PARLIAMENTARY

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2315, 18 August 1880, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Tuesday, Aug. 17

A report, affirming Mr Taiaroa’s disqualification, was ordered to be considered on Thursday. It was intimated that the Local Industries Commission and their report were under consideration. Ho new Commission would he appointed, It was resolved that the Hew Plymouth Harbor Board should refund its illegal expenditure from land fund, and failing such refund, the members should be proceeded against individually. HOUSE OF EEPEESEHTATIFES. QUESTIONS. Ministers in reply to questions said there was no power at law to compel brewers to pay the beer tax at present, but so soon as the Bill passed the tax would be enforced, and brewers refusing to pay just now would have the penalties enforced against them, so that by refusing they did so at their own peril. Government would place on the supplementary estimates one-third of the amount last year voted for the maintenance of public domains. A large sum of money had been placed on the estimates for opening tracks on the West Coast of the Middle Island. An opportunity had been afforded Mr Armstrong, Locomotive Engineer of the southern railways, to rebut the charges brought against him by the Civil Service Commission. He (Mr Armstrong) had got notice that his services would be dispensed with. The principal reason was that he had not been a trained engineer, but a carpenter. An amount of Add,ooo in excess of the sum appropriated by Parliament had not been expended on the Foxtou-Ncw Plymouth line. Only £BOOO had been expended in Taranaki, and the balance in the "Wellington Provincial district. Government had been careful not to expend a single sixpence which bad not been authorised, unless in such cases as when the work already done would sulfur in consequence of further labor not being expended. It was understood that the reduction in the Education Department would take effect from the first of this month, as in other branches of the public service, and the Boards have been asked and consented to cooperate with Government accordingly. No special provision had been made by Government for keeping up teachers’ salaries at the old rate until notice had been given of the’reductions. Latest advices from the Agcut-Gcnoral reported that an Inspector of Prisons for the colony bad not then been appointed. The engineering stuff of the colony bad been already reduced, and that still further reductions would be made. I'Uin.ic wouks. On the motion of Mr Oliver, the Public Works Bill was introduced and read a first time, and the second reading ordered for Friday. On the motion for reporting resolutions of the Committee of Supply, Sir George Grey moved that they be postponed until after the revenue Bills had been disposed of. His reason was this : The depressed state of the country had been, in his opinion, over-rated and the unnecessary panic, suspending commercial enterprise and otherwise operating seriously against the labor market. ■When the revenue bills had been discussed, he believed it would bo shown

that this alarm was altogether unnecessary, and that much more money than was supposed would be available for Public "Works purposes. Mr Hall said that the motion had taken him by surprise. They had ascertained correctly the amount available for Public Works. They had the Statement of the Treasurer and the Statement of the Public Works Minister, and if those hou gentlemen did not know the state of the Public Works Fund it would never be ascertained. The course was unusual and unconstitutional, and would be calculated to obstruct public business.

Mr Moss denied that the state of the Public Works' Fund was made clearly known. For himself he could not say whether the balance available was one or three millions of money. The motion for reporting the resolution of commitiec was then put and carried.

On the motion for agreeing- to the resolution, Mr Masters drew attention to the vote Groymouth-Nclson section (with Grcymonth harbor - works), £70,000, from which, in committee the previous evening a sum of £21,000 had been struck off.

Air Hall promised that steps would bo taken to have the rote reconsidered. The motion for agreeing to the resolutions of the Committee of Supply was then put and*carried. '

i)B. x’ollkn’s pension,

On the motion for going into Committee of Supply, Mr Speight drew attention to an item on the Estimates, “ Arrears of pensions, £M33.” He was led to understand that this was a claim made by the Hou Dr. Pollen. Ho understood that this claim had been under the claim of the late Government and that the Attorney-Gcnoral of that Government had decided against its legality. How, after aiv interval of nearly throe years, it made its appearance on the Estimates without a single word of explanation. This gentleman served the colony in so many capacities that it was hard to get any information as to the particular service to which the pension attached The colony was paying an enormous amount for pensions, and he felt called upon to challenge the item. He would move that the matter of arrears of pension claimed by Dr Pollen bo referred to the Public Accounts Committee to report upon the circumstances under which the claim was made. So far as he could ascertain there was no reason why the claim should be made, and a pension iu perpetuity granted to this gentleman.

Mr Hick seconded the motion. The Solicitor-General, the Comptroller of Audits, and all other authorities were in favor of the pension. They slated that I>r Pollen should have drawn his pension from 1873 instead of from the last four years. Government had no objection whatever to the facts being fully investigated by the Public Accounts Committee,

The motion was put and carried DEDUCTIONS OF SAEAKIES.

Mr Pyke moved as an amendment on the original question, that in tho opinion of the Houso the reduction of 10 per cent should not apply to salaries of £2OO per annum and under. The amendment was negatived by 11 to 32. ruimrc wo ii res estimates. The following votes were carried ; Waitaki to Bluff (with branches), £350,000. Otago Harbor Board (compensation), £25,500. Otago Central Railway, £BB,OOO. Mr Bowen moved that £20,000, Mr MeCaughan, that £36,700, and Mr Wright that £30,000 be deducted. Mr Wright’s motion was carried. Invercargill to Kingston, £11,500. Carried. Mr Pyke moved a reduction of the item, otautan Night Caps, £12,000, by £4OOO. The motion was lost on a division by 31 to 11. Mr DoLatonr moved that the vote, Piverton to Orcpuki be reduced £I3OO. Mr Pyke said there was a time when he had a good opinion of sumo members of the Government, but now he had lost it. He would table before long a direct vote of want of confidence. They were were false to (ho House and the constituents who returned them. With large questions they could not grapple, but with small two-penny half-penny matters like this they had their abject followers into the lobby to vote with them.

The motion was lost on division by 9 to 35, and the vote' was passed as. printed. Surveys of new lines, North Island, £3OOO was passed. Surveys of new lines, Middle Island, £0550 was passed. Progress was reported, and the House adjourned at 2 a.m.