FINANCIAL STATEMENT DEBATE

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XXX, Issue 11638, 10 November 1887, Page 2

FINANCIAL STATEMENT DEBATE

On the motion for going into Committee of Supply, Sir Ju'ius Yogel B <"d i he proposed to deal with the Financial Statement in an impartial manner. It riid not attempt to reconcile expenditure with income, except by borrowing and vague promises of future ritrenchment. He contrasted the proposals of tbe late Government in May with those of the .present Government. It would be his business to sbow what a hollow sham Major Atkinson's proposed retrenchments were. He claimed that had the late Government been allowed to carry out their retrenchment proposals they would, taking the half year's votes against the half year's expenditure, have saved £93,000 up to September 30th last. On the annual appropriations oompared with Major Atkinson's proposals, the late Government would have come out .£97,000 better than the former could show with all his economies given in. The Treasurer had under estimated the property tax, and was dißingenious about the Customs, whioh he had estimated at J35.000 less than List yearOn the very day he delivered his Budget he could have ascertained from the returns that it was then for seven months only below the estimate, and the best month of the year had yet to come: He assured the Premier ha had quite failed to understand the meaning of the sinking fund transactions, and illustrated the position with figures. The result of his (Vogel's) dealing with this fund had been to save the colony three quarters of a million taxation during the last three years, He twitted the Treasurer with persecuting him for his alleged borrowing propensities, and then coming down with proposals in that direction far beyond anything he himself would have done. Coming to tho proposals for economy he said past experience was that they were always having discussions on the allowances for the governor, and to get rid of these the salary and extras had been fixed by act. If they meddled with the amount l now they would have this all over again, > and he carefully advised them to be careful before swaUowing the proposal. He thought four Ministers only should ■ reside in Wellington, and the rest, with much smaller salaries, should reside at 1 home and look after local matters. He was in favour of selling all Ministerial \ residences, but he disliked cutting down ' the honorarium, at anyrate it should [ only be done during this Parliament. [ He thought members should be paid for , their services, and not receive it uodar the name of bouorarium, He discovered a i tendency in these proposals, and that re garding the Legislative Council, towards I a conspiracy against the democracy, whioh would end in placing representa--1 tion at the mercy of the rich people. i While he was opposed to a reduction of members on uiiuoiple, he was prepared 3 to appept the dictum of the country on 1 that poiut. He asked where the saving ■ was to come from by reducing subsidies to local bodies ; it would mean an ad^ ditional half-penny of Property Tax to \ enable them to meet the burdens which \ were now going to be imposed upon them. As to the expected saving of i £60,000 on the education vote, the best b jadges were of opinion that not more » than £30,090 oould be saved. The country had distinctly stated at the • eleotioas that the system was not to be • tampered with, and were they goiug to • leave it now to the tender uaerciea of any Govern meat to interfere with aa " they liked, without vouchsafing any a details. Ha warned the Government " that if they persisted ia their refusal of 3 particulars of the way in whioh .eoono- , inies were to be effected in the departmental services they would not stay | long on those^ benches. If they ati tempted to maintain suoh a position they would find that a vote would be called for cm eyery item of the Estimates, j Regarding a non-political Railway Board lj the lase Government had thought ear--9 nestly over the matter, and the more i they thought tlje more diuaculfc they j found it. He denied thas the system I was popular in Victoria ; the oontrary • was the fact. He did not think it likely ■ the House would give up power oi t purse to the extent the Government " imagined. Looking at the proposals as » a whole, he defied anyone to say that any ainounfc of retrenchment would r enable them to square matters, unless ' they were to live "on borrowed money . I The whole objact of the Budget was to conceal the necessity of increasing the { Customs tariff, and to enable a weak 5 Government to hold their seats. They : could not do so if they had courage to > come dowr. with proposals on the sub« i jaot. There was no question of Free- > trade or Protegtion. The necessity of » raising Customs revenue was paramount. ' Everyone knew the revenne was not at c present equal to expenditure, and could ! not be made so without extra Customs ' duties. Speaking of the proposed I loan, he warned the House that to " guarantee non-borrowing for. three 1 years would be most dangerous, and |. certainly lead to the suspension of r Public Works a year before the time , was up. He would limit the amount to t half a million, and if another million [ must be raised it should be deferred j for a year. If they took it at a fortui nate time he thought they would have i a fair chance of getting a good price. • He was entirely opposed to tne restrioi tioa of the number of members of the • Upper House, which would throw all power into tne bands of a nominee 5 oody. Iv conclusion, he wished to cay » that what the country wanted now was ' a strong Government, and he could not } look upon tho occupants of the Treasury , benohe3 in that ligat. It was notorious ' that the Premier was only there because r he was looked on as the lesser of two ; evils, ; f lbe Hod. Mr Fisher sajd the best i criterion of the value of the ex-Trea? ; surer's labours was the stock market, 1 and ue quoted the prices of .New Zsa- ; land bonds to show that they had been : steadily falling during the last three [ years. Sir Juliuß Yogel had been pleased ' to criticise their retrenchment proposals, but omitted to point out that' they had been careful not to take anything from k the working man. He laughed at the | idea of the late Government having , saved the people from three-quarters of a million taxation. Why, but for them • there need have been no expenditure for a second session. The idea was laughable. He proceeded to discuss and controvert eaoh section of Sir Julius Vogel's speech in detail. With regard to education, the act only allowed a capitati n grant of Mi 15s, and all they proposed to do was to follow the acfe. When thoy had plenty of monay, it had been the custom t.o allow £4, but even the late Government had begun to reuuoo it to a shilling at a time, in pro* portion to loyenua. Education cost more in Wew Zealand than in the Aus{.jajmn i}olonj<)3. Whaxi the proper time

arrived, the Government were prepared to explain every specific item of the reduction they proposed to make. This statement ought to be enough to satisfy any doubts on the subject. Sir Julius Yogel might call the Government weak, but he ventured to say that if the election were held over again the Govern* inent would beat him by two to one! This, however, was not the time for factious politics. The country waa at such a crisis that it behoved ever man i to put his shoulder to tha wheel. November 9 The House met at 2.30. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. Replying to questions it was stated that the Government had no intention of making reductions in the way of skilled and unskilled workmen employed in the publio service. — That it was net intended to transfer the Land Transfer Deeds and Survey Ofiioes at Invercargill, or to remove theu to Wellington — That arrangements are being ruado to test tha copper lately disco eered in the Seventy Mile Bush. — That a sum would be put on the Estimates this year for five bridges in the colony. — That the Government coul 1 not take possession of, for further proseoution.the Hokitika harbour works. — That the extension of the penny postal system would be taken into consideration. DISCOVERY ol" GOLD. Mr Peacock moved, Tbat the House resolve itself into a committee on Wednesday, 16th November, to consider an address to the Governor recommending that £50,000 be granted for the discovery of a goldfield in the North Island and a similar amount for the South Island, on the following conditions :— (l)That the discovery be not less than thirty miles from any existing goldfield or any existing workings ; (2) that the reward be not paid unless 50,000 ounces of gold have been produced from the new field within three years from the date of its being announced; ,(3) any discovery made upon native land, without the consent of the native owners, and the permission of the Native Minister, shall be given no claim or reward. — Agreed to. IMPORT DUTY ON COAL. Mr Reeves moved, That in ihe opinion of this House it is desirable and necessary that an import duty of not lees than 2s 6d per ton be imposed on all coal imported into the oolony from other countries. He said that the adoption of this motion would confer an immense benefit on the West Ooaßt and it would do no injury to anybody. — Mr Feld wick supported the motion, and said th\tit was only a matter of time when good payable coal would be found on the East Coast of the South Island as well as on the West Coast. — Mr Ward opposed the motion, as being calculated to bring the question of protection into discredit. — Messrs Seddon and O'Concr supported the motion. After some further disoussion the motion was adjourned for a fortnight.' GOVERNMENT RAILWAY LINEMEN, Mr Hutchison moved, That in the opinion of this House it is desirable tbat the 48 hours weekly ta?k of line' men on Government railways be sc arranged as to terminate at noon or Saturday, Bubjeot to such conditions as are necessary for the public safety,— Mi Mitchelson opposed the motion, on the ground of it being inconvenient to grani it. He hoped the motion would be withdrawn. — After considerable debate : Hr Hutchison said that the object he had in view had been obtained by the discussion, and he should therefore ask leave to withdraw his motion. — Agreed to. MUNICIPAL CORPORATIONS. Mr Turnbull (in the absence of Mi Ballanee) moved the second reading oi the Munioipal Corporations Act Amend ment Bill, providing that Boreugl Councils may pass a law to preveni Chinese from trading ia any borougb unless licensed —^»jor Atkinson sug gested that the debate be adjournec tijl the member for Wanganui was pre> sent, as it endanger* 'I the passing of hii bill, whioh was hardly fair to the honour able member. - Mr Seddou moved thi adjournment of the debate, whioh wai agreed to. The House roS3 at 4.45 p.m.