GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1748, 9 June 1888, Page 4

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Oh Wednesday Mr Dignan presented a .petition from the Papnkura fruit growers, objecting to the Codlin Moth !BiII. Mr Waterhouse moved that, in the absence of positive information -upon the subject, the Council is not prepared to sanction the proposed deviation of the South Island Midland Railway contract.— Sir George'Whitmore moved an amendment.that the whole matter be referred to a Select Committee to report.—The amendment was agreed to by 19 to 4, Sir F. Whitaker objecting,—The following are the committee elected by ballot; —Messrs Waterhouae, Richmond, Pollen, Stevens, Maclean/Miller, and the mover.

Mr Earnicoat continued the debate on Mr Oliver's motion for the abolition of Education Boards and raising the school age. He opposed the motion.—Mr S* ansou objected strongly to the school uge being raised.—The Speaker allowed the motion to be divided, with the result that raising the school age was carried by 13 to 7, and the abolition of the Education Boards rejected by 11 to 9. On Thursday, Mr Wahawaba gave notice to ask tomorrow if Government intend to prevent Te Kooti visiting the East Coast. Mr Pharazyn moved that the San Francisco mail service be discontinued after tbs termination of the present contract, but the motion was ultimately with-' drawn. The Administration Act 1879 Amendment Biil and the Land Traosfer Act Amendment Bill were read a second time.

The adjourned debate on the Chinese Immigrants - Act Amendment Bill was continued, with the result that the Bill was passed by 16 to 8.

: HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES. On Wednesday Mr Tanner gave notice to move that the Education Act be amended so as to provide for raising the school age to 7 years. The Premier briefly moved the second reading of the Customs Duties Tariff Bill, remarking that he hoped it would not be approached in a party spirit, and (that every assistance would be given to remove the anomalies that might be found. Mr Cowan said that, while admiring the thorough way in which the Government bad approached retrenchmehf, he could not approve of the Protective portion of their tariff proposals. : He considered that the cost of education should be reduced, and subsidies to local bodies discontinued. Mr Hobbs wou'd prefer the abolition of the property tax pi mption to the tea duty, and was opposed, to the sweeping away of Education Boards. He was in favor of encouraging local industries, and would like to see an income tux established.

Mr Smith asked where wore St Harry A kinsoo’s promises to reduce borrowing 1 He (Mr Smith) was opposed to th« emailing taxation proposed. By not calling Parliament together in February to remedy the eiror in the Loan Act it was computed that the country had lost £IOO,OOO, as the loan could then have'been floated on mor« favorable terms than now. He moved as an amendment that the Bill bs read that day six months.

Mr McArthur said tha Premier had completely thrown over many of his followers by these protective proposals. Sir Harry Atkinseo last session had promised to bring down a tariff that! would satisfy everybody. The Premier explained that he had only said in a lively way that he would; please both Freetraders and Protectionists.

Mr McArthur resumed:.lt is t pity they bad net known that the Premier was jesting, but the' result was that he had not pleased all. His tariff would have great political force, and it would be impossible to go. back. If, he had known last session as much. Of tha finances as he did now be would never have voted fora loan, nor, he thought, wou'd many others. He wished to say thsc increased duty should not be imposed on machinery under! order. i ,

Dr. Newman was by; no means satisfied that the meacs.of retrenchment had been exhausted! • He could hot undmtand why £400,000 of the deficit was to be funded, and £128,000 raised by primage ■ tax. Why not pay off or fund the whole I , -■ ■, Th a Treasurer said nothing of the kind was Wended.

Dr Newman, contieuing, favored taxing; absentees and condemned the primage duty. h, . . Mr Menteath said he was l one of them betrayed by the Premier. The policy now brought down was really the last Govern- 1 ment’s, only more ao. Protection j wou'd probably cause a short boomj but it; would; not last more tban two or three-years.

Mr Taylor said'that with a few except tions the tariff was satisfactory to him. Tha-debate wasdnterrupted by the 5.33 p.m. adjournment, and on roßumiqg at 7.30 Mr Taylor continued. He objected to class legislation, hoped tofind the Premier become sounder do bis education’ views, and advocated an income tax. >..; DcHodgkinsen thought that subsidies to local bodies might be abolished. 1 The tariff was not unfairly' protective, but an ad valorem duty on tea would have 'been better than a fixed duty. Ua’thought the property tax exemption might be abolished and urged that the railways be sold. MrPyke could not see exactly! where: the Protection element of the tar ff came in. Education should only be dree up to the fourth standard, the explosive system, of high schools abolished, and.the. school age raised. Subsidies to local bodies should disappear. Unless the Government assured him that each item of the tariff would bo discussed separately ' be would vote against the second rea ling. The Premier said this would be su. Mr Hutchison said the Opposition supported the tariff because of jthe protective element. The duty on teaand primage were, however, weak concessions to those members who were neither ;protectioni*ts nor freetrader*. He thought great saving could be effected in-defence, as it was impossible to complete the defence work with the means at oonomand.

Mr Fergus, after an attack on Mr Ballance, said Government, on the authority of the Governor and General Bchaw, knew f the defences to be in a very, for ■» ardjiatp.v Ho regretted they could not be more liberal to the volunteers. After three months of consideration the Gove-oment could see no better menus of r.*i«ii-g the money'uigent'-y tequne'i than those they bad proposed.

Mr Reeves con'ended that farmers were exceptionally well treated under the tariff, As to the Freetnders generally, they * ere ready to support duties if it were merely &aid they were required for revenue purposes, but if these same duties ware called Protective they stood aghast. For himself, he accepted the tariff because it suited him, and so did many op his side. They were not. going to refuse the Treasurer sufficient revenue if he made out a good case for it. Major Steward would like to have seen a tax and an income tax. He thought the.,cost of education could bo reduced. He disliked the tax. on ten and cottons, and was in furor of an extra beer duty and a carriage tax.

IvlrGrimmond opposed the tariff. He prcfened the abolition of the property tax exemption and a graduated land and income tax to the Government proposal. Mr W.C. Smith’s amendment', that the Bill be read a second time this day six months, was put and lost ou theivoices. The debate on the original question “ Unit the Tariff Bill be read a second time” was ibi-n continued.

Mr Buchanan opposed the tariff. Mr Allen moved the adjournment of the debate til) 2.30 on Thursday. On Thursday, Mr Allen, on behalf of Mr Maoarthur* asked the Government (1) whether they will invite the House: to take, into consideration the proposed new concessions to the,Midland Railway Company ; (2) if not,' whether they will give facilities to private members to bring a motion oh the subject before the House.

The Premier said Government did not propose to a.-k the House to, take any notice of the concessions. They were not new concessions, as suggested by the wording of the question. They did- not propose to give private members any special facilities to bring on a motion.

Mr Goldie resumed the debate on the OustliDhCTfriff Bill. The country could itancTa' great deal mors retrenchment. The pension list might be cut down, and he was pledged to a land and income tax. He should vote for the tariff, as he thought the country required j'Protection to keep the population within ita shores.

Mr Tannvr thought they ought to cast Jabout for some'cheaper method of govern* ing the country. At least half a million cou d be saved, which would obviate the necessity for raising so much revenue by the tariff, The solution lay in a new and extended form of local government. Capital in every form should be made to contribute to the cost of governing. There should be more duties on silks, jewellery, wine, spirits, cigars, tobacco, totalieaiora. and racehorses; The properly tax exemption should, bo lowered to £250, and thee the tax itself could be lowered.

Mr Allen gave Government credit for their efforts at reducing the expenditure, but it was possible to make further reductions. He was afraid that before long they would have the Treasurer demanding a sugar duty, fie animadverted on .the inequalities of the tariff, some portions of which would press heavily on local industry, and he went at length into the subject of Freetrade and Protion, the latter of which he strongly condemned. ! Mr fish said he had once beta a Freetrader, but had seen the folly of trying to apply (he theories of other days and places where the; circumstances-rendered them totally inapplicable. He approved of the financial policy of the Government generally, bet considered that - local subsidies should be abolished. He would like to see the property tax replaced by a progressive, ’ land and income tax. He congratulated - Government on the stand made against paying interest out of loan. If the Freetraders caitfied'bil their theories to a logical conclusion, they/twould shut up every factory in the colony. Mr Scobio Mackenzie saidi t-hey had bad duties amounting to 16| per cent.* for years, and what a state tnis‘measure;; of Protection had brought the country to 1 Yot the Protectionists wanted them raised. The fact was that the great prosperity of •Victoria was the reason for the demand for Protection, but no one could say that 'Protection' * was the reason of that prosperity. Mr Fisher defended the education system from the attacks made upon) it; and showed that Government ’ had much reduced the cost already. ■, It was possible to do;still .tnore, but they considered it wise,to defer further consideration .for a while. Speaking of finance (generally,, he contrasted the promised reductions by the Stout-Ybgei Government with thbioctual reductions'by the,present Government of "£233,000. If railways had, not fallen off so extraordinarily and jqterest, bad n&t|lo bo provided hew'‘loan there, i.would have been no deficit'this year. 1 !,( !VMH.Walkef,UfliWei oouirso of as long speech, eaidihaiheld that Protectioqjwoald be a. good thing for tural coinmuniiy, as it > would give them markets nearer their doom.,,,His side desired; to give eyefy l ;fß*si|itapFo'.:in theirvipower to curry the ...tariff and budget proposals generally; ; ” ‘

5 "On the*haotion bf s Mr Duncaq, the debate wasadjouroed.