HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1902, 13 September 1884, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

THURSDAY. Tjik House me 1 ; <it 2.30. Mr Htont intimated that the Financial Statement would be delivered on Tuesday no\t. Replying lo questions, Ministers said (to\ eminent did not contemplate introducing tln& session a bill for facilitating sale>, leases and other dispositions of settled land ; wheie necessary, free pa&<»eb would be "■l anted to the clnldien of railway employes. A bill to amend the Counties Act, IS7(> (Mr Cadnian), was lead a. fh->t time and beveuil other measiues were adv.mced a sta#c. The second reading of the Gold Duty Abolition Bill was earned on a division by -10 to 28. The Maori Rcpie^entation Bill was read a second time, and lefened to the Native Aff.uih Committee. The Pensions Bill was consideied and repoited, and the House adjourned at twentyhve minute^ to one.

FRIDAY. Tqe House met at 2.30. Mr Tumbull gave nofcico that ho would ask the, names of the contractor who supplied, and the inspectors who passed the defective lailway plant, upon which the Addington railway woikshops had been engaged. Replying to Mr J. T. Richardson, Mr .Stout said the taking of educational lands fioin school commissioneis and coiifcruug them on the Lands Dep.utment was a subleet closely connected that of the local (io\einnieiit, and thoy did not propose dealing with that subject this session. Replying to Mi W. Y. Buckland. Mr Richaidson said that step-, would be taken to lemedv the present state of the Grcal South Road, Auckland. Replying to Mr Hobbs, Sir J. Vogel said the work ot connecting Hokianga He ids with Heid's Point bv telephone would be earned out at an eaily date. Replying to Mr Hakuene, Mr BUlance said .1 hum not exceeding £.10 would ba piovded for fencing in the burial ground at Oheawai, wheie the lemains of the officers killed dining Hoke'b war are mteiied. Replying to Mr Stewaid, Mr Stout said a bill had bsen piepoied to amend the Municipal Corp nations Act, but it was doubtful if time would permit of it^ passing this session. Replying to Mr Rolleston, Sir J. Vogel •aid the Government did not propose to amend the Road-) and Budges Conduction Act, so as to enable county councils to undeitake irrigation works Replying to Mr U Callaghan, Mr Stout slid favoiable consideiation would be gnen t ) the que>Lion of the proposed appointment of an agiicnltm.il depaitment in connection with the Go\einmet. Replying to Mr Smith, Mr Richaidson said piovision had been m ide for pushing on vigounisly the upper Manawatu bridge contiact and remedying the loss of the lato Hoods. Replying to Mr Huist, Sir Julius Vogel said notice had boen gi\ en to pay the outstanding balance of the five per cent 5-30 de bontures, bulnotthe four and a-half percent, debeiitiues. Judging ftom the cotrespondence that it had come under Ins notice the Atkmson-Rolleson Go\ eminent intended is oppoitunity ofieied to in ike further inscni>tion of the unsub^ciibed public debt; the actual saving to the colony of the consolidated loan of 1807, and the 61 "300, 000 of 10 10- were iiisoubed at 4 psr cent, would I>3 veiy laige, but they had not had time to fix the exact ->u>n. Replying to Mr Holmes, Mr Richai dson said it was quite true that half the work done m the Addmgton workshops was in altenng and remaking bad iinpoited machines, implements, cairiages and in itenals, and that a laige numbor of the unpoitcd wheels and axles me condemned, the axles being of lotten iron. The attention of both himself and his piedocessors had been a good deal occupied witti the matter. The Agent-General had been communicated with on the subject, but time had not boen ponnitted for a leply. St?ps had been taken to provent the colony bjing a loser by this tiansaction. Replying to Mr Seddon, Sir Julius Vogel so id telephonic communication would be established between Ddlman's Town and Kuinaia. Replying to Mr Moss, Sir Julius Vogel said that the total accumulated sinking fund amounted to a sum of ovei £71,000. Replying to Mr Joyce, Mr Richaidson said the conhact for the constitution of the Nelson Creek Rulway had not yet been taken up. An Imprest Supply Bill of £1")0,000 was intioduced by message fiom the Governor, and passed thiough all its stages. The Otago Harbour Boaid Loan Consolidation Bill was introduced by Mr Ross, and lead a hist time. Sir J. Vogel moved that a select committee of tlmteen be appointed to examine into and leport upon questions relating to public accounts, the committee to consist of Messrs Atkinson, Ballance, Barron, B. Bradshaw, Coster, Cowan, Daigaville, Montgomery, Moss, Newman, Peacock, Wilson, and the mover. Mr Moss moved as an amendment that the number be reduced to eleven, and that Messrs Atkinson, Ballance, and Vogel's names be omitted, and the name of Mr Larnach substituted. He thought it improper that Ministers and a strong party of men should be on this committee. He also advocated the delivery instead of reading the .Financial Statement. Sir Julius Vogel agreed that the Committee should be as much devoid of paitv politics as it could be irade. The proposal to exclude Ministers and ex-Mmisters, suggested to his mind the play of Hamlet, leading out the Prince of Denmark. It was a mistake to confound the duties of this Committee with that of an audit body. The idea was to select a few gentlemen of financial ability to consider technical bills, and by that means lelieve the House of a great deal of difficulty and discussion. With regard to the reading of theFmarc'al Statement it had come to a necessity, first for accuracy, and then for the purpose of getting it despatched with all haste, so as to get it published without delay throughout the colony. The amendment was negatived, and the motion, as tabled, carried. Sir Julius Vogel moved for a Select Committee to consider and report on the best mode to encourage and promote a trade between New Zealand and the S >uth Sea Islands, to have power to confer or sit together with a smaller committee which in ly be appointed by tho Legislative Council, the c >mniittee to consist of SirGcoige (4i\ry, Me-bis Harper, Lainach, Moos, Russell and the mover. The- motion was agreed to. Mr Richardson nioved, "That a Select Committee, to consist of eleven members, be appointed to consider and report upon the be&t route for the Xorth Inland Trunk Railway, to consist of Major Atkinson, Sir George Grey, and Messrs Bruce, Fitzherbeit, Gore, Johnston, Mitchelson, Morris, Orraond, White, and the mover." The Government fully recognised the importance, of tjua work f^nd, tfw necessity for

getting it proceeded with without a moment's unnecessary delay. That was the motive which induced the Government to appoint this committee. Without some such assistance it would be quite impossible for Ministers, with the work of the session to attend to, to anive at anything like a satisfactory conclusion during the session. Mr Lake moved as an amendment, "That the committee should consist of seven members, and be wholly selected from the Middle Island. He thought that '^ was the only way to anivo at a satisfactory and impartial decision on the point. All the Noi th Island members were more or less irilere&ted in this work, and it would bo quite impossible for them to arrive at an unbiassed opinion. Sir Julius Vogel said that the question of a Middle Inland committee had suggested itself to the mind'? of the Government, but they very naturally came to the conclusion that Not th Island members wonld naturally compLun that they had been left out of a matter in which they were so deeply interested. If the House thought that it was best for the Government to decide the route they would accept the responsibility, but then they could not come to a decision so early as would be come to the other w.iy. If the Noith Island members, however, preferred it, Government would bo quite prepared to accept the amendment, but they would do so provided that the committee examined, and thereby got the advantage of the information of such of the North Island members as had given this their special attention. Major Atkinson said that the previous Government had come to no decision on the point, as had been alleged. Seeing that J the Go\ eminent was prepaied to accept the 1 amendment, he would say but little. He j considered the amendment the most correct ■ of the proposals. He would be quite pre- u paied to give the committee the benefit of his knowledge and experience of the subjeefc. Mr Itichardoon had told him that he Vfl had not time to go into all the facts of the case, but still he did not hesitate to cast that duty on the proposed committee. He apprehended that if there had not been political icasons they would be quite prepaied to lecommend a route without the intervention of a c unmittee. It had also been stated that the late Government had earned away all the information on this subject ; as a matter of fact they had taken nothing away but their own personal knowledge of the thing, and that they could have if they cariied the members of the late Government in evidence. Mi Tiunbull icgietted the amendment had been agieed to ; it simply meant the hanging up of this most important work. The North Island members were personally acquainted with the country, and could > come more readily to a correct conclusion M on the point. It was a necessity to the ■ country that the loan ahould be raised and M tho woik gone on with ; to do that work efficiently the committee as named by Government was by far in the best position to go on at once. ( Mr Moss said ho would not oppose the proposal, but he thought Government had bi ought down a distinct proposal on the subject. Mr Bryce concurred in that opinion. As a niattci of fact, all the information tho committee could get was equally at the disposal of the Government. He did not think it was possible for the Government to divest itself of lesponsibility in the eye of A the country. If, on the lecommendation™ of the committee they accepted the wrong loute, the country would most undoubtedly hold them responsible. Sir Julius Vogel * had stated that the late Government came to a decision, and that they, for electioneering purposes, refused to make it known. As a fact, the subject had never been spoken of in the Cabinet, and no decision could have been come to. It was a wellknown fact that one of the pioposed routes would cost a great deal more than the other. He was afraid this fact would weigh with the South Island Committee. Still, of the two proposed committees he eonsideied the one pioposed by the amendment was best, and he would support it. Capt. Russell objected to the appointment of a committee at all, there was no 1 eal huiry for the line and it would be much better if they could delay the matter for another year. In the meantime a royal commission might be appointed to enquire into the question of the ronte. M Mr Hobbs thought the Government i should have accepted the lesponsibihty of recommending a route. Sir John Hall had suggested this when the loan bill in connection with this line was fiist bofote the House. With the exception of a veiy short distance, Wellington was connected with Taianaki by rail, •indhcthoughttheothcr portion of the North Island should be connected with this line, Ho wonld vote for the appointmant of a Bouth Island committee. Mr Wakeh'eld suggested a delay until the Financial and Public Woiks Statements \\g\q bi ought down. ,u^ Mi liolleston objected to the SouthSP Island Committee as bi ingiug in an element of a discordant character. The House should wait until the Financial and Public Works Statements weie down. He objected to the House entering into a large public policy until it had been decided what was to ba done with respect to native and Crow n lands. Mr Peacock thought the committee proposed by the Minister of Public Woiks was the lesser of two evils. The amendment was put and cariied. The House adjourned at .">.30 until 7.30.