It had been said by Mr Duthie, Mr Bolleston and others of the Opposition — and what they said was gospel— (laughter) —that Sir Harry Atkinson had left the sum of .£718,000 to the credit of the Public Workß fund in Dec, 1890. Well, he did not wish to take an,advant3ge,and he might tell them that the amount waa not .£718,000 at all; it was £709,000. (Laughter.) The Opposition speakers, however, told them nothing about the liabilities, which at that date amounted to £241,700, thua leaving the net credit ■£557,534. If they turned to the Public Works Statement they would see that there was still available for public works purposes £747,000 after the Government had been two years and a half in office. (Applause.) The liabilities on March 31 amounted to £229,300, leaving a net amount available of £517,700, or a difference only, after the public works had been carried on for nearly three years, of £39,834. Where was the ruin that had been prophesied, where was the disaster, where was the sly borrowing that had been attributed to the Liberal Government ? (A voice :"It is coming.") Yes, and something else was coining. On Nov. 28 a complete answer to the Con servatives would be. given at the ballot box. (Loud and prolonged applause.) BORROWING AND EXPENDITURE. Now, as to this sly borrowing, and the sinking funds which had been taken and paid into the Public Works Account. The total amount of Sinking Fund carried to the Public Works fund was £486,124. The Conservatives had not said a word about the £100,000 which the Govern ment had paid off when it had received the credit from Sir Harry Atkinson. In the figures the Opposition gave a mistake of £25,000 occurred, but £25,000 was nothing to them. The Government had reduced the indebtedness of the Colony by £100,000 (Applause.) It had been the first Government that had the boldness to reduce the public debt out of Burpluß. Then there was a further reduc tion by another £100,000, but that fact was never spoken of by the Opposition — they never told how the Government had in a single year reduced the public debt by £200,000. But the factß were there. 