THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Evening Star, Issue 3935, 5 October 1875, Page 2

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

[Br Telegraph.] „„ TT Wellington, October 5 r Iho House met at 2 .HO yesterday, An extra ten days’ leave of absence was granted to Mr Bluett. The Native Minister laid on the table a return of members who had sold or transferred any land to the Government during the last five years. Mi Webb asked when the railways between * Christchurch and Timaru, and Timaru and Waitaki would be open for traflic. Mr hichardson was understood to say, in reply to the first question, that only a short distance lemuined to b<? completed between iemuka and Rangitata, and that the Hue would he opened not later than the first week in January. With regaid to the Timaru and Waitaki i c • hardly in a position to give & definite answer, but thought the Hue would be open in about twelve months. Air 1 honison asked the following questions: —(1.) Whether L 7,739,413 put down on the first table, page 8, of (he financial {Statement as expended’ includes discount or loss in negotiations of loans, and the LBO.OOO paid, or to be paid, to Messrs Rothschild; or whether these sums have to be met out of 1.601,128 of “as available balances ?” (2.) Whether the promise made by Sir Julius Vogel to Messrs Rothschild that the New Zealand Government would not enter the money market for two yeais, means simply that the Government would not borrow under the new loan Acts : or whether it means that Government would not, during this period, enter the money market to raise the balances of loans amounting to--1.1 954,800 (.1 ) When the Government propose raising the said balances of L 1.954,800 * (4.) If he will state the amount by which theliabilities of the Colony ;m the 30th June, amounting to 1.3,349,157, have been reduced' up to the 30th September ? (.5.) How much of. the L 6.000 drawn by sir Julius Vogel is chargeable on the loan ? Major Atkinson could not reply with certainty as to whether the 1.80,000 referred to was included in the amount mentmne i, but if not it was included in the estimated liabilities. nine expenditure had taken place of wV.ich they had no accurate knowledge. Tiie whole of »he expern.es of raising tile loan was included either in the amount expended or iu the estimated liabilities, so that they could not have to he met out of the available Balance. I’lie available balance set out was as far as Government could tell the exact available balance, (2 ) The Treasurer said Sir Juliudfcfogel made no such promise to Mes.-rs Rothschild us that ew Zealand would not go into the uiaraet to borrow for the next two years; he informed tlessrs Rothschild that he did not think Government would require to do so, but ue positively refused to give any pledge on the matter. (3 ) With regard to the balance of the loan, the Government proposed to iaise it by Colonial debentures. They intended to do so the farat favorable opportunity, but the guaranteed debentures would not be paited with until the last work was in hand. (4.) The Treasurer said he would have such a return made out if the House desired it, but he did not think it would be of much use to the hon. gentleman for the purposes for which he desired it. (5..) This question could not be answered until such time as the acooun’s wore received from Sir J. Vogel ; as these wore received, he would lay the particulars before the House. It would bo impossible to say how much of that amount would have to be paid out of tbe loan, That would bo a question for thft House to decide for itotlf.

Mr Shaehan asked whether the Government intended to take any action with reference to those portions of the reports of the Waste Lands Committee upon the petitions of the Hon. H. K. Kussell and Mr Peter Robertson, condemnatory of the Waste Lands administration in Hawk>’’s Bay? The Treasurer said the matter was still v, consideration of the Government, and they M'ould take such steps as they might think necessary. Mr Richardson said the member for Cavershaii) called ;orth a return showing the items of expenditure on roads north of Auckland, and to whom the sums of money were paid. As the preparation of this return would necessitate some sixteen or seventeen hundred entries, he wished to know whether the House desired it, bi cause if not begun at once it could not bo completed during the present session. It was decided not to proceed with the return until the member for Oaversham returned. Mr Sheehan asked, without notice, whether the Government intended to bring in a Bill for the sale of tlio Piako Swamp. Tlie Native Minister said it was the intention of Government to do so, hut not until the Piako Swamp Committee concluded their labors. The following Bills were introduced and read ft first time Provincial Appropriation Acts Countenance Bills, and Public Revenue Act Amendment Bill (Major Atkinson) ; a Bill amending the Public Works and Immigration Act. Ih7o (Mr Richardson). The Outram Telegraph Station Reserve Bill was read a second time. The Imprisonment a\ bn!ition Amendment Bill passed. The remainder of afternoon was occupied in Committee. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. The Debtors and Gt editors Bill in Committee went through, the principal amendment being the striking out of the provision as to afteracquired property. The btamp Duties Bill was nearly all passed through Committee before progress was reported. The stamps on promissory notes were made uniform, being reduced from sixpence and one shilling to one penny on demand. The ten shilling stamp on charter party was reduced to one shilling, Bills passed; Imprisonment for Do lit Abolition Bill Amendment Bill and Fraudulent Debtors Bill.

The adjourned debate on the Representative Bill was taken up by Mr Cnthbertson, and the debate occupied the House for the remainder of the sitting. Mr Cuthbertson said the Bill was far from perfect, but he hoped to stfe it amended in Committee, Being a step in the right direction he would support its second reading. The question was very difficult to ■deal with from any particular basis —either population, area, or property. The arrangement regarding Timaru and Nelson might be amended in Committee if unsatisfactory to the House. .Mr M'Gillivray took somewhat similar views, Mr Harrison rf cognised in the Kill an attempt, though only partial, to deal out justice to the disti icfcs at present inrdequately repre-sented-notably so as regarded the West Coast. Mr Swanson would not oppose the second reading, but dwelt at some length upon the details of the Bill to show that Auckland tv as not fairly dealt with when compared with Hawke’s Bay, Taranaki, and Tirnaru. lie said he hoped that in Committee the Government would take from the over-renresented districts to give to the under-represented ones only. He would suppoi t the second reading, ibnt strongly urged another ad litional member being given to the Thames. Mr \V. Kelly would support the Bill, if Gisborne and the district south of it wore included iin the ti awke’s Bay district, in consequence of leaving been granted another member. Mr Andrew supported the second reading, though he disapproved of the principle upon which additional representation had been granted. Mr Beid deprecated increased reprentation, though he admitted that the great difficulty of dealing with the adjustment of representation would be discovered. He was opposed to Napier having another member, Mr Mervy.n supported the Bill, but was not satisfied with its provisions. Mr O’C'oUor also supported the Bill, but spoke at considerable length to show the unfairness of the proposed arrangement, especially to the Bigler district. Ho generally regarded the mea. wire as a poor evasion of the expectations the Government had raised in the Colony' with regard .to the elections for next Parliament. Mr Fitzherbert brought up the report of the committee upon the Ohinemuri miners’ rights case. L'he burden of the report was that miners’ rights had beet' obtained fraudulently by Messrs U’Halloran and Brissenden, and that the latter had a direct interest in the fraud. The House adjourned at 1.5 a.m.

THE MAIL SERVICE DEBATE.

{from our own Correspondent.) Tn moving the resolution ratifying the San Francisco contract, Mr Reynolds said the apparent delay that had taken place was attributable to tho desire on the part of the Government that a copy of the contract and the latest correspondence on the subject should be in the posse sion of the members ; but tho Government were now in n position to congratulate the House on having entered into a contract tLat would prove of advantage to the ( 'olony. Air Stafford asked the Commissioner of Customs to inform tho House how the Colony stood in reference to New South Wales in the matt ar. Al.r Reynolds was glad the question had been put- The Colonies had jointly agreed to send Home agents to negotiate services in the terras of the resolution passed by the House, and he conside red the Colony was committed to New South Wales under this contract. New South AVales had already ratified its position, and he trusted the House would consider it a matter of good faith to follow its example. Mr Stafford pointed out that there was inconsistency in what the hon. gentleman bad just stated—the contract was in excess of the amount named in the resolution, therefore he wanted to know how far the Government of New -outh Wales considered this Colony had the power of refusing to adhere to the contract except.on the precise terms named in the resolution of this House : whether the Government of New South Wales would consider it a breach of faith for thin Colony not to ratify the present contract. Mr Reynolds answered tlaatNewSouth Wales would consider it a breach of faith. There was no doubt Mr Russell had consulted with Sir ,1. Vogel, and he presumed the amount named in the resolution had been exceeded with Sir J, Vogel’s concurrence.

Mr Stafford said his question had not been answered. • id New South Wide- as a matter of honor expect this Colony to ratify the contract, notwithstanding that the amount of subsidy and the question of the time the contract had to run had been exceeded ? Was there any official cimmunication fiom New South Wale-- on the subject '! Mr Reynolds replied that there was no official correspondence, but tiro Government took it for granted that New South Wales expects this Colony to ratify it. Mr Aim ray moved an amendment, “That the San Francisco Service being of advantage to the United States as well as to Australasia the United States Government should pay a portnm of the subsidy. Mr Stafford remarked that tho mover of the amendment left our, of consideration the fact that this Colony was absolutely bound in honor to ew South Waks to contribute at all events within the limit named by the resolution adopted by this House last session. Last session it would have been proper for the hon. member to have moved, and for this House to have adopted such an sniendmen*, but he held that tho House could not in honor, or wisely m _ reference to its standing inside and outside New Zealand attempt to its resolution of last session, under which the Government was authorised to contract for a San Francisco service. It wa< really idle to discuss that question now, but the House way at perfect li erty to discuss whether or not it would approve of an additional Lu.ooo or tho extension of the contract time by two years. The House should consider whether it was prepared to adopt the contract without any reservation or to propose some modifications. For instance,] Air Ruw«U, in a letter

dated Jane 29. stated dUtinotly that the contractors would be disposed to contract for L 15,000 a-year less if the route calling at Honolulu instead of Kandavau was adopted. He was at a loss to understand what advantages were to be gained by calling at Kandavau to warrant the Colony paying Llo 000 extra; on the contrary, Mr Russell in the same letter cave some conclusive reasons against calling there. Mr Macandrew said, so far as he was concerned, if the service was not to go down the coast it wonld not be of much use, He looked upon it more as a commercial than a postal service, and it could be shown without di Iticulty that great results were likely to accrue from its going down the coast. Notwithstanding what fell from the member for Timaru, wool was not the only article that would be exported. If the contract was not to be accepted as it stood, he would be glad to get out of it altogether if he could. Ho thought a better route, via South America, might be found ; but the Colony was in honor bound, and he did not see how the contract could be got rid of without repudiation, which he would bo sony to be a party to. If the Government held the thing so lightly ? that they were prepared to make drakes and ducks of it, the debate had better be adjourned, to enable members to understand the position. He should oppose the proposal all ho could, unless it was given effect to as before the House.

Mr Reynolds said the Government had no objection to an adjournment ti 1 to-day. The reason why the Government did not suggest the service—(Mr Kelly : Mr J, Russell strongly recommended it.) -was because the New .South Wales Government would not agree to it. —(Mr Kelly : The New South Wales Go vernment is strongly in favor of it.) The hon, gftntloman had said in his correspondence that the saving would not be so great us stated by the member for Timaru, inasmuch as the subsidy paid by this Colony wonld be L 370,000, and New South Wales would not contribute towards the coastal service—so that, in reality, the route would come to within LI,OOO or L 2,000 of that now proposed to the House, Of course there could be no objection on the part of the Government to negotiation with the company or the New South Wales Government to ascertain if it were possible to modify the present contract. Jt would not foster trade with Fiji, while, if Honolulu were chosen, he could conceive a good trade springing up with the Sandwich Islands. Another question worthy of consideration was that New South Wales very willingly acceded to allowing the mail steamers to run along the coast.—(Hear.) The last Government of New South Wales would not allow it, and the present Government only do so after considerable solicitation on the part of the Government of this Colony, There was not the least doubt that the contractors would make a very substantial diminution in the subsidy of "the Now Zealand contract if she received the mails at some port of the Colony and distributed them herself. Two existing Inc d conipanys were perfectly competent to distribute the mails, and there was no doubt that in a few years a third company would be prepared to compete for their distribution along the coast. He should say the contract should be approved, with a strong expression of opinion that as soon as possible the contract should be modified, of course with the consent of the New South Wales Government. In the first instance calling at Kandavau should not be compulsory, and in the second the vessels should not run along the New Zea’and coast. Ho had always opposed the latter, and for a number of years had protested against the country being charged with the cost of sending the vessels, to his mind, on an absolutely unnecessary voyage along the coast. If the Commissioner of Customs consented to an adjournment of the debate, he would be prepared to move an amendment in the direction indicated. Mr Bowen remarked that from the tenor of the correspondence it was plain the New Zealand agent was not favorable to a coastal service, but since the contract was signed the Government felt it incumbent to insist on its ratification as it at present stands. That, however, would not prevent the Government from entering into negotiations with the New Zealand Government or the contractors for modifications. Mr Luckie considered the necessity for an adjournment would be obviated if Ministers made a declaration that although the contract was ratified they would make arrangements for doing away with tlm_ coastal service. It was the pretty general opinion inside and outside the House, and he thought it would bo wrong to leavp R to any Government to alter the com tract without first submitting the alterations for the approval of the House. No doubt several modifications would have to be made. The adjournment of the debate till to-day was agreed to.