GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2534, 27 July 1893, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES. The House met at 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday. LEAVE OF ABSENCE, Further leave of absence fora week was granted to Sir G. Grey on account of illness, and to Mr Mitchelson for a week owing to urgent private affairs. QUESTIONS. Replying to questions, it was stated that the object of the Workmen’s Wages Bill was to protect the wages of all classes of workmen, but if further provisions were necessary for their protection they would receive consideration ; that Government would consider the question of making provision for securing proper accommodation for shearers and other employees in shearing sheds; that it. was not likely that Government would place Government leaseholders on the same footing as freeholders with regard to making advances to settlers on the security of their permanent improvements ; that it was unlikely the codim moth pest would be dealt with by legislation this session ; that the police had received instructions to suppress such barbarous exhibitions as prize fights; that the Government could not allow farmers the privilege of obtaining fencing wire free of Customs duty; that Tawhiao had returned part of the pension granted to him by Mr Cadman as a question of policy, and he would not accept it any more; that the only circular issued by Mr T. F. Rotheram, Locomotive Superintendent on the Government Railways was to the effect that broken service would count in the same way as continuous service for promotion. Mr Fish moved the adjournment of the House, and made an attack on Sir Robert Stout with reference to the Fernhill railway. Sir Robert Stout seconded the motion, and made a vigorous reply. After some discussion, the motion for the adjournment was lost. FINANCIAL DEBATE. Mr Parata resumed the Financial debate, and in the course of his remarks regretted that Mr Carroll had not been appointed Native Minister vice Mr Cadman.

On resuming at 7.30, Mr Seddon referred to the difficult position in which he was placed on the present occasion, inasmuch ,as Mr Rolleston, as leader of the Opposition, had abrogated his position to his friend, the member for Ellesmere. After some introductory remarks, he said with regard to the financial policy of the Government that had scarcely been touched at all by the Opposition, and this placed him in a difficult position. Ho would, indeed, assert that if two-thirds of the speeches had been analysed they would be found to be rather in favor of the Financial Statement than otherwise. He regretted that the colony was about to lose the services of Sir J. Hall, and he complimented that honorable gentleman on the speech he made on the Statement. At the same time ,he (Mr Seddon) could not withdraw a single word he had said respecting Sir J. Hall’s old colleague, a gentleman whom he (Mr Seddon) greatly respected, although he differed from him politically. The records of 1879 would not allow him to forget it, even if he were willing to do. He asserted that since 1879 there had been borrowing and reckless expenditure The land of the people had been parted with. He maintained that he was correct in saying the liability quoted by Sir H. Atkinson in 1879 was a fictitious one, and he could prove on the authority of Mr Oliver, a former Public Works Minister, that in 1879 there was £1,230,000 of liabilities as against the purchase of Native lands. He was prepared to prove by returns that Sir H. Atkinson overstated those liabilities in various ways ; that £30,000 had been quoted for the purchase of Native lands instead of £15,000, that Sir H. Atkinson 1 had stated that one liability of £200,000 existed which should only have been £41,450, that £700,000 stood against the Public Works Fund which should have been £440,000. When Sir J. Hall asked him to revere Sir H. Atkinson’s memory, ho should ask him to cherish the memories of old friendships like Messrs Macandrew, Sheehan, Ballanoe, and another well known and respected public man (Sir G. Grey), who was not in the House this session. He then quoted from documents at great length in support of his contentions that Sir H. Atkinson had overstated the liabilities in 1874. He also justified the assertion he made in Auckland that the Atkinson Government had indulged in borrowing and squandering Referring to the statement he had made that 14,298 people had left the colony daring two years of the last Atkinson administration, he quoted returns to prove what he had said about it. “ Let them go, they will be good advertising agents for the cojouy,” Ho defended his Public Works policy, a in! said that up to the present tlfe Government had met all their liabilities and still had something to go ft l ) - (Sir ;7- Ha]l—“ But what will you iu Mweh I ■’} WyU, tho revenue . - there was nothing to was keeping up, so Gq’ foar in that respect. The prosenvornmont had also to meet a sum of £153,000 for contracts entered into by tho lato Government, and which the present one was in no way responsible tor, Ho defended tho Government from the repeated charge of living on released sinking fund, and said the total amount they had obtained from that source for throe years was a paltry £45,000 whilst ou 31st March there was no less than £177,000 to the credit of tho public works fund. Referring to tho graduated laud tax ho said he did not think their proposals would injure the colony in any way

What the Government wished by this tax was that there should be no aggregation of large estates. Sir John Hall had stated that the Government had dealt unfairly by the country in favour of the towns, but he quoted from returns to prove that the country would fare better under the Government proposals than the Opposition admitted. The proposals had been framed so as to be fair to both country and towns. Referring to Sir R. Stout’s speech last week he said that hon. gentleman was in accord with the Government policy on all points except the graduated tax and the exemption of improvements; but he was, not opposed to the principle of exempting improvements, only he feared that the finance might suffer through it. The Government did not wish to destroy confidence, or to cause alarm, but they must be progressive in their taxation. He next referred to Native Lands, and he hoped the House would not prorogue until an Act was passed dealing fairly with the Natives, and at the same time promoting settlement. Referring to the question of the Railway Commissioners, he thought the Government proposal in that respect was one of the brightest proposals in the Budget, and it would restore to the people the power to deal with property which cost fifteen millions of money, and would also put in the hands of the representatives of the people the power which should never have been taken away from them. One of the first acts of the Railway Commissioners had been to increase the salaries of the higher officials, but no increase was made in the lower grades of the service. No details were given to the Government as to the way the money was spent, although they were repeatedly applied to for further votes. After referring at great length to the whole question, he said the Government did hot intend to abolish the Commissioners, but they did intend to put a Minister on the Board in order that some information might be given to the House as to the expenditure of the department. A great deal had been said against the construction of public works on the co-operative principle, but he asserted that if they went back to the old contract system it meant going back to borrowing, and borrowing meant squandsring. If they dispensed with the co-operative system the result would be disastrous in many respects, and the colony would be flooded with men looking for work. He thought it could not be denied that the colony was in a fairly prosperous condition, and the Government policy was meant to encourage people. As to the purchase of the Cheviot estate he would simply say that the Government were called upon to make that purchase and were advised to do so by the Commissioner of Taxes. With so many advantages also from a settlement point of view, the Government were justified in purchasing the property and he felt satisfied that it would come out all right. He held that what was contained in the Budget, namely, putting taxation on the shoulders of those who were able to bear it and the exemption of improvements, were both steps in the right direction. The graduated tax would cause no alarm in the colony, and the Government were protecting labor by their labor proposals. As the world progressed they must advance with it. The Government had now placed their proposals fairly and fully before the country, and they would not go back, but were determined to stand or fall by their policy. Mr Seddon then resumed his seat, the speech having occupied exactly three hours.

Mr Rolleston said the Premier’s speech was full of wind, and sound, and foam, but there was very little in it, either in ' facts or figures. He said it was fitting, and proper that Sir J. Hall should open the debate, but he contended there had been ample debate on the Budget, and that the debate had shown that it was perilously weak. He deprecated raking up the history of the p-ist Government as the Premier been doing, but he would simply say that the verdict of the country was against the Grey Government in 1879, and that the statements made by the Government of which Sir J. Hall was head were true. It was a discreditable statement for Mr Seddon to make that Sir H. Atkinson had raised bogus liabilities in order to discredit the previous Government. He (Mr Rolleston) asserted that there were £2,200,000 of outstanding liabilities when the five million loan was raised, and if the loan had not been raised there would have been serious financial difficulties. In addition to that, there was £900,000 liabilities for land purchases which had to be met. He quoted from a speech of the late Mr Macandrew, who stated that it had been charged against the Grey Government that the five million loan had been forestalled. Mr Macandrew said, “ Of course it was forestalled, and a good job too.” As to Mr Seddon’s statement about the population leaving the colony, the fact was that the Atkinson Government had introduced a system of economy after a period of public works expenditure. But what did they find at present ? Why, there were more unemployed in the colony now than ever before. This state of things was largely owing to the ridiculous policy of the Government, also to their bunkum cries and mob oratory. There had not been a single new industry started for the last two or three years, and in many cases men only obtained two or three days’ work in a week where formerly they got five or six. He said the country recognised that the Government of the day did well on the whole in placing the railways in the hands of the three gentlemen at present on the Railway Board. He thought that when it came that either the Commissioners or the Premier should go bis opinion was that the verdict of the country would be that the Premier should go and not the Commissioners. As to the increased expenditure of the Commissioners which the Premier made so much of, the Commissioners themselves explained that it was owing to the increased traffic and damage from floods. Ho combaled at some length on Sir R. Stout’s arguments on the subject of Parliament having control of the railways, and said the Act appointing the Commissioners was deliberately passed by Parliament, and it would be a great wrong to alter it without consulting the people. The general impression left on his mind by the Government finance was that it was in a great muddle. They hud now introduced a fresh system of taxation •such as they had not dared to introduce for sonic ton years, and the effect of which they utterly failed to comprehend. The verdict of the country would be, ho felt sure, that the incidence of the taxation was not equitable. Even the Colonial Treasurer himself had not , grasped it, and he apparently did not know how it was going to turn out. The taxation in no way relieved those who earned their bread by the sweat of their brow. The iniddle classes were escaping taxation, whilst the wpalthy passes won}c| have to bear additional burdens. Tjip new taxation was also largely in favour of towns, as was shown hy Captain RusscT. He objected tp the graduated tax as a piinitiye and ho hoped the Govermqeut would their iyay to gq back upon that. Tlioy had nq fight tq pursue the aggrandisement of wwchws

at the expense of another. As to the surplus, he felt it was accidental, and not to be relied on. Any system of public works which depended on an accidental surplus was to his mind simply madness. The position now was that the loan money was largely used, and was nearly done, and at the end of the financial year not a single sixpence would be left if the revenue did not keep up. The Treasurer had a difficult task to perform, but there would in time be kite flying. He did not think that £260,000 of borrowed money should bo spent on the Cheviot Estate when so many people could not get on the land. He complained that the Government were keeping back no .essary information about the public works of the colony. What he (Mr Rolleston) complained of in the Government was that they were making stalking horses of the working classes when they should endeavor to bind all classes together. He held that the Opposition were trying to teach the people a different doctrine from that preached by the Government, and he ventured to think that before the elections came on the people would be tired of being dragged through the mire. But if he never came back to the House again he should never cease in his efforts to explain to the people the fallacies that were being practiced on them. Mr Sandford moved the adjournment of the debate.

Agreed to, and the House rose at 1.25 a.m.