PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 206, 26 September 1903, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

FEB PRESS I3SOOIATION. LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Friday, Septbmber 25. Ilia Council m«t at, 2.30 p.m. The Commissioners atid Interpretation Act Amendment Bills passed their fin'il stages. The Oity Single Electorates Bill was committed.' The Attorney-General moved a long series of amendments to clause 4 relating to city licensing districts. Hon. G. McLean suggested embodying r.hem in tho Bill which, when reprinted, coull be recommitted for furthpr * onsi'leration. Attorney General agreed, and tho amendments wore inserre:'. and the Bill reported. The Bush and Swamp Grown Lands Settlement; Bill wis read a second time pro forma, arid referred to the Was'e Lands Committee. 1 The Imprisonment for Debt LimiI tation Bill pissed through Committer The Cou ;cil adjourned at 3.15.

HOUSE OF -arSESENTATTVES; Thursday, September 24. After the Telegraph Office close'', after considerable debate, the second reading of the Water Power Bill was carried on the voices. The House res? at 12.30 a.m. Friday, September 25. Mr Withi fcrd gave notice to ask the Government whether they will move to strike out standing order 229, which prohibits the publication by newspapers of information before Select Committees of the House,

IMPBEST SUPPLY. An Imprest; Supply Bill for £517,000 was introduced by G -vernor'e menage. Mr Massey protested against; these Iroprpst Bills being brought down without prrper notice. On the motion for the sacand reading Mr Bedford moved that the Bill be read a second time six months hence, as an indication th'it the House has no confidence in the Ministry ns at present constituted. He said the country was satisfied that the strongest men in the Oovernment Party were not in the Ministry and the Premier was flouting the House in not strengthening the Cabinet.

Mr Taylor would vote for the re*)-' lution with very great satisfaction. Ministers had not been made with « view of strengthening; the Oabinnt, but for strengthening Mr Seddon's personal position. There was not a man on the Government fide of the House who would not say privately that he wac utterly sick of the present Cabinet Mr Seddon said he had seen the mover,on tho Opposition benches consulting wifh the Oppis'tion, and it was theres'ira quite unnecessary for him to a k if the ame» (Vnent h'd the «nd approval of thd Leader of the Opposition. Mr Mousey: Quite unnecessary.

Hon, Hall-Jones contended such an was alt"g th r r out of plaoe on an Imo'-eflt Supply Bill. Mr McLachlan would vote for the Ministry until he knew of a better one Mr Duthie had no confidence in the Governmnnt. Mr Massey Raid every member on his side rf the House was free to vote as he liked. He was not oonsulted officially or privately about it, and knew nothing about it until Mr Bedford rose to i f . He had no confidence in the Ministry, and h* intended on every occasion to vote for such an amendment.

Mr Allison considered ail opportune time should have been chosen to bring on the amendment. The motion would not be carried to-day, but the time was not far distent when it would be carried unless (he constitution of the Ministry was altered. Mr Seddon asked whether the second reading of this Bill wis to be d«kyed for six months and piymont of salaries del.yed through carrying piifh a mot'on. He would ask Mr Bedford to realise that he <vas merely a juvenile in politics having scarcely entered the House, and it was presumption on his part to rush headlong into such a position. Such a motion, he urged, was ill-timsd and unprecedented and cou'd only have been done to get th* vo'et of those who, like Mr Duthie, would v.ite agaiost thi Government o r t any and every occasion. After a lengthy discussion the amendment was negatived by 45 to 19. Ayes: Messrs. Aitken, A'ieon, Bdfr>rd, Buihanat), Du'hio, Fnser, Hiri ing, Hardy, Herdman, Ho-ries, Lmcf, Lewis, T. MoKerzie, Rhodes, Russell, Taylor, J. 0. Thomson, W, Thoinßon. Noi-s : A'l«i, E. G Btrbe*-, Bmm», B iddo, Car-nil, v?n, D.ivey, Kll, F p'dfD, Fisher, Flyman, Graham, Hall, Hall j Jones, Hanan, H«ke, Ho??, Houston, Jennings, Kidd, Liurfingnn, Lawry, Major Mand-r, McQowan, Mcljnchlan, McN*b, Millar, Milts, ,o'\f«ara, P.»ra*«, P/re, Ruthnford, Seddon, SicUy, Steward, JSymss, Tanner, Wilford, Willis, Witty, and Wood. Pairs for am a ndmon' : Messrs Allen, Jus, Bollard, and R»ed ; against the amendment, Ward, Fiaser, Smith. During the discussion on the InaprfgS Supply Bill Mr Herrics contended rh it; t liH n°t revpnu" p9f triin mile on thn rnilwavs was steadily de firpmainc, a d he it ribut. d this to bad management ! Sir W. Russell wns convinced that t.h« railways wars not being managed in the host int u ros f s of the colony. The dchntn was interrupted by the 5,30 adjournment. Evening Sitting.

The House resumed at 7.30. p.m. A further disius-<"n place on the lraprps' Siipn'v B>'l. Mr Herriesi l q M ired if 'he £IOO 000' aiitbor'.sad l\v ( hn fir.-t Imnrest Snnply Bill hod be f n transferred to the Public Worl-s Fund. Mr fWdon said the amount available on th? Public Fund would o»lv enable t.he Government to carry on till Bocrnbrr nt t.b« pr -ent r»'« of : p.-t>d'»n'«. si ?ba' th« rra'wf r i.f " li > j £IOO,OOO wou'd hav« to be wd.shortly. As far as pwiMe or n»ditu o on tho consolidated fu d hid boon roduccd, but the growing demands of tho colonv had to be m n! \ Th'i ex nenditure on the Post and Telegraph Dapartmont; h"d already exre de' *h° estimate for th? year bv about £SO 000, but tbe m >r >ev " 7 el' T 1 .1.1. C»j ;-ir(a <.» ■ b 1 f.i 1 wb.'t'K !bo <• 1 nn-1' '-.T could bo cui. down. •

Mr Mas=ey paid retrenchment was absolutely neoeasary, and it »« for the Government to rooist the Ejtimxtee and nave, say, £50,000. If it did that the Housa would support the Government. Replying ti further criticisms Mr Set!don said he had not known the consolidated fund to be better than it I was now. ! On the motion for the third reading i Mr Dufcbie again strongly urged the | need for retrenchment and toonomy. ! Mr Buchanan S'lid that in the first 20 numbers of Hansard the 'upaoe occupied by Ministers and their supporters was 15,728 inohes M againefc 6418 by the Opposition. He urged that departmental expenditure should first be cut down. Mr Lethhridge advocated further educational facilities in the back blocks. (Left Sitting.)