PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1027, 5 August 1879, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

Wellington, August 5.

In the House of Representatives, yesterday afternoon, after several petitions had been presented, and other formal business transacted, the Minister for Public Works, in reply to Mr. Brandon, said the Government did not, in the meantime at least, intend to begin the railway to Foxton and Palmerston, by way of Poporua. Surveys had been made of certain sections of the proposed liue, and they would be ready to call for tenders for "the first section at the end of this month.

In reply to Mr. Rolleston, the Premier said a telegram, bearing date Kihikilii. July 30, 1879, and purporting to be from Rewi Maniopoto to Sir G. Grey, and a reply thereto, which appeared in the New Zealander of July 31st, were genuine, and that he had given copies of them to friends to use as they wished. He was not in the least ashamed of any statements that appeared in the letter, and ho deprecated the remarks ir.n.lo i»y ..Ir. Itolleston to the effect that they contained a tissue wretched cant.

Mr. Feldwick moved for leave to introduce the High School Ivosei'ves JU'l. The motion was lost,

Mr. Kees rose to a question of privilige. He complained that Major Atkinson had misstated remarks made by him in the House, and had sent these misrepresentations by telegram to his (Major Atkinson's) constituents, to whom they applied. Major Atkinson re-alleged the misrepresentations and adhered to the correctness of what appeared in the telegram. The Premier moved : That the House go into Committee of Supply at 7.30. In doing so. he said if the business set down was gone through, the Appropriation Act would be gone on with on Wednesday. The motion was carried, and the House adjourned at 3.30. On the House resuming, the Premier moved for permission to introduce the Loan Bill. The Bill was introduced and read a first time. The House went into Committee of Supply through which the Bill passed ; and on resuming, the Bill was reported to the House. In moving the second reading of the Bill, the Premier said that writs for the new elections would be issued with the least possible delay. No time would be lost in calling Parliament when these writs were returned.

Mr. "Wakefield hoped that the House would take steps to get some more definite understanding. Sir W. Fox concurred with Mr. Wakefield. He thought the Premier might state, in the event of the dissolution taking place this week, that the nomination for the new election should take place not later than the Ist of September, and that by the 15th they would be finished. He would not expect the Government to tie themselves down to a day, but he wanted them to state about the time they desire to carry out the spirit of the Governor's memo., and it was on that account he made his application.

Mr. Moorhouse suggested that the House should give some expression of opinion to ■ the effect that the House should be called together within a certain time from the date of the issue of the writs. He referred to the great damage to which the business of the country was subjected by this delay. Dr. Wallis was very sorry that there was an appearance of unnecessary delay in getting the new Parliament together. He was also sorry to see the Loan Bill being rushed through. He objected to the whole principle of borrowing, but now that they had commenced he presumed it wpuld have to be continued. This boundless borrowing was a great calamity to New Zealand, and its initiation lay at the door of the Opposition. It was thp duty of everyone to view the effects of this state of things with serious alarm, The indebtedness of the Colony was twentyone millions of money, and he cumbatted the assertion that this money had all been spent on reproductive works. The debt per head of the population of New Zealand was at present LSO, and with this additional five millions it (vould increase the amount to LG2. He thought it was Giily right that the question as to borrowing this amount should be referred to the constituencies. They had no right to incur such a liability when, as a Parliament, they had reached their last moments. One consequence of the expenditure not being more equally divided as botw.een the two islands would be insular separation. In the South they had 741 miles of railway., and had an expenditure of five and a half millions of money ; in the North, they had only 311 miles of railway, and had not more than two and a lialf millions of money. Injustice of that kind would not be endured any longer. The debt contracted originally for the purpose of making the main trunk lines in Otago, and they had branches innumerable, whereas in the North, they had nothing that could be called a main through line, let alone branches. Mr. Murray pointed out that there was an item i# the Bill of L 250,000 for native

land purchases and two items of LIOB,OOO each for colonial defence. He thought these items required further explanation. He agreed with the general policy of borrowing.

Mr. Rees, while also agreeing with that policy, contended that better arrangements should be made for the safety and security of the public banking account. Mr. Saunders deprecated the borrowing policy, but thought it would be suicidal now at the present time to put their foot upon it. He denied that the North Island had not had a fair share of the loans. The local bodies, in his opinion, were the proper bodies to to raise the loans and to spend the money. The raising and distributing of the money should be taken away from the jurisdiction of that House.

The Premier replied he had been asked to specify the precise day on which the dissolution would take place, when writs would be issued, when tho elections take place, and the date on which the new Parliament would be called together. He could simply repeat that no delay would take place on the part of tho Government in bringing about the dissolution. He was asked to settle definitely the date on which the new Parliament would meet. He had to keep in mind that ho might possibly be, politically speaking, a dead man, and he hoped the elections would go in favor of his friends with whom he was leagued. Still, in that respect, he might find himself mistaken, and it was both right and proper that he should prepare himself for a mistake of the kind in the new Parliament, If it were found that the country had declared against them, his government might probably find it to be their duty to resign, and their successors might require one, two, or even three weeks' delay to consider the position of affairs. It was very necessary that he should make provision for a contingency of that kind. Otherwise, he could assure them, the new Parliament would be called together at the earliest possible date. He would, however! decline to bind himself to specific dates, Then, again, he felt certain that the Governor would take care that no unnecessary delay would take place in calling Parliament together. There would be that check placed upon them. Referring to the remarks made about the Bill before the House, he went on to say that reference had been made to the indebtedness of Great Britain. There was no analogy between the debt of this country an 4 that of Great Britain. All the money spent by public companies would have to be added to Great Britain before the analogy would be fair. He trusted the time would never come when the borrowing requirements of New Zealand came to an end. In Great Britain to the present day loans were required for new works. In this Colony the public works being constructed would be sufficient for seven or eight millions of people, and that population had a right to bear the burden. He saw no objection to the borrowing policy under judicious arrangement, but he admitted that money had been wasted, and agreed that it was the duty of all to watch over the expenditure, even although it should amount to a charenge of the present Government. Reference had been made to the sum set down for native lands. The appropriation would be devoted to completing negotiations already entered upon. They would be most profitable transactions. Considering what had taken place on the West Coast, it was important thai they should have the means at hand of stamping out any sudden disturbance which might at any time occur. The Bill had not been sought to be rushed through the House ; members had had timely notice that it would be brought dowru The motion was put and earned, and, on the motion to have it committed tomorrow,

Major Atkinson said that that night the Premier had entirely changed his professed policy of last session. On that occasion he hoped before long to make all the necessary works out of the revenue. Now he stated he hoped the Colony woulcl never cease borrowing for public works purposes. He vent on to say that had it not been fop the Opposition the amount appropriated for public works out of the four million loan would only have been L 1,500,000, whereas as a matter of fact L 7,000,000 in excess of that sum had actually been spent. The Premier said lie would reply when he brought down the Financial Statement, and that the assertion of the previous speaker was wrong. The motion was then put and carried, and at 9.40 the House adjourned.