The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1892. THE FINANCIAL DEBATE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XIII, Issue 2739, 6 August 1892, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna est Veritas et Prævalebit. SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 1892. THE FINANCIAL DEBATE.

We hope that the debate on the Financial Statement, which concluded last night, after having occupied practically the whole time of Parli&n^nt for three weeks, will long stand as a 11 record." We question whether the country is a whit the better for the volume of talk that h»s been poured forth during that tira«, and are decidedly with those who consider this great waste of time as showing one of the Worst faults of the system of party government. Our Parliamentary cor-; respondent has taken the trouble to sum up the debate into facts and figures, and really beyond these very little can be said about the debate.; The debate began on July 15, and extended over thirteen sitting days-Fifty-five speeches were clenVfered, the actual time consumed by the fifty-five speakers being 64 hours 27 minutes. Twenty-three Opposition speakers occupied 30 hours 40 minutes, and thirty-two Government supporters took 38 hours 47 minutes. The average length of the Opposition speeches was 1 hour 20 minutes, while the speeches of members on the Government side averaged seventeen minutes less m duration. The longest and shortest speeches were delivered on the same side of the House and on the same day—the last of the dabate—-the Premier's reply occupying 3 hours 10 minutes and Mr Jackson Palmer's speech 2 minutes, So much for the power of speech of New Zealand Members of Parliament. The debate on the motion of no confidence m Lord Salisbury's Ministry m the Imperial Parliament will probably not occupy half the time.