Legislative Assembly Hansard 1895

Queensland Parliamentary Debates [Hansard] Legislative Assembly TUESDAY, 22 OCTOBER 1895 Electronic reproduction of original hardcopy Questions. [22 Oc:roB:Fm.] Questions. 1351 If so, out of what moneys P 3. Are moneys available (in addition to the amount required for works in progress) to pay for the whole cost of- (1) The construction of the ten proposed railways? (2) The construction o! the Gladstone-Bundaberg railway? (3) The construction of any railways guaranteed by local authorities, and to provide the advances to be made under the Sugar Guarantee Act? If so, what moneys are available? If not, how much money is available? 4. Is it the intention of the }1inistry to raise a new loan to pay for the construction of the ten proposed railways, or any of them, or any portion of the cost of the Gladstone-Bundaberg railway, or the advances to be made under the Sugar Guarantee Act? 5. Is it the intention of the Ministry to submit for approval to the House this session the plans of any other raHways ? The COLONIAL TREASURER (Hon. H. M. Nelson) replied: I may state that I object, as I have done before, to a series of questions of this sort, which have been disallowed in the House of Commons, for the reason that they amount to argument. The whole question is LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY. simply asking me, as Colonial Treasurer, to make a financial statement, which it is not now the TUESDAY, 22 OCTOBER, 1895. proper time to do. However, I shall answer, as well as I can, without taking any point of order on the subject, the questions as set down. The SPEAKER took the chair at half-past 1. In reply to the first question I wish to say that as o clock. soon as Parliament has approved of the plans and sec LOCAL WORKS LOANS ACT AMEND tions of the railways proposed, and has voted the necessary supplies-a very great on1ission in the ques ... MENT BILL. tion-it is the intention of the l\Iinistry to proceed FIRST READING. forthwith with the completion of the working plans of The SPEAKER announced the receipt of a all the railways &o approved, and as each one is cmn pleted it is intended to invite tenders for its construction. message from the Governor, stating that His The Commissioner reports that he expects to be in a Excellency, having been made acquainted with position to invite tenders as follows :-Bundaberg to the provisions of this Bill, recommended the Gladstone, section 2A-tenders now in, and ready to be necessary appropriation to give effect to it. dealt with; Dundaherg to Gladstone, section 2B Mr. BELL : In presenting, in accordance with tenders expected to be invited in January next; Charle the message, a Bill to amend the Local Works ville to CunnamullH., January next; North and South Rockhampton, }1ebruary next ; Racecourse to deep Loans Act of 1880, I wish to make a statement water, February next; Hughenden towards WintonJ in the nAture .of a personal explanation. On J1iarch next; Bulimba branch, April next; and all the Friday bst I alluded, with a good deal of warmth, others will follow in due course. The working plans to the fact that His Excellency had communicated will in the meantime be proceeded with, so os to enable his assent to the address of the House, and that the Commissioner to invite tenders at the earliest date. Of conr&e any reply to that question is hypothetical; I :Ministers had withheld making the necessary do not know that Parliament will approve o! all these intimation to Parliament. It now appears from lines. a communication the Hon. the Premier has made 2. It is the intention of the 211inistry to submit to to me that he had only that morning received the Parliament estimates of the probable expenditure upon request from the Governor for that ad vice which eaeh railway line separately, the necessary ways and he always seeks from Ministers before he takes means to be provided from the loan fund, from which fund it has been the practice hitherto to pay for the action. In saying, therefore, that the Minister construction o!' railways, and there is no valid reason was in possession of the assent, and that he did for departing from the established system. 'l'rustiunds not communicate it to the House, I made a wrong will not be affected. statement under a misapprehension, and I desire 3. heferthe hon. member to the statutory statement to express my regret for having unintentionally of the Treasury accounts as published in the Govern done the hon. gentleman at the hea<J. of the 'ment Gazette, folio 831, which is correct, and which shows the amount of moneys available. There is Government an injustice. I beg now to present enough money available for all purposes specified in the Bill, and move that it be read a first time. the question; but if Parliament is not satisfied that Question put and passed; and the second read such is the case it can refuse to vote any money. The ing made an Order of the Day for Friday, 22nd approval of railway plans does not commit Parliament to any expenditure whatsoever. November. 4. This question contains a palpable fallacy and a ASSENT TO BILLS. transparent assumption. No ::\iinistry can" raise a new .The SPEAKER announced the receipt of loan" on its own authm·ity. If any -'Jinistryattempted such an unconstitutional course, I hardly think any messages from His Excellency the Governor, capitalist would subscribe to it. The House has conveying the Royal assent to the Railways Bill, already been informed that the C\Iinistry have no the Shipping Act Amendment Bill, and the intention to ask this Parliament to authorise a new Audit Act Amendment Bill. loan, the effect of which would be to provide money long before there is any probability of its being required QUESTION. for expenditure, and to thereby overload the banks CoNS'l'RUCTION o~· RAILWAYS. with surplus funds upon which the country would have to pay interest-a course which the lessons o! the past Mr. POWERS asked the Colonial Treasurer-' should teach us to carefully avoid. 1. Is it the intention of the Ministry to proceed, 5. The IIouse has already been informed that plans before April next, with the construction of the ten of the line to Pialba and some other lines of a similar proposed railways if the plans of all are approved of by n.,ture will be submitted to be constructed under the Parliament; or, if all are not apprJved of, with those guarantee system, should the Bill dealing with that that are? subject become law. 2. Is it the intention of the Ministry to pay for the construction of the rail ways, or any of them, out of I shall, as I have previously intimated, make a (1) Moneys raised by Parliament for other railway financial statement with r<'gard to the proposed works P or, loan expenditure before the House is asked to (2) Trust funds ? vote any money. 1352 'l'ivoli Branck Railway. [ASSEMBLY.] Tivoli Branck Railway. RAILWAYS GUARANTEE BILL. great service, not only to Queensland but to tha The SPEAKER announced the receipt of a other colonies. During the strike in 1889 or message from the Council returning this Bill with 1890 the only coal mines working in any of the amendments. Australian colonies were those about Ipswich. Messag:e ordered to be taken into consideration The e"timated cost of the line-£12,000-was to-morrow. trifling compared with its advantages. Not more than about twenty acres would have to be TIVOLI BRANCH RAILWAY. resumed, and at the very outside the land would The SECRETARY J!'OR RAILWAYS not be valued at more than £50 an acre. In (Hon. R. Philp) moved- most case' he believed the land would be given That the Speaker do now leave the chair and the free because there was no doubt that the line would House re~olve itself into a Committee of the "~hole to enh~nce the value of the property very con eonsider the resolutions relating to the proposedb ran er railway from North Ipswich to Tivoli. siderably. He might mention that the Govern ment also proposed building a line to Bulimba and Mr POWERS: This bunch of railway pro Eagle Farm, which would give the Ipswich posals having been brought down after the first people further facilities for exporting their coal. four submitted, I think the question may be He did not know whether it was on account of a raised here as to whether they should not be scarcity o£ coal at the coal mines-he thought referred to select committees. I believe that it was more on account of the difficulty of trans· this, as well as the others, should be referred to pnrting the coal-but for the last three or four a select committee, and that that course should months there had been dearth of coal at Rock be adopted unless there is a strong expression of hampton and Townsville, and in some cases they opinion from the House that it is not desirable to had had to go to Newcastle for a supply. At follow it. As to this line, th.1ugh I suppose we present the -Railway Commissioner and the will be told that we will get it in committee, we meat companies were .>imply working from hand have received no information as to what the cost to mouth on account of the scarcity o£ coal, and will be for construction or compensation, The now that they were building railways they ought two things are bunched up.

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