MR. CREIGHTON'S MOTION.

Auckland Star, Volume II, Issue 534, 26 September 1871, Page 2

MR. CREIGHTON'S MOTION.

GREAT GOVERNMENT VICTORY. WELLINGTON. / . I September 21. Six hundred persons attended' the- Governor's Ball last night. John Hartly has been killed by a landslip at Mungaroa. The Advertiser urges the opening of the Court-house at Wanganui. Out of twent3' cases before the Bankruptcy Court yesterday, cleTeu were from Wanganui. ' September 23. Sir. Crcighton move;! in the House that the Estimates ■bo ,rotencd back for a reduction .of £50,000. The Government made it a Ministerial question. 'J ho debate lasted several hours. Mr. Gillies concluded his speech by protesting against tlio question being made Minis! erial,-,as for .party purposes were drifento vote'against their Mr. Stewart thought it wrong to make theV&sj4<sV a" ;par^ one.; :;JBE^ Jfaadj rfull coufldehee Tin'«itWe:' ilinistry,'sbufc taking 'the motion for what it; was worth, he would support it. Ho suggested reductions in the. Legislative; 'saiyLnes,'.geoldgicitl.;^^,survey department, judicial salaries, and the abolition of the grant to: the JNew- Zealand University. ■ ""Hb—saw no provision to meet the probable revenue deficiency^-or the Supplementary' Estimates. ■'• :He> believed the next session would probably find a deficit of £60,000 or £190,000. He regretted that there was no Middle Island member in the Ministry. •I Mr. Hall said a general examination of the estimates* showed a considerable saving' but not much retrenchment. No Government could receive suebi a motion otherwise than as a want-of-confidenco' motion. Although ho was no supporter of the Government he would unhesitatingly vote against it.: •-' •■."' -:■■ ■', Mr. RonE3TON;pbjeoted ; tjo any party cry bet\Yepn North and South being raised. The South was perfectly willing^ td'66ntribnte a fair amount for the maintenance of peace in the North, and they; had, no reason to regret the arrangement made last year, or desire t<> alter it. ''HedidinotiliUo th'a fo«m of motion or the remarks accompanying. it. Ho would, however, support it on broad grounds, as forming a distinction between parties on what was' really' tho only tme basis,,that pf prudent •finance against epecniativ^ borrowing. Hb would; set his, face, against.'any expenditure boyoud their lneana. There were saffloient iaets before the. E[ouae to make them pauae before, committing! ; the coiintry 'to a policy which, might cud in a serious financial disaster. The, : ,permanent...charges', and interest; :rioW amounted, to half a njiTliou-^oiit'of a reTenue ot £900,0001 T,ho Governor's Bpeeqia haSleft it. to ; the. House to- bring "the expenditure within their means'. No one believed that the .deßiredendwouldbeobtained by the Treaswi'oij's policy. He would, tjirougll c'onimg 'session's; i^teu4ily; vote for. retrenchment; .' : "'. ~ ,|i>:.., .EjATHGAa^ tshoixght' *if 'the; Treas'ur ar; w.ere sincere in the peroration' eontaine'd in .Che statenient, h'e r!would glatlly hajre accepted , the., inotiop. 'He '/would-"support evieisy.ipotion h^viii^^^retreiDchment as 'itß Qb Ije,ct ; ;.He, thought iip rpubordinate official's sai^ry •Blip l uld 'exceed' £500.per anaum; A large saying was' possiblo oii thb'defence1 expenditure. To maintaiii a standing army vv;is uuconstitulionaL The settlers should i.ake .firearms into their' own' hands, and defend , themselves. He would take a ; contract.... to" preserve the peace I&E very, much' less "than £200,000 a year, .His . ji^iiutituchts felt the heavy .burdens of taxation intottfrable, aud: he bad no sympathy with Mi;. Rdlleston'a profesiions

of willingness to spend a million in defen™ at the rate of £100,000 a year. The wW never closed its capital account, and H|,{ railway nompauies that followed the 'gam course, it was sure to come to grief H thought the abolition of provincial institu. 9 tions would rather have a tendency to increasa expenditure than save the pocket of \h taxpayer. Belying on the Act paseed ]«st session, the Otngo Provincial Council had passed all their Estimates, and now a toVj change of policy, which put Otago £27,000Q the bad, was proposed. He coulj, not supnoß-. uch a policy. There was no fixity i n jL^ " The laud revenue would be the nextthi/jP'\ taken. He claimed it as the property of tVi provinces, and would never consent to have it diverted from local purposes. The proposed policy would leave Otago without a penny from the colony. It was t<ue they got half the stamp duties, and a subsidy for the conatruction of roads, but that was no boon Otago paid one-third of the stamp revenue'and interest on the loan. He urged tha G-overnrnent to agree to the motion.

Messrs. Haughton, Brown (Canterbury) - Reynolds, BrandoD, J. McLean, Richardson •-. Macandrew, Eoeves, and Eyee opposed, the *■ motion, as, although nnxioua to affect retrenchYnerit, s"tlifey thought a • false i^sue had beenraised.l ,- ■'%.< .' ;'' .■■, >j ' » -Tj Mr. WiLHAMSONrnado a violent attack oil** Mr* Gillias, undoppbsed the motion. -7., Messrs. CALOEB«.ud Shephebd (Dunedin) advocated retrenchmenl:, expressing regret that the question'- had "been raised in such a - shape. >j

i Mr. Wakefield supported the motion. § Mr. Pox replied. BsTbe House then"divided, the reeu.lt being 15 for arid 43 againßt the motion, f The dirision list was as follows :— Fob the Motion. — Rollestob, . Q-illj es ■ Stafford, Bathgate1, Reid, Wood, Cantcell, it." ■ Richardson, Ingles, Bradshaw, WakoiieJd, .Brown (Olago)1, Munro, Creighton; Collins. • . i*) AjGAlNST.—Haughto.n, Eyes, Biflney, Macaudroiy, Halli. St.urtbislme/ Webster, Vogef/-^ D.! Macleaxi, Gisbpriie, C. Parker, McLeod, Kateue,; Pearce, Parata- Andrew Clark, Peacocke, Tribe, W. Kelly, iiiraitiana, B. Kiohardson. Brown (Canterburj), Reeves, T. Kelly, HarrVsori;" T£iralake, ■ Oa;ringtpn, ,&. Enrker.-.f^ Rejyriolcls; Taiaoroa, Fon, Hunter, *' Fsir'tiaH, McGillivray, HeiderSon, Williamson, O'lNeill, Gt-. McLean, Mclherson, E. T. Gillon, Johnston.' ■•' '■'4 rip ' p *■ ■~->. - f : ;,. ; 1.15 Jl.mV Inquiry respecting' tie grounding of tKeU,; Lady J3ird on Barrett's Beef;on Saturday.!; ;Th.c (3-ovcrnbr'droVe the' fii-st pile of the Hatb Bridgo tdrduy. Volunteers attflnded. Artillery firecl a salute. The day wm obseryed as a public holiday. ■ Arrived. —Fhoebe, froni the North. The inquiry respecting the grounding of the Tell, decided that it was an error in; the judgment of the master. . . . '_ Lady Bird ran on Barrett's Beef yesterday, and returned to port in a; leaky oon-;/ dition. ; ■ ,--.