PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 193, 19 October 1871, Page 6

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

(From the "Daily Times" Telegrams). Wellington, October 11th.

On the motion for going into Committee of Supply, last night, Mr. Stafford took the opportunity to state in distinct terms that the general proposals of the Government were eminently uncatisfactory to him, and those acting, with him. ITe viewed them with alarm, both as- they affected tbe present and the future of the Colony. We were now face to face with an enormous excess of expenditure over revenue for maintaining the ordinary expenses of the administration, and the Goverment seemed to view this state of things, not as an abnormal condition, but as a fit and proper one for the Colony to occupy. The House was now invited to iucrease the expenditure regardless of the prospects of the revenue, at a rate and in a manner quite unprecedented. The Colony wiu, persistently and systematically living beyond its means, and making no provision for the future. On the 30th June, 1869, the unfunded debt of the Colony amounted in all to £276,650. On +he 30th June last, the unfunded debt had increased to £660,000, yet it was now proposed to supplement the ordinary revenue to meet the ordinary expenditure, even after transferring to the loan the expense of Defence, and the grant of Road Boards. The total debt. General and Provincial, funded and unfunded, was now nearly nine millions, involved an annual charg? of £542,588, or £G 15s per male adult in the Colony. The public works proposals showed the same spirit of leckless and unconsidered expenditure, and indulgence in gambling transactions. jSTo control was retained by the Legislature, and monej r and land were dealt with by millions. Proposals were made to deal tenderly with foreign contractors, and to give them land which should be reserved for our children and children's children. The proposed Board of Works was an extraordinary anomaly. Its organisation was the most corrupt and susceptaMe of political influence that the ingenuity of man could conceive. It was the most extraordinary proposal ever submitted to a deliberative assembly, to propose to select six members of the Legislature to restrain the rest from the pressure of political influence. Tim Board was not even a permanent one, as three of its members were to retire annually, though eligible for re-nonn-nation. We all knew what the meaning of that was, viz., that unless they had been faithful and obedient slaves to the Government, such members would not be rc-noniinated. The proposal was so transparently rotten, that he could not imagine that the House would be so lost to even the semblance of propriety as to entertain it. He denied that Mr. Yogel had any right or authority from tho Legislature to enter into contracts with Mr. Brogden. He was prepared to take issue with the Government on this question on Mr. Vogel's excess of his powers. The proposal in" the contracts to refer the cost of the railways to arbitration was setting up a foreign power to exercise the proper functions of the Legislature. The power the contractors and the Government proposed to introduce would soon be greater than the Government and the Legislacure combined. The con tractors kindly proposed to relieve them of money and land, but not of the cost of governing the country. Consideration of the question during the recess had convinced him that the gaurantee system was a ruinous one. If the credit of the country was as high as it was represented to be. it would be much cheaper for the" Colony to raise the money itself, than for contractors to do so. The gauratee system had proved ruinous in India, and had been objected to in Victoria. He objected most strongly to a system of payment for railways in land. Iteould be legitimately resorted to only in the case of the line from Nelson to the West Coast. Another great fault of the Government proposals was thit there was no provision made for settlement, lie fo'oked; irj vain fpr any n.fc-

tempt on their part to remedy this. No Bill with such an object had been proposed, and yet this was the real key of their policy. He objected to giving the contractors 20 acers of land for every adult shovelled on our shores ; it would be better to give the land to the adults themselves. The proposal was the most wasteful mode of disposing of the lands that any Minister' had ever dared to propose. If his Government had whipped the provinces with whips, j the present Ministry, which had been put into office by the Provincialists, had whipped them with scorpions. Last year a permanent Act was passed ts relieve the Provinces from uncertainty and anxiety by making a permanent provision for five years. The whole thing was a play in three acts. That was the first ; the second was now proposed, viz., to alter the provision and upset the whole affair ; and next year would probably see the unfortunate creatures put out of their pain. Why did they not do that at once, instead of allowing them to exist in a disembowelled condition, deprived of all useful powers, and the means of carrying out their functions ? The Government proposals in this direction were half-hearted and cowardly. He objected to see the lands of the Colony squandered, and the finance of the country adrift into a state which could only end in insolvency — to see the land of the Colony taken out of the control of the people, and one of the finest lands ever trod by man, and which, should be made the home of thousands, ruined by its finances, wasted in its resources, and made the spoil and prey of speculators and large contractors.

Mr. Yogel professed to feel great disappointment with the speech just made, and said that the highest possible testimony to the soundness of the Government proposals was to be found in the fact that no stronger e'nditement could be brought against them after the most mature consideration. In the course of his speech he believed that the policy of the Government, if carried out. would make New Zealand the envy of the other colonies and the admiration of other parts ot the world.

Mr. Gillies spoke for an hour and a quarter, criticising various portions of the Government policy. He declared that the House was not bound by ' either of the contracts with Mr. Broaden, as Mr. Yogel had expressly warned the contractors that he had no power to enter into a contract with them. October 12th. The debate on Mr. Macandrew's resolutions regarding constitutional changes was resumed, and on the division for going into Committee they were negatived by 41 to 22.

Mr. Fox withdrew the Education Bill, saving that it would be hopeless to attempt to pass it this session. It would be brought in asiain next session, and, as fie Government were at]present advised, in substantially the same shape.

Mr. Fitzherbert moved the House into Committee to consider the giving leave *o introduce a Bill authorising a loan of £100,000 to the Province of Wellington. Jn doing so, he made a long speech to prove that "Wellington was enHtled to what he asked. He admitted that £81,000 would be absorbed in paying off existing liabilities, leaving only £19,000 for new appropriations.

Mr. Gisborne, on behalf of the Government, supported the proposals as a wise and prudent course.

After discussion, the motion for ffoin? into Committee was carried at 1.30 a.m. by 21 votes to 19, and progress was immediately reported. Mr. Yogel moved the second reading of the Government of Provinces Bill very briefly.

Messrs. Curtis, Gillies, Swanson, T. L. Shepherd, and Wakefield opposed the Bill.

Mr. O'Rorke moved, and Mr. Reid seconded, that the Bill be read a second time this day six months. October 13th.

The Gf-oldfields Committee have resolved not to recommend the Goldfields Bill being brought forward for

the s.econd reading, chiefly on the ground hhi\h as ihe Hill is mainly applicable to the Otago Gold fields, it would be impossible to pass a satisfactory measure until the fate of the Otago Lind Bill is known, as the latter contains so many clauses affecting the Goldfields. A "Mining District Bill, prepared by Mr. Whitaker, with special reference to Auckland requirements, will be reported on favourably.

Messrs. Holies ton, Collins,. Bainffafce, White, Reynolds, Reeves, and M'Grillivrjiy continued the debate on the Government of Provinces Bill, all speaking against it!

Mr. O'Conor supported it, as the thin end of the wedge towards abolishing Provincialism. Mr. Williamson, while expressing "great anxiety to support the Ministry, declared that, without further conside'rtion, he woulfl not go with them in what appeared to be the first step of an entirely new policy, and moved the adjournment of the debate. Mr. M'G-lasban supported the Bill. Mr, Vo<*el made a lonaf speech in reply. He said it would be folly to attempt at this period of the session to push through a Bill bo strongly opposed as . the present one. He i denied i^hat the Bill wag' intended to injurj^iijal^ affect. thp Provinces, bu,t

rather to benefit them, and he hoped that before next year they would themselves have taken and acted on the hint to reduce tbeir establishments. The Government would except the postponement of the debate as indicating th wish of the House that the Bill should be withdrawn, and the debate on it, therefore, would not- be resumed.

Mr. Gillies . congratulated the Govefnment on tbe facility with which they swallowed their- own measures at the shortest notice, and on their yielding so readily to the wish of the House. The motion of the adjournment of the debate was then carried amidst th© cheers of the Opposition. The Payment to Provinces Act Repeal Bill was read a second time after a short debate. Messrs. Gillies, Eolleston, and Macandrew condemned the provision making the reduction in the capitation grant retrospective, as fourmonths of the year were now past, and, the Provinces had made all their calculations on the basis settled by last year's Act. In Committee they would endeavour to alter this. Messrs. Gillies, Rolleatoti, and others also intimated their inteution to oppose iv committee the making the grant to Eoad Boards out of the loan.

Mr. Bathgate moved the second reading of the Attorney- General's Act Repeal Bill.

Ultimately, the motion was withdrawn on the understanding that the subject would be more fully considered on a future occasion, during either the present or the next session.

Tbe Treasury Bills Bill was read asecond timo.

The Highway Boards Bill was passed. A Bill to re-admit Mr. Smythies to practice was rea.d a second time, and passed through Committee by the suspension of the Standing Orders, after a long debate. Messrs,- Pox, Gillies, Pcaree, and Rolleston opposed it, and Messrs. O'Rorke, Yogel, Macandrew, Gisborne, .Shepherd, Stafford, and Bathg&te supported it.