GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3126, 28 July 1892, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

* LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. TUESDAY. The Council met at 2.30 p.m. The Oyster Fisheries Bill pissed its finnl stages without debate. The Council rose at 3 r>. m. WEDNESDAY. The Council met at 2.30. The Imprest Supply Bill as received from the House was parsed through all its stages. The Provincial Ordinance* Bill was read a third timo. Tho Lund Transfer Act Amendment Bill committed. Clause 13 was amended limiting the time in which to bring actions against Registrar Generals to six years in place of three years. Several other immaterial amendments wore also made. Progress was reported and Council rose at 3.45. HOUSE OF EEPItESENTATIVES TUESDAY. The House met at 2 30 p.m. The Imprest Supply Bill for £258,500 was passed through all it* stages. Mr Harkneas took uu tho financial debate and regretted that ic had not taken anything but a tone of personal recrimination. He said that though the Government congratulated themselves on the early deliverance of the Statement, he submitted that they h.id only followed in the footsteps of the late Government. Respecting the Premier's assertion that the colony waa more prosperous now than it has been for 13 years lie pointed out that in 1882 the actual revenue exceeded the expenditure by £190,520, whereas this year the actual revenue exceeded the expenditure by £87,200. Hie opinion was that enterprise was dormant and industry crippled. The policy of the Government, he argued, was one brought forth to catch the ignorant and unwary, but it would not deceive thonghtfnl man. He denied that the Government was economical, and quoted figures showing thnt there was an increase of £13,000 in the estimates. He thought the L-ind for Settle-.-ment Bill would not work satisfactnrily at all events in the South Island. He condemned the co-operative system adopted in connection with the public works, and contended that the Government were paying twenty to thirty per cent, more for wnrk. He would not accept tho Treasurer's stitement that capital was not leaving the colony.

Mr C. H. Mills criticised the Statement favourably. Mr G. F. Richardson followed, and said he did not regard the debate as a waste of time, and thought the Treasurer should admit his lines had fallen on pleasant places. The Opposition had been twitted by the Minister of Labour with being on the serious side of the House, but he thought that a very considerable compliment, although not meant fc« be so. Hβ intended to criticise the Statement as a Statement, because it appeared to him that those documents as a rule were too much clouded. He took exception to some matters in the Statement, and had preparnd some tables, which ho had applied to the Treasurer to allow the Treasury officials to correct, but was refused. In one table he showed that on the consolidated fund the increase for 1892 over 1891 was £17,839, and in the public works fund £5(5,460, making a total of £74,299 increase ovor la3t year. The total excess of expenditure and liabilities for the consolidated fund and for the public works fund for 1892 over 1891 was £132,338. These tables showed that wo actually borrowed last year £324,000, and that the expenditure was increased by £74,000. He quoted figure? showing that the net indebtedness had increased by £334,311. Ministers, he said, had frequently statsd that they saved considerably, but he challenged a contradiction of his statement that they had overspent £17.529. Discussing the Financial Statement, there was a slight difference between hie and the Treasurer's figures. There was, however, a sum of £100,000, which the Premier had stated last year ha intended to devote to reductions in the public debt. While not finding , fault, he asked the Premier to explain by what authority he transferred that £100,000 from the public .vorks fund to the consolidated fund. He wished t>> ask the Premipr whether he would admit the error of £62,000 in the public works fund as set forth in the Statement. [Mr Ballance: No.l Well, this he should have to demonstrate, althouph ha would have preferred the Premier admitting it. He then proceeded to show from last year's and the present Statement that the Premier had accounted for this sum twice over. He trusted that if the Treasurer found the speaker correct in this he would admit it. [Mr Ballance promised to do ho.] He strangly condemned the action of the Minister of Lands with regard to the construction of roads, accusing him of neglecting those necessary while carrying out unproductive works. Referring to the acquisition of native lands, the proposal in the Budget was to acquire land at a rate not exceedtns £30,000 a-year, but he thought that the Government was not in a position to acquire such lands in twenty years. IE natives were allowed to dispose of their own lande with proper restrictions —such as providing that they should not .sell or lease too large areas to any single individual, or to entirely denude themselves of land —the native lands would soon be settled. The financial proposals of the Government were unsound in many respects, and he asserted that the co-opera-tive system was costing the colony from £20,000 to £30,000 over the contract price. After condemning the Civil Service Bill, he referred to the trust funds, and said it was the duty of the Government to consider the matter, and see they had sufficient margin of liquid security so hs to resist any run that may be made on them. Passing on to land setfclemont, he dealt at length with Ministers' figures as to the number of people who had taken up sections, and agreed to discount them to some consideraable extent. At midnight Mr R. H. Reeves moved the adjournment "f tho debate, which was carried, and the lloviss rose. WEDNESDAY. The House met at 2.30 pin. Mr Saunders presented a petition from a large number of farmers in Canterbury on the subject of Land and Income Tax, which was read by the clerk. Mr Saunders moved that the petition be printed. Mr Ballance said the petition came from the Conservative Association, but he bad no objection to its being printed. After an hour and a-balf's discussion, the motion was carried by 42 to 20. Mr Reeves (Innngahun) resumed the financial debate. Hβ said, in spite of the iittiL'ks of the Opposition, the budget still remained intact, aud it stood as one of the best statements ever delivered, to the House, a monument to the good sense and statesmanship of tho Premier. Referring to th.R pnsilion of tho Postmastor-Genenil, the O'llt'nial Secretary in tho lato Government drew his salary for months after he ceased to be a member of the House, and Mr Mitchelson, another member of that Ministry, received his salary for some time out of unauthorised expenditure. The House rose at 5.30 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30. Mr J. McKenzie said his predecessor iu office last night had taken up the statement with the evident intention of raiding every possible fault with it, but he (Richardson) had made an exhibition of himself, he had perpetrated huge blunders, and he (McKenzie) was not surprised at the report they had heard in the lobbies about Mr Rnileston wishing to give up the leadership ot the Opposition when so many embryo Col >nial Treasurers were always, ready to get up and address the House. In fact, Mr Richardson was wrong in every one of his particulars, and it could easily be seen that he had mixed Liabilities, Public Works Fund and Consolidated Revenue, and had brought the balance to suit himself. Alluding to some of the charges made against the Land Department, he asserted that ho had acted in the best interests of the colony. He deprecated the action of the Opposition in continually crying down the village settlements started by Mr BallaDce, but he thought that wast one of the best acts his colleague had done in providing for poor people in this way. He defended his special land settlement, and said they were working so well that he could not supply the peo3le rapidly enough, who wanted to take up /and under them. One great advantage of the leasehold system regulations of the present Governmentwas that leaseholders would get the full value of improvements. The travelling expenses of Ministers were dealt with at some length, Mr McKenzie declaring that all money he had received on account of travelling expenses had B one through his bunk book, which any member could examine.