GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3130, 6 August 1892, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THURSO \Y. Tim House niPt at h df-pi*t Iwn. Replying ti- Mi 1 Rollest"n, Miwiicl Im wa< n-t IT-pti<■ i t'l t... (Governor to sill'iw cm i-'" nt >tiv i r >i. ' i which had p'owd iiem-emi liinisi-lt .n,d Ministers on Mm nilij.-ct of the [ir..|inw| appointments tn the ij-iKislativo Conned t<be laid tin table. Replying to Mr K. M. Smith, Mr I'.alImice *aid the < lovernment Imd niviiii the question nf izrantini: a pension or gratuity t.i the late Sir H. Atkinson's widow and family careful considerjtion, and they li id decidedto place. a sum on tho estimate* to

moot tne case. Jhe amount lind not yet been decided on, but lie hoped it -would be such as would meet with the approval of the House. The House rose at five. Mr Hall-Jones resumed the debite on the Financial Statement. He said there w:is :i Rowing feeling in the country tli.it far too much time was occupied in debuting questions of this kind, and tlmt most important work was hurried through in the last stages of the session. The result of the debate would, he thought, be gratifying to the Premier. Mr Taipua objected to the native land legislation of the Government, and said the natives should not be called on to pay rites till thev were placed on the same footing as the Europeans. Sir J. Hail thought that the speech just

made by Taipua would discounfc considerably the rosy aspect of native matters alluded to bv the Native Minister last night. Mr Ward had taunted the Opposition with having only one desire, namely, to get back on the Treasury benches, and he (Sir John Hall) thought it showed very bad taste in a young man to use .-.uch language to men who had grown old in the service. Coming to the Financial Statement, he thought some credit was dun to Mr Ballance for hi.-, Budget. It was an appeal, however, to an uneducated audience but for a clear, comprehensive statement of the financial position of the colony it was :t failure. As to the surplus claimed by the Treasurer, half of it was due to his predecessor, and the other t.alf to the postponement of interest on debentures. He did not regard the Labour Bureau in a hostile, manner, but lie regarded it with some anxiety, and thought the House was entitled to more explanation on it. Respecting the land question, he was trntsoanxiuun as some of his friends on the Opposition side of tho House to have freehold tenure inserted in the present Bill, and hoped the Council would not insist on it either. Lst the Minister for Lands have his way, and dig his own political grave if he wished it. All he had heard from the Government side of the House during this debat:) was laudation of the Government policy, and no attempt whatever had been made t > answer the criticisms of the Opposition on tho Financial Statement. Mr Saunders referred to Sir John Hall's assertion that the Financial Statement was prepared for uneducated and ignorant people, but he (Mr Saunders), although he could understand plain figures, could not understand the figures he had heard from the Opposition Ride of the House for the last three years. He should support the Government as long as they pursued the course they were now doing— not because ho thought them economical, but because, as compared with the Opposition, they were economy itself. He was si rnngly opposed to land nationalisation, and believed the people would never give up freehold tenure. Mr JacUson Palmer moved the adjournment of the debite, and the House rose at 12.40 a. in. FRIDAY. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Mr Jackson Palmer resumed the debate on the Financial Statement. Ho hoped the debate would ii"t be continued much longer, and that the House would get to more useful business. Mr Kapa said Hie Native Minister had stated that the pr-ssent Government was supported by the native peonle more than any pievious Government, but he would point out that the p-esence of a large number of native chiefs in Wellington now should ii"t be t.ken as a sign that they supported the Government. The natives wanted the Government and the House to give them an oppmt.inity of trying to manage their own affair-. Mr Fergus said the Government were responsible for the' length of the debate, and s ud overtures made to t.he Government to close the discussion some days ago were rejected by the Premier. If the Premier had so wished he could have brought the debate to a close a fortnight ago. H-) felt it would have been a wise thing for the country to have put Sir Robert Stout in office as Premier at the last election instead of Mr Ballance, as although Sir Robert was a political opponent of his, he recognised that ho would have filled the position of Premier more worthily and j with greater dignity than Mr Ballance. He combatted the statement so often made hy the Government supporters that the colony was in a prosperous condition, and contended thers never was a period of greater depression amongst all our artisans than at the present, and that there was no proposal in the Government ptwratnrue t • alleviate this state of tilings. to the change in taxation ha could mention two industries which would be perfectly crippled by the new system, but they would no doubt revive when a reaction against the tax set in. He assorted that the producers of the country were altogether opposed to the taxation proposals and policy of the Government, but the Opposition were powerless when they had in office a Premier who declared that any means were justifiable to nationalise the land and so heap burdens on the farmers of the country. The farmers were, however, waking up to the fact that if the present Government existed much longer it would simply mean ruin to them. He was speaking at thp 5.30 adjournment. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. At 5.30 p.m. Mr Ballance roso to reply. He controverted Mr Fergus' extraordinary assertion that Mr Saunders was to be translated to a higher sphere. He could assure the House that there was nothing whatever' in Mr Fergus' statement. With respect to Mr McKenzie's (Clntha) statement that the assessors were instructed to raise the valuations on certain runs, he gave that a distinct denial. IMr McKenzie repeated the charge]. Mr Ballance said he was prepared to give the him. gentleman every opportunity of proving Ins statement. Ho denied Sir John Halls' assertion that the Government policy favoured town against country. As to large companies witi.drnving their c<pit;il they could do without them and would l-:e much better if they shifted their capital from the colony. 'With respect to freehold tenure, if tho people of the colony wautod it they must have it. The leal prosperity of the country depended on cutting up larie estates and settling people on the land, which would increase Customs revenue and provide employment for tho people. It was unfair to say that the Government intended to take fifty per cent frtin the local bodies this year. With respect to taking dutie,s off the necessaries of life he he'd it was not a desirable thing to do at present, their finances were in a state of transition and if anyone of their sources of revenue fell off tlioy would not be able to make any such reduction without causing inconvenience to their finances. As to the Public Trust Office the Government could not borrow a single penny from that institution except by law, the money in that office was to be lent out to fanners and others. It had been said that the Testimentary Trust Restriction Bill was brought in t» meet the case of a relative of the Publio Trostee or mine other person, but to that he gave an emphatic denial, and he was willing to take all the odium attaching t'. that measure.