THE APPROPRIATION BILL. REVIEW OF THE SESSION. A FINAL ATTACK. Wellington, September 17.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 404, 21 September 1889, Page 5

THE APPROPRIATION BILL. REVIEW OF THE SESSION. A FINAL ATTACK. Wellington, September 17.

In discussing the motion for the third reading of the Appropriation Bill, Mr Ballance as leader ot the Opposition made the customary review of the business of the session. Touching upon the reported intention of the Railway Commissioners to reduce the rate of railway labourers' wages, he said that if they persisted in doing so they would bring their term of office to a termination in less than the five years for which they had been appointed. It would be a political act against which he must most strongly protest. He blamed the Government for not taking steps to have the boundaries of electoral districts arranged at an early date, and for the light - hearted way in which they had treated the loss of the artisan population through emigration to the other colonies. The remedy for the latter was to be found in the liberal administration of land laws of the colony, but the land laws had been prepared and administered for the benefit of capitalists and speculators, and unless a man were prepared to go in largely for dummyism he was heavily handicapped, while the yeoman and small settler had been given the cold^ shoulder. The cost and circumstances of village settlements had been misrepresented for the purpose of prejudicing this class of settlement in the eyes of the colony. The course of Native Land legislation this session had not been creditable to the Government. Bills were brought down which would have validated almost every transaction that had ever taken place. He acknowledged, however, that the Native Minister had shown a disposition to meet all objections and to limit the validations to only bona fide transactions. The Premier had twitted the Opposition with want of sense of responsibility, but the duty of the Opposition was rather of an iconoclastic j nature — to pull down rather than to build up. If the Premier had not used the words already he (Mrßallance) wouldhavecharged the Government with want of a sense of responsibility. Of course the Premier said he did not want to pass a large number of Bills, but; that was inconsistent with his desire to pass the closure rules. In no session had such a large budget of measures been foreshadowed in the Governor's speech as this year, but what had become of them ? The Opposition had not had opportunity of defeating them, but Government had either withdrawn them or not brought them forward. Surely this want of responsibility on the question of taxation ought not to have been neglected, and it would have to be forced next session. The political rest which the Premier spoke of might be very good, bub it was evident that the Government were not aiming at it, and when they introduced their Charitable Aid Bill Ministers had not shown any sense of the responsibility of the duties they took upon themselves at the beginning of the session, and he failed to see what they had to show for the session. The Opposition had shown in Judge Ward's case a determination that' the administration of justice should not be interfered with by the Executive. Though Mr Hislop had been dealt with by both Chambers, he held that the Minister of- Justice was even more censurable, and owed an explanation to the House, seeing that he had fully endorsed his colleague's action. Notwithstanding what had been said by the Premier, the Opposition had shown themselves to be actuated by a strong sense of responsibility, and by a desire for the best interests of the colony. (Mr Allen: Ofcago Central.) Yes; the Otago Central Railway Bill was to have been the keystone of a system of public works under the new style of borrowing, but the Opposition had made it clear that if this was to be adopted it must be only after a comprehensive scheme had been submitted to the colony. In conclusion, he said he was proud of what the Opposition had done, and thought that if the country was called upon to judge between two parties, it would say that the Opposition had discharged its duties with a higher sense of responsibility than that shown by the Government. (Cheers.) A number of other members having spoken, Sir Harry Atkinson replied. He said it was evident from Mr Ballance'e talk about wages that an election was soon to come, but the working men could not be deluded by that sort of thing, and the Government had already given an assurance that so far as their influence was concerned no reduction would be made. They would always interfere by their advice with the Railway Commissioners whenever the Commissioners were acting contrary to the general wishes of the House. As to the electoral boundaries, the Government had not adjusted them, because last session the House instructed them not to do bo. As to the Government having losfe the confidence of the country, the only two elections that had taken place this session had returned Government supporters. What he complained of about the Opposition was that without regard to the interests of the country they had lent their aid to any attack on the Government, even to the extent of stonewalling. To talk about swapping horses in the middle of a stream — to have "forced the incidence of taxation this session," as Mr Ballance desired, would have been doing it with the stream in flood. The temptation to go on was very great, but he would let the Opposition off very lightly, satisfied that the Government had carried out their main purpose of reducing further expenditure and restoring confidence in the sight of the colony. The motion for the third reading of the Appropriation Bill was then put and agreed fco.

wished to quote was one made before the hon. gentleman was offered a seat in the Cabinet. When that seat was offered he accepted it with great alacrity. When he committed acts which, in the unanimous opinion of his colleagues, rendered him unfit for office, it was with great difficulty that he (the Premier) could get him to leave the Government. He wished simply to put these facts on record as to Mr Fiaher's good taste in attacking measures almost everyone of which he had agreed to before he left the Cabinet. (Mr Fisher: "No.") He left the House and the country to form their own judgment. Mr Taylor chaffed Mr Fisher rather severely, and Mr Fiah subsequently declared Mr Fisher to be deserving of the contempt of all honourable men for disclosing Cabinet secrets, and for not having the decency to wait at least a session before pouring forth the vials of his wrath against his late colleagues.