GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2090, 26 August 1890, Page 3

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

If LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, On Friday, bible, beading in schools. On the motion for going into committee on the Bible Reading in Schools Bill Mr Buckley moved that the Bill be read that day six months. After a discussion the motion was lost on the casting vote of the Speaker, thb voting being 13 to 13. The motion for going into committee was then lost on the voices, thus killing-the Bill. r , , SECOND HEADINGS." r. The Timaru Oharitajble Aid Institution Testing Bill; and the'Timaru Harbor,Board Empowering Bill, passed their seconds readings. ' The council adjourned at 450 p.m. HOCJ3E OF BBPBE3BNTATIYES. The House met at. 2.30 p.m. on' -Friday. . / ■ 1 ySE EHMAEA SLEDGE CHATTEL, B |Tbe Mines Committee report was to the effect that the five men injured by the accident at Kumara some time ago should be paid £IOO each. It was decided .that the report be considered by the House on Wednesday next. EVASION OP THE LAND LAWS. The Waste , Lands Committee brought up an interim report to the effect that in their opinion evasion of the law had taken place in some instances, and amendment of the Land Act was necessary. THE HUTCHISON CHARGES. In reply to Mr Fisher, Captain Bussell said that as the Hutchison rcharges had been circulated throughput the colony the Government felt • |]j a t it was only reasonable that the reply to those charges should be sent to those public bodies who were likely to interest themselves in the matter. The Government, therefore, were responsible for sending the speeches round the colony. the midland railway. Fergus, in reply to Mr Beeves flnamrahua), said that the Government would insist on the Midland Bailway Company proceeding with the , Belgrove-Eeefton section as speedily as possible.

THE EEBEE3ENTATION < ACT AMENDMENT

, v •' bill.,’ ; | *' x " Captain Russell moved the second reading of the Representation Act Amendment Rill, which provided fey* 'holding the general elections at the earliest day possible. ■. |* In reply to Mr Ballance ais/to the probable date of the eleetions'Captain Russell said that the writs would he returnable in 72'days after the passing df this measure. . . r j> , The. Bill was committed forthwith ’ read a"third time; and passed., v | ta7 the _chabges; ;i

Mr Mitchelaon moved: the /adjournment r of the House to, enable M r Hutchison to reply to Mr Hislop s speech of ■,a few days ago. 7 - /J . { ‘ Mr Hutchison said that lie intended to refer—to- the Colonial Treasurers memorandum and to "jbhe speech made by Mr Hislop August ip reference to the charges he had mad|e against the Government:Ha was aware he was addressing a hostile majority, but he had this eonsolation that he nad the sympathy of those who while being in a minority in the House represented, he believed, the great mass of the-people, and that was more cheering ,to him than the support of. the gentlemen on the Government side of the ’House. The first/charge he

‘;:?TTr r“'r w ’ - ~rr. —r/ c> had made was in reference-to the New Plymouth Harhor Board debentures —a charge which;, the Government were anxious , to-be allowed to let go by default,: The charge .he mpdp-yaa that, the:'Colonial Treasurer (Jiad advanced certain public money to that board in .such a manner as te'Sepdwb the bondholders in London. 18 After strongly condemning the action of the Treasurer in advancing public money to an insolvent board, Mr Hutchison referred to the charge of aiding the Bank of New, Zealand with money. He was sorry that the charge was not fairly stated by the treasurer. In his memorandum the Treasurer stated that the Government had been accused of keeping unusually large balances at' the bank, whereas what he: (Mr Hutchison) * bad said was “ unnecessarily large balances,” which, he

contended, - made a great difference. He pointed out that the Colonial Treasurer in stating the daily average kept at the bank during his term of office as compared with that of the late Government, calculated that balance on a basis so misleading that a much larger average was really kept there, owing to the Treasurer having selected the last day of the financial year previous to which the bank made up its balance. Coming to the raising of the two million loan, he said that his remarks on that head also were not correctly stated by the Treasurer in his memorandum. Mr Hutchison justified the charge he had made in stating that the Government had created- an abnormal state of finance at that period, and he quoted largely from figures in the memorandum to prove his statement. No one he asserted ' would allege that the present: Go- 1 vernment were clumsy operatives 1 in questions of this kind. They were ! on the contrary consummate artists in finance. The balance of deficiency bills outstanding in March, 1888, was £650,000. It was this—and having the enormous amount of cash with which to pay them—that created the abnormal finance at the end of the financial year, 1887* He declared that the paragraph from Westgarth’s Circular quoted by the Treasurer was untrue, and probably inspired. The true explanation of the good; position of our stocks at that time (March, 1888) was Mr Goschen’s Conversion Scheme, which sent colonial stocks up with a bound. That was a period when, had it not been for the Government bungling, a loan might have been floated successfully. He referred to the bank as having, at this period, been reeking with corruption, but notwithstanding the condition of the bank it was decided to pay a dividend. (Hon. members: How did they do it?”) They got it. from the colony by the Treasurer allowing money to accumulate in the copers of the bankover a million; besides the balances on ' that Saturday afternoon from Government insurance, post-office, and other accounts. In referring to the various advances made to the Bank of New Zealand he said that every till had been pillaged—-the Government In. surance, the public trusts, the savings of small people and servant girls, etc—to fill the coffers of the bank. He would not make any reference to the conduct of the three prominent members of the Ministry in their transactions with the bank. He would not be deterred, however, from doing what he thought his duty by the fear of any action with which he might be threatened.

Mr Hislop said that it would have been a more graceful act on the part of the leader of the Opposition to have advised Mr Hutchison to withdraw the charges he Had made against the members of the Goverment. Mr Salience oopld have informed him that there was nothing against the Government in the New Plymouth Harbor Board question. Referring to the agreement with the Bank of New Zealand he accused Mr Hutchison of giving a distorted account of that agreement, and said that Mr Hutchison possessed such a peculiar twist that he could not get the truth out df anything. Mr Hislop mentioned several statements made by Mr Hutchison which he alleged were absolutely incorrect, and altogether disproved by the Treasurer’s memorandum.

Mr Ballance said that Mr Hislop in attempting to disprove Mr Hutchison’s figures had failed lamentably. ( Mr Mackenzie (Mount Ida) also, spoke at great length, and said that Mr Hutchison had made a speech that evening after he had been served with a writ in order to lay his whole case before the public. He sincerely trusted that they had > heard . the last of the Hutchison charges in the House. h

,Mr Reeves (Inangahua) also spoke, after which the adjournment of the House was carried on the voices., | ; The House rose at midnight. jl