HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 2, 4 July 1891, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thubsdat, Jvlt '2* The Home met at 2.36 p.m.^ ' Replying to Mr Mills (Wata>m(-Pie<* " ton) ihe Hon. Mr McEenzie said he would fefer t* the Stock Com aittee a. question' of trikiug stvps* to preveut the importation of weasels into the colony. .Replying to Mr Houston thejHon. Mr Seddon said it was Jthe fcractiee Dow. m New Zealand to «rire preference :in ten« • denng to New Zealand wood, and he i should endeavour to si»e that practice I was carried out as tnutih as possible. I' Mr Houston moved the adjournment of "the house, as' he couiderei the''Minister's reply was unsatisfactory. It wan,,, to his nund, very injurious to their small settlers that £50.000 should be seat out of the colony in one ' jear for steelier*, f especially as puriri timber was ' mueh^ more durable. , ; ' ' " A long debate ensued, during which a strong attack Was made upon the Railway Commissioners by Messrs* Fish, Ho^g, and Kees, the two formef'declarine thai the Coniniistiioners were an ignominious and absolute failure. >. ; ' The Hon/ Mr Seddon said he would convey, to $_c Couuni*tnoneni T wliatiie tej^r — garded as the ananiinbu« (Opinion "of (fie House, tliat New Zealand timber shotttf be used- for sleepers in future. If a reso»* £-" lution to thai effect were passed by the „ ' House, he felt sure the Commissioners would pay attention to it. ' - 'V Mr Meredith announced that he would give a general support to the, Government but would vote against their taxa«sf? tion proposals. Mr Thompson (Marsden), speaking at % an independent member, said he was pre« fe pared to assist' the Government in male* ing the taxation bills' acceptable to all -. % classes of the community. , ' - _. *Dr New, man was not at all satisfied with the Statement. He declared his in* teution of moving later on in the segsion that a tax be imposed on absentee*. Mr Bnick would give the Government an intelligent support. - „ ' V Mr Swan, while he would not support the Government, would, not be a fraction* opponent to them. The House rose at 12,20. Friday, Jura 3: - Mr Bees said he wished to call the Speaker's attention to an article that had \ . appeared ia the Wellington Evening Press of the previous night, referring- to. . Mr Jackson Palmer, a member of the House. He moved that' the article was - a breach of the privileges of the House. Mr Smith (New Plymouth), seconded the motion. ** - The Hon. Mr Ballance, in reply to i_ questen of au, honorable gentleman, said he thought the House should proceed if the motion were carried, as the attack made on Mr Palmer was one of^he grossest he had ever heard of. Sir John Hall admitted thaji the article was an improper one. The Hon Mr Bryce expressed the opinion that the' article referred to was most unfair and uncalled for. The Hon Mr Seddon contended that the House should unite in putting down, proceedings of this kind. Mr Rees then moved, that John Laws Kirkbride, publisher of the Wellington jEveiung Press, be summoned to the b»r &Mijgp Hou«e on," Tuesday next;- at 7,80 . ipjpvk to'give an explanation of t_jet£&le~ ( : f *" Mr PElmer 1 said" he wished the mo|i>a"' to tie withdrawn, if the Hoase permitted, '"' it, Ab as to give him the right to. proceed civilly if he thought it desirable.! 1 The~motion was withdrawn. , , Mr Hutchison (Dunediu), then v moved» * That this House desires to express, its Regret that such a libellous and untruthful article with reference to' the member for Waitemata should have : been 'published in the Evening Preea. The motion was then agreed to and the matter dropped. Mr Hutchison (Waitotara), said he had been at some pains to discover the operation of a graduated land., tax, and he had found that the proposed^taxation entirely failed to touch a large class of people who were specially able to pay. * He appealed to the Government,' in the . interest of their party, greater still, in the interests of the country, to make " yet another effort to reduce the taxation of the country. The motion for going, into Committee of Supply was lost by 53 to 2. The Hon Mr Rollegton criticised the Financial Statament at great length, and said they had been kept considerably in the dark as to what the proposals of the Government really, were, and it seemed to the "general opinion that when the Bills came down they would be by no means , on the lines of those proposals. Mr Buchanan moved the adjournment, and the House rose at 1.45.