THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Evening Star, Issue 3948, 20 October 1875, Page 2

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

[By Telegraph.] Welling rox. October 20. aha House mot at 2.30 yesterday, in reply_ to Mr > acandrew, Nir Donald M'Lean said it was the intention of Government to get through all the business to-momiu*. but it was possible the prorogation, which was m. rely formal, would not take place until fhursday. hey expected the business to be piacticaily over that, day. In reply to .Mr Shepherd, the Government said they would as soon as pos-ibh* tiring streams, at present being fouled by gold-mining woivmgs, under the Fouling of i.ivers Act. In reply to tlie same, the Government could give no promise regarding tbe extension of the mam line troiu Lawrence to Roxburgh, nor until the coast lines were constinoted. Mr Richardson, leplying to Mr O’Neill, said the i hames water race would be completed about the end of i.ext month. Mr Kelly asked whether any attempt had been made to c >nnect New Plymouth by telegraph wi.h the rest of the Colony. J ho Native Minister said the Government had been tul y alive to the m cessity of the • ase, .bin they had not denned it wise to rim the risk of creating a i uptime amongst the Naive owners by carrying the wire over their lauds without th- ir leave. Air Keyuolds, in reply to Mr O’Neil, sai 1 he W’as not in a position t-i state when the ap Alaria Van I human and Aloiiikii.ui lighthouse would te ill working order. They had been idere a consid- r.tble time ago, but. no advices lud been icceivcd , £ tlidi’ lupine., t. in reply to Mr J. hj Brown, Mr Reynolds said ho coul-l not arrange for a town del.veiq of letters at Lawrence at present. Thvy would, however, consider the matter, to see what could he done. Mr Reynolds, also in reply, s dd they could not on ange a twice daily mail between Lawrence and Havelock and < unediu unless tlie coach ran daily, or until such time as the lailway w r as open. 'The report upon the Representation Bill was considered, and an alteration agreed to beton the third reading. Mr Who Inn denounced the Bill -is an unjust and unsatisfactory measure, and o e calculated to biing great discredit upon the Ministry. It \va3 (< however, an appropriate ending to a I hiliiuucut tbut was iui.tia.tcii by a scramble for railways, and terminated in a scramble for seats. would .oppose the second reading of the Bill as increasing the injustice it w-as sought to remedy. Members had been grunted in the oorth and refused in the South, where there were more claims. Mr Pyke would support the Bill for the same reasons as the nr mber for Taieri opposed t. The lion, member for Auckland City West said it would be the cause oi separation ; hwished to heaven it would. Nothing won d please tlie sleuth better th u to get rid of tin North, will) her Native wars, her 1 .ml niviuihs, gold-mining swindle*. I’akchu .Maoris, and missionaries, it had been n millstone i-nuim tiiu neck of the I-oath, and tlie great cause of he want of progr- sa in the Colony. As n whole, he coiibidered the Abolition Bill a great triumph for the se* aratioa party by sweeping away the Provinces as a first necessary step,

*nd Slaking ”*P*ration of the two Islands po*» ■'hie, with a federal Government to deal with national mutters, such as financial, postal, and telegraph arrangements. said that in passing the Bill the Miverninent Lid the seeds ,f future wo * and evi: to the Colony. The .Government neglected a noble opportunity of doing a lustto the * ohmy in 'bum its representation upon an equitable ba-is. L, was a gross injustice to tho iNorth I-land especially, Ihe hon. gentleman proceeded to noc.iue die Government of so moulding t,h« Bill as to s.-cure political support for then s.-lves (Derisive laughter from the Treasure!), Air Bowen defended the Bill s# being as fair an arrangement ns could well he made with a measure of a temporary character. Alajor Atkiuson replied to some assertions by air George Grey regarding the Government, saying that the hon. gentleman was constantly informing the House that all the accusations he made against the Government had be n substantiated, whereas if half of them hud been established as true, they would not only he diwen frem the Government benches, but would be sent on the roads. The only weapon he could find with which to lace the hou, gentleman was laughter, and as long as that non. gentleman followed the course ho adopted throughout the session he would meet him with laug ,ter. He denied that they had been animated by a desire tu confer representatives upon districts from which they received sup- 1 ' port, though it would be hard'lo look round the Colony and discover a district from which Government did not receive suppoit. The Bill was Mien road a third time, and passed on the vo : ces.

Mr Murray intends, ongoing into Committee of oupj'ly, to move that the Tiili for conferring the power of local self-government be primed and circulated at lease one mouth before the meeting of Parliament next s-ssion. The House resumed at 7.30. Upon a motion for going into Committee of Air O’Roike moved for a gaatuity of LOGO to the widow of the late Superintendent of Auckland. After a eulogy upon Air Williamson by fcjir Donald M'Leau, the moti n was agreed to. Mr _ Aitzhorbert proceeded to review the financial poml.g nof iho Colony, He said there was a total charge „f L20,(i00,(L0 and an annnual charge of LI,O()U,'GO to pay to outside creditors ; while there whs only a population of 300,0G0. LI 000,000 whs a large sum to go out of the ( olony to foreign creditors. He compared our position i V wnn l naL° £ Uuko M wfficth had to pay L 1*.,000.000 a-year to outride creditors, Tho credit of i urkey was not favorttble, but 1 urkey would not be more d-e ly indebted than New Zealand if it had t- pay J .80.000,000 pet year for interest. He a, cured Sir J. Vogelof f A nn/wirm'!' 0 11 (l of gotLtmg the L 4,000 000 loan dis.ul van nig ous y. It, would have bien Get er to act as t-l.e agents advised, and placed the lean cu the mmkel, L 2,000.000 at a time. It »s a s-iiou-omission that no untie >tion had been given as to incidence of future t xat> -it. Major Atkinson de iel that Sir J. Vo.ol deceived the M<ni»i>, and maintained that the loan had I>. on negotiate t advantageously, the comparison wi hj uil-.cv was worthier, as licr iiiSt loiiu i't'iiiist*d (tills 43*0 (j» r cent. Major .tkinsou m..de l additional financial statement H o-aid r.e Provincial services w r ere not now provided for ; they were omitted, i U o l ioo ™ t , 0 * al /? ml * tu,u proposed now was DZltM,t)b4 (government hau propos-d to spend LBO 000 in subsidies, and L60.G00 in local Government works; now they pioi.osed to spen I LBO.OOO only, and in this wav. It h.d been opposed to give ond Boards L2 for cveiy LI raised, and 1,1 *o nirui niumci adties tor every pound raised; now they pro, used tu give municipH.itios one-ihirJ of hj pound per pound and lio ,d Boards ouc-tuird of L2 for every L2 raise", o< 13s 4d. LBO 000 was the total amount ti the vote Go.eni.enl proposeil to take. Goveiiimeut would lose revenue, but. expected to have a eurplu; of L 127 000 T'he D timatos, however, did not in, lude the Supplemoutary r.Bt;males, so that tliern would be added eomelliing like L120,t00. 1.92.G00 also had to he provided fur Auckland and Westlaud, and this, with L4SOOO which the ProVinces were entitle I to under the Public Works Advances Act, would leave them unable - even if the revenue resulted as estimated—lo meet the expenditure without issuing Treasury bills. Tho extra expenditure would bo L 140.000, while the surplus revenue was but Ll_7,ooU. To meet this he would employ the consolidated icv enue as much as possible, and would only issue Treasury Bills win re necessary. Ihe (Supplemental y Estimates were passed, and the House adjourned at 3.20 a.m.