PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXX, Issue 8499, 31 July 1907, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

(By Telegraph—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, Last Night. PURE FOOD BILL. In the Legislative Council to-day, the Attorney-General moved the second reading of the Pure Food Bill passed by the House. He pointed out, inter alia, that it would be an offence for a baker to sell an underweight loaf. Various objections were raised to the provisions, the chief being that it would prevent the introduction of proprietary medicines, and that it omitted many articles of general consumption, in which the consumer did not receive what was paid for. The second reading was agreed to. PUBLIC TRUST OFFICE AMENDMENT BILL. The Public Trust Office Amendment Bill was read a second time. THE LOAN BILL. In the House of Representatives the Premier, in moving the second reading of the Loan Bill, said that the loan proposed would leave £2,115,800 available for public works expenditure, as against £2,040,319 last year. He had received an offer for the whole loan at 4 per cent., a premium of 2 percent., and a brokerage charge of 1 per cent., an offer which was refused. He had refison to know that they could obtain half a million outside the colony at 102, by paying a brokerage of half per cent., which he thought very satisfactory. Mr Jas. Allen (Bruce) said that the Government had probably done its best, but if it could not obtain it at less than 4 per cent, outside the colony he ought not to say too much about it. As a matter of fact more than half of last year's Win was raissd from the post office at from 3to 3J per cent. This was not the oily loan tha't wai being raised. There were lop.ns to local bodies and land lor settlement loans. Loans went on increasing, but he did not think the general loan money was expended on legitimate purposes. He did not care where the money was raised so long as it was raised at the cheapest possible rate. He urged the Government to say whether it was spending money out of loans on additions to open lines, money that ought to come out of revenue. Replacements ought to be charged to revenue. He did not object to the vote for the North Island Trunk Line, but objected to the proposed heavy expenditure on the Midland Railway. The appropriation for roads and bridges was insufficient, and the House should be taken more into the confidence of the Government as to the way the money was to b3 spent. While congratulating the Government on starting a Sinking Fund he urged that a Sinking Fund should be started for this loan —an act that would increase our credit and enable money to be raised at a cheaper rate than at present. Mr W. Herries (Bay of Plenty) urged the Government to give a detailed account of last year's lean. Mr G. Laurenson (Lyttelton) and Hon. C. H. Mills (Wairau) having spoken, the House rose till 7.30 o'clock. The House resumed at 7.30 o'clock. The Hon. C. H. Mills advocated a line to connect Picton with Invercargill. Mr R. B. Ross (Pahiatua) regretted that less money was available this year than last for land settlement. Unless the Government came to the rescue of the back blocks settlers the latter would have to tax themselves more heavily. One small settler informed him that in addition to local rates he was paying 4d in the £ for special rates. Yet he had not a road or bridge leading to his section. Mr W. Fraser (Wakatipu) objected to proclaiming to the world that we had a surplus when it was absorbed in the Public Works Fund. He hoped to seo the time when we wouid have a better system of local government, when the public works need not appear on the Estimates item by item, but the Government could trust the local authorities to spend their own grants in their own way. Mr A. W. Hogg (Ma=terton) said he would join in the general support which would be given to the Bill, but he thought that if more money was given to roads and less to railway construction it would be better. He was, however, pleased to see the Premier put his foot down on deputations with proposals for new railways. He advocated the Government taking action calculated to make the country settlors comfortable, happy and contented, and the chief way to do this was by expenditure of money upon roads and bridges. Mr W. H. P. Barber (Newtown) supported a borrowing policy. Mr T. McKenzie (Waikou..iti) said he thought that small railways should be constructed as well as the North Island Main Trunk. Mr J. C. Thomson (Wallace) also advocated the construction of short lines to "open up the back districts. The debate is continuing in a thin, languid House, and is likely to continue until the adjournment, in order to prevent the Land Taxation Bill coming on to-night.