GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Waikato Argus, Volume V, Issue 355, 18 October 1898, Page 3

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. SATURDAY. THE DAIRY BILL. Shortly after one o'clock, the Government having heen defeated on a division, the Minister for Lands moved the adjournment of the House Mr Seddon, however, interposed in order to bring down the Income Tax Bill. This was agreed to and the House then adjourned. MONDAA. The House met at 7.30 p.m. LIBERAL FINANCE. The Speaker laid on the table the correspondence from the Auditor-General respecting the transfers from the Working Railways Department of stores to the Public Works Department. Mr Seddon moved that the correspondence be printed and referred to the Public Accounts Committee. Mr George Hutchison objected to this latter course, as he contended that it would result in the correspondence being withdrawn from consideration by the House. He moved as an amendment that the committee report within one week. He pointed out that the correspondence referred to the alleged sales of stores by the Working Railways Department, one of the departments under the consolidated fund to the Public Works Department, a department apart from the consolidated lund and which dealt with loan money. The Working Railways Department had written to the Public Works Department stating that they had more rails on order than they wanted, and asked the Public Works Department to take ovet £20,000 worth, which, however, could only take £15,000 worth. Subsequently it was endeavoured to reverse this transaction, and also a similar transaction which involved the sum of £17,867. The result ot these operations had been to reduce the expenditure charge on votes for working railway, and to swell the credit balance of the Consolidated Fund on 31st March. This he contended -was the manner in whim surpluses were manufactured. Until they had a special audit of the accounts of the present Government it would be vain and useless to refer to figures which were tainted and subject to the utmost doubt and discredit. Mr Buchanan said it was quite clear that the Audit Department considered these transfers as being altogether against the spirit and letter of the Public Revenues Act. Mr Fisher considered it was most extraordinary that certain members of the House had a full knowledge of the contents of papers, which had just been laid on the table of the House, and contended there must be a leakage iu the Department. Mr J. Allen said considering the time at the disposal and the business before the Public Accounts Committee a week was too short. He pointed out that the papers had been laid on the table of the House on Friday night. Several members : No. Mr Seddon said the Speaker would in future hesitate before handing papers to members before they were laid on the table, as the correspondence had heen published in newspapers and the position of the Government had been prejudiced. The Speaker, in explanation, stared that he had at 5.30 p.m. on Friday asked and obtained leave to put the correspondence on the table, but as Mr Hutchison desired to debate the matter he (the Speaker) suggested that the papers should be withdrawn. This suggestion was agreed to, but he (the Speaker) considered it would have Oeen wrong if he had kept secret a public document and had allowed his brother members to peruse it. Mr Seddon submitted that a breach of privilege had been committed by those newspapers which had published the correspondence. It was unfair to the Public Accounts Committee to have the correspondence discussed in the mauner in which it had been! by Mr George Hutchison. He courted the fullest en • quiry into the subject dealt with in the correspondence, but it would take fourteen days to adequately examine the matter. He quoted from pages 3 and 4 of the Financial Statement to show that the working railways vote had been exceeded by £25,796 and the unauthorised expenditure restricted to £50,000. Ho did not see that theitransaction referred to in any way affected the surplus of the Consolidated Fund. The mistake had been made in giving £50,000 to the public works in consequence of his having hesitated to place a loan on the London market in order to save interest. Mr Rolleston said the debate should be adjourned, and made the first order of the day for next Monday. It would be a perfect farce if the correspondence were referred to the Public Accounts Committee. He subsequently withdrew his amendment. Mr Pirani contended that the Premier was pretending not to understand the public accounts, and pointed out that instead of transferring £oo,ooo to the Public Works Department he should have issued debentures for that amount. It was clear that the transactions referred to in the correspondence were bogus ones and no real transfer of stores had taken place. Mr Taylor contended that the transactions referred to in the correspondence had becu fictitious. The Premier's explanation of the matter had not dealt with the fact that the railway revenue, as a result of the transaction, showed a profit of £30,000 in excess of what it ought to have shown. Mr Caclman said he looked upon the correspondence as a disgrace to the Audit Department. He had had enough of the antique methods of that Department, and he wished the House to know that he was going to kick against them. If it could be shown that he had done wrong in the matter or the colony had not benefited by the transaction, he was prepared to leave the Benches. He cited several instances iu which he considered the Auditor-General had been over officious. Surely a Minister could transfer votes from one to another account under his control. He did not intend to allow red-tape to interfere with the business of his department. Mr Hutchison's motion was amended to extend the period within which the committee report to fourteen days, and the motion and amendment were agreed to on the voices. [Left sitting at midnight.]