WELLINGTON.

Dunstan Times, Issue 491, 15 September 1871, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

(FROM our. CORRESPONDENT.) 2. There lias been but very little real work 'lone in the llou e of Representatives clur’ng the past we k. A considerable am- unt of preliminary skirmishing has taken place l between Mr. Collins, (the mr-mlver fir Col- '' ling wool) an the Government, and be tween Sir D. Mimro and the Govern ent. Mr. Collins on Thursday last, asked .the. Honourable the Colonial Treasurer, whether a sum of oO.OOOf. was obtained Tom the Com, droller for the osb 1 ' sible purpose of payin oil cert in Debentures which fell due during the last Financial Year; .-ml whether the money has been applied to the purposes forwhichit wasissuod by the Comptroller, and if so wlnn, or to what other purposes? Pro--vlous to putting the question he,..sjiid that it appeared t 1 him, that the. conduct of the fGrovemmeut with regard to the 50,000(. he wi>< going to inquire about, was of such a character, that hj was afraid to give r a name, for if ho were to, he might offend a ainst the rules of the House. He wasr - peattdly called to or. er, and at last brought

Lis remarks to an abrupt conclusion and put the above question. Mr. Vogel said he had not had time to look through the papers a id books aufficently yet to enable him to give a very satisfactory answer, and it would not be convenient for him to say much about it before the m.iking of the financial statement, tie would state however tha' there had been a very great fallin - off in the revenue—a difference had arisen between the Comptroller and the Treasury. The Attorney General did not agree with the view taken by the Comptroller, and there had been a very long epistol ry warfare between the Comptroller and the Treasury which was very harassing. The Comptroller thought he had a great deal to do, but in reality he had very little, and he could not help being reminded of the old lines : “Satan finds some mischief still For idle hands to do.” Later on in the day Mr. Collins moved, That the reply of the Honorable the Colonial Treasurer to the question put to the Government by Mr. Collins this day, be entered in the Journals of the House, but he saM he did not think the reply of the Colo nial Treasure r was a reply at all—he though! the conduct of the Government in the matter was to say the least of it very ex traordimry—he could only characterise it as a kind of political thimble-rigging.. The Sp aker observed that he did not see. how i e was to comply with the resolution if the house p i -se l it—One member suggested that he should ask the Colonial Treasurer for it—An'ther, that The Hansard report should be entered. Mr. R Wood said in reply to Mr: Collins, that he considered he Government had given a very plain answer—lt was clear the Governm nt had obtained money for one purpose fro n the Comptroller, and expended it for another—The system of cootiol on :ht to be abolished. Mr. Gil'ies agreed with the first part of Mr. Wood’s remarks, but not with the latter. He tin n s verely reprimau ed the Co onial Treasurer for speaking in such a derogatory manner of such a high officers, and one in whom the House had such great confidence (hear, hear) as the Comptroller, particularly as fiat officer was not and could not be presc .t to defend himself. The Colonial Secretary sai l it had long be n the practice of the New Zealand Government to obtain money for one purpi ise from the Comptroller, and then expend it on another.' Mr. Stafford said it was not done under his Government. Several other members spoke, and eventually Mr. Collins said that the object he wantedhad been obtaino 1 by the debate, a id be would withdraw his motion. The petition of Messrs. Starkie and others, of the Nevis, was referred to the ; Gold-fields Committee. Mr. O'Neil moved I on Wednesday last, That, in the opinion of this House, the duty on gold should be reduced to one shilling on each standard ounce. In speaking to the motion he said that, considering the immense value of gold mining to the colony, it was the duty of the House to sssist this industry as much as pos.-ible. During the last year the value of the gold export had exceeded the wool oxp nt by one million. The Caledonia Claim alone had paid half-a-miliion in dividends .in six months. A strong reason for reducing the duty was the fact of goldmining infill,; so uncertain. In Victoria the duty had bren giaiually reduced until it was altogether abrogated. To show the immense efiect that gold-mining had upon a country, if properly encouraged, we migat look at Victoria and California. From Victoria 15(1,Odd,0001. of gold had been exported. Mr Cox remarked that what the miners wanted was not so much the reduction of the duty, but a greater certainty that the money collected should be sp. Nt in the district where it was paid. The Goveinmat ha 1 calculated on this tax, and it would be very inconvenient to discuss the matter until af er the financial stateiii'.m was made. Mr. T. L. Shepherd saidthat Mr. O’Neil hail not consulted with the other Gold-fields Members; but he (Mr. Shepherd) was strongly of opinion that the du y ought to be reduced. Eventually the mo ion was adjourned for a fortnight, with the understan ting that, if the Government wore not then prepared, it should be ad - journed for another week. On Thursday Mr. Neil moved.—“ That in the opinion of this house, the fees for miners’ rights might be reduced to ten shillings for each Miners’ right. He said Uiat the fee of /, was looked upon by the miners as being oppressive. in Victoria the fee was only five shillings. The House 'should consider that miners when they move from one province to another have to lake "Ut a fresh right, winch mode the price paid often much more than one pound per annum. Mr. Harrison moved as an amend m nt, i hat the matter ought to be referred to the Gobi,fields Committee. Mr. T. L. Shepherd said the reduction of the tax upon the miners ought'to be strived fur in earnest. For many years it had been the custom to treat thi- matter only as an election cry. Miners, however, did not complain so much of the fee of the miners’ right, as they did of the tax upon gold. Mr. Stafford remarked t.iat tne miners’right conferred a good man-’ privileges,-! among others, the “ right to sit in this house.” The amendment was carried, and there is every reason to hdieve that the committee will do justice in the matter. ' Your readers will, I am sure, be glad to hear that the House has passed a resolution that it is desii able tbat_ miners should be allowed to take out’imieerfs f rights for three, six, nine, or twelve inCnthast proportionate prices. The resolution was moved by Mr. Collins. • Mr. Gillies has carried a resolution (against 'he strongly expressed wish of the Government,) to the effect that in all civil cases the verdict of two thirds of a jury should be taken. Mr. Gillies baa since given notice that he wULmoye to bring in a bill embodying the resolution. Mr. Stewart lias given notice of a motion having' for ita "objecftlte' libhfishmcnt of grand jntios.;- TfisHo’be-hoped he will I carry it, for a more- useless,, cumbersome i body than a grand jury never was invented. 1 Mr, Fox made a capital speech upon the second rea Un' of the < dneatin' bihj hut I cannot do justice ttf it itH-he' small-space I have left Messrs, Curtis,' Bath-ate, and Stewart ah o spoke very well on the same subject The debate is adjourned.