PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 194, 30 August 1901, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

PEE PEE 18 ASSOCIATION.— ABBIDQED. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Thursday, 29th August. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Sir Jo?eph Ward announced that the vote taken amongst the permanent hands in the railway workshops, and the casual hands who had been more than twelve months in the railway service, had resulted as follows:—For retention of service under present classification scheme, 1325; for registration under Conciliation and Arbitration Act, 82. Sir Joseph added that in the face of this poll there would of course ba no interference with the existing state of things. FINANCE. Mr. Oilf adder resumed the debate on the Financial Statement. He urged that steamers to South Africa should be subsidised, and the Government should take into consideration the advisability of borrowing two or three millions ti equip a fleat of mercantile ocean tramps to take our produce to the markets of *h* world. He also advocated the coatinuance of the [subsidy tt the Orepuki sha'e industry, 'The temainder of bis speech wag devoted to educational mtttnrs. He J considered E Juoation Boards should be elected on a more popular ba«is and jthtt the inspectorate should bo made peripa'etic, and inspectors placed under the control of the Central Department, Mr. Buddo believed the prosperity of the country was due to careful financa on the part of the Government, and to the industry of the people. Oa the subject of teychers salaries he thought that a certain salary should be paid for certain classes of tetohtng work irrespective of tbe sex of the teacher, and that the matter of staffing should be left to the Boards. He considered the school syllabus was at present overloaded, and children were worked too hard, especially in the fourth standard. More exercise should be given for the hand and eye. He was strongly opposed to the 'Frisoo mail service, and urged a fast" all red " service via Suez.

Mr. Laurensou viewed with alarm the abnormal rata at which our borrowed money waa being piled up, as a day of reckoning would have to come. He thought it waa time to call halt, and consider whether we were not spending too much. He waa bi terly opp wed to the increase in defence expenditure and couid find no excuco for ic. He urged the G verntnent to go in for a more ex*n<iva system of land settlement and opening up of native lands in the North IsUnd. He thought tho time had arrived when the Government should issue notes of their own, us he believed we could now have a currency of our own of two millions and obtain money here without having to get it in London at disadvantageous rates, He moved as an amendment, that in the opinion of th«'s Rouse, the Government should introduce a Bill for the purpose of e.tablishing a State Bank of issue, or an issoe department in the Colonial Treisory. | Sir Joseph Ward, in answer to Mr. Jas. Allen, siid tbe Government would not support tbe amendment, as the time had not arrive for the praetioal consideration of i h question. Mr. Allen: \V ill you take it as • vote of want of confidence ? Sir Joseph Ward: No!

The amendment was immediately carried to a division, and rejected by 35 votes to 10.

Mr. Millar referred to the Premier'e advice to go "slow," and said that the fact of the indicator pointing to " alow " showed there was danger ahead, th« chief danger in this care being " want ffuel." Tbe fact was that the Stock Exchange, where fuel had previously ' been obtained, had quietly told the . Government that they had so many ordurs to fill that tbey could not attend u> them at the present time. The Government had gone into *r*rj part of the Australasian colonies to see if they caild get supplier, and the result was the last half million loan. It was absolutely impossible for the colony te ?o on at the rate of the put ten years. The debate was interrupted by to* 5.30 adjournment. Eteniko Prrmrqu The Houoe resinned »t 7".50. Mr. Millar continued his op«eeh. He said that the Government claimed 'o have transferred £2,445,000 out of revenue to the public works fund, but he contended the most that could have ben transferred was £830,000. He regretted to say he honestly believed the colony was not in a sound financial position, and although our population had increased 19 per cent during the lest ten ye»nt, the public debt per bead bad increased from £59 lie to£6l 17s, and tax«tion per head from £3 10s to £3 16s lOd, There was little prospect of 'he continuance of prosperity which had existed since the Liberal party fame into power, but which prosperity was now on th<» outwArd tide. He d*preea»el the proposal of the directors of the B<mk of New Zet'and te piy its shareholders a dividend while it owed tho colony two millions. He dechrod hims.lf strongly againet the Sao Franc-soo eervw«, end in conclusion urged that Mr. Ballanee\i policy of selfreliance was the truepilioy to mike thie cMony a great B<a»e. Mr. Fowlds said that as the result of his inquiries he found that the consumer was reaping the benefit of reductions made in Customs duties heft y< ar. H> congratulated the colony oo the prospeot of being able to net tho abaormal expenditure of the current y_ar. At thn eame time he agreed *ith tho*e who said the colony had b*en living in somewhat of a f ool's paradise during the fat ffv« yean. He condemned the policy of siding the Pnblio Works fund out of surp'us. He went on to contend at length th*t land was not beiricg its fair share of taxa•loo. He complained that although toe North Island contributed more to revenues under eve-y h-ad of taxation than the South, the expenditure was lavished on th<. South to the. ■le nmeot of the nor*h. This injustioo w»s due to mad quate representation of the north m the Cabinet and Levels, tive Council.

Mr. Hornby did not think th<» who!, hnancnl position was disoloead in the Budget, and annoimcAd hiVinention when the rsim-tea were under oodsidewt;on of contain* everyone «f *he increasea in the e-tim.Us. with regard to the nrr.coml <vi **«b- ------; Iwh oo .1 storrs a t, r ne Cape, h* thought fit ihe wrre in *ara««t •hey would have started by oomhat-w* the emanation v Home, whieh »m miiit.tiDg RgaiDß- the success of our produce to«de» Not a hand bad beea luted to protect producers against tb* roguery that waa being perp.trtf.il oa we London market. He in iatftai that when the define, vote *ZX bf would mow fwlai^BoMqeTgßfe

half as a protest against the military caste system. He urged that the Old Age Pensions most be secured for all time against fluctuations in revenue. The statesmanlike course would be to create land endowments, and it would not be too much to reserve all remaining Drown knds of the colony for the purpose. He asked members to assist in putting an the brake. Mr. Graham contended that if outstanding accounts were paid there would be a deficit in the Public Works Fand of over one millioo. He complained stroigly that the Government had departed entirely from the policy laid down by Mr. Billance in 1891 that the colony should show self-reliance and live within its means. NoautocraticGovernmentcould havespent money more lavishly than the present Government had done. He urged a reduction of the mortgage tax, and deprecated increases in salaries of civil servants.

At 11.25 Mr. Fisher moved the adjournment of the debate. This was carried by 33 to 10 and the House rose until 2.30 to-morrow.