PARLIAMENTARY.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1285, 20 June 1884, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES. Thursday, June 19. The House met at 7-30. PENSIONS BILL. Mr Shkxmskc moved the second reading of the Pensions Bill. The Hon. Maj jf Atkinson objected to the transaction of any business, and moved the adjournment of thb debate, which was carried. THE DISSOLUTION. The Hon. Major Atkinson moved that the House go into Committee of Supply. Mr O’Oallaghan moved as an amendment—“ That this House, while willing to grant Her Majesty supplies for a reasonable period, desires to place on record its disapproval of the' course adopted by Ministers in recommending His Excellency to grant a dissolution without first affording the Opposition a chance of forming a Ministry having the confidence of the House, inasmuch as Parliament has thereby been prevented from passing measures which it is desirable should be passed before a general election, and also the expense of a double session being unnecessarily incurred.” The Opposition was divided into sections. They were a pirty under different leaders, but all were struggling for one end. They were fighting for the removal of their common onenay, An alliance had been formed by these factions to remove the Government, and all united under one leader for the purpose. That leader’s natural modesty led him to declare that he would not take office. As a matter of courtesy, he should have been sent for, but was not. The Government, by its action, had incurred the expense of two sessions, and delayed the passage of very necessary measures. These facts induced the Opposition to take the course indicated by the amendment and to show the country the real facta of the case. He was only the mouthpiece of the Opposition in doing as ho had done; Mr Macandrew seconded the amendment. ..He expressed his strong conviction of the humiliating pvsition in which the Government had placed them. They had been taunted that they could not form a Government, whereas the fact was they could form two or three Governments if they had got the chance. He urged them not to waste time in talk, but to go to a vote at once.

Mr obddon supported the amendment, If the deßcit, as the i reasurer had told them some weeks ago, was L 150,000, was it not important that tfiey should face such a grave difficulty forthwith instead of putting off their time pending a general election ? Again, some time must necessarily elapse before parties got constituted, so that for months to come the public works expenditure must necessarily be stopped, with a lot of men all over the. colony unemployed clamoring for work. Such a prospect of things was most unfortunate. i Mr Munbo, as a Government supporter

and one who regretted the verdict of no confidence, stated distinctly his opinion that Government should have resigned, and allowed the Opposition to form a Ministry. He was afraid that the practical results of this amendment would be nil, but still he felt boj.id to record his views on the point. Mr Moss announced his intention of supporting the Government. He deprecated the vote of certain members who had thrown over the Government, and by secret Intrigues seduced the Opposition from its original purpose, and made the Opposition follow them. The ostensible object of the late vote was to force a dissolution, and now they wanted to obstruct that avowed purpose. He believed that had they just waited, their prospectus an Opposition would have improved. He believed the Government would have committed many blunders, in view of which a real united party should have been formed. He was quite content to see the Government remain in office, as it was a wall known fact that the Government simply carried out their policy as an Opposition. Mr Sutton stigmatised the amendment as a reflection upon the Government and the Governor for doing exactly what they had bean asked to do. Mr Wakefield said they had been told by Mr Moss that this Government carried out the views of the Opposition, and therefore they should be allowed to remain in office. That was a most extraordinary doctrine, and the sooner it was remedied the better. There could be no doubt but that the object of the no-confi-dence motion w»s to get an appeal to the country at the earliest possible moment. Since then a great change had come over the aspect of affairs. Members had arrived in the interim, and it was quite right that they should now bo guided by the new state of affairs. If they now felt that they were in a position to form a Government strong enough to carry on the work, in that case ha held that if the Goyern--mant still held by their former determinatien. Tt the Opposition to take the extrema course to stop-BappU«»_

They should do whatever was constitutional, and that was constitutional, and consequently it was the proper course to take. He was not, however, prepared to say the Opposition was united enough to form a Government. The very fact that Mr O’Callaghan was selected to move the amendment was to his mind a strong indication of that fact. He would, therefore, not feel justified in voting for the amendment under the circumstances. Mr Joyce contended that as a fusion of parties bad taken place an opportuniiy should have been given of showing under which leader they were prepared to range. Such being the case it was but right that the Government should have resigned, and given them an opportunity for making the experiment. Mr Fish spoke in support of the amendment, and Captain Mackenzie against it. Mr McDonald did not know what was to be gained by going to the country just now. Mr Harris denied a statement made by Mr Sutton to the effect that they were unanimous in their determination for a dissolution. He did not care what Mr Steward might have said; the resolution he carried said nothing about a dissolution, and they were only bound by their vote. Mr Richardson had supported the adverse motion on the distinct understanding that it would bring about an immediate dissolution. He, therefore, could not support the amendment. The Hon Major Atkinson expressed deep regret that the resolution should have been moved. He did not think any member of the Opposition believed it true. He asked, could a Government be formed that could carry any measures ? Ihe Opposition was absolutely divided.’ The adverse vote could not have been carried but for the distinct understanding that it was a prelude to a dissolution. Had the Opposition waited they could have carried all the measures the resolution bpoke of, and then they could have 'brought 'down a vote offno-confidenca. The fact wai, What the members of the Opposition wanted was to get possession of these benches and

control the elections. There was no question but the Government party was by far the largest in the House. They had just had an example of the unity that prevailed in the Opposition, The Opposition had leaders, but they dared not rise up to attack the Government. Ail the Government did was to tender to the Governor the advice the House desired. So little agreement was there amongst the Opposition, that when one got up to speak he had to cross the path of the other.

After what he saw in 1879 he would do

always everything he could to prevent a certain hon. member getting on the benches, to manipulate the elections. He only wished there were two years to run of the present Parliament and he would let the Opposition on their benches, and the country would have an opportunity of seeing what the Opposition was composed of. He quoted from a memorandum by Sir George Grey to the Governor in 1877 to show that the Government was justified in the course it had adopted on this question. The crown might refuse dissolution, but in that case it was the duty of the Government {to retire despite that fact. In 1877 Sir George Grey was * refused a dissolution, and yet he remained in office. That was a humiliation his Government never would endure. He asked the Governor to grant a dissolution as he believed the House desired that. The Governor concurred. No written documents passed. The application and reply were made by word of mouth, in as few words as he had. spoken. He was glad to say he served under a Governor who could take his word without a written record, and that was more than the Opposition could boast of. He had never said that the Opposition could not form a Government. He believed that there were as good fish in the sea as ever came out of it; but then there was another old saying, which was to the effect “ that it was hard to catch them.'’ That was precisely the state of the Opposition ; they had good men, but they could not be caught. He did not care whether the amendment was carried or not. The Government had taken the constitutional course under the circumstances. It was therefore only a waste of time to discuss the .motion, and the Government asked that the work should now be proceeded with. They should devote the few remaining hours to considering the important questions of finance they had to deal with. Mr Ghri.uskx denied that the Opposition had delayed the business of the session.

Mr Montgomery analysed the resolution, with the view of shewing there was no foundation in fact for the assertion made by the Premier that there was not a member in the House believed the truth of what the resolution set forth. In the face of the vote carried the other night, the statement that the Government had the largest party in the House was simply absurd. The fact that the Opposition was not agreed in all points simply proved the sincerity of their convictions. -The cry about the multiplicity of leaders was only a re-echo of what the Grey Government had to complain of as against the then Opposition. On that occasion it was djubtiul whether Mr Ormond, Major Atkinson, or Mr McLean was the leader, There was this difference, that the Grey Ministry chaffed their opponents in a good-humored way, and not, as was now tbe case, taunted them in coarse and illnatured invective. The hectoring style of the Premier was most objectionable, and was condemned even by his own supporters. He denied that- the Government was popular and asked—Where were the news-

papers speaking favorably of the Govern-, meat 1 There might be one id Welling- s ton, but that was aIL In short, the Government could not imagine for a moment that the country would make its return in their favor. All they wanted was a few months longer of political existence. The majority against them of nine was swelled up by recent arrivals to fourteen. In that case the Opposition had a right to expect that the Opposition would be v asked to form a Government. If the Opposition had failed then the Government wo dd have gone to the country with clean hands. However, it would go torch that they oonld have. formed a Government, but did not- get the chance. Colonial Trimble said, they went to the country on the motion of the Opposition, and therefore he blamed the Opposition for not promulgating its policy. He asked Mr Montgomery to state his views on separation—a policy enunciated by him at a meeting in Christchurch. Mr Petrie spoke in favor of the amendment. ' The motion for going into Committee of Supply was then put. The House divided.—Ayes, 37 ; Does, 37. The Speaker gave his vote with the Ayes with the view of getting the matter relegated to the country as soon as possible. The following is the division list:— Ayes—Allwright, Atkinson, Beetham, Bryce, W. C. Buchanan, Conolly, Dick, Dodson, Fitz Gerald, Fulton, J. Green, f M. W. Green, Hamlin, Hobbs, Hurst, Hursthouse, 0. J. Johnston, McMillan, W. W. Johnston, Kelly, F. W. Mackenzie, Mitchelson, Moss, Munro, Postlethwaite, Newman, Peacock, R<>'l<j»ton, Stevens,. Sutter, Sutton, Swauau.-, 11. Thomson, Trimble, Watt, Wilson, Wyun-Williams, Noes—Barron, Bathgate,, Bracken, J. 0. Brown, Cadman, Daniel, Dargavitle, Duncan, Feldwiok, Fish, George, Grey, Harris, Hutchison, Ivess, Joyce, Maoan*. drew, McDonald, J. McKenzie, Montgomery, O’Callaghan, Pearson,. Petrie, . PiUiatt Seddon, Sheehan, Shephard, —JEjjmith, Steward, Taiaroa, Tawhaio, J. wmronnjoir, Turnbull,’W. White. . Pairs -Ayes, J. £. Brown, Mason, Mcllraith. Noes Morris, Pyke, Holmes. The House went into Committee of. Supply. The Hon Major Atkinson at once moved to report progress, which was carried, and the House rose at 12.30. Friday, June 20. (by telegraph.) THE HONORARIUM. In the House Mr Holmes gave notice ; to move that the honorarium of each member be reduced to LSO, and asked the Government to give it precedence. Then Hon Major Atkinson refused to give the motion precedence, and said the Government intend moving for a reduction of the honorarium by one-half.