PROCEEDINGS IN PARLIAMENT.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 29, 17 July 1902, Page 6

PROCEEDINGS IN PARLIAMENT.

There wai vrhat is called in theatrical parlance a full house on Tuesday evening when the Acting-Premier delivered the Financial Statement. It occupied an hour and a half in the reading and during the time neither the interest of the members nor of the public in the crowded galleries flagged. The Statement showed that the surplus for the past year was £270,458, The revenue for the present financial year is estimate at £6,026,000, while the expenditure is set ild»n at £."> 1)87 oC>,i Sir Joseph Ward announced that it vas it'tei<did to reduce the mortgage tax by 2."> per c< nt. Reductions will be made in railway charges and rates on woo), passengers, and »mall lots of dairy produce, which are estimated at £40,000 ; while bu-h f^ttlera are not to be asked after payment of the first half-year's rent to pay any more for two or three years. During the pa^t yrar the public debt was in:reanpd by £3,375,202, and the gro«H jmhlio n/bt nnw standß at £.r>2,%f),447.. r >2,%f),447. This year it ie proposed to borrow £1,750,000, of which £7.">0,000 is for railways, £450,000 for roadp, tracks, and bridges, £ t.>o 000 for rolling stock and additions opi n railway linos, £.">(). 000 for the development of goldfields, and for the extension of the telegraph lines. Sir J. G. Ward wa 1 - congratulated all round, not only for bringdown the Budget at bo early a date after the opening of Parliament. but also for the clear and succinct ptatenvnt of the finances of the Colony presented. At the suggestion of Sir William Ruapell the discuseion on the Budget was Bet drwn for Tuesday night. The who'e of Wtdnewlay afternoon was taken up with formal business In th" evening Mr llorn r -by moved the second rta'ing of the Kings and Combines J-uppn ysicn Bill to prevent the continuance or e-ta'uiishment l.i monopoli •*. The motion for the second reading was seconded by Mr Gilfrddfr who said that the Milius' Trust should be bmet up, and condemned the nrfarion- sj ,-tern of tied houses The deb te ladled inn] two o'c'ock ou Thurpd-ty morning, the concensus of opinion of the speak' rabeintrthat it would beadvi&able to await the G nor incut N p--opi sal on this mat er. The i-e-c nd re;*d mt' w c- curm <1 by 21 to 1 "> tu.d at the suggestion of the Act ing- Pi emu r th.' in o\ er (Itemed not to proceel turther with themei*un j a« thu Govermne 't pr )rm»ed to bring down legislation of a similar natur •. On Tmu d.ij nftin"on Mr Mi Nab intioduivd hi- Absolute Majority Vo'"i^ UiH io oi mr. the reprc h>i tation rf mnjorities. At th" n'g^'t-a n o' J. G, Ward I'j» o<-bate *as arj,,urned until the Ooveiji>. enl s Ekitoral V-ill i» br ntrht down. The Su<ite Fire In^uim ie r.ill, intn due-id by the ActingPremier, wi"-, atier a lei gthy dibit<\ allow nd to phph the teco'id reading. In the course of h-s speech Sir J. G Ward wild that a Government Fur It sur.uico Depirtmtnt would not only get a sharp of th« buMnc" ot th*> Colony, but would fix the minimum rate of chu'ges vr<\ pr» \ct tin m be ; ng ra -ed ebnormHlly. and so do injury to the comn unity. If th< House would effect t-uch a desirable ohuntre th" Gown. me 1 , t d d not w;nt to prevent otlur compmies doing bu^i n< ss here, an 1 be did not desire to pay anything against tln-e pmate msutuiions. The Go\e nment would, if the measure v. f s came 1, conduct tlio cfpaitmeut on brriut bu«ine<-H inn 1 -, wuh (■•' c y piovisioii lor lPinsurauce. and he b»-hevu3 other office 1 - wji I'l1 ' 1 t> o d to do bu inc-b wit>, thcai in tlw t re-»pc<'t, and that th> {l> vu'mn nt uep irtmont would bj f.ble to coi.fer valu'io'e biinnis. <>n o her c nip nies. It was propos. d that the department *ln,uld commei cc ai th a c.epiCil of ii'2',o 000, and provision wiih made \<<r a sinking • und lor the redemption of the original ca{ itil. On thf whole he thought tne busu.ess. ot our firo insurance co.npaniefl ha '• been cairied out with advantage to themselves, and it the Stale department was. run in a business-like wuy he did not tuink it would prove to be injuiious to private companies. In the IIou«p of Representatives on Friday the whole of the afternoon was t..ken up with formal business and replies to questions. In t lk- evening the Orchard and Garden Perts Bill and ice Land ;.nd Live stock Auction Bill, introduced by the Minister for Lunds, were rend a second time, and referred to Select Committees. The Buds Nuisance bill, and Second-hand Dealers Bill, the latter to provide fir the licensing of such dealeis. also passed their second rtadiug ulter which the llouf6 rose.