PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XII, Issue 1736, 17 June 1886, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. Mr Macarthor asked the Minister for Public Works, Whether, if the amount of revenue from the Foxton— New Plymouth railway will not justify the remission of the exceptional charge of 1s per ton on all goods passing to and from the Foxton Wharf by railway, he will cause such charge to be levied on other Government wharves connected with the same line as will enable him to reduce the Foxton Wharf charges proportionably, and spread this impost equally over the whole district served by the Foxton— New Plymouth railway ? The Minister replied that the matter would be looked into, but he could not see any reason why the charges should be reduced. Mr Macarthar asked the Minister for Public Works, (1) Whether the sum of £100,000 allocated in the Financial Statement to the Napier— Palmerston lint, will be sufficient to complete that railway to its junction with the FoxtonNew Plymouth railway at Palmerston ; and, it not, how much more will be required ? (2) Whether the Government propose to complete the junction of the East and West Coast railway system of the North Island through the Gorge within the next two years ? The Minister, replying categorically, said, to the first question, no ; and to the second, he was not in a position to say. The Gorge line would take quite two years to construct. The Postmaster- General, in answer to Mr Fergus, said he was considering the advisability of having postal notes Issued at small post offices. Mr Moss asked the Government, If they will take into consideration the necessity of levying higher duties on articles which our ironfounders and enginsers are able to produce well and cheaply in New Zealand, but for which they cannot find a sale so long as it is the interest of those who control the Home market to compel the use of articles imported from other countries. The Premier in reply, congratulated the hon member on his change of front, for the hon gentleman voted against the Government's protection proposals last year. The Government proposed last year to deal with the tariff on articles made by iron founders. He advised the hon member to make a motion. That the question of fencing the Napier-Woodville line, so as to prevent injuries to cattle and horses, would involve an expenditure of about £200, 000. And Government did not think the expenditure warranted. That until the present supply of lamps for lighting railway carriages was used up, Government did not feel justified in buying better ones. LOCAL BODIES LOAN. Sir Julius Vogel moved the second reading of the Local Bodies Loan Bill. He explained that the bill to some extent consolidated the existing law relating to loans for local bodies. The bill he thought would be very useful to local bodies, and he had so arranged it that local bodies could adopt the bill in its entirely, or merely with respect to one particular loan.— Major Atkinson congratulated Sir Julius Vogel on having at last found some way of relieving the local bodies, and he thought the Treasurer deserved the thanks of the House for introducing it. He thought that the bill on the whole would be a very useful one. The motion for the second reading was agreed to.