PARLIAMENTARY

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2263, 18 June 1880, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY

HOUSE OP BEPSESTiNTATIVES

Thuksday June 17

A petition from Flo mciyhevs of the Working Men’s Club against the Licensing Bill was presented by Captain Bussell. Mr Sheehan received a further week’s leave of absence.

Mr liavrou asked wliat stops Government had taken to punish the person who improperly obtained from Itie Treasury £IOOO by means of fraudulent vouchers, proportion to bo sinned by three natives interested in land at Waimate, for the purchase of.which the Government was negociating; such natives having no interest in the land as alleged, and not having recievcd any of the moneyproved by the is a live Minister and reported by that hon

gentleman to the House on the lojli Inst.. and whether such persons is still in tho service of the Government. Mr Bryce replied that tho party referred to'is still in the Government service, and no steps had been la!ien for ids punishment- The proof of the ne;, was not before him-until about eight days'before the session commenced, ana ho did not think he would have heard of the transaction at all but for tho labors of the West Coast Commission. The matter was now under the consideration of the Government. LOCAL GOVERNMENT.

Mr Button moved that in order to ensure the most effective system of local government, at least in the cost of managing - , it is desirable that the relative positions of Counties and Road Boards should be put upon a more satisfactory footing : —(1) That the Counties Act 1)0 amended, and all Road Board or Highway Provincial Acts repealed, and highway districts abolished. _ (2) That each County shall be subdivided into Ridings, and each Riding constituted into a Rond Board. (3) That a R.oad Board shall bo only a rating body, and that its duties shall bo the construction and repair of all roads and drains within its borders, construction of all small bridges and all other works of a local nature. (4) That a County Council filial! consist of the Chairman of each Road Board, by virtue of their position. (5.) That the revenue of tho County shall be tho rents, license foes, etc., at present payable, and the right to levy pro raid upon all Road Boards for such further amounts ns may be required. (6.) That the duties of a Council shall bo the construction of largo bridges, assisting Road Boards by providing engineering assistance when required ; to provide for local contributions to hospitals and charitable inslit'.-itions, with power to alter the boundaries of ridings and exercise general supervision over the Road Boards. (7.) The Government be requested to bring in a Bill during the session to give effect to lids resolution. The Premier considered it would not be wise to abolish Road Boards, and suggested that (lie consideration of the matter bo deferred. The debate was adjourned for a week. SETTLEMENT OF WASTE LANDS. The adjourned debate on the question that a Select Committee be appointed to consider the best means of encouraging tho settlement of the industrial classes upon the waste lands of the colony ; and further, what help and encouragement may bo properly extended by Government to those who arc desirous of taking up small sections of land, was resumed by Mr Andrews, who spoke at considerable length. Mr Rolleston said that most unfair accusal ions had neon made against him by (ho member for Wanganui." Tho fact was that since he (Mr Rolleston) had comciuiooflice, 174.0;);) acres of land had been brought under the operation of the deferred payment system. The Yesey Stewart transaction was arranged by the lain Government. He defended the attitude lie had taken up in dealing with tho applications made by Working Men’s Associations. Tho debate was interrupted by tho ■5.30 adjournment. THE I’ll<H’lOi’TY TAX. air Hall moved that all Orders of tire Day be postponed to enable Sir George Grey to move, tho second reading of his Bill to Repeal the Property Assessment and, Property Tax Acts. Tho Bill was

of a nature not to justify Government in pursuing that course. Dr Wallis opposed the motion, which was carried on the voices.

Sir George Grey then moved that the Bill be discin'.’,-o-1, Government having taken this as a vole of want of’ con!;dencc. He proposed to move such a vote on a much broader basis, and he would a-;k leave to move instead, licit the iiuar.ee proposals of the Government arc not, as a whole, mlapled to promote the we!lare of Dew Zealand.

Some discussion ensued resulting in the Premier agreeing that the nocon lid encc motion should he brought on after the division on tiio Bill was disposed of.

Sir George Grey thereupon without remark', moved the second reading of the Bill.

Mr (.!. Bootlnnn moved that it ho road that day six months. Mr Soddon argued in fa vor of the Bill.

A division was called on the motion that the Bill be road a second time, — ayes, ’ll); nuos, -id. AYES. Andrews Moss Ballanec Pyke Barron Sadden Brown (teller) Shephard Do Latour Shrhnski Fisher, J.H. Speight George Stewart Gisborne (teller) Tainni Grey Tawhaio Hamlin To Wheoro Harris Thomson Hutchison Tele Lnndon Tomoana Macandrow Wallis Montgomery irons. All r i gh t McDonald Atkinnson McLean Bain Moorliousc Boefham (teller) Murray Brandon Oliver Bryce Ormond Coihcck [Richardson Dick .Holies! on Fox Bussell Fulton (teller) Saunders Gibbs Seymour Da 11 Shanks Hirst Stevens Durst Stuilliolme Hurslhousc Sutton Johnson Swanson Kelly Trimble Kenny Wake Hold Levin Whitaker Mason Wood MeCanglnm The motion for reading that day six months was then put and carried. want on cox Ft njoxia-;. Major Atkinson moved that the House go into Committee of Simply. Sir George Grey moved as an amendment—‘’That the financial proposals of the Government as a whole are not adapted to promote the welfare of New Zealand.” His position was one of extraordinary diihcnity. Government had just shown its strength, and his ta-'k was almost hopeless. The wealth of the country was arrayed against him, hut beyond the walls of the house a va-t majority were in favor of Hie proposal lie- made. He knew the event of the night would he historical. In other lands there were people watching their proceedings. The holders of the hind were determined to oppress the mass of; the population. The Premier of this country was to his mind a vampire

lickin'*; the blood of his ictiin.s wune ikinniuthem lirat with his wings. When in the face of tuese deluded pconlc at Lecstou ho said t >.e tax would not full on the mass of the people, it would only fall on tlmae who were possessed of“£50:), they believed him, but they wore delude'.!. root* souls! they would jjiv.l,. when, too lido, their mistake. Members knew this tax fell upon the cons mu eve Take a woo; store. The wool is first taxed on live v.i veep’s back. It is then taxed in the hands of the merchant, and consequently it is doubly taxed when it goes into the

hands of the manufacturers. Thou again -the machinery of too manufacturer was taxed, and lastly, when they went to the retail dealer, they were again taxed. It was.a tax that had never before been introduced into any .British colony; Better a tax paid on the necessaries of life than this lax. The tax was unequal. It was a premium for .dishonesty. in every si agio element it was wanting'in what a good .tax should be. lie would ask where was the necessity for this tax. The Treasurer told them it was necessary, on account of the repeal of the laud tax and the deliciency in the Treasury.- Whence came that deficiency ? lie gittrilmted this depres-

sion to want of foresight in the days of prosperity, it they had years ago done what they were Junv doing, reduced their own salaries, opposed aheertax, reduced the civil service, dim., had they taken warning, some of the cli(lien 11ios in which they wore now placed would not have arisen. Then the Treasurer spread about a report prejudicial to the colony. More than the truth was told, and the credit of the colony was destroyed, purely for party purposes, lie then reviewed the linnneial proposals in detail. The subsidies wore to be swept away, and Government proposed, in lieu thereof, that a law should be passed enabling local bodies to tax native and waste lands, and to put (heir hands info their pockets and tax themselves to the extent of ;ls per £. Then again, it was -proposed to rate Europeans for the purposes of -paying rates for the natives. die sympathised with people in the South called upon to provide for such an unfair lax. Why not pay 11!e dircct- subsid-y instend oi: resorting to the round about method? Then, again, a Works Board was to bo constituted, with a certain number of paid o'licials. Why establish another great department. die saw no reason for interfering with the local bodies, lie next reviewed the charitable aid proposals. A pauper system was to bo established throughout (he colony. A

poor law was unnecessary in New Zealand, and it would tend to ruin the population. I hs cnnlrasfed tlie state of matter.! in thin respect in France and Fug! and, the former being a charitable system in the true sense a i: l!ic word, while ti 10 other was a. pauper system. The reason ol : Ibis dinierenee was that Franc.! lia:l not leas Ilian Ah',ON) land owners, whereas the other was held by a lew pan-sons, lie went on Is) denounce the (Jov.-nnn -id for allowing Chinese immigratem a! a time when the labor market was literally gduiLd. tin leas these mi! the ntht ai-uaes to which New Zealand was subjects-d, were at once checked, thiney would ye from bad to worse, mid the, burden would become unbearable. Let them do away wills the Agent-!bencral’s Depart!!’.;'::;', the Leyis’ati ve. Council, the (tovernor’s salary, ami not attack the Civil Servin' alone. lad (horn do these tilings and thev would yet pain tire confidenee of and respeet of (he land. Iv.vry idling lie

had so.m con vine-.-.! idm they wen; n-d intending to do justice to the people at large. ..When the.appoii came to be made to the people, they were determined to get sue!i a Parliament returned as would respect the true rights of the [iconic. ’ : ■

Mr Hall characterised the speech as weak and transparently in error. They had not had a,single word about what

I In.' speech professed-, via.—(he iinance of the colony. They had been {old that (lie event of (hat night would be

historical. They had heard that before. It they became historical it would not be a bright page for (lie lion member. bhe speech commenced with a studied insult to the nmj wily in (hat House, it was lamentable to see an elderly gentleman, who bad arrived

at a time oflifc when his passions wore cooled, come dovni and u:-c ilic language he had done, simply became the Mouse would not consent to satisfy in a last lor power or ol!ice. Ho had been denounced as a vampire and a juggler. That did not hurt him, but lie objected (o the abase heaped on his constituents, whom he had called a deluded people and country bumpkins. He would only rebntcTiy ’saying Unit the Thames constituents were a very worthy people, but they have a very happy knack of coining- to tdjat.. House for rather more than their fair 'share of the public expenditure. That was more than can bo sail! of the much-maligned Lee-don constituency. They had very little of the public expenditure,' and very little was heard of them in that House. They had Inn I labored explanations of the operations of this tax. Now lie would like to know what ditt’erence it made whether the money was taken in the name of a property or an income tax. They wore challenged to go to the country. How he would ask, does the lion, member think they have no memory at all '? Within the last nine months they had., been to .the country, and the property tax was discussed as against the land' tax. Then again, about the reduction in Ministers 1 salaries. Did the bun. gentleman, when be was in office, mince, ins own salary V He believed it would be found the lion, member bad di-awn from the public fund more than bo (the Premier) did. if that did not

satisfy the country of the utter insincerity of the hoe nmmbor nothing would ihi so. Thov low! been challenged to

reduce the" Civil Service : but what had tiie linn member none when lie was in oiiiee p Why ho had increased llsrj service, and otherwise augmented tho bunion lie now complained about. What they proles,-; to do in the mailer of taxing native. lands was to provide a way inwards teaching (ho naiiyc mind that their properties must eventually bear its fair share of the re^pmisibitity

oil dm Stale. It was not true that they had taken oil: die land tax as assorted. Thu fact was that they laid doubled (lie land tax. They were (Larged with haying spent large sums ol money to bene ill large landed esiaics. \\ ha! did the lion, member do when he was in oiiiee p lie borrowed ad I he could, and wliou he could borrow no more lie actually spent money before it wan; borrowed, 'i hoy were told they should have stopped immigration, dim fact was that when they got into ol'lee they found engagements'for tlio despatch of immigrants months deep, and they sent Homo by telegram, within a week alter getting into cilice, to send no more immigrants. Then, again, the lion member sent Home

for GOO;) pauper immigrants. That showed the recklesi state of things they had to face when they [came into ollico. Ho had been twitted will, not having gone to Dunedin and Invercargill and addressed large audiences. Ho had only followed pro* cedent when he did as he had done in getting his address circulated through-

mil the c.duny. Tim simple question was. should they go out of ollico unci Urn lion gentleman go in? \\ hut "had the non gentleman done when he was in of lice ? Ho was to emancipate finserfs, and do ever so many great things. 'They were to get electoral reform and r liberal land law, and yet' nothing at all had conic out of all those specious promises. That was the use they had made of their lease of political power, ami they were now asked to renew that lease.. The present Government had saved the country from the brink oi political ruin, into which they had plunged tim country.

Mr (%corgo announced his intention of voting again-d live (hivennnent, ns he thought their proposals were utterly unsatisfactory, and that their savings were enlirely delusive and not real. Mr .Moss moved the adjournment of the debate, stating that the Opposition were not in a position to conduct the debate as it should he conducted.

Mr Hal! accepted the proposal for adjournment, and suggested that the House should sit on Saturday and Monday to finish the debate. The House rose at 12.10.