EVENING SITTING.

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3029, 30 October 1878, Page 2

EVENING SITTING.

' THE FINANCIAL TEAR. In the House last night, on resuming, Mr Montgomery continued the debase in support of the amendment that the financial year should terminate on the 31»t March. He referred to the system of the House of Commons in respect to supply rotes. The Treasurer said the * Government would make the financial year terminate on the 31st of March, 1880, and Parliament could meet about the middle of April., The session need not last longer than three months.

Mr Montgomery .withdrew his resolution. . . ; COMMITTEE OF BUPPLT. , s In Committee of Supply the following items were passed :—• 1 Class 13, chargeable > under the Westland and Nelson Coalfields Administration Act,.£7so; chargeable on the Government insurance account, £12,250; ohargeable on the public trust offices expenses account, £1270; chargeable on the Native reserves account, £1355; immigration, dais 1, £162,073; Public Works Department, class 2, £17,611 13s 2d; railways, class, 3, £1,176,500; surveys of new lines of railways, class 4, £20,500; roads, class 5, £106,612 8s lid; land purchases North Island', class 6, £150,918 3s 6d; waterworks on goldfields, class 7, £52,850 ss; telegraph extension, class 8, £29,700; public buildings, class 9, £241,305 ; lighthouses, class 10, £19,600; miscellaneous public works, class 11, £214,397 8s; charges ■ and . expenses of raising loans, class 12, £30,000.

Supplementary estimates for current services chargeable on the consolidated fund £94,295 4s 4d; under Railways Construction Act, 1878, £500,000.

Major Atkinson entered his protest against the system of finance to which he was no party. The Government pursued a " Trust to luck " policy without telling the House how the ways and means were to be provided. The item was agreed to.

For current services 'Chargeable on the public works fund £686,268 4s lOd; current services chargeable on the native reserves account, £117 10s; services' chargeable on Government insurance account, £1500; unauthorised expenditure of the year 1877-78, consolidated fund, £78,442 16s Id;, public works account, £22,009 14s; total unauthorised expenditure, £100,452 10s Id. The resolutions of the committee were reported to the House and ordered to be considered this day. BILLS WITHDSAWIT. The Seal Fisheries Protection, Whaka-, tana Grants Validation, Wellington City Boundaries, Bating Act Amendment, and Hamlin Land Grant Bills were read a second time on the motion of Sir B. Douglas and withdrawn. The House adjourned at 3.24 until 2.30 to-day.