PARLIAMENTARY.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 226, 7 July 1881, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

[PBESB ASSOCIATION TBLBQBAM.] | LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wednesday, July 6. The Council met at 2 30 p m. The Hon. Colonel Bbbtt moved that the Government should bring in a Bill to add flogging to the punishment for indecent exposure. The motion was carried, the Hon, E. WhitAkeb saying that he would draw up a Bill and submit it to his colleagues. The Hon. T. Buckley moved for a return of all civil servants whoso life insurance policies had lapsed through their being unable, on account of the reduction in their salaries, to continue the premium. He stated that many of the poorer civil servants had been obliged to allow their policies to lapse on this account.

The Native Lands Frauds Prevention Bill and the Native Succession Bill were passed through committee with amendments. The Gaming and Lotteries Bill was reported from committee without amendment, a motion to erase the clause legalising tho totalisator being rejected by sixteen votes to seven. The Bill was then read a third time and passed. The Council at 4.35 p.m. adjourned till Friday. HOUSE OF REPREBENTATIYES, Wednesday, July 6. The House met at 2.30 p.m. PETITIONS. Mr Whyte presented a petition from settlers and residents in Cambridge, praying for the reintroduotion of the Local Districts and Local Public Works Bills. Mr Stbwabt presented a petition from residents in Otago, praying that religious instruction be provided for in schools. NOTICE Or MOTION. Mr McDonald gave notice that ho would ask if the Government intended introducing a Bill to make county valuations triennial instead of annual. LEATE 0T ABSENCE. Two weeks’ leave of absence was granted to Mr Seddon, on account of domestic afflictions. QUESTIONS, Replying to Mr Weston, The Hon. W. Rollebton stated that Government had under consideration the question of a special provision being made for the formation of a track from Hampden through the Matikitaki into tho Matawhea through Cannibal Gorge to the Waiau road at Glenn Wis, so that direct overland communication between Christchurch and Reefton may be provided for. He could not say definitely what the result of these deliberations might be, at the same time Government fully recognised the importance of the work. Replying to a question put by Mr Levistam some days ago, The Hon, T. Dick said that a man named Kelly, a pauper in Nelson, was provided with rations at the Government expense, and it was understood that he was provided with lodgings by some friend of his. No permanent provision had been made by Government for his maintenance.

Mr Lbyistah said that the man only found temporary lodgings from charity. Beplying to Mr Beeves, The Hon. W. Rollebton said that last session he had made enquiries and found that the coal seam on fire at Seventeen-mile Beach was not worth the expense of getting the fire extinguished. Further enquiry would bo made, and if it was found that the seam was of sufficient value to warrant the expense, steps would be taken to get the fire put out. Beplying to Mr Beeves, The Hon. W. Rollestow stated that Government intended carrying out certain Native land purchases and abandoning others. A detailed statement would be given before Parliament prorogued. Replying to Mr J. B. Fisher, The Hon. J. Hall said that the report of the Commissioners (Messrs Seed and Batkin) on the Middle Island Civil Service had not yet been received, but when received it would be laid on the table. NEW BILLS. The following Bills were introduced and read a first time :—To regulate the admission of persons to practice in courts of law j to provide that in any general or other election of members of the House of Representatives each elector shall be entitled to vote in respect of one electorate only (Sir G. Grey) ; to amend the Native Land Act, 1873 (Mr McDonald). BBTtTBN. Mr Tolk moved for a return showing the names of the local bodies within the county of Eden who have been supplied by the Government with road metal from the Mount Eden gaol or otherwise, the amount of payment (if any) made by such local bodies for the same, the respective quantities so supplied, and upon whose recommendation or application. The Hon. W. Rollebton said the Government had no objection to grant the return. The road metal referred to had been supplied by the Government to make good certain damage caused by traffic on account of Government works. BBPEESENTATIOH,

Dr Wallis moved, that this House is of opinion that the system of proportional or personal representation known as Hare’s system ought to be adopted in the promised Representation Bill, or in the Bill which the Hon. the Premier at Leeston had in his view for the reform of the Legislative Council. The first evil of the present system was that an important section of the community was always left unrepresented. That proportion ranged from one-third to one-halt. The second evil was the exclusion of the most independent thinkers from Parliament. A man of good moral character and originality of mind, was not at all likely to be elected by the majority of his own constituents. The third evil was its tendency to demoralise constituencies and their representation. Representatives were often under strong inducements to keep hack what was disagreeable to a largo number of their constituents, indeed under the present system very few candidates for election could afford to bo strictly truthful and straightforward. The fourth evil was that numbers wore made to he dominant. In that case they were liable to exclude from their representatives intelligence and property. The most numerous classes should be represented, but not exclusively represented, in the Legislature. In every electorate the ignorant were more numerous than the wise, the poor than the rich, and the non-property holders more than the man of property. Under the present system the tendency was to exclude the representatives of the less numerous in favor of the more numerous classes. The right view of representatve government was that it should be made a reflex of all classes. That was what Hare’s system aimed at. It had been coldly received, hut ho contended that it was not impracticable. Such being the case, he thought it was their bounden duty to give it a fair trial. He quoted the opinions of authorities on the point to prove the importance of the system proposed as also its practicability. The chief points connected with Hare’s system were that all voters were represented in Parliament, Each member of Parliament represents a given number of voters ; each elector to have one vote ; each elector to be allowed to vote for any one candidate, and each elector to be allowed to transfer his vote from one candidate to another, so that no vote may be lost. Mr Wakefield supported the motion, agreeing in the opinion that Hare’s system would be a decided improvement on the one now in operation. He did not agree in the opinion that Hare’s system abolished local representation. Localities by this system would be induced to put forward the very best men they could get, in the hope that they would succeed in the election. Looked at in its broadest view its great recommendation was that it provided representation for every great interest, and no man oonld_ possibly get into Parliament unless he went in under the auspices of one or other of these great interests. It had been objected to as an impossibility in respect of its machinery. He believed if it was once inaugurated workable machinery would soon be devised. It had been objected to; that this country was not ripe for the system. His contention was if it was good the country was ripe enough for it. Any Government taking up this question boldly would be doing great good to the country at large, even although it was not carried in the first instance. It the country was not ripe for it the sooner it was made ripe tho hotter. The fact was the country was not ripe for tho present system as evidenced by the want of interest taken by a large section of the community. Under Haro’s system they would bo bound to take an interest in an election. They would find public men taking some pains to

make themselves known to those outside of their own constituency, and by that means a better understanding would be established between New Zealand and ite public men. Ho believed that a Bill based on this system would be well received, and have a very fair chance of being adopted. They were not, however, prepared to take a step of the kind this session, with the view of endorsing the principle of the motion, without at the same time embarrassing the Government. He would move, as an amendment —“ That all the words in the motion after the word adopted be left out.” Mr Hutchison ridiculed the idea of the system being adopted in this country. Local and provincial jealousies were far too strong to expect that such a system could by any possibility succeed in New Zealand, The system as expounded was far from being clear to his mind, and he questioned if it was quite clear to the mind of its author. Messrs Bowbn and Olives spoke in favor of the system, and Mr Moss opposed it. Dr. Wallis intimated that he would accept the amendment. The Han. J. Hall said that ho believed that the system indicated would give them a representation of all classes, all opinions, and all sentiments more closely than the system now in operation. He hailed with satisfaction the growing estimation in which this system was held. It had been objected to the system that it would introduce into the ( House all manner of eccentric opinions. What he said was, if these were shared in by a sufficiently large number of electors, then let them be introduced and discussed. This was a very proper opportunity for having the whole question ventilated now that they were on the eve of a general election. Mr Wood said that those who had undertaken to give them particulars of this system had only shown that not one of them agreed with the other. The debate was interrupted by the 530 adjournment. EVENING SITTING. The House resumed at 7.30. The Gaming and Lotteries Bill was received from the Upper House, and read a first time. FINANCIAL STATEMENT.

After the delivery of the Financial Statement, Mr Ballanoe criticised the abatement. He denied that the failure of the land fund and the lavish expenditure of 1879’were the causes of the late depression. Ho challenged the truth of the assertion about lavish expenditure, asserting that when the present Government came into office they made no reduction in the estimate of that year’s expenditure. The local government proposals were nothing more than a re-hash of the proposals of last year, the nominated Board of Public Works being again put forward in an aggravated shape. The local bodies would not agree to have a central valuation. That scheme ought to be rejected by the House. The land fund should be kept entirely for the opening of the country, whereas it was proposed to be expended upon the maintenance of roads already made. He thought that some more material reduction might have been proposed in the Customs revenue. Notwithstanding the in crease of duties, the income of the colony from Customs showed no increase since 1874. Instead of a simple local loan, he would like to see a scheme for the colony advancing money at reasonable interest on mortgage to small property owners. Mr Wakefield said that Mr Ballanoe’s speech was no doubt a prepared one, and might have suited any other condition of affairs than that disclosed by the Treasurer. Before criticising, the previous speaker might have waited for a fuller development of the proposals set forth in the statement. He bad heard the tame speech before in the House. Mrßallance had given it last session, and he thought also the session before. The Treasurer had not taken any undpe credit to himself or to his colleagues. He ascribed the improvement to the revival in trade and the wonderful elasticity of the Colonial resources, yet the previous speaker charged him with taking all the credit to himself. The fact was that he had the speech ready made, and as things transpired, he had not time to make a new one adapted to the occasion. The objection had been taken that the local government finance was based on the land fund. Now, that was exactly what the previous speaker had done when he was Treasurer in 1878. Whatever defect the proposals had, they certainly did not go in the direction of the appropriation of the land fund, as that was a most legitimate source of revenue for defraying the expenditure of the local bodies. It was a most unusual thing in criticising a scheme of finance like this for an Opposition speaker to propound a rival scheme, and yet that was what the previous speaker bad done. His proposal to lend out the Trust Fund on small properties, was practically a proposal to enable small land owners to borrow money below the market value. Such a proposal was impracticable. Who could resist the political pressure such a scheme would give rise to. Had the Treasurer proposed that as part of his scheme the member for Wanganui would have been the first to cry out against it. Every man in the House would have said the Treasurer had lost that cool head for which he had always been noted. He defended the incidence of the property tax, which he contended was more acceptable to the community than the land tax. The reduction of the property tax would be welcomed by the whole country. It was a sign that the Government were determined to keep faith with the taxpayer, and would answer the purpose for which it was designed. To bis mind it was a guarantee that the tax would eventually bo done away with altogether, or rather handed over to be expended by the local bodies. Upon the whole, the statement gave a much more favorable account than he expected. It did credit to the administrative faculties of the Troosurer. The Government had shown that it had honestly carried out its pledges made last session to reduce the expenditure. The real meaning of the Treasurer’s statement was that there had been a reduction on the estimates as voted last year of £300,000. Everyone understood that but the previous speaker, who professed to say that the saving was merely an empty boast, inasmuch as it had been made in the estimates as originally framed. He was sure that ths statement would be received by the colony with satisfaction. Mr Speight insisted upon the necessity for decentralisation, and replied to Mr Wakefield. Mr Sahndebs thought it was due from both sides of the House to acknowledge that the Government had allied itself to the work of economy in a manner which entitled it to gratitude from both parties. The Hon. J, Hah, moved the adjournment, which was carried at 10.40 p.m.