PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXI, Issue 9141, 17 July 1908, Page 5

PARLIAMENT.

By Telegraph.—Abridged from Press Association Report.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

WELLINGTON, July 16. The Legislative Council met at 2.30 o'clock. The Hon. W. Beeham moved that the attention of the Government be called to the reported discovery of an enormous seam of coal near Huntly, in Auckland district, and that the Government make enquiries wich a view to acquiring the property as a State coal mine for Auckland and other places. The Attorney-General intimated that enquires would be made. The motion was agreed to. Dr Collins gave notice to ask the Government if they would Jcomniuuicate with the, authorities in Chicago asking if the statement was correct that they had established a system for the distribution of sanitary bottled milk, and what was the cose to consumers; further, would the tjovernment consider the establishmtnt of an up-to-date dairy on the Slate farms, with a view to supplying pure milk. The Meikle Acquittal Bill was committed and read a third time and passed. The Attorney-General moved the second reading of the Corporations Contracts Bill, which provides mainly that all contracts by corporations in future shall be governed Dy the same rules which govern like contracts between individual persons. The motion was agreed to, and the Council rose at 3.3U p.m.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

The House met at 2.30 p.m. A further batch of petitions was presented asking for a bare majority in licencing polls. Replying to a quescion, the Premier said thai there was plenty of work on the Government works in the country for the Auckland unemployed if they cared to apply. The following Bills were read a first time:—Wellington Harbour Board Reclamation and Empowering Bill No. 2, Waimate North County Bill, Destitute Persons Act, 1894, Amendment 811. THE.FINANCIAL DEBATF.

Mr D. Reid, junr. (Taieri) resumed the Financial Debate, and said the Ministers should visit their constituencies more often than once every three years. He advocated a quinquennial Parliament. The tightness of the money market was due to the borrowing of local bodies. He supported tne back-blucks roading policy of the Government, the increase of the raval subsidy, and the special land settlement proposals. The prosperity of the Dominion was due chiefly to the prices of staple commodities, for which the Government was n<:t responsible, The pub lie Jell .-.'£; Il.LrClling at 100 gl'c-t a rate, but the proposal to borrow £1,250,000 was jjstified. The low rate of interest here showed that people were unwilling to invest money in industries, but preferred gilt-edged securities. Mr F. R. Flatman (Geraldine) said that he had never heard the Government take credit for the rise in the prices of staple commodities. The Opposition had no grounds for claiming credit for Liberal measures. They were inconsistent in their critiC imsof the Hovernment's financial p ilicy. The dominant note in the budget was sounded in the statement that the prosperity of the Dominion continued. The worker should beware of the Opposition sophistry. He supported the special land settlement proposals of the Government. Irrigation should be paid for by the settler not by the Government. He referred to the progress of railway construction, an J complimented the Hon. W. Hall-Jones on his brilliant administration of the Public Works Department. The Arbitration Act must be amended in the direction of guaranteeing industrial peace. Mr J. Allen (Bruce) referred to the previous speaker as the Government's "corner man." He asked if the Government was proud of the Arbitration Act. He did not believe in putting a working man in gaol. It was a bad policy to raise land valuationsjn order to borrow more money. The Government had borrowed from the Post Office and Friendly Societies, and had repaid £BOO,QQO of the Imperial guarantee debentures with borrowed money. The State <~!oal Mines were losing concerns. Expenditure in the irrigation of Central Otago had long been promised. Replying to the allegation that the Opposition voted against all Liberal measures, he referred to education, female franchise, find so on, which came from bis side of the House. The Finance Minister had blundered in his estimation of ways and means by ornittinng to carry forward y his balance or £152,553. On the House resuming Mr Allen declared that if the Government had spent the sum voted by Parliament in past years for road making in the backblocks there would have been no necessity for the expenditure of a million as proposed. The Hon. R. McNab opened by criticising the speech made by Mr Allen. In the matter of railway construction ho quoted figures showing that tho expenditure in 1906-7 had largely exceeded the amount appropriated. Then the Government had to make provision for £120,000 yearly for five years for the construction of the Otira tunnel connecting the east and west coasts of the South Island. He believed that it would be pome years before the Government would be asked to expend a lesser amount on railway extension than they were doing at present, and he pointed out what other countries were doing in this direction. He ventured to say that it would not be long before a million would be asked for formal expenditure on railways. Referring to the Land for Settlement Act he said chat it was intended to proceed with the same vigorous policy a;? marked the Government's efforts in the past, and if Parliament sanctioned the scheme outlined in the Financial Statement it would materially assist the Government's desire. The Minister, in referring to complaints that southern farmers had been treated differently from those in the North Island for advances for grass seed, pointed out that the farmers' applications were not lodged in time. In concluding, he congratulated hon. members on

the exceedingly fair spirit in which the debate so far had been conducted. Mr J. Stevens (Manawatu) strongly supported the land for settlement policy of the Government. He favourably criticised the whole policy of the present Administration, and uged that the House should unanimously support an increased naval subsidy. Mr J. C. Thou, eon (Wallace) followed, and reviewing the financial operations and incxeased revenue, congratulated the Minister of Finance on the position, while he had had charge of the Treasury. The advance in the price of wool was cheerful, and would place the Do- [ minion in a still stronger position. Mr Thomson said that money bori rowed was interest bearing. Roads were urgently required. The heavyborrowings of local bodies were responsible for the rise in the rate of interest. Local bodies were borrowing too heavily. He supported a naval subsidy. He deprecated strikes, and said that agitators were parasites upon labour. He advocated a State bank. Referring to education he deplored the neglect of history as a subject. He supported tht visit of the American Fleet. Mr J. A. Hanan (Invercargill) supported the Givemment's railway policy, and applauded the visit of the American Fleet. He supported local government reform, post audit, national annuities, and better salaries for school teachers. Mr Hanan also referred to the necessity for afforestation. Mr T. Wilford (Hutt) strongly opposed the scale on which it was proposed to entertain the American Fleet. Mr G. Laurenson (Lyttelton) dissented from the views expressed by the Member for Hutt.