PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1319, 30 June 1880, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

Wellington, June 29.

In the Legislative Council to-day,

In reply to Oaptain Fraser, Mr. Whitaker said thai; Government House and grounds were let to Mr. Bonar for Ll2O a year. Sir F. Bell ask&d if the Government would recommend to Parliament that Sir J. Yogel should receive any commission for the inscription of the last loan. . The Attorney-General said the question was now an open one, but the Government would iu due time submit its decisions and proposals to Parliament. Colonel Wbitmove, Mr. Waterhouse, and several others spoke in the discussion, and ultimately, on Mr. Whitaker saying the Defence Minister would attend to the matter, the motion was withdrawn on that understanding.

Mr. Hart moved for a return of the number of theatres and racecourses in the Colony, saying that from such a return in conjunction with the Civil Service report, members would see interesting facts as to the present depression. Mr. Whitaker said the Government had no records fjorn which auch a return could be made up, though they would try to get the information from the local authorities. The motion was withdrawn.

A return was ordered, on the motion of Sir F. Bell, of the amount overdue on deferred payments land in Otago. The Aliens Bill and the Marriage Bill were passed through. CJomniittee. A large amount of business was postponed, and some minor matters being disposed of, the Council rose at 5 p.m.

In the House of Representatives today, Mr, Macandr-ew gave notice that he would ask if a statement had been received from the Commissioner of the South Island Railways, in reply to the charges made against him in the Civil Service Commission's report. Mr. Oliver gais that a statement had been received, and that it was in the hands of the printer, and would shortly be in circulation.

In reply to a question put by Mr, Lautour, Mr. Hall said the Native Oommission-s report was in the hands of the printer, and along the. evidence taken would be placed on the table in about ten days. Replying to Mr. Sutton, Mr. Dick said the amount paid Messrs. Igard and Bell in the "VYafco-rMaori cage was L 3160. A sum of L 415 was deducted from the original bill of particulars on taxation, and it was not correct that despite the amount taken oft' the bill had been paid in full.

The Representation Bill was intro-, duced by Mr. Hall J asd reafj a first time. Its second reading was fixed for Thursday week.

Major Atkinson gave notice that, on Thursday, he would move for an imprest supply to enable him to provide for the public business.

Replying to Mr. Stevens, Mr. Qliver said the Waimakariri Gorg§ railway liiie had beem reserved for the unemployed, but until other sections of J the line were filled up, the work could not be gone on with.

Replying to Mr. Bain, Mr. Oliver said that firewood as a fuel for locomotives would be more expensive than coal. Further investigations, however, would be njad§ with the yigw of ascertaining whe-. ; ther or not firewood could not be judiciously employed under the circum* stances.

Replying to Mr. Stevens, Mr. Dick said that the report was not true that the plaintiff's solicitor in the Waka-Ma-ori case had been paid LSOO in excess of the taxed costs, or any sum whatever in excees of tl)e taxation. Replying to.ijlr. Pyke, Mr. Oliver said that the "first section of the Tapanui branch railway will be opened for traffic in the course of a week or two.

In reply to Mr. Sutton, Mr. Oliver said the total amount' credited to the Railway Department for special trainsfor Ministers was L 455 15s.

The no-confidence motion was resumed by' Mr. Speight, who hoped the Colonial Secretary would soon 'find himself associated with those who were more in accord with his feelings, as shown by what transpired on Friday night. The Colonial Tiyasiifsr appeared to arrogate to himself the sole power pf i]n§eF3tandirjg the finances of the country. The fact was that if' he could finance for the present, he appeared to care very little indeed about the future. The whole scheme proposed of local finance. There was nothing broad or comprehensive in it. He opposed the Board for Local Works. There was not one sign of relief held out to boards struggling to maintain the public interests of their districts. It would have been more honest if he hacj said frankly, " We can give you the subsidies no longer," and left the thing th.ere. He condemned an increase in the railway tariff. J/", was out of the question to talk about reducing the estimates. It ■ would have to be done by the Government itself. They had been told by Government that this reduction could not be made this session, but that it wonjcj. be attempted during the recess, That was simply locking the door after the horse was stolen. It would have to be done, and done at once. Sir William Fox had attempted to mislead them in reference to the property tax. It might be true that the tax would not fall on more than two thirds of the inhabitants; still the feet remained that every person was bound to make a return of his estate and effects. This was an objectionable feature of the Act, and one' against which the objection existed. The men affected by the tax wer§ bound to curtail their expenditure, which meant a check to enterprise. Whq,t hp mainly objected to, however, was that taxation should precede retrenchment. Let them make retrenchment first, and then they would be better able to judge the amount and character of the taxation that would be required. Mr. Fultpn said the property tax had been objected to o$ thp gpound that it presented inducements for dishonpsty. 0(3 spouted the idea tha£, fqr the salje of the paltry giving that would thereby be effected, the community, o« any perceptible number thereof, would afit in such a way. The only thing he blamed the Government for was for not having stood firm and unmoved in their proposals as originally made. The Treasurer had acted rightly in making known the true facts of the case regarding their financial condition. By th&t means the country at large would be better enq,b].efl to see the true facts of the situation.

Major Te Wheoro argued that a medium form of taxation should be imposed at first until the population became better acquainted with the process, after which they might increase the amount. By that means they would serve their purposes, and at the same time keep population from leaving tb T e Colony, He agreed ii} the opinion that no further loans should; be incurred, and that greater economy should be observed in their expenditure, likewise in the maintenance of the Armed Constabulary- on the West Coa3t. No further railway works should be undertaken'unless at the cost of the districts requiring such works. Mr. Gibbs thought it was wrong to make so many exceptions- under the property tax. With the principle of the tax he agreed, He could understand that th ( e trading community*would feel the tax somewhat heavily, and yet they were even the persons from whom lie had heard the': lease complaints. Under the new local' finance proposals he thought the outlying*: districts would find ihe arrangement con- i siderably fairer than the arrangement thai had hitherto existed.

Mr. Tainui. said the imposition of a tax on native lands, would entail great hardship on the natives. When the Bill was brought down he would do his best to get it thrown out. He condemned the Native Bills proposed to be brought forward.

Mr. Andrews supported-the land tax. He contended that they had made roads, harbors, &c., not for the benefit of property, as defined by the property tax, but for the benefit of land. It had been alleged that ample provision existed for secrecy under the valuation of the property tax. One of. these valuators or assessors had waited upon him. He was a seedy individual - what he would call a "half-pint man"—and that individual questioned him as to the value of his property, its burdens, and by whom it was carefully noted down. He had no hesitation in saying that for a few shillings he could have got out of this individual whatever information he might require. That was what they called ample provision for secrecy. He approved of the beer tax. He advocated extension of stamp duties. He contended that the business of the oountry should be "conducted more economically. He instanced the Land Transfer Department at Wellington. It cost a sum of L 1770 for the year, and its revenues did not exceed the modest sum of L 2030. Now in svjeh a case what would a private mercantile firm do 1 Why, they would have it remodelled at once. It was the Government that would have to do the work of retrenchment—it oould not be delayed ; the country would be up in arms against the egiating outrageous state of things. At a time when they had so. many unemployed, was it not monstrous that additional salaries were asked to be voted ; for instance, the Speaker's, Chairman of Committee's, and Clerk of Parliament, all of . which were t.o. be increased. Then, again, there were the Chairman of Public Petitions Committee, Native and Waste Lands Committees, each LIOO. He would move that these sums be struck off. The Colony could not afford these, salaries. He knew he was treading \*pon delicate ground, but these tilings were spoken of outside, and was determined; it should be mentioned inside. Then there was L 250 for a Sergeant-at-Arms. Supposing they really did not require such a person, they could get a UiUQ.h better man than they had for a fifth of the sum. Supposing the Speaker were to ord.er him to take so.rjie one into custody; why, the present sergeant would not be able. Instead of being taken into custody, he would simply run away with the sergeant. He next objected to Hansard, L6OOO, as a most expensive and at the same time unnecessary luxury. He was naw of opinion that they had nsve» had anyone in the Oology like Sir .1. Vogel. He had a scheme, but he was never allowed to carry it out, namely, that the districts should be made co pay for their railways. He had known of land purchased at L 52 per acre It was the railways wh\qfc, had created that value, and should such land not be made to o?a,r. the fair share of the cost of these railways % What they had to facp was taxation, but before they could faae taxation they would be bound to reduce their expenditure. Mr. Allwright said he had some experience of what was known as the great Liberal party, and he concluded that the followers of this Government wero in reality the only true Liberals. Last session he had voted against the property tax. He vis.j\ told by the party with • whom he was then associated that the deficiency in colonial finance was not what it was represented to be. He found, however, that it was even greater than it had been represented. He did not like the property tax, but in the circumstances it was the fairest that coukl be got. He hoped the Government would see its way to give local bodies their subsidies until the time that had been arranged at the outset. The sympathies of the country ought to be with the Government. When the tax became properly understood by the ratepayers he believed it would recommend itself to the countrv.

Mr. M'Lean ridiculed the idea of a noconfidence motion going on wit]} no fewer thsin 15 pairs. That showed how little interest was taken in the matter. He had hoped that they would all join in the endeavor to set matters right, but that was not the case. The other side were too fond of place and pay to admit of their doing anything of the kind. It would have paid the colony to hp.ye given the members of the latp Government and sent them away altogether out of the place. He charged the member for Wanganui with disloyalty to the party to whom he was indebted for first getting into political peace. He also accused him of having written articles in his paper calculated to inflame the Native mind. The Opposition had made the poor man a stalking horse in their cry against tlie property tas. The House adjourned at 12.30.