Parliament.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 3692, 3 July 1906, Page 2

Parliament.

A FURTHER ADJOURNMENT. In the House on Friday last, the Premier moved that certain absent members be granted leave of absence. In moving to that effect, he explained the difficulty of his position in having been compelled while Sir Joseph, Ward was the Minister everywhere accepted as the successor to the late Premier, to take office himself in the absence of his colleague, In determining to act as he had determined, he had consulted only his feelings of honour and loyalty. He would have to ask for an adjournment as the only course fair to all parties. H? would undertake, while asking for adjournment to August 14th, that the House would meet some * day between that date and 21st. Later in the evening, with a view to granting supplies, the Public Revenues Act Amendment Bill was introduced in Committee and was read a first time, and the House adjourned for an hour ostensibly to enable its representatives to wait on the Government with the Address-in-Reply, but really to enable members to perualt the Bill. On resuming, the Premier moved the second reading of the Bill, explaining that its provisions were designed to prove an authority to enable the public expeuditvre to be met during period of adjournment which k now specially under a system re*

quiring Parliament to be in session. ( It moreover enabled certain increases to be made in thMjpyivsriiy service as provided and it provided for the necessary transfer to the Public Works Fund and made provision for ,£50,000 for the Christchurch Exhibition. Mr Massey thought the position very difficult. By adjourning, the House was asked to declare that there was only one man in the House able to carry on the business of the country. Fie thought there were several on his side. He would undertake to pick two without exhausting the roll. (Laughter.) Fie was ready to admit that Sir J. Ward had the best right of any one to the Premiership, but he was absent. Parliament, he thought ought to go on with the business. There was much to be done. He was disappointed at the silence of the Governor’s speech regarding the relations with Australia. He wanted in view of the fall of interest every were to see the rate of interest in the local bodies loans lowered at once. He would like to see the land question settled this year. He referred with an anxious mind to the valuation department, protesting against tiredetermination evident to raise every possible shilling of land tax. He urged the earliest production of the public accounts, an improvement lie would at the proper time insist upon. Coming back to the bill he thought that more money was asked for than was necessary, and that Clause 4 seemed to show that the direction Of the House last year to pay £700,000 over to the public works fund had been ignored. He did not object to grant an adjournment. He would not obstruct but he saw a magnificent opportunity for a useful session and he regretted it was not to be embraced. Other speakers were Messrs Wilford, Henries, and Allen,, The Premier, in reply, threw ridicule on the enormous amount of these demands as contrasted with the short time to attend to them. He again pointed out the need for the time asked for and promised if it were granted to see that all bills were prepared, all acCsfunts]ready, and everything in order. For his part", he hated long sessions. There was, in his opinion, no need for any session to last more than three months, and he thought the country would be better satisfied. When the tariff came to be considered, anomalies ought to be the first tc get attention. As to local government, a brand new bill was on the stocks —brand new, lock, stock, and barrel. In re loans to local bodies, the interest was now clown to percent. The land question would be dealt with (laughter), also the valuation question. As to finance, the present Colonial Treasurer was going to have sound and sate finance. About the transfers to the public works fund, the bill enabled the present practice to go on taking, in detail, at convenience, the money appropriated in globo by the House. He declared the public works fund to be in credit on balance on March 31st last of /492 ,000, less advances in the hands of officers £66,520. The receipts from April 1 to June 27 were; —Loan ,£IOB,BOO, transfer from consolidated fund ,£250,000, total ,£366,060, making a total credit of ,£794,000. Since March 31 the expenditure was ,£488,000 leaving a credit balance of j£306,000. A voice: Do you consider that sufficient ? Mr Hall-Jones : Yes. I do, because there is another ,£300,000 available by clause 4 of this Bill, enabling that sum to be transferred from the surplus of the consolidated revenue. The Bill was read a second time on the voices unanimously and passed all its remaining stages. The House then adjourned till 8.30. , A message from the Legislative Council announced the passing of the Bill in the Council. On the Premier’s motion the House agreed at its rising to adjourn till Wednesday next out of respect to the memory of the late Premier. The Bill having received the Governor’s signature, the House adjourned at 8.45 till Wednesday next at 2.30 p.m.