PARLIAMENTARY

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2030, 1 July 1885, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY

(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.) £•' LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, f ' Tuesday. When the roll Of the Legislative Coun- • cil was called over to-day, .tliere was no response from "Sir G. Whitmore or Hon. j G. Buckley, the other Councillors being I either present or on leave. The Colonial Secretary withdrew the , Disqualification Bill, with a view to submitting another measure.' The second reading of the Council Bill was postponed. TheCemeteries Amendment Bill was passed, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. The House of Representatives met at ' 2-30 p.m.. (,

Mr Pratt, the member for.the Southern Maori Electoral District, took the oath and his seat.

Sir George Grey gave notice to move A an amendment when the House was in V Committee of Supply to inform Hit Excellency the Governor that His Excellency's advisers do not possess the confidence of the House.

Major Stewart gave notice to ask Government whether they will take steps to obtain the opinion of the policy holders of Government Insurance Association, on the question of the desirableness of continuing the present Central Board, and if so, and tho result of such poll should be in favor of the Central whether the Government will bring iSI Bill to amend the Act accordingly.

Replying to questions it was stated 1 that the Government intended dealing with the claims of members of the militia volunteers and defence forces for land at a later date of the session; that the cost of lighting the Kumara water races withX the electric light would be too to undertake; that the work of preparing a map of the colony on a large scale was,-- • being proceeded with; that a sum'would be placed on the estimates for dealing with '"ipK the kea pest; That tho Government . intended bringing in a Bill this session Jj for enabling New Zealand Government jfi Insurance business to ,be transacted indfßß Great Britain; that the Government wfIHHB paying 9s per 100 feet ber for the Kumara rnlu that Governmentintended to communicate with the Agent-General for the purpoJ®!, of arranging that all Imperial for tinned and frozen meats b8 cabled to New Zealand; that all fiues under tho Sheep Act have been collected, except in two cases; that instructions had beea issued for the purchase of sections tjSk increase station yard accommodation 1 a®f

Hastings, Several unopposed returns were moved for and agreed to.

Mr Sxoui said that in consequent of the motion of which notice had been given by the member for Auckland City East, of want of confidence in the he thought it was only due to the honorable member's position in the House that he should ask the House to adjourn till half-past seven, when the debate on the Fiuancial Statement would be proceeded

with. The House adjourned at 3,45 p.m. At the oveuing sitting, Sir George Grey said he had taken tho step he did & , without consulting anyone, He hejjevecj the Financial Statement excited great discontent inside and outside of Parliament. He saw no reason for adding bq many members to the Legislative Council, , Noocouomyhad been practised, and ho r saw no promise of a reduction being mode • in tho futuro. He' condemned the' proposals for taxation,' and said it was merely a temporary action, to make the ond more disastrous. Thero was nothing in the policy of the Government worthy of a true reformer. He denied that the present was a coalition Ministry, and in his opinion tho Premier and Colonial Treasurer had arrived at an understanding before Parliament met. He unfavorable to large ajjoh the New Zealand Agricultural Company, being represented by Mincers of the Crown, as they had too great a power. It ■was very unwise to allow a Company 1 element to intrude itself into the House, for it was possible for Ministers unintentionally to load the House astray. a From every part of the House he said it M was recognised that tho Government ought to be put out; but then camo the difficulty of who would succeed them. If necessary, he would prefer coalition, rather than to continue to have bad laws. Ho concluded by moving the amendment of which he had given notice,

Mr 6, F. Richardson seconded the amendment. The PitEMiBB said Sir George Grey's" critiaiam was worse than weak, antt' th'&fc : if all lie said was the full'' lilt that'«s<}' * be brought against the Ministry J .thqro was not much to answer,; : T-jjij ;Agr£' cultural. Company had been established purely for the purpose of breaking up the, large runs in the South, and in that ,rea-/ pect had been successful, He defended the appointments to the Council, anct of Justices of the Peace. The local Goveniment proposals of the Government, in some instances followed the linoa of those

suggested by Sir Gcorgo Grey, Roforrint to tho tariff, most of those honorable gentlomen who were now opposed to il flkworo in favor of it in 1879, when it w f lfPiiorc oppressive. It was no pleasure t( any Govormnent to impose taxation, ant the Government, had it chosen to adopl the finance of past years, need not have imposed any increase, as, when th re was a deficiency it was added to the pennanent debt. The duty was not put on coa to benefit West Coast mines', but as A owners of coal mines were •n clamouring for a reduction of freights, tin duty was put on to compensate in some way for the reduction. They were prepared to take the sense of the House on J that question. Sir George Groy had s;, id, vhy was not a land or income tax bmighl in, and stand or fall by it. So far as holding office was concerned he wa3as independent as tliat lion, gentleman. He had offered to remain out of the Ministry, arid had only taken office because it was absolutely necessary lie should do so. The Land and Native policy had been attacked, but ho thought that course was .... unjust until Ministers had an opporv tunity of explaining such policy, \ ' es ' i o!is ' °f " 1C wo/elle island, had always been looked ... upon as to bo one made out of land, and the Government had not given an acre more than Sir John Hall would have . ... done. ■ln conclusion, he said borrowing money for unproductive works musf eeaso,' and the colony must face additional taxation. He argued that if the policy ol the Government, were carried out il ; would prove the best brought down foi ' years, Mr Bryce, though opposing the Government, could not support the amendment, as he did not consider the present \yas a proper time to oust the Government. With reference to the Premier's defence of the Agricultural Company, lie argued that the ostensible . object of all land companies was to buj land and sell it at an advantage to itself. So far as he could see, it was the intention of the Government to borrow largely, for the North Island main trunk line had not yet been raised, and he did not think it shouldbe. The success ol the line must depend on the settlement ol land through which it passed. In his opinion the prospect of obtaining a title to some of the land in the King country far distant, and if that was so, il be madness to go on with the line, regretted that in the local government proposals no provision was made foi • opening up unsettled country. Mr Baliance dealt at length with' tin | statement made by Mr Bryce, and said L* anyone holding such opinions as lie (Mi HP Bryce) did, should vote for the alliedment and have the Government removed. RHlbVith regard to defence, the Government deserved credit for placing the volunteer; [BBSl&k 1 '^Bj r footing, and also for the action Hyraf&|flplace the ports m a state of the WjHCoast of the North Island, he Baid tliJ&care was got up by Europeans. He denied that the Government was a borrowing one. Referring to the North Island trunk railway, it would be pushed on as soon as possible. Titles to the lanel had not been obtained, but that would be . a work which would involve waiting foi Hedefended the tariff, and said the House would-have an opportunity ol discussing and modifying it. At 12,40 a.m. Mr M, S. J. McKexzii moved the adjournment of the debate until 2.30 to-day.—Carried.