HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVCES.

Feilding Star, Volume XVI, Issue 102, 24 October 1894, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVCES.

REPRESENTATIVES. W i llington. October 23 The House met a 2 30. On clause 2, Appropriation Bill, Mr Saunders spoke strongly on theneces* sity of the House meeting early in May instead of late iv June as now almost it I invariably happened. He moved a pro- ; viso tp clause 2 to tbe effect that the Colonial Treasurer should be ptohibited from paying any moneys beyond those authorised by Appropriation Act until au Imprest Supply Bill was passed in the following year. Mr Ward shid he should like to agree to the proposal, but he pointed out tbat as the public accounts were made up to the 31st March it would be impossible for the House to meet early in May. Several of tbe country members urged that the House should meet earlier in the year and after a short discussion Mr . Saunders' amendment was put and lost by 31 to 23. The remaining clauses in both Bills passed without amendment. In replying to questions it was stated that the question of creation of reciprocal tariff between the neighbouring colonies would not be lost sight of by. the Government by the recess, That when Ministers took over the railways enquiries would be made as to [ the advisability of adding refreshment cars to all long distance trains. The Public Works Appropriation Bill [ was read a third time and passed. On the motion for the third reading . of tbe Appropriation Bill, Captain Bus* j sell said he hoped there would be much oblivion of what had been done this ses- . sion. Bills had been brought down this session whioh were not thought out, not . properly prepared, or even understood by Ministers themselves, and yet when . the Opposition tried to improve those 3 Bills they were taunted with obstruc- . tion. He described the policy of Government as one of bounce, bluster, borrowing, bribing and abusing. He held , that the Opposition were not guilty of 3 obstruction in any way. The session had opened with gross impropriety in I appointing the Sergeant-at-Arms in de- , liberate defiance of the Disqualification Act, and ended with a debate on the Pomahaka purchase. The country at I present was iv a most serious condition and he had never before known so much ' c distress as existed now in the colony. I This coudition of things was largely aggravated by the policy of the GovernI ment, uot only had the Government done j no good but they had also done harm, and he knew of cases where young men a had come into the colony with money, v but were frightened out of it again by * the policy of the Government. The fact j was there was not a single statesman on the Government benches. They were, B simply village politicians and ever since - they took office the colony had gone from I bad to worse. He was glad to see the ' j country was at last waking np to the true policy of the present Government, g but he did not wish to see the colony j turn against them yet till they had seen Q the full effects of their disastrous adnrinistration. He prophesied that when tlie Q Opposition again came into power they would have a heart-breaking task to per* j. form in pulling the country round. fc Mr Reeves referred to the excellent speech delivered by Captain Russell, which demanded a reply from the Government. Captain Russell had said some very hard things of the Government, I which if they had come from anyone else, Ministers would have resented very ' hotly, but he thought that the gentleman who was responsible fox the Polhill Gully purchase, should not be so con* demnatory of the Pomahaka purchase. He resented Captain Russell's statement that Ministers were all dummies who \ had to obey the will of the Premier and [ thought it came badly from a member ] of the Atkinson Government, and it was well known that there never was such a one-man Government as that led by Major Atkinson. Captain Russell: That was before my time. i Mr Reeves: That might be, but he 3 asserted that the subordinate members i of the present Government had minds , of their own and, without revealing l Cabinet secrets, he might say they j frequently expressed their opinions in , opposition to those oi the Premier, 9 After referring to various Bills passed . this session he thought the Advances to 1 Settlers Bill, Industrial and Conciliation i Bill, and the Land for Settlements Bill V . alone were quite sufficient to stamp the [ session as a memorable one. He thought ] the present session had been one of the moßt useful ever held in the colony, and he felt sure its good effects would be appreciated by the people. Sir Robert Stout asked whether Go* vernment had passed a single measure to benefit the social life of the people? Why even the Licensing Bill, which would have improved the social life of the people, was not attempted to be passed at all, notwithstanding all the Premier's boasting about it. He (Sir Robert) said that the Government foi* lowers exercised a certain amount of independence towards the end oi the session, and he predicted that next session they would be still more Inde. pendent in their aotion towards Ministers Mr Seddon denied that there was any violation or iuvasion of the law in Colonel Fraser's oase. Neither was the Government party forced to vote on the matter. He defended his action over the Licensing Bill, and said Sir Robert Stout himself was responsible for a great deal of the delay that took place over that measure. He defended the policy of the Government at great length and accounted for population leaving the colqpy at present by. the attraction of the Coolgardie goldfield, Referring to the defeat of the Midland Railway Bill, he attributed, it to the fact that the^o was a large number of members who were determined to see the r^orth Island Trunk and Otago Central Railway constructed, and the Manawatu railway purchased by tho Government. The BUI was then put through its final stages* As Government could not agree with amendments make by the Legislative Council ou the Horowhenua Native Laud Bill it was discharged from the Order Paper, This Day. The Appropriation Bills passed both Houses last night, and will receive the Governor's assent by noon to-day. Both Houses of Parliament adjourned this afternoon sine die.