PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 335, 3 October 1879, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

On Tuesday the Legislative Council, after disposing of the formal business, considered the Address in Reply. The Reply was brief and formal, and was moved by Tlie Hon W. Wood, who supported the different items of the Government policy. The Hon J. Martin seconded the Reply. The Eon G. M. Waterhouse spoke at great length, condemning the policy and actions of the Government!- The course pursued by them during the elections, he contended, was unconstitutional, and he alleged that they had used the whole of the powers and opportunities of their position, the steamers, telegraph, &c, to further their own objects, and had so misconducted themselves that, if they lived under the constitution of some American States, the Ministry could be punished by imprisonment. He took an unfavorable view of the Colony's financial position which would never be good until borrowing was stopped. The so-called Liberal policy had been brought forward merely as a blind to conceal from the electors the real question at j issue between the last Parliament and the Government.

The Hon H. Chamberlain also spoke against the Government. - .. .

The Hon Colonel Whitmore spoke for over an hour in defence of the Government and in reply to Mr Waterhouse.

. The Address was then carried without a division.

The Hon W. Mantell raised a question of privilege, regarding, the conduct of tlie prosecution in the Kinross case; in having summoned Councillors and their officers as witnesses, and taken action on the evidence given by witnesses who were privileged in giving testimony before a committee.

The question was referred to the Standing Orders Committee.

In the House of Representatives the formal business was quickly disposed of, and Mr Andrews at once proceeded to move the Address in-Reply. His speech lasted "about an hour, in the course of which he reviewed the-policy enunciated in the Governor's speech: :The principle points made were in alluding to Native affairs. He characterised the term " Native land agent" as tantamount to •' traitor to the Colony," and spoke of the liberal policy as one of the grandest guarantees for the futnre of New Zealand.

Mr Hurst's speech, in seconding, was excellent, and the points were received with applause. He spoke of the present attempt to oust the Ministry as a disgraceful struggle for office, and taunted the Opposition with being afraid of first assisting the Government to pass any liberal measures which they pretend to approve of, and thereafter testing the question of personal fitness foi office. He contended that an appeal had been made to the country on certain questions, and the country responded emphatically in favor of both measures and, men. As showing how the Opposition represented " sheep and barren hills," he quoted figures proving that 11 members of the Opposition represented fewer electors than he (himself) and Mr Andrews. Referring to the recent Native disturbance in the North, he urged that Government was warranted in taking into consideration the fact that the coinplection of the wounded man is darker than that of an average Maori, and that the Natives who fired considered him to be a Maori trespasser. On concluding, Mr Hurst was loudly cheered from both sides of the House.

The Hon. J. Hall moved the adjournment, and on resuming at 7.30 p.m. every member at present in Wellington was in j his place, and ah the galleries were crowded to excess. Mr Hall moved the amendment in temperate language. He commenced bj complimenting the mover and seconder of the Address, saying that he had seldom heard better maiden speeches. In reply to Mr Hurst's taunts that the Opposition did not Represent population, he quoted the result of the elections in Auckland, /Wellington, Christchurch and ! Dunedin.'He maintained that the .Government had altogether failed to give effect to the liberal measures and economical schemes which they had alluded to and promised to bring in when they came into office. The fact was they had increased the extravagance they had promised to do away with. They.had increased the salaries they had promised to cut down, and had shrank from effecting many administrative reforms which they might have brought about. They had deliberately abandoned some things tending to economy, and had succeeded in getting members to relinquish measures tending to reform. In one case two members, who opposed a reduction of Ministers' salaries, were rewarded by being created Justices of the Peace at, the. close of the session. The expenditure in Native "affairs had likewise been most extravagant; and yet the position of Native,affairs was not as good as it had been two years agoj The' present Native Minister, r .p/omised great things when he got' into 'office." 'He admitted that affairs were hot Hvhat could have been wished when he took.office, but still he maintained that had Sir D. M'Lean .been spared, things would have been in a very different state. Great prospects held out. by ;the Government/, by theiniar-f vention of the' great- chief ; Bewi. T .They had not heard'anything, as to the result of that frhTervehtidn,-and lie could only con-r elude that they" had come to nought.

The speaker next referred to.'nnancei complaining that,, while the House had been asked to sanction heavy ; loans, no financial statement had been made. He next accused the Government of tampering with the newspaper press by. taking their advertisements away from ..certain papers and giving them to others, r The hon. gentleman then " wired " into the Government on the " special wire" business, by which he contended that undue advantages were given to certain journals. The management of the Civil Service was next commented on, and the judicial,.system attacked. The scandalous conduct of the Government in neglecting to provide proper accommodation for lunatics*-was : next referred 10/ and the want; of. gaol accomrmodation at Addingtpn.., The Premier was in a very great measure primarily responsible for this state of things. He took the sole control of matters iuto'his own hands, and would not allow his : c6lleagues to exercise the discretion they were entitled to exercise. The point resolved itself into this : Were they to have personal or were they to have Constitutional Government ? The manner in which the Government attempted.to influance the late elections was next mentioned. If ever there was a time when these elections should have been left to the unprejudiced judgment of the electors, it was the last election. But what did they find ? The two Government steamers were put in requisition, and ipe-

cial trains were set in motien for the purpose of conveying Ministers to various parts of the Colony to influence their elections. The telegraphic system had a.leo been largely employed in these elections?, but they did not know the full extent. Then, again, the time of commencing certain public works, by some curious coincidence, was just the time when these elections took place. The Premier, not having anything else to give the electors of Christchurch, gave them a clock. The House should put its foot upon such abuse and upon such undue Government influence. They had no right to use the power of office to facilitate their own ends on such occasions. The matter had been brought up in the House of Commons just one hundred years ago, and denounced in terms which he quoted, and what had been done then should be repeated by that Honse. He contended that the proposed Electoral Bill was one which they could support. As to.the Representation Bill, that was also necessary to place the Canterbury district on an equality from a population basis. He did not mean to say that was the only consideration. A readjustment of taxation was necessary, but on an improved basis. The time had come when a broader and juster basis should be adopted. He urged that the question of hospitals and charitable aid had not been dealt with satisfactorily. The licensing question needed attention, and these were measures which should engage the attention of any Government endeavouring to do their duty. Social and political reforms were needed. He contended that the laws they poasessed required to be dealt with'fairly and equitably, and he did not think this would bo the case, so long as the present Ministers continued in poweri 'Therefore he proposed the amendment he had ; moved. (Cheers.)

Sir Gorge Grey said he had expected quite a different speech. The matters referred to were trifling and altogether unworthy of the great things the Opposition claimed for the Colony in view of a change of Government. The question simply was whether the old state of things should he swept away and a new state of thing instituted. They, had been charged with maladministration of the affairs of the Colony. It was the Opposition that had been guilty of maladministration of the Law. What tracts of the country had they acquired for themselves, and what country had they gridironed for their own purpose ? The Premier then refered in detail to the various charges contained in the Hon J. Hall's speech, which he characterised as absurd, unjust, and untrue. The members on the other side of the House all claimed to be Liberals, but it was a mere mockery for them to claim for themselves the name of Liberals. . He defended . the Government against the charge of unfairness in the adjustment in the incidence-of taxation. He referred to past adminifjß-a--tion, the outcome of which was the abuse of the land laws, by which the lands Hf Canterbury had been gridironed, and they had acquired for themselves and their friends large tracts of country. They were rapidly coming to a state of things similar to what existed in Scotland; Ireland, and England, where-a few persons held tracts of country bearing a large proportion of the whole acreage extent of those kingdoms. The result of such a state, of matters was that it not only impoverished the masses, but hardened the hearts of the landowners to the distress of the population. The real question was-whether that system should be propagated in this country, or a new state of things brought about. It was not a question, as had. been alleged of personal government, which was at issue. That was the real question, the one he had indicated, and that was what he and those on his side of the House aimed at establishing in New Zeal and, and what they would continue to aim at po long ias they lived. They cared nothing for the false accusations* made against them. They were determined to stand true to the position; they sought, for something greater and something noble, something more abiding than the good opinion of those who sought to defraud New Zealand of its birthright. - —

Mr Saunders said that two remarkable speeches had been delivered that night. The one was what he would describe as a terrestrial and the other a celestial speech. The one speaker, had dealt with the business of this House, and the other bad taken them to Babylon and other out of the way * places. He described the Address in Reply aVa thoroughly contemptible document. He combated the assertions made by the Premier to the effect that the Opposition was-illiberal in its policy, and proceeded to show that they were quite entitled to that, the designation of Liberal. 13e maintained that the Government had * gone to the country on a false issue. The question was whether the Government as constituted was to be 1 trusted or not ? That was not the question raised when he went to the; country. The question be then raised was to the passing of certain Liberal measures regarding which there was not tfie slightest dispute. ]i AtlL-50, an adjournment till to-morrbl*r, at 2.30 o'clock,, was moyedby Mr Speight. On Wednesday the J debate was reopened by Mr Speight, t whoAspoke on the Government side., Colonel Trimble, of the Oppo-. s^tion,:, hm>, and "was • succeeded bvjilr -Moss and the Hon W. Gisborae in iupporfjf 0 me >, ' J oov e ynirient. Mr - Dick '(Opposition)' followed and Mr Ireland" wOuhd'upi the debate-by-stating that he M thoroughly agreed with the' policy, embodied in the Governor's speech, audwquld be,prepared to,support: the Government jn its endeavohrs* to- carry the same' into effect. The adjournment was moved by the ; Hon Mr Fisher/

After the first two or three speeches,nothing'more 'flat, staD, and unprofitable" than this debate, it would be impossible to imagire. '• Hinemoa,Te Whiti, and advertising "-'would be the burden of one speech, while fora change '•*,Te Whiti,. Advertising, and -Hinemoa" would form the staple of the next.' The attacks of the Opposition, consisting of merely a series of charges, frivolous or important according to opinion, there Was naturally nothing left for. Ministerialists but denial or recrimination. As it is well known that no amount of fhetorio will influence a single vote, and r as it would be absolutely impossible for even a Demosthenes to say anything fresh on the it does - seem a pity-that the time of the House-■ should be wasted, and the business of the country delayed to so little purpose.