that the estimates be reduced £50,000.

A long discussion ensued, in the course of which Sir George Grey asked that tima should be allowed for consideration of tho estimates. He °.aid tho intention was lo push the estimates through by sheer fatigue «t untimely hours of the morning, and then, without further ceremony, to send them about their business. After further discussion, the question that the llouso go into Committee of Supply was put, and the House divided— Ayes. 40 ; Noes, 30. On Wednesday in the House of Kepresontativea, Sir G. Grey moved—'"That oil the intervening orders of the day be postponed for enabling him to bring in a Law Practitioners' Bill." The House went into committee on the Bill, which was reported with trilling amendments, read a third time and passed. Tue Parliamentary Oaths Bill was read a second time, and the Timaru Harbor Endowment Bill was read a third time and passed.