HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume XLIX, Issue 12635, 24 October 1905, Page 5

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

A QUESTION

The House met at 11 a.m

Mr. Davey asked the Premier whether he had read the report of a meeting of tho North Canterbury Charitable Aid Board, where it was alleged that two young Catholic girls had been wrongfully treated.

Mr. Seddon said that he had read tho report, and there seemed to be good ground for an inquiry, and in the interests of all parties concerned, tho Government would take steps to se<* that an inquiry was held. After formalities the subject of tho South African service was raised by Mr. Taylor, who, apropos of the pape* ro volume of trade tabled by Sir J G. Ward, asked the intentions of the Government as to the continuation oi the subsidy.

Mr. Herries objected to any renewal, aa our subsidy encouraged our rivals. Mr. Massey said he preferred direct service at half the present cost.

Mr. Seddon deprecated a discussion on tho question without notice, pointing out that all the particulars asked for would be given in due course.

Mr. T. Mackenzie supported the present service as having kept up grain prices, and given an outlet for meat. Sir Joseph Ward said that—(l) the present company intimates it will not take on tho service ; (2) it is impossible to get a refrigerator direct service to South Africa for £15,000 a year, perhaps not for £100,000 ; (3) the present contract was properly tendered for and accepted; (4) since the announcement that the Government was not renew ing the contract, the Government has been inundated with remonstrances and petitions; (o) the conditions attached in support of these remonstrances were impossible; (6) tenders will bo invited for a direct refrigerator service. Foi1 any other service no subsidy can be paid. He agreed that the service had benefited the agricultural community. The Bouse resumed at 2.30.

THAT VOUCHER. Sir J. G. Ward replied on a motion that the report of the Commission on the case of the Christchurch postal of-, ficers do lie on the table. He declared that no harshness had been shown towards these officials, and they had not been prejudged by the Government. He was glad to hear during the debate that morning that the partiality of the Commission had not been in any way auestioned. It was regrettable, he? bought, that the debate had not been deferred until the Government had been able to go carefully into the report and evidence ho (Sir Joseph) had rot yet had time to read. With regard to what Mr. Fisher had said about political questions having been put to the Commission, he wished to make it clear that n > instructions whatever wero given to the Commission by any member of the Ministry. If there was any alleged wrongdoing in any public Department, the proper course for th<J official who found it to pursue was to communicate tho facts to his superior officer, and not to an outsider. Any person should bo able to use any of tho Departments of State without being afraid that his private business would bo disclosed. He went on to quote from the evidence to show that the theory that the four officials were not thoroughly conversant with the regulations would not hold water. With regard to a telegram sent by Williams, telegraph official at Dunedin, to Mr. Fisher, that was merely the sending cf a question as to whether Mr. Fisher'a reflections on the service, referred to Dunedin. That was quite a different thing to committing a breach of the regulations. He added that the Electric Lines Act Amendment Bill had nothing to do with the officers who had been the subject of inquiry. It was not retro-active, and it would not in any way interfere with any officer who had committed a breach of the existing regulations. Tho report was ordered to lie on the tablo and be printed. Tho M to Z Public Petitions Committee reported on a petition presented praying that a full public inquiry into the alleged improper payment to Captain R. J. S. Seddon. As a Royal Commission had been set up, the committee had no recommendation to make. Mr. Taylor said the Commission

, would not allow full and unrestricted access to the official records, and there was therefore no prospect of proving whether the four Christchurch officials wore right in their statements or not. These officials were, by the decision o£ the Audit Commission, once more foiled in their efforts to get at the information they required. The Executive should remove all grounds for the belief that concealment was desired. He moved to refer the matter back to the committee.

Mr. Seddon reviewed the position at leufcth, urging that the Government had granted all that the petitioners asked, and declared that there had been no alteration of the order of reference of the Audit Commission. Every payment made to Captain Seddon was under inquiry, and nothing could he wider than that. The people mus* realise by now that the inquiry was full and complete. Mr. Fisher said he had now got t<> establish for the people of New Zealand the defects in the audit system, and ho did not think it was right, with that burden on his shoulders, that ha should have to pay the expenses of the witnesses he desired to summon, to give evidence before the Audit Commission. After further discussion, the motion to refer 'the report back to the committee was lost on the voices, and the report was ordered to lie on the table. LEAVE OF ABSENCE. Leave of absence was granted aa follows: —Mr. Sidey three days, and Mr. Laurenson two days, on account of family illnesses; Mr. Houston fourteen days, on account of ill-health; and Mr. Witheford for the remainder of the session, on account of urgent private business. THE VAILE SYSTEM. The Railways Committee referred to the Government for consideration the petition of Samuel Vaile, of Auckland, who asked for a trial of the stage system on some section of the New Zealand railways. Mr. Massey moved that in the opinion of the House the time has arrived when the stage system should be given a trial on one of the railway sections of the colony Mr. Massey's motion was lost by 33 votes to 18, and the report of the committee was ordered to lie on the table. The House rose at 5.30 p.m. The Houso resumed at 7.30. PRIVILEGE. Mr. Massey raised the question of privilege. Some time on Friday, he said, robs of printed matter had been placed in the private boxes of several members without the sanction of Mr. Speaker. That constituted a breach of ijfid privileges of the House. Further than that the printed matter did not I hear any ;mj>rwb, and ho had no hesi* tvvtiow v\\ say vug, ■Cb.a.t vt vcas Tptvnted a& ' tho Government Printing Omce. The documents consisted oi electiotveexvno, material, evidently collected for the use of supporters of the Government, and were a tissue of falsehoods and misrepresentation. He moved that a bieach of the privileges of the House had been committed by placing these papers in members' boxes without the authority of Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker said there was no Standing Order or rale to prevent matter of the kind complained of being placed in members' boxes. Mr. Seddom characterised the action of the Leader of the Opposition as cl-ildish, and expressed regret that valuable time was being wasted in this way. The practice complained of might be open to objection, and might be n.ade tha subject of inquiry, but no breach of privilege had been committed. All sorts of papers were put into members boxes. He declared that Mr. Massey did not know that the documents were printed at the Government Printing Office. Mr. Haivkins said he would ask tho polico to take notice of the fact that the papers did not bear any imprint. Tho Hon. Hall-Jones said he had not seen the documents, did not know whery they were printed, had not given any instructions in regard to them, and had not spoken to the Government Printer about them. Ma* Seddon denied that he had given instructions that the leaflets should be distributed unto the boxes. Several Government supporters stated that they had not received any of the leaflets. Mr Taylor, alluding to the organisa r tion from which these papers were supposed to have emanated and to the system of espionage which he declared was carried on by it, said he would like, the Premier to tell the House the degree of dntimacy between this organisation and the officials of the Telegraph Department. Only that day, he said, ho had been told that a copy of a letter sent by him to Chrustchurcn on the subject of the voucher incident was in the possession of a member of the' House. The Copy did not come from himself or from the recipient, and the question was how wa6 it obtained? Several other members also spoke, and on (resumiing after the supper adjournment, Mr Willis brought the discussion to a close by moving " the previous question," Which was carried by 32 votes to 24. INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION. A Bill " to provide for holding an Inteimaticnal Exhibition at Oliristchurch" iras brought down by Governor's message, and read a first time. ELECTRIC LINES ACT AMENDMENT. The orders of the day. were reached at 10.30 'Sp.m., -the-first being the second readiing of the Electric Lines' Act Amendment Bill. Sir J. G, Ward immediately moved to postpone the Bill. Some misapprehension existed, he said ? in regard to the provisions of the Bill, and he would like to have an opportunity of conferring with some of those members who were opposed to it. He had found, for instance, that there was an impression that the Bill would interfere witih the existing cable stations, and he wished to make it known that the Bill would apply to the cable stations only in the case of war. Further, he desired to point out that the Bill was not retroactive.

Mr Taylor said there was an exceedingly strong feeling among some members .against the Bill. It seemed to him that the final clauses comprised one long ory for vengeance against th<» Christchurch postal officials. Sir J. G. Ward: Oh, no; it will not touch them at all. Mir Taylor said he was glad to hear that, and those who had intended to resist the passage of the Bill would be glad to have a conference with tha Postmaster-General. Sir J. G. Ward repeated that it was not proposed that the Bill should apply to any telegraph official who had <beeu in troub'e in the past. Mr Harding said it seemed to him that the Bill was designed to set up a reign of terror far Government officials, and he had been looking forward to another protracted sitting. Sir J. G. Ward retorted that there was no intention to put anythiing like terrorism into the postal officials. Mr Moss objected to the extraordinary severity of the proposed punishment under the Bill, and suggested the best plan would be to make every offence against the Post Office a capital offence. After further discussion Sir J. G. Ward's motion for the postponement of I the Bill was agreed to on the voices. i ELECTORAL BILL. .-. Amendments made by the Legislative ; Oounci! in the Electoral Bill were agreed