WELLINGTON.

Clutha Leader, Volume IV, Issue 161, 10 August 1877, Page 6

WELLINGTON.

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Political matters have been unimportant and barren of interest as the Governor's address. The first division was on a motion of Mr Murray, that no public money should be spent to support Bellamy's. It was urged that those who aspired to " ha-haism," and to be regarded as the aristocracy of Par-/ liament, should pay for the luxury of N Bellamy's out of their honorarium, and not out of the taxation of the people ; but the vote was lost by 26 to 31. HoweveT, if they wish £500, as they did last year, there will be another opportunity, when the Estimates are before the House, to oppose it. The next division was on Friday night, or rather, Saturday mornhg, at half-past 12, on the motion of xMr Macandrew, to adjourn the debate on the second reading of the Charitable Institutions Bill. This Bill has occupied much time, and called for a vast amount of discussion. Strange to say, the Canterbury men are against it ; for, as Mr Burns told them, they are now feeling the effects of abolition, which they might have prevented last year by joining with the Otago members, but now they are the first to feel the shoe pinch, and receive no sympathy; and when Mr Burns said, " serve them right," there seemed a disposition on all sides to give a hearty "Amen." The utter selfishness which has characterised many of the Canterbury men is now receiving the reward for their treason to the liberty of the people, and to truer local government than they are likely to receive again, Althoug-h now too late for successful repentance, their Road Boards have unanimously resolved to ask fbr what is but a weak imitation of the Provincial institutions, of which their members were the means of depriving Otago and a large part of the Colony.

The speeches of Ministers and members on this and other Bills seemed to point to a few conclusions. Ist. That they had destroyed the practical machinery of government, and were casting about them for some substitute for Provincial institutions. 2nd. That the blundering and extravagances of Vogelism had created a new sore of difficulty for these Colonies, and necessitated the introduction of what may be but the beginning of a long series of poor law legislation.

The Financial Statement was made on Tuesday, the chief particulars of which you will have received by telegraph. The Canterbury men are highly indignant at having to reap the fruit of their own folly, and when the Treasurer said he intended taking £59,000 in cash from them, and £109,000 in loan from Otago, and by Treasury Bills from other places, the proposal was received by groans from those who had something to lose, but cheers from those who expect to share in the plunder. It is still proposed to give the subsidies to which Mr D. Reid used to be so opposed ; but, probably with a change of sides there has been a change of views. The pretended surplus of £141,000 is only made up by financial jugglery, and by calling receipts from capital account "revenue," and by the great land sales in Canterbury being appropriated as Colonial " revenue." Instead of a surplus by these cooked accounts, there will be a large deficit, as I propose to show in my next letter. The Charitable Institutions Bill was read a second time, by 42 to 11, after all the talk.