PARLIAMENTARY HOUSE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 270, 25 November 1879, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY HOUSE.

Welmxgtox, Mondjy uight. Several petitions were presented against an increase in the duly on tobacco. Mr Sutton presented a petition from four natives represtntiug that some thousands of pounds have been paid to the credit of legal expenses, ami diawn out by the HonsKussell aud Sheehan without accounting for the same to the satisfaction of the peiltioners. Mr fteevts will ask if it is intended to appoint an Inspector of Mines for the West Coast. The Reporting Debates Committee recommend that speeches be condensed in Hansard after the present session. The Premier declined to undertake to pass a bill indemnifying Worgan for any evidence he might give until the facts were before them. A portion of the Aroha block will be opened up for sale and settlement on deferred payments. A return will be prepared showing the amount of land lax payable in each provincial district. Mr Richardson asked whether the Government would ask the Home authorities to send a search vessel; to look for the Jt.nowsley Hall now long overdue. —the Premier promised to see to \\ie matter. The House went into. Committee on the Regulation of Elections Bill, and there was a good deal of discussion on the details uutil the debate was interrupted by 5.30. Tuesday. On the House resuming at 730 Major Atkinson moved that the Ilonae go into Committee of Suppy, Mr Macandrew proceeded to move, " That the financial proposals of the Government are Unsatisfactory to «jhe House." The hon gentleman said that; fee teVldently did not understand 0010*41418 nance, especially such 8s that ot the 14th of last October, when the statement was made that contracts bad been entered into by the late Government which absorbed more than two mMioa* b"? tnohey payable before next 'June, whilst all (he money due nt that dale was £660,000 He asked what effect that statement of the Lolonial Treasurer would have on the public mm.i in England ? It reminded him of Nero fiddling whilst Rome was burning. Whether the statement was correct or Hot, it might be assumed that there Was a large deficit and ona of the cardinal features of the statement then made was that income and expenditure were to be equalised. Nothing could be easier than to solve iM problem by imposing iifcreWd taxation." The estimates of Ihe expenditure, strange to say, an increase instead of a decrease, and they would be told that these were the estimates of the late Government, but they were nothing of the sort, but were those of the department before being revised by the late Cabinet, The present taxation was already, frore than the populalation could bear. He did not care how the incidence of taxation' was changed; they would have to Bubtnit to increased taxation to pay their just debts, but he would not consent to increased taxation to keep np a huge Governmental machine, which had outgrown its requirements. The position was not the creation of yesterday, and he himself bad anticipated it. They should rely more on the pruning knife than on the »aX gatherer. The hon, Rebtleman instanced a case that occurred in Otago years ago; when the unpleasant duty devolved on the Superintendent of making both ends meet. They did not reduce atoy salary but that of the Superintendent, but they consolidated offices and reduced the number of officers. He might be asked what he meant by his financial resolution. He meant that they should reverse the usual order of things, and, instead of voting salaries first and finding money afterwards, they should find the money first, and vote the salaries afterwards. That was the system of finance that he would now suggest. He thought the same economy in private persons applied to themselves, and should be applied to New Zealand. They should dispense with luxuries, and put up with necessaries. It might be very unpleasant but it must be done, unless they were prepared to tax a community to an extent they could not bear. Such a policy might be attended with hardship, but this hardship might be converted into a blessing, for by giving grants of lands to those who would be turned out, they would be converting the drones of the hive into bees, he would not blame one or another Government, but their troubles might be ascribed to the continuous Ministry. One of the greatest blunders was made when the House insisted on the public works scheme being altered from what was intended at its inception. Another blunder was that the Legislature had destroyed the best system of local self Government possible. That was not a blunder ; it was a crime. Mr Oliver said the proposals made were unsatisfactory to the Government, aa they would be to the country, but they were compelled to place the country face to face with the exigencies of the case. They bad been accused of placing undue taxation on the laboring classes, and absolving property, but such a charge was uot true. They might have imposed a beer tax, and that the working class would have paid ; they might have reimposed the tea and sugar duties which would have bad the same effect, but they bad not done so, aud Hon. members must have known that nearly every turn of their lives had been devoted since they took office to the adjustment of taxation. They found the estimates prepared by the la c Government, and wbat did the Premier promise, but that a reduction should be made on every salary over £300 a year ? They found the colony, though its resources were almost boundless, heavily in debt, and the late Government were bound to confuse matters so as to make it appear that only £660,000 bad to be provided for before June, but the Treasurer would show that more than two millions would be necessary. Mr Montgomery followed, but mainly confined himself to the finances between 1875 to 1877. Sir G. Grey said the work of the Government in their financial proposals was that of ruthless invaders. They thought nothing of economy. The Bill they brought down to j provide for the expenses of the General Assembly proved that. Why bad they provided for the expenses of the Legislative Council ? The late Government would have made a distinction between the two Houses, and a wise Government would have made no provision at all for their payment. They were appointed for life, and were as distinguished as the Peers of the old country, aud what would be thought if it was proposed to

pay the House of Lords in the 01.l country ? A howl of indignation would be aroused, from John O'Groat's to Land's End. He thought, in order to set an example, the Legislature should be Hie first to cubmit to a reduction, and that the salaries of Ministers should be the first to fee! it ; that a good example should be set by the great tneu of the land, but to such proposal came from them, njvd hone sucli , wrts likely to comb. The 'Government 3aid there Would be a deficit of about £80,000 or £J»O,ono but the fact wag not more than a £520,000 deficiency could take place. He objected to the means by which the Government propose.; to make up, the declared dertc&nc^ He the:s prd'ecbded to speak in glowing term 3of the productions of the earth, and urged that the greatest necessity in New Zealand was an equitable Land Bill. He criticised the proposed measures, of the Gov.etnthent-. an>i considered fhat they frere calculated to retard the advancement of the colony. Major Atkinson said a more meagre attack had never been made en any Govern ment. They had been told by the Leader of the Opposition that he had calculated the deficiency, bnt he li.id not given them ntiy figures, lie tia.i, given them conclusions but liot reasotls. He onght to have shown the House tiow the d. fluency cduld be reduced. He must imigine from what they had shown tla*. the deficiency was to be reduced by placing the cost of the Police and the ducation of the .children on the Counties. The Hon. gentleman entirely misapprehended what a land tax was ( and, what a property • tar; was It was a perfectly plain thing when the Governmeut said the land tax was to be merged in the property tax, for they were clearly of opinion that all kinds of property ought to be taxed. The Hon. geutlemau told them this was a proposition to tax improvements. Would be tell him of any part of the world where the income tax did not alfect any property, or where the property was not affected by such a tax ? He had no doubt that the Bill which the Hon. gentleman would have brought : down, would have ruined our credit in. the tohdoo market. The Government in their financial statement had promised to look carefully into the whole question of expenditure with a view to the greatest reductions possible daring the recess. He would remind the House that five months of the year had gone. The rule with regard to the increase in salaries had been that su«h increases had been paid as soon as the estimates had beeu forwarded to the Auditor. Each department prepared its own estimates, which were .aftejrwatda. submitted to Ministers and to the Treasury. He did not hold, the late Treasurer responsible for the esumate3 which he presumed had beeu carefully considered by the Departments, but had not been submitted to a meeting of the Cabinet. He did not pretend to defend the estimates aa a whole,, but asked the House to assist hjm in reduciog them, while the Qoverutiieht pledged themselves to still further reduce them during the recess. As to who was to blame for the present state of things -in 1878 the Treasurer made a flourishing statement of affairs saying that we conla easily put aside £100,000 for ' public works while the land fund also i appeared to be in a most satisfactory Condition, but the satlf action was only ob paper. Whatever blight have been the fault of past Governments, apy Government which could represent the finances of the country as Mr Ballance had done was culpable to the last degree. Instead of showing a nourishing state of affairs, they should have reduced the expenditure and immediately called the House together. A more wasteful, extravagant, and useless expenditure had never been made in the country than the expenditure on Native affairs; add he would asfe the House if under the circumstances the whole blame did not rest upon the late Government. The principal portion of the speaking that followed appeared to be talking against time. The House divided shortly before 4 o'clock. For Mr Macandrew's motion 6; against it 17. j