HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 4, 9 July 1891, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Tuesday, July 7. Mr Wilson (Palmerston), resumed the " financial debate, saying that settlement was not likely -to be promoteoT.by, the regulations brought in by ; the Minister for Lands, and giving instances where they had not worked well in his locality (Palmerston). He produced a list of 52 people .who were prepared 'to take up land under the old "regulations forbona , fide settlement, but who had .been deterred hy the alterations that had been made. H With regard to. the totalisator he did not exactly agree, 7 with it, but as gambling could not be prevented the totalisator was the best form, and should be taxed. He could notr support the financial proposals of the Government, '' \ , Mr Valentine said he hoped no cine • would take the trouble to read the Financial \Statement,' which .was riot m his opinion a correct report of the state of the country. The masses had no relief in these proposals, but he had no doubt when the Bills came down they would be extensively .changed. ' ** MrG. Fisher was received with .applause. He .referred to the unfeeling ' • language in which the Ministet-of-L^J^ds had referred to Mr Steven?, the moreiSiJ-T^, as the case of Mr Stevens was now being investigated by the PublrcPetitions Com* . mittee. v As to the Judge Edwards' case, he objected in limine^tp the appointment, on the ground that it was unconstitutional but on finding that there was a great deal of personal bitterness on 'the part of a person outside the. House, he refrained from taking any further part m the question. It was to the last-degree discreditable to .the Parliament" and the country ' that Judge Edwards, having received his pateut of office from the K Gov;ernor, , that they should have attempted, to deprive him of that .office. The acts of one Parliament should be .honourably recognised by their successors. What was the matter .with this Colony? l lt^was not so v much the large estates as the large amount of interest they had to pay— it was the extravagant borrowing policy, of previ >us Governments. This country was made the experimental ground'for ; all the fads the mind of man ever conceived, but through them all the interest l charge ground on. They had expended v ' £38,000,000 of borrowed money, andit' had produced an added revenue of £524/ '<' 000, and added £420,000 to the interest . charges. Whatever bar large estates might be to the progress of. the country,' it was as a drop in the bucket compared to the deadening effect cLfthis huge mass of debt. In 1887 an amount of £300,000 " had to be added-to the Customs tariff,' and - now, having., a surplus, ,it would have' been a generous concession to have taken off, instead' of making a postal concession to merchants and bankers. He disagreed with. the proposal by which, under the perpetual lease system, the, ' right to acquire freehold ;was abolished, and many had refused to take up land on that account. 4 He ', should support Mr Fish's amendment^ because" it affirmed the desirability of "introducing -"into* the .' country the abolition 'of the property tax tax. - " , \ ' " '"*~~ ' Sir John ■ Hall said \tbe eflec't of the policy of the Government proposals' was to drive capital and enterprise from 'the country, and he could not therefore support it. In regard to the , Conhell appointment, he said that any : *other t (Jov- „ ernment would have 'called upon snob a ' man to clear his He, could ' not support the proposals of the Government, although he should 'endeavour to make them as little harmful as possible to the Colony. ' The ' House rose at 1.45. Wednesday, July 8. , - Bepljing to Mr Richardson, the, Hon. Mr McKenzie said that Ranger Connell had been auspeuded partially in deference to what had been said about him in the,. House and owing to the fact that Connell had admitted having written, what was in his (Mr_McKensae'«) opinion a very improper letter to a member of the.Ho.use. / Mr s .Duthie said/ he rose to mov6 an amendment, which was " to omit all the .words of the 5 amendment after the word ' Government,' with a view to make it ' read as follows :— That it would be, more in the interest of the public, in view of the surplus estimated to be available by Financial Statement, 'and the proposal to < reduce the postage rates, that any relief to be given should be in the direction of a reductaonof the duties on the necessaries of life." * , The amendment was rejected on a division by 38 to 16. *=-..-, The Minister for Public Works'moved -* the adjournment of the House, which was carried.