GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 2018, 12 August 1880, Page 3

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

[EBB PBES9 ASSOCIATION SPECIAL WISE J LEGISLATIVE* COUNCIL. Wednesday, August 11. In the Legislative Council, The Hon Q-. M. Watebhottse gave notice to bring up and discuss the whole subject of the Waipawa land dispute. The Hon. Mr Chambebiain gave notice to ask what the Government intended to do re the Native Industry Commission. Replying to the Hon G. M. Waterhouse, The Hon. P. Whitakbb said that the New Plymouth Harbor Board had prior to January last spent about £4OOO of their land fund in an unauthorised way, but the illegal expenditure had since been stopped. The Hon. Colonel Whitmobe asked why a bailiff appointed at Napier had not been chosen from discharged, civil servants. The Hon If. Whitakbb said that the appointment lay with the resident magistrate, and not with the Government. In reply to a question, The Hon. 3?. Whitakbb said that the Geological Department had often reported on the Picton coal. The area was small, and it was of poor quality. A Bill to amend the Debtors and Creditors Act (as reoommended by the Bankruptcy Law Committee) was introduced. The Hon. 3?. Whitakbb said that this was a temporary remedy. There would be full legislation on the subject next session. A Committee was appointed to consider Mr Taiaroa's disqualification. The Crown Grants Act Amendment Bill, Diseased Cattle Proclamation Validation Bill, Otago Rivers Bill, Sydenham Borough Council Empowering Bill," Christohurch District Drainage Act Amendment Bill were read second time. The Hon. Messrs Acland, Petebs, and Reynolds gave notice to ask for leave of absence for the rest of the'session. The Hon. Dr. Menzibs moved for three weeks' leave for himself. The Hon, Colonels Whitmobb and Brett hoped that the Counoil would put its foot down on this undignified practice of many members coming up very late every session staying two or three weeks, and then asking leave for the rest of the session.

Colonel Bbbtt thought that in cases of illness a medical certificate should be sent in as was done in the army. If members wanted three-fourths of the session to attend to their private business, they had no business to hold their seats. Sir F. D. Bell thought that it was no use refusing leave, else it would be taken unasked, and they could not make members work if they compelled them to stay. After some further discussion, leave was granted to the Hon. Dr. Menzies. The Hon. N. Wilson moved for a return of all money paid in every way to Sir J. Vogel since 1879. The Hon. W. H. Bbtnolds opposed the motion. The Hon. Colonel Whitmobe said'that he believed it would be very useful and instructive when Sir J. Vogel was making a claim for £20,000, or so, to find that he had received £40,000 or £50,000 in the last ten years. The Hon. Colonel Bbbtt thought the motion an indelicate one concerning so distinguished a man, who ought not to be spotted out in this way more than others. It would be humiliating to the Council to carry such a motion, and he must express his indignation at it. The Hon. W. Bobikson thought that the Council should know what everybody received, so that if they were to wind up, everybody should get his due. Perhaps they might even find that Sir J. Vogel had not received as much as he ought, and they would then be able to do him justice. The motion was carried. The amendments of the Lower House in the District Courts Bill and Land Transfer Act Amendment Bill were agreed to. The Council rose at 4.25. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wednesday, August 11. j EVENING~SITTING. The House met at 7.30 p.m. BEFOBT. The Hon. J. Hail laid on the table the

report of Mr Maokie on the pleuro-pneu-monia disease in the Waikato district. NBW BILLB. The following Bills were introduced and read a first time:—Hamilton and Oamahu Railway Bill; Hamilton and Cambridge Railway Bill (Mr Whitaker). Leave to introduce the Fukekohe and Waiuka Railway Bill was refused to Mr Whitaker.

THB BAirWAY COMMISSION. Mr Pike moved the motion standing in his name regarding the report of the Railway Commission. He said that he was not disposed to let it go forth that this House, even in part, approved of that report. The Government had partially disavowed its intention of being guided by the report, but he noted that they had based their proposals upon it. The report itself was unreliable and unworthy of consideration, and ought to be relegated to the waste paper basket. It was not the case that they had only dealt with projected lines already dealt with by the House. He denied that they had made careful inquiries into the circumstances of the different projected works. Referring to his own district he said that ho knew of his own knowledge that no attempt had been made to secure such information. He also charged them with having suppressed evidence taken in Dunedin. The Strath-Taieri line would serve

two-thirds of the population, and open up thousands of acres of Crown lands. Despite its importance they made a very cursory examination of the district, so much bo that they never saw the exact locality through which the line was proposed to go. He oould hardly imagine that the Government would have had the audacity to appoint a commission to interfere with a work that had been already fully enquired into by both Houses, and authorised by both. Their report was contradicted by evidence, in euppart of which he quoted from the evidence taken by themselves. He concluded by moving—" (1) That this House is of opinion that the report of the Royal Commission on Railways, in so far as it deals with lines which have never been submitted to or sanctioned by Parliament, was unnecessary and uncalled for. (2) That in so far as it condemns railway lines,

the construction of which has, after due C3naideration and careful enquiry, been sanctioned by this House, 'the said report has not sufficient foundation, and should be regarded as a mere expression of individual opinion hastily formed without any special knowledge or experience on the subject. (3) That it would therefore be unwise and highly detrimental to the best interests of the colony for the Government to shape its public works policy upon the opinions and recommendations embodied in the said report." Mr Shbimski disputed the statement made

by the previous speaker that the Livingstone line would not be an acceptable one. It would pass through a oountry abounding in mineral and agricultural wealth, although for the purposes of the former industry a difficulty existed in'connection with water rights. The Strath-Taieri line had been put forward to some extent as a rival to the Livingstone line, and while not wishing to disparage the former, he pointed out that the evidence given against it was the evidenoe of a person interested more directly in promoting the Strath-Taieri line. He defended Mr Reid from all imputations of having influenced the report from personal motives. Mr Lbtin objected to the finding of the Commission in reference to the WellingtonEoxton line. He traced the progress of the Commission from the time it left Wellington by way of Masterton to Eoxton, and back again by the West Coast route, contending that although the journey was a hasty one, the weight of evidence collected was in favor of the West Coast line. The journey between Wellington and Wanganui would, be sixty miles shorter than that by Masterton and Woodvillo. It was a line that had been promised as far back as 1877. Some six or seven miles of the line had already been formed, and a sum of £30,000 expended. The inhabitants of the district were not unreasonable. What they asked for was that a moderate sum should be placed on the Estimates so that the work already done might not be abandoned. He could say a great deal more to show that they had a moral claim for the work, but would not detain the House.

Mr Fulton also protested against the conclusions arrived at by the Commission in regard to the Otago Central Railway. These conclusions were not the result of a fair examination of the district interested. What they asked was, that a reasonable provision should be made for carrying on that line. He compared the line with that by way of Livingstone, arguing that the advantages from an engineering point of view were largely in favor of the Central line. What he asked was, that as soon as money was available this line should be gone on with.

Mr Stewaet said that the members of the Railway Commission were men of intelligence and high standing. Still he thought they had not considered all the circumstances carefully when they condemned the Central] Otago line. It would be a means for settling a large population on tracts of country at present inaccessible, and in that way it would not only be a benefit to Otago but the colony at large. The great objection stated by the Commissioners to this line was that it had been surveyed over a difficult country. That ought not to have deterred them from reporting favorably on the line, as other and more practicable routes could be found. He hoped that the Government would not allow its better judgment to be influenced by the report. The Dunedin Chamber of Commerce was almost unanimous in favor of the line, and other influential individuals were equally favorably impressed with the importance of the work.

Dr Walijs thought the report an admiraUle one, straightforward, and honest. It was utterly and entirely free from party spirit, and he thought that the least thing they could do was $o express their thanks to the Commissioners., Referring to the Publio Works Statement, he said he had listened to many such statements, hut the one lately delivered was by far the most statesmanlike he had ever listened to. It dealt with the position of affairs in a manner best adapted to those affairs. It did not seek to disguise the real state of matters. The publio works policy was inaugurated ten years ago amidst most glowing promises'of what would be achieved in the future. He asked had these promises or one of them been realised. The answer must be in the negative. It had been a onesided and partial policy. The South Island had been pampered at the expense of the North. The Government as constituted were not the proper men to reverse the public works policy of Sir Julius Vogel, inasmuch as they were supporters of that policy from its earliest days. It was all very well for hon. members to ask for railways, but the fact was they could net afford them. These railways did not pay more than 2i per cent., which left a deficiency to be made good out of consolidated revenue to the amount of £257,000. | Now that was simply subsidising one district } at the expense of another.

The Hon K. Olives spoke of the able and efficient manner in which the Bailway Commissioners devoted themselves to tbeir work. Had they taken a step of this kind years ago, had all the railways promoted been examined with the intelligence and oare bestowed upon them 'by this commission, a very different state of matters would have existed. He was not able to say that the Government were prepared to adopt all the proposals made, yet they nevertheless acknowledged that information of the utmost importance for future operations had been gained. He hoped that the motion would not be adopted by the House. They would have the services of independent gentlemen in matters of this kind in future, as they had done in the past, and if such a resolution passed they never could expeot to secure the services of men of honor and independence. They were not in a position to'push on the Otago Central railway. It involved an expenditure of one million of money, and they were not in a position to face such an engagement. He was to some extent interested in the work, still he saw the utter impossibility of going on with it just now. It would be most unfair to condemn the report in the terms proposed on that account. He denied that he was the owner of any land that would be benefited by the Oamaru-Naseby line. He did not agree with the recommendation of the Commissioners, that any further survey of that line should be made. It had already been surveyed and examined, and the result showed it to be utterly impracticable. The grades would be altogether too great, and a tunnel upwards of a mile in length wonld be required. That line was not to be thought of. He repeated that the report was a fair, honest, and impartial one, although he did not agree with it in every particular. Mr Whitakbk endorsed the opinion that the report was thoroughly honest and impartial. Had Mr Pearoe, one of the members of the Commission, not been thoroughly honest

an<J impartial, he would most assuredly hare recommended the Wellington-Foxton line, it being one in -which he was perionally interested. So with Mr-Clark regarding the Auckland lines, and Mr Curtis the Nelson lines. The resolution was in reality a protest against the determination not to recommend the Otago Central Railway. That was all it was meant for. He had seen a telegram, supplied by the member for Danstan to the Dunedin "Herald," in which he stated that he was determined to make an onslaught on the Bailway Commission, and that if Dunedin did not waken up it would be snuffed out by Oamaru, and this motion was simply the outcome of that telegram. He would be no party to borrow money for the formation of railway lines that would not absolutely pay expenses. Sir Wiixiait Fox said that in asking for the Wellington-Foxton line they were not askingfor two lines. They were simply asking that, instead of communication being continued through a dense wilderness by way of Masterton, it should be made by the West Coast to Foxton. He did not concur in the motion further than to condemn the report in so far as it alludes to the line in which he was interested.

Mr Beeves supported Mr Pyke's motion, and condemned the composition of the report of the Royal Commission. He argued that the colony could not stand still. It must go on with reproductive works. Mr Weight moved the adjournment of the debate, as he desired time to prepare a reply to the accusations made against the Commission. Mr HtTBST endorsed the opinion of Mr Whitaker, that the time had now arrived when a stop should be put to the further construction of railways [out of borrowed money. The plague spot of the colony was that the original idea of having a Board of Public Works, a Board composed of honest and upright men, who would say what works were to he undertaken after careful enquiry into their reproductive prospects, had not been carried out. He quoted figureß to show that Auckland had not received a fair share of the loan expenditure, considering the proportion she had contributed towards the revenue. Ho would not vote for the motion. Major Haeeis said that the Commissioners had given a fair account of his district. The debate was adjourned till 2 30 on Friday, and the House adjourned at 12 30.