PARLIAMENTARY.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2599, 20 July 1881, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wellington, July 19. On Colonel Brett’s motion, a return was ordered of all appointed to the Civil Service since last session. The Regulations of Elections Bill was read a first time. The Otago University Reserves Vesting Bill was thrown out on the motion of Dr Pollen by 13 to 11. The Affirmation in Lieu of Oaths Extension Bill was thrown out, on the motion of Dr Pollen, I>\ 14 to 12.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. AUOLILION OF PHOVINCES. Mr Sheehan, before moving the introduction of a Bill to repeal the Abolition of Provinces Act of 187-5, asked Government to state what course they intend pursuing in the matter. All manner of rumors on the subject had beeii in circulation about the lobbies. Mr Hall said the' motion was one which raised the vital question of policy, and it was desirable as little business as possible should be gone on with until it was brought to an issue. Government would not object to the Bill being introduced and read a first time as proposed, but that iu order that it should be disposed of with as little delay as possible, they proposed to oppose the motion to fix a date for the second reading and to take the debate on that question that evening at 7.30 o’clock.

Mr Sheehan said that he had brought in the Bill entirely on his own responsibilty ; but if those with whom he usually acted were opposed to taking the debate that night, he would not be prepared to go on. Mr Macandrew demurred to Government accepting the motion as a vote of want of confidence. The Government was not responsible for the abolition having been carried. Mr Brown moved it be postponed until that day six months.

Mr Gisborne said that Government had a Bill on the paper that would raise the whole question of local government, and it was not necessary to push it on this issue. This was simply an attempt to draw a red herring over the track. He contended that this Bill should not be taken out of the ordinary course.

Mr Sheehan said then in that case he would not ask leave to introduce the Bill. Mr Hall said that it was arranged to take the debate that evening, and the attempt to retreat from the position in the way proposed was most unfair. He moved the adjournment of the House pro forma. Mr Sheehan said that the proposal of Sir George Grey re local government was quite as radical as his proposal, and he challenged Government to accept that as a vole of want of confidence.

Mr Montgomery would have preferred that the debate had gone on, and the question been settled at once. It was not a motion put forward by the Opposition, accordingly he would vote against it, arid he know of others of the party who were prepared to follow the same course.

Mr Shepherd blamed Government for not treating the matter as a mere sorting motion, and not one clothed with all the significance of a party question. Its true character, in that respect had been disclosed at once by the mover, and be ventured to say that had it gone to a division he believed Government would have found a large majority of the Opposition going into the same lobby with them.

Mr Hutchison said so far he understood the object was to divide the House, so as to ascertain who remained provincialists and who were still staunch to abolition. He wished give no uncertain sound on the point. lie consideied the motion was a great mistake. He stigmatised provincialism in Wellington as a most vicious system, and lie objected to any return to it in any form whatever, either as a modified system or otherwise. Whether it were regarded as a vote of confidence or not he would not hesitate to vote against the Bill.

Mr Collins certainly would vote against any m'dimi of th a kind, as he hardly thought it was possible to leturn to provincialism.

Mr Sheehan said he was known to he a provineialist to the core, and (he previous speaker had no right to blame him for bringing forward a motion in accardance with his belief on the subject. He could assure him that within the next few days lie would give him an opportunity for recording his protest ; gainst an}' return to provincialism.

Mr Macandrew objected to any ques tisn of provincialism being discussed in the present aspect of the question, and on his suggestion the motion La* adjournment was withdrawn and the business of the Order Paper proceeded with.. LICENSING BILL. Mr Dick moved that the report on the Bill lie agreed to. Mr London took exception to the Bill, in respect of no provision being made for compensating publicans from whom the licenses might be withdrawn under the option of the Act.

Mr Seddon also objected to the Bill, expressing a hope that the permissive clauses would be thrown out by the Council. He blamed Government for not having stuck more firmly to the text' of their Bill.

, The Bill was then reported, and Mr Dick moved that it be read a third time. .

Mr Macandrew moved as an amendment — <: That no License Biil will be suitable to the requirements of every part of the colony unless there be reserved to such Provincial Districts a right to determine the nature of the licenses and the fees payable therefor within the district.’’ On the suggestion of Mr Hutchison, Mr Macandrew agreed to substitute County Councils and Boroughs instead of Provincial Districts, The House divided on the motion for the third reading—Ayes, 46 ; Noes, 26. The Bill was then read a third time and passed. CEOWN AND NATIVE LANDS EATING BILL. Mr Sutton renewed the debate on the second reading of the Crown and Native Lands Rating Bill. Ho re viewed the whole financial proposals of Government, and spoke in favor of the property tax as it stood, expressing regret at the announcement that it was proposed to be reduced.

Mr (Saunders referred to the Treasurer’s speech as being highly unsatisfactory. It proposed nothing, did nothing, and said nothing, and he did not believe two members of Government were agreed as to what local government should be. He had never changed his opinion on the subject. It was to give districts as much power as possible (o take the same out of the hands of the central power. The Treasurer was purely a Wellington manin his associations, and if he went about the colony a little more he would find that a strong feeling existed in favor of decentralisation,. The effect of the Bill would to take from districts in which money could bo profitably spent what money they had, and to spend it on land in the midst of uninhabited localities—in the wilderness. He believed some districts would profiler a few years and get large sums of money to spend. Taranaki was one of those districts. When they were told the provinces were to be abolished the} 7 were given to understand they were going to get something great in their place. Now what had they got hut another sort of Hoad Board alongside of those Boards then in existence. His idea was they required somebody with more power than the Boards. Before abolition there was in each province a Superintendent, wiio was responsible to the people, and that was a greater advantage to the people than they were ever aware of. He did not propose that they should re-establish provincialism as it was before, but they might improve on it. He was disappointed with Sir George Grey’s Local Government Bill. Its financial proposals were weak. After Ibis House had taken what it wanted very little would be left for the districts. He believed a modified provincialism would save, over and over again, their expense, and great saving would be effected had they never been swept away. Amongst other evils connected with provincialism was their lawmaking power. He would establish executive bodies,but would give them no power of law 7 making. Then again provincialism allowed selfish men to manipulate the land laws of their particular districts. These were some of the great evils they had to guard against in any system of local government they might adopt. He would divide each island into four provinces, with a Superintend ant and six Councillors, elected by the people of each electorate, exercising only one vote, and he would give a vote to every man and woman. He thought perhaps the provinces should be divided iu six sub-districts, each district returning a member. Then he would have three menbers elected by the combined vote of the Eoad Boards. That would make in all nine members. He would multiply the Eoad Boards, as they were most inexpensive bodies. Instead of a number of small rates he would collect what they wanted at once by a tax imposed by that House, and would leave most of it to the Eoad Boards to expend. He would double the property tax and leave at least two thirds of it with the Eoad Boards of the districts it was raised in. That would put an end to the scrambling for money in that House. He would put a tax on unini-. proved land w'hich was capable ot cultivation. Unimproved land ho would not allow to be held by anyone for purely speculative purposes. That tax be would devote not to the Road Boards but leave it in the hands of the Superintendent and Executive for works outside the jurisdiction of the Eoad Boards. His great aim was to take the distribution of money out of the hands of the House. The one great evil of that House was they were called upon to distribute which ought never have come to the House, thereby losing the respect of both themselves and the country. Mr Ormond was obliged to say that ho was unable to see anything satisfactory in the Government proposals. Their proposals would onty strengthen and stereotype the present unsatisfactory state of matters, and he did not wish to see that done. He had there fore, decided that it was his duty to move an amendment to the Government proposal. It would be to the effect that the proposals of Government on the question of local government and finances were unsatisfactory, He knew very well what a motion of that kind meant. He was taking his course with the assent of a number of gentlemen, who like himself, had desired to support the Government, but who were unable to accept these proposals. Of course they knew that as this was a moribund Parliament, the carrying of amotion of this kind would not affect the position of the Government until they had appealed to the country.

The present system of local government —the co-existence of County and Road Boards —was a wrong system. If they had a proper system of finance, and would enable the Road Boards to develops into Shires, then they would he able enough to perform all the necessary functions without the County Councils at all. If he could not get his own views carried, ho would rather be inclined to go further, and meet the views advanced by others than continue things as (hoy were. Ho believed that the people looked back with regret to the days when they could state their grievances to a local body, and if they could not obtain redress from them, at least obtain it through them. They had been told that the waste lands administration was to be remodelled, and its administration centred in Wellington. That was a kind of decentralisation which he could not understand. Whatever became of the Government proposals he hoped the House would not consent to allow the waste lands administration to come to Wellington. The proposal to devote £150,000, extending over three years, for the purpose of opening Crown Lands was to charge the making ot these roads on the hind. That simply meant stopping the progress of settlement in the North Island at all events. He moved—“ That the proposals of Government in respect to local government and finance are unsatisfactory”

Mr Johnson said in all parts of the colon}' abolition had met with universal acceptance, therefore the statement that provincialism was looked back to with regret was wholly without foundation. Sir George Grey’s Bill set forth provincialism in its very worst form. Centres of population were to be endowed with waste lands of the Crown, which simply meant that there was to be nothing given to -the more remote districts. When he heard one member prescribe one euro for the disease, and another prescribe another cure, then he could not help thinking that there was no disease at all. The principle of their proposed Public Works Board was no new principle. It had been in operation for a_ long time in Great Britain, where it had operated most successfully. He would like to know what colonising powers the province possessed before abolition. Pie instanced the case of Wellington. He concluded by saying that the proposals would do more to advance the colonisation scheme than anything that tad yet been heard of in the House.

Mr Whitaker wanted to know what was wanted to be achieved. Suppose the amendment was carried, the state of blatters would be no better than it was at present.

_ Sir George Grey would not waive his scheme in favor of the scheme to be brought down by the mover of the amendment. He had no doubt after what Mr Ormond stated last session that this would be the outcome. What Mr Ormond wanted was not local government, but the repeal of the property tax—a tax which bore on himself rather heavily.

Mr McLean asked Mr Ormond to say if he had given notice to anyone on that side of the House with which he had hitherto acted, of his intention to move this amendment. Had the late financial panic come upon them with all the provinces in operation they could not have gone on or met thier obligations; they must, of necessity, have stopped payment.

Mr Fulton moved the adjournment of the debate, aud the House rose at 12.30.