HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Feilding Star, Volume XVII, Issue 36, 10 August 1895, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The House met at 2.30 p.m. Mr G. W. Russell resumed the debate on the Financial Statement. He was opposed to the South Australian and Canadian treaties and objected to £20,000 being thrown away on the Vancouver mail service. Mr Morrison said Mr Russell's speech was one of the most impracticable, unworkable, and hair-brained utterances he had ever listened to. Mr Buick said he should not support a single item of increase of duty on goods used by the working class till tic was convinced all reasonable reductions in public expenditure had been made. Captain Russell said the Premier had led the House to believe that the actual increase to the public debt during his term of office was only lh millions, whereas the returns laid on the table showed that the actual increase was L 2,291,109, and this amount by no means showed the liabilities incurred by the Government, the Premier altogether forgot to tell the House of the liability of two millions incurred for the Bank of New Zealand. There was also a liability of 1 1 millions for Advances to Settlers Act. Both Customs aud railway revenuo had considerably decreased. Next year the surplus was to be made up by imposing LIO.OOO on necessaries of hfe and getting L 20,000 from the widows of the colony. Tho Hon Mr McKenzie said he thought Captain Russell had shown questionable taste in dragging in the Bank of New Zealand, but he asked who it was who had caused the Bank to be in its present condition ; certainly it was not the Liberal Party. Mr Montgomery spoke in praise of the Government policy. The debate was adjourned and the House rose at 12,10.