HOUSE OF BEPRESENTATIVES.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 12, 13 July 1895, Page 2

HOUSE OF BEPRESENTATIVES.

(Per Press Association). Wellington, July 11. The New Zealand Institute of Surveyors' Bill and Sals of Goods Bill passed through committee. The Industrial School Act Amendment Bill passed its final stages.

The House met at 2.30. In reply to. questions, it was stated —That steps would be taken to prevent importation of prison madegoods. , That the time occupied in drafting the Local Government Bill had taken three weeks longer than was expected, but the measure was now almost ready for the printer's hands and would soon be circulated. That it was not desirable to amend the Advances to Settlers' Act in the direction of making it more elastic. That various difficulties having been overcome, delay would in* future be avoided in dealing with applications under the Advances to Settlers' Act. That the Agricultural Department was in communication with an eminent entomologist in another part of the world with the view of obtaining his services for the colony. That the Government Licensing Bill would be circulated about the end of next week. It was absolutely incorrect that a draft of the Bill had been submitted to individuals or an organisation outside the House. That if charges could be proved that any solicitors under the Advances to Settlers' Act had made charges not authorised by the Act the money would be refunded. That the querion of refunding application fees in cases in which advances are refused under the Advances to Settlers' Act will receive favorable consideration. That it was intended to make some modification in interest charged on the loans on Government Life Insurance policies. That it was proposed to amend the Truck Act to enable officers to take ordeis from men on co operative works to pay over a portion of the money earned to the men's wives. That communications hid been sent to all the Australian colonies stating that stringent regulations would be enforced in case of cattle steamers from Australia calling at New Zealand ports, and these messages bad elicited some very angry replies. The adjournment of the House was moved, and the rest of the afternoon spent in discu-sing matters arising out of replies given by Ministers to queation. Hon Mr Ward moved that the circular issued to the public in London by the Agent-General in respect to the 3 per cent loan for £1,500,(^00 be laid before the House. In doing so he said it was to be deplored that attacks such as had been made on the Agent-General should be made against a gentleman occupying a high and important position in England. The reflections - made on himself (Ward) respecting his truthfulness while in London he took for what they were worth, and he would endeavor to defend Sir Westby Perceval from the charge that he had made misleading statements while in London. He referred to the question of the three millions of securities, and read a speech he had made before the London Chamber of Commerce. He maintained that what he said in that speech was undisputably correct, and that when he spoke of £3.000,000, of securities the total amount of these was over .£2,900,000. Some members had tried to distort the circumstances for which these securities wera sent Home and it was disseminated through, London that the Land Tax was collected before it was due only to prevent the Colony making default he scouted the idea, and quoted the securities as proof of his assertion. It was well known that these securities were not require! to be used, and that there were actually to the credit of the colony £270,000 in cash at the time Government had sent those securities to London for the purpose of maintain* ing the credit of the colony as a whole. It was regrettable to find there were men in the House who would hail with pleasure the failure of a financial operation which would cause great disaster to New Zealand. He quoted the case of Victoria whose revenue in one year had fallen no less than £1,600,000, and we in New Zealand had been on the verge of this great crisis, which had fortunately been averted for the colony. He (Mr Ward) asserted that some of the statements made by the Opposition in regard to tbe finances of the colony were detrimental to every person in New Zealand. Beferring to the raising of the loan he said the extraordinary success of that loan was admitted in financial circles at Home to .be marvellous. The total amount that had been available of £'1,500,000 was 11,416,601, and nothing had been paid for underwriting it. The Agent-General had made no niisstatenients in the loan circular. If the Agent-General bad done anything he had erred on the side of modesty, and bad shown the position of the Goyernment to be .£178,000 less than he was justified in stating it. Sir R. Stout maintained that what Mr Ward told the London Chamber of Commerce was not true, and was not proved; by papers laid on the table by Mr Ward last year. It was untrue to say that the securities in London were unpledged, and Mr Ward's statement was the most damaging one ever made against, the credit of the colony. The Agent-Gen-, eral's circular was untrue and misleading in every paragraph. Sir Robert | pointed to alleged misstatements in the circular, and contended there "was no. ' justification for bolstering up ihe, colony in the way the Agent-General had done. Hon. Mr Reeves replied at length to Sir R. Stout's criticisms, and went on to say that after going round the world and serving the colony in such a special degree as was recognised by impartial people throughout the colony, Mr Ward came back to the House and found its bitterest opponents, not in. the moneylenders but in members of the House, who should have behaved in a very different manner. Mr Geo. Hutchison said the two Mm* isters who hid spoken bad treated the subject with flippancy but without argument, and the Colonial Treasurer had bluffed the House as he had: bluffed the. country. He asked whether, if it had been known that the Treasurer was prepared to pledge the Trust funds of the colony, he would have been trusted by London financiers'? Certainly not, and none of the thirty money-lenders would have lent their money. In further debate, Captain RussePs amendment to -refer the Agent-General's circular to the Public Accounts Committee for investigation and report was rejected by 37 ;tp 16. ' Mr Ward having replied, the motion that the circular be-laid on the table was agreed to on the voices. TUefious© cose at 2.30 a.ni;