GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Waikato Argus, Volume V, Issue 332, 25 August 1898, Page 3

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. WEDNESDAY. DIVORCE BILL. Tins Bill was considered in committee, the only important amendment being the substitution of live years for seven in cases of desertion as a ground for dissolution of marriage. Clause nine was postponed in order to allow of its being re-drafted. MUNICIPAL FRANCHISE. The debate on the second reading of the Municipal Franchise Keform Bill was continued by Mr McLean, who condemned the proposals embodied in the measure. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. WEDNESDAY. SPEAKER'S ROUNG QUESTIONED. Mr lMrani gave notice to move that the Acting-Speaker was mistaken in ruling that the Premier was in order on the morning of August 24th in moving that the Financial debate be icsumed before the disposal of and introduction of Bills reported upou by .Select Committees and questions answered. He held that before such a motion could be entertained there must be rorty membeis present. LOTTERIES. Mr Tanner gave notice to move that no more permits be granted by the Colonial Secretary to religious institutions to hold lotteries or games of chance. FINANCIAL DEBATE. Mr Mills contended that the expenditure on the Parliamentary buildings was more necessary than the construction of roads and bridges, as it was a national work. Respecting the revision of the tariff, he pointed out that the House, as a whole, and not Government alone, was responsible for the alteration of the Customs duties, and as a free hand had been given members, with the exception that the final result must keep finances in • a sound position, all ought to accept their share of responsibility. The discussion on the excessive revenue collected under the new tariff he considered had been unfounded and unwarranted. He believed they had sown their political wild oats aud had shown self-reliance in the management of the colony by a succession of surpluses. He therefore thought the time had come wheu a more progressive policy respecting railway construction should be adopted, as compared with that of the last few years. The £500,000 which the Government was asking for was not sufficient to carry out the works required in different parts of the colony. He strongly supported the lands fo<" settlement policy and the proposals for old aye pensions. Mr McGuire characterised the Financial Statement- as a budget of fiction, though he said a better description of it would be financial misstatements, as there were many outrageous statements in it. The table of surpluses and deficits was a most unjust one, but was more hurtful to the Colonial Treasurer, because it was untrue, than to the parlies it was intended to hurt. It was disgraceful that the dead should be dishonoured and villified. The unspent public works votes, amounting to £180,173, had been used to swell the surplus. The people did not really want preferential duties in favour of Great Britain, but a general reduction in Customs duties and of ad valorem duties Speaking of the railway administration, he considered that, if the railways were paying their way, there was no necessity to bolster them up with a loan of £200,000, aud, if they had been under the control of Commissioners, the Government would not have voted this amount to them.

Mr Sligo said the allegations of Ministeralists that the members of the Opposition were corrupt in intention, selfBecking, tyrannical and vile were mere flapdoodle and hollow hypocrisy. Respecting the surplus, he pointed out that, rightly considered, there was a deficit disclosed, aud that the so-called surplus had been manufactured by underestimating the revenue and over-estima-ting the expenditure. He warmly attacked the attitude of the Government towards Friendly Societies, and said almost every society from the North Cape to the Bluff had been harassed. Their funds dissipated, their remonstrances disregarded, their legal position set at nought and they hail been driven into court to defend themselves against the aggression of the Government. The Official Registrar of Friendly Societies erred less from a desire to do injustice to societies as to lack of sympathy and want of knowledge of their working, and from an apparent liking to indulge in petty interferences. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. Mr Sligo continued his remarks ou the Financial Statement. He urged the completion of the Otago central railway, if only to keep faith with those who had taken up land on the understanding that they were to have railway communication. Though he contended the line, when completed, would not be found to be one of the most unprofitable lines, he held that cheap money had made the advances to settlers scheme possible. The Hon. Mr McKenzie said that, during his whole term as a member for Parliament, he had never heard a speech which be bad listened to with greater regret than that of the member for Patea, who hid attacked the Premier in a personal manner simply because he was the head of a large party which was now in power. Mr Hutchison was the last man in the colony who should have done this, as the Premier had seen that fair play was done to him when he was on the point of being expelled from the House. Referring to Mr Scobie Mackenzie's table dealing with land settlement, he said its compiler was either wilfully misleading the people of the colony or was . grossly ignoraut of the subject he was dealing with. It was not even correct from the point of view which its compiler had intended it, and he pointed out that the figures for 1880, 1881 aud ISS2, in addition to other years', were incorrect. Mr Scobie Mackenzie had failed to point out. that his (Hon. McKenzie's) predecessor bad passed a re-valuation Act, and it was only fair to assume that a considerable number of holders would have forfeited or surrendered if they had uot been relieved. In his opinion £IOO,OOO had been absolutely thrown away by that reduction ; no mention had becu made either of the fact that since he (Hon. McKenzie) took office arrears of rent 3 had been reduced by £38,454. He also pointed out that taking the correct figures his average number of settlers placed on land was 17G0 per annum, as compircd with 1606 per annum of Ills predecessor in 1878, in Canterbury. The then Minister for Lauds had over half a million acres to dispose of, while last year he had only 70,000 ncres to dispose of, and it was absurd to expect that he could show the same volume of transactions as the then Minister. Again in 187 S there were no conditions as to occupation and residence, and giidironing was prevalent. Tims Scobie Mackenzie's table showed that in IS7S, there had been 41.11 selectors ; but this really.only represented 884 distinct persons, whilst in 1879 there had been only 094 persons to represent '2IOO selectors. He quoted at some length to show to what an extent gridironing had been done in Canterbury, and exhibited a map shawing the effect of the •M-idiroiiing system. Mr Rolleston, he said, had attempted to cope with the evil, but did not know how to do it, and it was Sir George Grey who was successful iu solving the difficulty. He warned members to be careful in their attempts to convert the leases in perpetuity into freeholds, as the result of such a policy would be that in a few years there would be no land in the colony to settle upou

which had not been acquired by the land monopolies l . Air Massey paid it was to be regretted that when the lauds administration was criticised the Minister should lose his temper. He examined the figures of the last speaker, and with respect to the reduction of arrears of rent during the time he had held office, showed that the amount had been overstated by £13,550. Quoting the report of the Lands Department, he showed that during the seven years prior to the .Minister tor Lands assuming office there had been mors people settled on the laud than since he took'office. The lands report, he said, showed that so far as the settlement of Crown lands is concerned the laud policy of the Government had broken down and that there was an evident desire on the part of new settlers to acquire freehold. He adversely criticised the Government policy, and dealt nt some length with*the decrease in manufactures since the present adin nistration took office. The cause of this state of thiogs had bien the hnrrassing Labour Bills, some of which had been passed by the Government, and which had had the effect of keeping capitalists from investing iu manufactures. Mr Graham denied that the Minister for Lands had lost his temper, and suid that the last speaker in accusing him of doing so, had been ungenerous and incorrect The Minister lor Lands had replied with natural warmth, which was justified, and as a result he had comple'.e'y deniol shed the arguments of Mr Sooiiie Mackenzie. H<- contended that since. Mr Ballance took office surpluses had been real, and he said if the last year's surplus had been manufactured by the Treasurer under-estimating revenue and over-esti-mating expenditure, then the longer they could keep him ill office manufacturing surpluses on the same lines the better it would be for the colony. He proceeded to show how last year's surplus had been arrived at, and challenged the Opposition to show that it was not largely made up of excess of receipts over expenditure. During the present administration two million pounds had been transferred from the Consolidated Fund to the Public Works Fund, which had saved the colony £70,000 in interest. Mr Lethbridge, after advocating the completion of the North Island Trunk Railway, complained that the valuations uuder the Government Land Valuation Act had been made by incompetent valuers, and so far his district was concerned the values were unequal. His coustitutents wtre anxious for the railway construction and for roads and bridges ; but they looked to a new administration to provide these. Mr Monk said he did not question actuality of the surplus ; but objected to !)he manner in which it had been brought forward and advocated the appointment of Commissioners to devise some more lucid form of keeping the books of the colony. He contended that land policy of the Government was unsound and would result in decay. (Left sitting at midnight).