PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 913, 17 October 1879, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY In our last issue we carried the doings of Parliament to the taking of the seats of the new (Hall’s) Government, and the adjournment till Friday, the 10th inst. The House assembled at 2.30 on that day, when Mr Macandrewgave notice that he would move that the Government does not possess the confidence of the House, and with a view of enabling him to make certain explanations, he moved the adjournment of the House. He then proceeded to say that the Opposition were most desirous to get on with the business of the country, and that they desired to bring this question to a final issue at as early a date as possible. If the Government were so disposed, they were prepared to go to a decision on the question at once, and they would be pre-

eared to abide loyally by the result. For is own part, he was in a position to say that if the motion was disposed of to-day, and the vote given in the affirmative, he would bo prepared on Tuesday to bring down the names of a new Government that would command the confidence of the House, and so get on with the business and the passing of those constitutional measures that were so urgently demanded. He did not of course expect the Government to go on with the debate to-day, but he would like an assurance that it would be gone on with as a first Order of the Day next week. Mr Hall then made the Government statement, in no way referring to Mr Macandrew’s motion for adjournment. He then moved the second reading of the Triennial Parliaments Bilk Mr Sheehan said that the Government’s silence as to the notice of want of confidence was extraordinary. He challenged them to go on and take the vote on the proposed motion at once. If they would make a fair and short fight the Opposition would be prepared to abide the issue and go on with the business at once. Mr Whitaker called upon all independent members to take a side against such a proposal, and negative the motion for adjournment.

Mr M‘f,ean said the Government should stay on those benches till they had told t he House about the finances of the country. The state of the finances was most deplorable, and it would take the very best men in the House to elucidate their present condition. The motion for delay was a mere subterfuge on the part of the Opposition to shelve the Bill altogether. The truth was they did not want it.

Mr Macandrew denied that he had opposed the Triennial Parliaments Bill in the past. He disclaimed all intention of attempting to defeat the passing of the Bill. It was in reality their Bill, and they were determined to get it passed. The question of adjournment was then put, and a division was taken- Ayes, 38 : Koes, 36.

Mr Wakefield then spoke against the procedure of the Opposition, and denounced the conduct of the late Premier and his friends as being bad and unconstitutional. Mr Speight and Mr D. Stewart having spoken, saying that having succeeded in getting rid of Sir Geo. Grey they were now free to support Mr Macandrew. The House then adjourned to Friday, the 14th inst.

The House met 011 Tuesday, the 14th inst.

The Hon, Mr Hall continued with the Ministerial Statement, after which he asked leave to introduce a Bill to amend the law relating to electors qu Jilted to vote at elections. The Bill, he said, proposed that it should be based on the principle of manhood suffrage, that every man who resided in the Colony 12 months, and in a particular electoral district 6 months, should be entitled to vote, and that the rights of property should also he recognised by giving a vote fur freehold estates of the value of L 25.

Mr Macandrew moved as an amendment —That while this House is anxious to pass the Electoral Bill, it declines to do so until it has been shown that the Government has the confidence of this House. The Speaker ruled the amendment could not be put. The House then adjourned.

On resuming, . Major Auckland made the Financial Statement, during which he said the finance 1 had not been dealt with at all for fifteen months, and Parliament was in the dark for that time. After dealing with the various sources of revenue, he said there was a total defecit of L 911,000 for the past Tear, and that in the existing quarter of the current year the expenditure had been Li 12.00(1, so that the late Government had expended half a million out of the proposed L 5,000,000 loan, which brought up the total engagements, including contracts and other engagements, to 1/2,000,000. He deprecated in strong terms the impropriety of pledging the credit of the Colony In that way. The position was undoubtedly a grave one, and it was the hounden duty, he submitted to dispense with party tactics and turn there attention to the difficulty. Sir G. Grey and Mr Ballance spoke and defended the adtion of the last Govrnment.