HOUSE OF REPRESENTATION.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1519, 15 August 1912, Page 6

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATION.

QUESTIONS ANSWERED.

CARRIAGE OF,RAILWAY STOCK.

DEBATE ON THE BUDGET/

-SPEECHES-BY MESSRS. ELL, STATHAM/AND BUDDO.

The Financial debate in tho Houso of ; Representatives has settled down to a'tamo '•;■ jog-trot. When tho Hoiiso met yesterday ' ;.afternoon a largo amount of. formal busiaese'was disposed of expeditiously.

'Mt.T. , M. Wilford mentioned tho siig- , gested, acquisition of the Day's Bay bush as a scenic. reserve, nnd at his request the I'rimo Minister promised to consult the Crown Law Officers as to whether a number, of local bodies could legally combine • to guarantee a loan for the purchase, of .a reserve.

■ A report was received from tho Petitions ;M to Z Committee recommending that tho petition of the Taupo Totara Company should bo Teforred to a special • committee as was done last year. Tho Prime! Minister intimated, that he would move to-day to set up the committee. As is.-usual on Wednesday, two hours ■were devoted to discussion of tho replies made by Ministers to questions of which members had given notice. Of the many matters discussed, that which obtained most prominence was a demand by country members for tho.more rapid conveyance of travelling stock upon the railways. Tho Hon./W. 11. Hemes stated that delays necessarily occurred in the conveyance of stock under existing conditions, and that these delays could not be avoided save at greatly increased expense. He declared himself very willing to provide for the treatment of stock on the most approved humanitarian principles,, provided unlimited financial resources wero'plac?d at his disposal. During tho discission, Mr.-Pearee, member for Patent said that the heeds" of the case wonjd.be' met if yards were provided at intermediate points on the main linos at which stock; could be detrained and watered. ■■ The Financial debate was resumed at 7.30 bv.JIr.H: G. Ell, who quoted extensively from Hansard and other prints in. the endeavour to show that certain members of. tho Ministry had modified i their opinions in tho course of 20 years or sd.' : Ho admitted that .some of the proposals in the- Budget.:were -good, but j he claimed, that they, that I had ten endorsed by. the late Government.' Ho also claimed credit for the Liberal Administration for heavy reductions made in their time, .in the Customs duties on necessaries. Mr. C. E. Statham, tho new member for Dunedin Central; reviewed tho Budget in an illuminative, manner, approving especially its clearness arid candour as a statement of the country's finances, and of the Government policy. Altogether Mr. Stathum lnado a, remarkably good impression on the House with'this his first important speech in Parliament. The last speaker.of (;ho night was the Buddo, wao dealt with many aspects of ;the Government's policy, no spoko for a full hour to a House that contained a bare quorum of members. At"io:« p.m. Ms. C. K. Wilson (Tanmarunui) moved the adjournment of the debate and the House, roso.