HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4538, 21 July 1883, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Weliwtgtow, Yesterday, : The Select Committee on, to*, orations of the Land Law iriOUgo. reported that there would be little good in proceeding. with the inquiry unless an Act were pfltedjl! give indemnity to witnesses • who might critniuafce themselves.—Mr fyke, who brought up the report, asked Government what coarse they would adopt.—Mr iiolleston said be would at once ask leave to introduce a bill, and on Tuesday would ask the House to pass it through all its atages.—Leave iris granted aud the bUI read a first tiuie, • ■ , Esplyiag to questions, Ministers said 'they could not incur the. expense- of extending tb« telegraph to farewell lighthouiei—Government did not see any necessity for altering the Mines Act in the uuwber of dircotions auggested by Mr :'■;■ t ' '

Seddon.—i&overnment did not consider it ezpodient to offer a reward for the discovery of goldfields in the North Island.~ Government would not give a special day for Mr-Kelly's native land resolutions, as they intended tb bring down their own bill on the subject early next week. Mr Seddon moved an adjournment of the House to complain of the conduct of Government in offering a reward for the discovery of a goldfield in Canterbury and not elsewhere.—A long discussion took place, and general dissatisfaction was expressed by the speakers at the offer to Canterbury alone.—The motion for ad* journment was withdrawn. The House went into Committee of Supply. Class 2, Premier's office, £450 passed. Colonial Secretary's office, £1895 —Mr Hutchison objected strongly to the excessive oharacter of the estimates.—Mr Swanson also "agreed that the estimates generally should be largely decreased, and he moved to report progress in order thai: the whole estimates might be referred back to the Government for reduction — Mr Seddon warmly supported this.—Major Atkinson acquitted Mr Swanson of any party feeling, but the Government could not accept such a motion^ If the House thought there were gentlemen capable of conducting tho business of the country more economically than those on the Government benches, let; them have the opportunity. The present Govern ment did not see its wa? to reducn tho. expenditure unless the House could sho,.f specifically how it was to be done He reviewed the estimates, dep^ttnenfc by department, to show that no large riduc tion of any kind could be made. Government would not consent to reduce salaries by £50,000, as had been suggested—Mr Montgomery supported the motion, The Government knew well that the expenditure could be reduced, but they, were afraid to do it without the direction of the House He wanted the number of officers reduced—not the salaries. He was certain the estimates could be reduced by £50,000 without any loss of deficiency.

Evening Sitting

Mr Dick resumed the debate on Mr Swanscn's motion to report progress. He did Dot think the work of the department! 'he presided over could be done with a smaller staff than at present; the salaries in the Post and Telegraph Departments were at present mos,fcmiserable;—Mr Fornbull said the £50,000 could be Bared in the Railway Department alone, and would hare been before had the Government entrusted it to Mr Wright.—Mr M. W. Green would be very sorry to see the rednc tions of 1881 repeated in the tame way. Carrying the resolution would place a heavier harden on those hardly worked and badly paid.—Mr Fitzgerald said no Government with any self respect could accept such a slap in the face as the resolution proposed. The issue was one of confidence, especially as Government had already announced its intention of proposing a scheme of civil service reorganisation.—Mr George suggested Government could save large sums by ceasing to give members of the Legislative Council honorarium*—«Mr Sutton said it was open to Mr George to move reduotions when these voters came on. He opposed the motion.—Mr Hobbs said the question, was who should govern the country? He would be no party to placing the Opposition on the Govern* ment benches iv place of the present Ministry.—Mr Swanson said there were lots of ways to save money without attacking the civil service. He in no way intended his motion as a want of confidence.*—Mr Smith supported the motion. The money could be saved without touching salaries of wages. < The Committee divided on reporting progress : — Ayes, 34j Barroo, Bathgate, Bracken, J. Buchanan, Daniel, Dargaville, jDeLeutour, Duncan, Feldwiek, Fish, jGeorge, J. Green, Grey, Hutchison, Ivess, itloyce, Levestam, Macandrew, A. McDonald, Montgomery, Moss, Pilliet, Sheehan, Shepherd, Shrimski, Smith, Steward; Swanson, J.y?. Thomson, Tole,* Turnbnjl, W. White, and Wright. Noes, 43: Atkinson, Beetham. J. E, Brown, Brjce, W; & Buchanan, Connolly, Dick, D'obsdn, Fergus, Fitzgerald, Fulton, M. W. Greon, Hobbs. Hurst, Hurathouse. C. J. Johnston, W. W.- Johnston, Keliy, Larnach, Lee, T. W. McKonzie, Mason, McMillan, Miiohelson, Morris, * Munro, J)'Callagban, Peacock, PaarsoD, Petriej IPostleth watte, Kolleston, Shaw, Suiter, Tawbai, Tomomna. Trimble, Watt, iWhiUker, J. B Why to, J. G. Wilson, W. Williams. Pairs :—Ayes: Taiaroa, Sed. don, J. C. Brown, Oadman, Harris, J. McKenzie, Te Wheoro. Noea: AIU wright, Driver, Stevens, Levin,; H, Thomson, MclJw:aith, J. Wilson.—Mr Joyce" thought that after the vote just come to they should pass the departmental votes in globo. ■ It was useless wasting time discussing items.-Mr Fish oonourred, those who wanted economy had bette* 'walk out and throw the whole responsibility on the Government.—Major Atkin sou hoped members would remain and do their- duty j i£tuey could aUow any uanecessary items Government would willingly cpusent to reduction.—ltem, Colo-" nial Secretary's Office, £1895 agreed to. Lateb.—This day. Meswrs Pisb, Seddon, Turhbull, and J. C. Brown kept up talk till 2-15, when $&r Seddoa fs motion to report progress was rejected.^—Mr Holmes then" appealed to the Govjernmeot to adjonrh, saying that the Opposition, as a body, was not responsible for the odurse adopted by some independent members, whom their leader could not control or curb.-»Capt. McJtenzfie urged the Government not to give way. He deoliqed to believe that the Opposition wls not authorised.—After some further talk the items messengers and offices keepers, £3370, was agreed to, as was also the items electoral, £2955; audit. £8732; and Regis. trar-Generals Department, £B.B]s. On the item £3640, geological and meteorological department, an atnen.dm.ent to reduce the vote was lost on a division by 3^ to 7. At 4 o'clock the Agent General's Department, £3500, was passed, Major Atkinson denying the truth of the rumor about Sir Dillon Bell resigning. On the item. fQt; charitable aid und JhocpitaK £83,900, a motion to report pwgWM'Was lost on the voices, and Messrs Montgomery, Holmoß, and others left the House. The Government refosiDg toadjo^rn at 410, Mr Turnbullaanounped his Intention of reading the wJtofe of the Inspector's report on New Zealand hospitals, a paper of 18 pages; at 4.10 a quorum had to be 'runj; for, and Mr Turn bull then went on raadiug till i o'clock, when a motion previously made to reduce the rote by £2,000 was lost on division by 21 to 10. At 6.10 Mr Turnbull continued reading, after moving that progress be reported. The Chairman stopped him. and insisted, on. his confining himself to the subject, at o 20.—• Mr Hamlin, in reply to a question, pointed'out that the whole vote could be aipcuaged on itg report to tUe iiuuae, «d 4

Mr Fish counselled Mr Turnbull to give way, as no good could now be done by . opposing further.—Mr Turnbull continued, insisting on the importance of the subject.—Mr Harris condemned the stonewalling, and Mr Turnbull said he , would move to reduce tbe vote £ for £.— At 5.40 a motion to report progress was lost by 27 to 7.—Mr Fe Id wick moved the reduction of the Charitable Aid vote by £10,000— Messrs Turobull, Peldwick, and Fish kept up the talk till 6.15 a.m., when the committee divided on Mr Feldwick's motion, it being lost By 25 tb^ the three being Messrs Feldwick and Turnbull (tellers), and Fish.—At &20 Mr "Turnbull moved that the vole be reduced by £5000. but he' did not call for a divisido. After the bell had been rung at 6.30, the vote was" passed as printed, as did also the following votes after some slight discussipn' :— Lunatic asylums, £36,743; Printing and f Stationery, £20,517 ; v and Stock Department, £23,650. On the vote miscellaneous, Mr O'Callaghan moved the omission of an itam of £500, for the introdnction ' of salmon and other fish ova. Mr Oickr' expressed his willingness to omit the item, but Messrs Fitzgerald and Dobson objected, and at 7.10 a.m., the committee divided, the item being retained by 17 to 13. This was the last vote of class 2. Progress was then reported, and at 7.25 this raornin-j the House adjourned until 7.30 o'clock ou Monday evening.