PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 194, 29 August 1903, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

i?KR PRESS ASSOCIATION. J j LEGISLATIVE COONC'IL. | ! Friday, August 28th. \ ' Tho Council rant at 2.30 p.m. The Dairy Industry Act Extension Bill was reported with a new clause providing, against the polutiou o! rivers 1 and streams by dairy companies. The Wireless Telegraphy Bill was reported as amended by tho Committee to include the establishment of stations within the colony, to limit the money penalty to unauthorised persons establishing stations for hire or profit, and to make the forfeiture penalty in other cases optional. , The Council adjourned.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Thursday, August 27th. After the Telagraph Office closed the State Fire Insurance Bill was further considered in Committee. At Olausa 13, " lasuranca and reinsurance business of office," Mr Sidey moved a proviso to prevent the Insurance Boird entering into any agreement with any private insurance company fixing premiums payable. Mr Saddon did not obj *oti to the amendment, which was adopted on the voices. On the motion of Mr Seddon a new clause was added giving power to hold enquiry in case of bnildings insured in the Government Department being damaged or destroyed by fire. The Bill was then reported and the House rose at 3.15 a.m. Friday, August 27th. The House met at 2.30 p.m. , A Bill to require vehicles on roads to carry lamps at night was introduced by Mr Major and read a first time. An Imprest Supply Bill for £517,000 was brought down by Governor'g message.

Messrs Massey, Buchanan and Bollard protested against this continual interference with the printed Order Paper. Mr Seddon urged that the Bill had to be brought down that day so as to get it through before the end of the month, and said it was not customary to place supply at the head of the Older Paper.

Mr Allen complained tbat last year there Was an unexpended balance of appropriations in the public works fund of no less sum than £835,000. This money had been voted by the House for public works, but bad not been spent. He contended there could only be two reasons for this —shortness of money (denied by the Premier) or that these appropriations had been passed in view of a coming general election without any intention of expending them. The back blocks settlers had been sacrificed by this non-expenditure. Of the total amount voted tor railways §3 per cent bad been expended and 74 par cent for public buildings, but only 58 per cent (£281,000 out of £480,000) of the. total amount appropriated for roads and bridges, had been spent, It was not fair to make the pioneer! settler suffer in this way, Public works and go'dfields (except on the] West Ooast) had not had their fair share of expenditure last year, 1 while telegraph cx'ension, public buildings, and additions to open lines had had ( far more than their fair share, !

Sir Joseph Ward said of the £71,000 for telegraph extension voted last year only about XI 8,000 was for new works, the balanoe being for liabilities duo at the previous 31st March, and the expenditure of that £187,000 had given an increased revenue of £6,600. As to pu'slic buildings, he agreed that same expenditure could be Bpared if tfyere a necessity (or redijotion, but the demands had begn sq great all over the oolqny, owing tQ progress of settlement, tl»at )t was necessary to expend the money that had been spent, Mr Buchanan oontended that back blocks settlers had not been fairly, treated in last year's public wkge*-. penditure, Hon, Ball-Ja&Gg said the blame for non-expenditure of the appropriation for roads to back blocks lay with the local bodies, and he would be very sorry about entrusting expenditure to local bodies in future, It was a question whether the Government should not do these works itself. The Government had authorised the expenditure of the whole of the vote for the Raads Dapartment pissed last year with the oxoeption of some £15,000. Mr T. McKenijie asserted that letters had been received by Mr Hall-Jones' department from local bodies stating that unle6s the monevs appropriated were handed over to them they would have to suspend operations. Hon. Hall- Jones challenged Mr McKcnzie to give proof of this assertion. Mr Hogg considered that sound discrimination was wanted in cqnnection with the expenditure. The debate was interrupted by the 5.30 adjournment.

Eveningi Sitting. The Hous9 resumed at 7.30 p.m. ATTRACTISq TOUBISTS, Mr Wilford meved as an amendmant to the second reading of the Imprest Supply Bill '< That the Government undertake, in the interests of the colony and tourist traffic, bureaux of information in tha United States, the United Kingdom and Canada." Re said he took this unusual course of forcing upon the attention of the Government this most important and far reaching subject. Great ignorance prevailed in the outside world regarding the wonders and natural resources of New Zealand, and great possibilities lay before the Government in the way of systematically advertising. The colony would greatly benefit by the class of tourists that would come here if the attractions of the colony were better known, and he strongly urged upon the Government the necessity of further encouraging this treffic. It would be an advantageous move if the Government could send Mr Donne, bead of the Tourist Department, on a> tour through other countrits in the interests of tha Department. Mr E, M. Smith, in seconding the amendment, enlarged upon the baauties find resources of the Mokau district which, ha said, contained sufficient minerals to piy off the national debt of New Zealand. He wou!d support any scheme which had for its objeot the attraction of tourists to the colony. Mr Rutherford urged the claims of Hamner and Canterbury as tourist resorts.

Mr Heke spoke of the beauties of the country north of Auckland. Hon, 0. H. Mills described the attractions of Marlborough Sounds and the other paitsof the colony, and said! tliat the development of tourist traffio

was lirgely a qucs'ion of means and tho Goverameut was moving in the right direction. He looked forward to seeing in a few years the establishment of a twenty knot steamer service between Porirua and Picton. j Mr Eogg hoped tffoot would be given to the amendment proposed by Mr Wilford. Mr ''hos. Mackenzie pointed to the necessity that existed for preserving the beauties of the southern l«k«B and for eradicating the stoats and weasels that were rapidly making the fauna of | New Zealand a thing of the past. Mr Major considered the Taranaki district offered more inducements to [ tourists than any other part of the i colony.

Shortly after the supper adjournment Mr WilfordV maeudment was negatived on 'he voices. INPIIEST SUPPLY. On the motion tint the Bill be read a second time, Mr Massey said certain members were encouraged by th« Premier to wear the cap and bolls, and gloried in it. He bad nover witnessed so disgraceful a scene, and hoped he would uot do so again. He charged the Government with having no policy, and with being afraid to face the problems needing solution. Messrs Moss and Wood spoke. Mr Lang doubted Mr Hall-Jones' statement that local bodies were responsible for the non-expenditure of publio works votes. J Mr Hall-Jones: They received 1 authority for £150,000, and the amount had not come to oharge on 31st March. ! (Left sitting.)