GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2226, 11 July 1891, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Wellington, July 8. HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday. RANGER CONNELL. Replying to Mr Richardson Mr McKenzie said that Ranger Connell had been suspended partially in y deference to what had beert'Said about ■ him in the House, and owing to the fadt that,Connell had admitted having written what was in his (Mr McKenzie's) opinion a very improper letter to a member of the House. REDUCTION OF DUTIES. On the orders of the day being reached, and before the discussion of the Financial Statement was resumed, Mr Duthie asked the Speaker's permission to move the following amendment :—" That in view of the surplus of £257,660 estimated to be available, and the proposal to reduce the postal rate on letters, this House is of opinion that any relief given should be in the direction of reducing the duties on the necessaries of life."

The Speaker ruled that the amendment could riot be moved in that form as it proposed a complete Substitution of the amendment already- moved by Mr Fish which was now before the House. THE FINANCIAL DEBATE. The Financial Debate dragged its weary length along in the hands of Messrs Dawson, Saunders, Buchanan, Duncan, and Fergus, who said he had neves known a more atrocious piece of maladministration than the dismissal of Police Inspectors. Mr Duthrie moved an amendment as follows :—" That the financial proposals of the Government would be; more in accordance with the wishes of the people if the surplus estimated to be available by the Financial Statement were devoted to the'-reduction of taxation on the necessaries of life." He strongly urged the necessity of an amendment of this kind. The Premier considered that the motion was one of want of confidence. The ■ Government, however, were determined not to allow their proposals to be traversed in that manner, and I they would not evade it. He believed that the working classes would see through a motion 1 Of'this kind.

,r 'vMr : Seobie;<vMcKenzie contended that if it were'°& ! v<>te.' of want of cbnfiderice i MrMish 7 had ; brought it on the Government by his amendment expressing confidence in the-Government. Mr Richardson said that he had asked for a return of details of the expenditure'.of the thousands of pounds spent by the, Sto(s; without authority from Wellington as stated by, the Minister for Lands. A ; return :had been laid on the table that afternoon; which;' he' (Mrr Richardson ) said was. a;2ying document, and did not contain the information asked for. Mr McKenzie said Mr Richardson

had got the exact return he asked for\ __. He had asked for the expenditure or the. inspectors who charged for the lime of their own horses and rent-for

their own houses as offices. The fact _ was the hon. gentleman had got moref than he wanted. He had expected the return to be blank .in these respects. As to money spent without control, be had no doubt the late Minister had given instructions for the expenditure of this money, but what control had he over the expenditure. The whole thing showed that Mr Richardson had no idea of what had boen going on in his own department. If he only told him what he really wanted, he should be furnished with any , return he required. He asserted that every statement he (Mr McKenzie) had made had been borne out by facts, and before the session was over the lion, gentleman hoped to have to hear many more statements which he would have to disprove or remain silent > under.

1 After further discussion Mr Duthie's 1 amendment was put and lost by 38 to i 16. The division list is as follows : } Against—3B : Ballance. Blake, 13nick, Cadman, Carncross, Duncan, Earn- ; shaw, Fish, Fisher, Guinness, Hall- : Jones, Hogg, Houston, Geo. Hutchi- [ son, W. Hutchison, .Ivapa. J. Kelly, W. Kelly, Macdonald, McGuire, .John ' i McKenzie, Meredith, C. 11. Mills, Parata, Percival, Pinkerton, Bees, W. P. Reeves. Sauders, Seddon, Shera, E. M. Smith. W. C. Smith. Tanner, : Taylor, R. Thompson, T. Thompson, and Ward. For—lG : Bryce, Buckland, Duthie, Hall, Harkness, M. J. S. McKenzie, T. Mackenzie, Moore, Newman, Richardson, Holieston, Swan, Taipua, J. W. Thomson, Valentine.and Wright. Pairs—-Against Dawson, Macintosh, Grey Palmer, O'Conor. Lawry, R. 11. J. Reeves, Joyce, Carroll. For, J. Mills, Mitchelson, Macarthur, Wilson, Buchanan, Rodhes, Fergus, Russell, and Hamlin. Mr Fish's amendment was then carried on the voices, and the House went into Committee of Supply. The House rose at 1.50 a.m. The House met at 2.30 p.m. on Thureday. HEMES TO QUETIONS. In answer to Mr Valentine, McKenzie stated that he had received that day. a telegram from Ranger Campbell, of Invercargill, denying that lie had ever been dismissed from the police force for brutally assaulting a prisoner in his cell. The Commissioner of Police could find no record of such a charge against Campbell. Replying to another question it was stated that the Government would -

communicate with -Mr—Courtney- in London to ascertain the conditions on which he would be willing to establish an industry in the colony for the manufacture of wool bales, sacks, and any other fabrics out of the tow from flax mills, and on receipt of his reply the Government would take the matter * into consideration. THE FINANCIAL DEBATE.

Sir George Grey impressed upon members that they must endeavour to fulfil the anticipa. tions which had been formed of them. They were returned to impose a tax on the uncraned increment. They were told it would be impossible to impose any tax on land except such a high one that the owners of those lands would be involved, hi ruin, but that was a subject on which they should not concern themselves. Their duty was to impose a tax that would provide that large tracts of land should bear their proper burdens of taxation, and the masses of the people would require that this should be done. The proposed income tax was opposed in certain quarters, but he felt sure that the property tax was more likely to lead to fraud than an income tax was. Mr Perceval said that after careful consideration of the new taxation proposals, he had come to the conclusion that the Treasurer would get more revenue than under the property tax.

Mr Seddon said they were told that the proposals of the Government were forced on them, and that Sir George would make them show their hand. That was a stigma to cast on one who had been consistent in fighting for the rights of the people. The Government looked on Sir George

Grey as a tower of strentgh to them. j They looked to him to assist them in carrying their proposals. They did not, however, fear Sir George Grey, nor did they fear the gentleman opposite. Alluding to the question of retrenchment, he said that there was not the , slighest foundation for the charge that the Police Inspectors were dismissed because they were Protestants. When the present Government took office, in the Public Works Department alone forty officers had to be retired, there being no work for them to do. Mr Fergus had told the House time after time that the Public Works Department would be abolished, but the fact was that it was stronger to-day than before the time when the last Public Works Minister first made that statement. The Government did not propose to ask for any increase in the Defence vote, as they were of opinion that thousands of pounds had been thrown away in, the Defence Department. Mr Smith (Waipawa) moved the adjournment of the debate, which was agreed to. The House rose at 1.15 a.m.