HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXV, Issue 2819, 7 August 1890, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

TIT lirfl >.\ V. Tile 1 [dhpo met at 2.30 p.in. Mr Miteliulson lairl Sir J. Vocal's potition hi- claim npfiiinat the colony un the tabic. llt statod that the (.Invltdment had been advised that a claim of tin-; kind shor,!»l, under the Crmvn Knits Act, bo laid within twelve months of the d.ite Oil which it haiiponed. Hu proposed to consult the llouso on the subject on I'riday nest. Replying to Mr Ijurnach, Mr Mitchulsmi said the Crown Prosecutor was acting for •Sir J. V<uol because he rcofiM'd ponnUgion fivnn tlio lato (Joverninont- In do s<».

Mr Mitclielson's motion for t!:e appointment of a i'ublic Accounts Committee, was cariied after a lengthy discussion. Mr Withy brought up the report of the Hutchison Accusations Committee, as follows :—''The Committee has the honour to report that it is r>f opinion that it cannot usefully proceed further with the enquiry committed to it, inasmuch as live of its members have, expressed a de-iie to lie discharged from further attendance. The Committee respectlully lecoinmeiids that it. be discharged." He moved, " That the House concur in the reipiest made to relieve tho committee from its duties, and also to discharge witnesses." He. pointed out the desirability of agreeing in this motion, especially as an important witnes-; was being kept 'waiting in Wellington at present. The motion was agreed to without debate.

The House rose at o.liO p.m. The House resumed at 7.30. .Mr Hislop moved the adjournment of the House. He said he had intended to make a statement to the House when the report of tho Hutchison Committee was brought up that afternoon, but he had missed liis opportunity, but he should now do so. Rifetring to the accusations of the meinbir for Waitotara. The first chaige was that tho Government had created an abnormal finance for the sake of assisting the coll'ers of tho 1! ink of New Zealand, and had issuer! deficiency bills to tho extent of I'S 10,000. lint the. fact was that before the present < lovevomenl. took office power had been given to the late Government in ISK7 to iss.se £1)11.>,000 of deficiency hills. The requirements of the colony in October of that year necessitated tho issue of an extra t-"i0,000 of deliciency bills, and that was all the present Government were responsible for. Tho next charge way that a cablegram was sent home to the Agent-General to bolster up the Bank of New Zealand, but he asserted that no cablegram was sent Home which could bear that construction in any way. With respect to the charge that tho Government had forgone claims against the Rank, £1100,000 was owing to the Bank when the Government took ofHco, and that remained owing till March, IS.SS, when only £100,000 was repaid. There had all along been a balance in favour of tho Bank. [Mr Hutchison: "We know all abotik that."] Then, if the lion, gentlemen knew all about it, he could not characterise his conduct in Parliamentary language. Next, as to tho charge about balances being allowed to lie in tho Bank at London without interest, he pointed out that a few months after raising the loan in ISBB the balance in the Bank of New Zealand at London was £30,81)0, and oil the 20th October the balance to our credit was only £">,702. He would ask the llouso whether that was an unnecessary largo balance to the credit of the Government at the Bank of New Zealand. Tho present (Jovernineiit were 905 days in office and the daily average balance at the Bank was £13-I,S">O. The Stout-Vogel Government were 1130 days in office and their daily average at tho Bank was no less than t2">l,000, so that it would again be seen how far Mr Hutchison's charge was sustained that tho present Government kept large balances at tho Bank of New Zealand. He claimed that the Government had kept the Bank far more closely supplied with funds than their predecessors, and in sayint? that ho did not wish to cast any reflections on the late ( lovernnient. Had the Government been able, to place their intentions before the committeo they would be prepared to disprove, the charges made by Mr Hutchison, and ho submitted that that ynntloman had not made out a prima facie case. He again asked Mr Hutchison to forego his privileges as a member of tlio House and alhov tiie Government to meet his charges ootside tho House. The motion for the adjournment of the J louse was lost. On the motion for going into Committee of Supply, Sir ,J. Hall moved as an amendment, "That tho right of voting for members of the House should be extended to women. This was carried by 37 to 11. The House rose at twenty minutes past 1- a.m. WHDNHSDAV. The Mouse met at 2.30 p.m. ThcPatoa Harbour Boaid Bill, the Otago School Coumiisbiuns Uinpoweriug Bill, the

Waiapu County Bill, and tliu Onmka Recreation Reserve Bill were committed, and read for the third time, and passed. The Gisborno Harbour Act, ( Allien dment Bill, was referred to the Public Accounts Committee. The Lyttclton Land Act Amendment Bill was discharged from the order paper. Mr Fulton brought up a report of the Waste Lands Committee, on the charge of duumiyism, preferred by Mr Duncan, nviinWr for Wnitaki, Bgainst Mr Thomas UacKenzie, member for Olntha. Tho report was to tho elfect that the charges asrainst Mr MacKenzie were disproved. Mr Rhodes, as one of the committee thought it unfair of Mr Duncan to aljow such a serious charge against Mr Mackenzie to remain for such a long period, and he should have retracted the charge when he found he had been misled. The committee had gone very fully into the mutter, and had found there was neither gridironing nor flnm myism on Mr Maelvi.nzie s part. Mr Duncan retorted that tho committee had not gone fully into the papers connected with this matter. Tho charges ho had made he considered were conclusively proved, with the exception of dummyism, which lie had made inadvertently, and had no intention of doing. After some discussion the report was ordered to be laid on the table. On the motion for the House to go into committee-of-supply, Mr Reeves (Inangahua) moved an amendment attiruling tho necessity for a change in the incidence of taxation, iu the direction of removing the duties on tea, sugar, and other necessaries of life, and removing and altering all duties that press unequally oil tho working classes; the abolition of the property tax, and tho imposition of an income tax on absentees, or a graduated income tax on all incomes iu the colony of over tliOO per annum, and a land tax on a sliding scale. The amendment was put, and negatived without discussion, and the House went into committee-of-supply tor the consideration of the Estimates. Crown Lands Department, H18,20 r ).

Mr l''ish moved to reduce by -t'oO the salary of the Oomn'issi.ini'r of Crown Lands for Nelson, ami Westland, illoO. Mr (Jriinmond moved that the vote be struck out altogether. The discussion was interrupted by the o MO adjournment. The House resumed at 7.«i0 p.m. in Committee of Supply daring the course of the discussion which ensued on the motion for striking out the vote of AMSO for the Nelson Crown Lands Commissioner, Mr Richardson stated that tho committee in its zeal for economy was going in exactly the opposite direction. If this officer's salary was struck off another officer would have to be appointed to perform his duties, and 110 saving would be effected but the reverse, as tho ofiicer was entitled to a lariß retiring allowance. The motion for omitting the item was carried by 87 to 32. Mr intchctt moved that tho item of t'oOO for the Comurssioner of Crown Lands for Dunedin bo struck off. jMr Percival suggested that the vote be reduced by &o as an indication that this ollicer should not be re-appointed. Mr Richardson agreed to that and Mr Percival then moved th it the vote be reduced by £1, which was agreed to on the voices, the motion to strike out the vote b -ing lost. MrThonip on (Auckland) moved to strike out the item of contribution to vote for mines in lnvercargill £115. Agreed to. Mr Lawry moved to reduco the item of fcliaOO for travelling expenses, advertising, rent of ollieos, and extra clerical assistance by HLOO. Reduction agreed to. A motion to strike t'soo off from the ex-

pcnses of ni the thermal springs lit Hanmer Plains was lest, as i«s also a motion to reduce the item by £100. Survey Department, £7-,375. .Mr Kmli moved that the item SurveyorOeneial, £7~io, be reduced by £100. Mi' Richardson said if tlie committee pursued that course they would make tkeni«elves lidiciUous in the eyes of the country. Mr L J ercival explained that he should vote for this and all other reductions, in order to force the Civil Service classilication. He felt s it islied that the proper way was amalgamation, not reduction ; but he hoped the Committee would reduce largo as well as small salaries, so that the classification of the Service would be forced on the (lovernMr L'eacock accused Mr Fish of acting in a haphazard manner in moving his reductions.

Mr Fish repudiated this, and s aid everyone of those gentlemen whose salaries Ihey worn trying lei reduce would not obtain as much money in private business. Mr Thompson (Auckland North) moved the reduction bo £00 instead of £100 as inowtd by Mr Kish. After a long discussion, Mr l''ish altered his motion to one to reduce the salaiy by I'oO instead of KLOO, and this was carried by MO to 85, Mr Richardson appealed to the com* mitteeif it was desirous of keeping open C rown lands for settlement to deal liberally with tho survey vote. He asked the committee to let this vote go in one block, and In was quito prepared to eive an a.nct; t hat lie should tiiko oil' all increased on salaries over £'200. On the motion of Mr Vish the salary °f the superintendent in the head office (fc!->;>9) was reduced bv £» r >o. Tiie item eight chief surveyors, £3,S.k>, was reduced by t2OO.

(Left sitting.)