PARLIAMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 253, 24 November 1903, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

LEGISLATIVE COUXCIL. MONDAY, November 23. The Public Works Bill was reported as amended, read a third time and passed. Hon. W. Carncross moved that the attention of the Government be foe to the uni'aiir manner in whwhich British goods are being handicapped by the preferential rates charged by British shipping companies. The motion was carried.

The Council adjourned at 5.40 to 7.30 p.m. The Council resumed at 7.30. On the motion for committal of the Maori Land Laws Amendment B.UI Hon. Mahuta, while approving of the Bill, strongly deprecated bringing down important measures of the kind so late in the session. The Bill was a/mended, read a third time and passed. Tho Council adjourned at 10.30 until the Appropriation Bill was received from the House. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. MONDAY, November 23. The House met at 2.30 p.m. and resumed consideration of the Supplementary Estimates. At the vote Tor the Defence Department, £4077. Mr SYMES strongly condemned the administration of this Department and said the whole staff was not worth £l7O a year. Mr DUTHIE complained of the excessive expenditure on defences and moved to reduce the total by £SOOO. The motion was put and lost. At the item " naval tralining ship, £1000," Mr SEDDON said we had not got the ship yet, bii\}, the Admiralty,, informed him that''we should get it as soon as the ship was put out of Commission. The total defence vote pass;*! unaltered. ' At the vote of £SOOO for preliminary expenses and contingencies chargeable on the State Fire Insurance account, Mr MASSEY asked what was interml.'d to be done in this matter. Hon HALL-JONES said it was intended to proceed on the lines laid down in tho Bill. The Government must have money with which to start the new Department. The House rose at 5.30 p.m.

EVENING SITTING. Tho House resumed at 7.30. In Committee of Supply on the Supplementary Estimates, Mr W. FRASER asked what salary it was proposed to pay to the manager of the State Fire Insurance Department, Hon. HALL-JONES said the appointment of manager had not yet been made. Add Pkrliament

Mr SEDDON said that since the passing of the Act insurance rates had been lowered throughout the colony, and thousands of pounds had been saved to the country. The Government would institute what they believed to be fair rates, and the companies were quite prepared to reinsure on those rates. The % r ote passed unaltered.

At the vote for the Post and Telegraph Department,

Mr HARDING moved a reduction of £l, as an indication- that the Government contributions to post office clocks should cease. Mr MASSEY contended It was a most improper thing that borrowed money should be spent for the purpose of supplying cities and boroughs with luxuries when it was impossible to find money for more necessary purposes. The motion was lost by 30 to 17. Mr HARDING moved to reduce the item of £3OOO for the Greymouth Hospital. This was lost. Mr HOGG moved to strike out the immigration vote of £4OOO. He complained that men born in the colony could not got land, and he went on to say that it was no use parading three or four million acres of land as being available for settlement when the greater part of it was not accessible.

Mr SYMES urged that it was ne good putting people on to the land in the back blocks who had had no experience of such districts. What they wanted was roads and tracks. To put new chums there was too ridiculous.

Mr SEDDON said he had seen new chums in Australia and New Zealand, and it was the new chums who had laid the foundations of the colony. This generation was reaping the advantage of the work done by new chums in the past . The vote under discussion meant that the passage money would be reduced to people who had a capital of £SO Mr GRAHAM said that unless we were prepared to open up the land in the back blocks it would be lar ■ letter to leave these would-be immigrants where thev were Mr SEDIJON said there was plenty of room in the colony for additional population, but if we depended upon the increase through the birth-rate the colony would not obtain that measure of development it was Entitled to.