PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

Dunstan Times, Issue 914, 24 October 1879, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY INTELLIGENCE.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY. October 14th. After Mr Pyke and others spoke, the Public Revenues Bill was passed through ail its stages. Mr Hall then moved that the Rouse adjourn. Mr llislop intimated that if the Government continued to defy the majority of the House he would—if only five stood by him —oppose all supplies. Mr Whitaker defended the course that the Government had taken.

Mr Maeandrewsaid they were outflanked for the day, and had only to submit. The House then adjourned.

Replying to Mr Murray, The Hon. Major Atkinson said the Government were disposed to pay to local governing bodies in the Provincial District Of Otago the I 54,000 of land fund impounded bv the late Government, and which the Public Accounts Committee reportel belonged to the Provincial District of Otago, and that it would be made un the negotiation of the loan.

Replying to Mr Murray* The lion Mr Hall said Government had received information regarding the negotiation of the L 5,000,000 loan. It had" 1 not been completed. A telegram on the subject came to hand last night, which would be tabled for perusid. The Hon. Major Atkinson said the Government had not, as asserted in the public Press, lent LSOOO to the Municipality of Lawrence The loan was asked for from the Government Assurance Department. The department did not think the security good enough. October loth. The Han. Mr Hall asked leave to explain the course he intended to pursue. The Government prppbsed that before the vant-of confidence motion was taken they should be allowed to place their policy before the House. A correspondence on the subject between the Government and the leader of the Opposition was read. He had now to state that if they allowed the Government the present week to bring up these bills they would agiee to the no-confidence motion hring brought on on Tuesday. Mr Macandrew said, if they agreed to take the motion on Friday, he thought that the matter could bo arranged. The Honourable Mr Hall replied that the Government could not p 'Ssihly be ready on Friday. The Native Minister was busily engaged preparing for his statement. He was at work from 10 a. m. till 2 o’clock in the morning, and wmM lake all the week to complete his inquiries. Mr Header Wool said the Government had ample opportunity for laying their views before the House, ami to show his impartiality he would admit, that Ibc Electoral Bill was a decided improvement on that brought down by the late Gove'imient last year. They had therefore had all that they asked, and there was no reason why they should not proceed with the motion of no coiifi Icnce. If the House had no conti leiu-i- in die Government, it was nonsense to speak alrout proe editig further than they had gone. There would be no use in making a Native Statement until the Government by whom it was brought down had asserted its position in the House. The Hon. Mr Hall said what the Government con ten le i for was that, having come into office with a majority, they should have an op lortmiity of placing their measures on the ree n-ds of'the House. That, he con'en led, was no waste of time. They only desired their measures to be officially made records of the House. That was what they were entitled to, and that was wli it they had pie letcnnmed to do As a consiitutional principle they were entitled to do that, aml it was of the greatest importmice in laving the foundation of mpre-enta-t ve instil 'turns in a young Colony, that a principle of this kind should not be violated W hat the Opjiosition said was this: ’■ You han a majority late'y ; we have got that in-ijori'y now ( therefore we at once bid you to leave those heneh- s ” ; while'he question was this : whether they should take a vole on Friday or Tuesday.' All the difference in dispute was one single s tting d ly, and for the sake of this oae sitting day they were asked to lay down a wrong constitutional principle. It was an indecent scramble for office that the Opposition, so soon as they had made one or two conversions outside the House, should take ihe course they have adopted. Had the leader of tdie Opposition had his own way, he believed the proposal for delay would have been a reed to at once.

Mi- Macandrew saiil that his real object was lint place or power, but to assist in establishes areally Parliamentary Government by party. The House then adjourned. On resuming, Mr Mncaudn w moved the adjournment of the House. He said that the proposal he made for going on with the business not having been assented t-', he had no other course left to him. The Hon. Mr Hall appealed to the House to allow the private business on the Order Paper to he gone on with. He hoped the determination to obstruct business would not extend to keeping back that business. Sir George Grey said that he stood there an outcast among men. He was therefore in the position of an independent member, pure and simple; he was therefore in a position to give a disinterested opinion. He denied that any time had been lost. The time spent was of the utmost importance to the Colnnv, which now stood 5b years in advance of what it was at the beginning of the session. Members on both sides of the House were now committed to the passing of those liberal measures he had so long advocate-*, and those who once opposed him would now be bound to go into the same lobbies with him. He would now draw them along with him at his charriot wheels. It was the duty of all men to insist upon the Governor removing these gentlemen from the Government benches. He bad been told that so long as be remained leader of the party members would not vote for these measures. He bowed to that opinion, and retired from the posiiinn. It was the duty of the Government to follow his example and to retire when they found they were obstructing the measures referred to. They not having done so simply confirmed the oninion he had formed that their principal object was to serve the purposes of a landed aristocracy. The member at the head of the Government should not have been allowed to resign his place in the Upper House, and the Governor in allowing his resignation made himself (the Governor) a partisan ; in fact he (Mr Hall) simply held his scat there as representative of the Governor. The Government having been constituted in that way, it was the duty of the House to oust them from the benches. He should say that they did not represent the country, and that they were not to he allowed to hold their seats. An address should be moved to the Governor himself to dismiss them. He (Mr Hall) was the representative of the great land ring of Canterbury. The member called to the Legislative Council held a similar posi tion with respect to the North Island. If, then, the great Liberal cause was to triumph, ft w,os necessary that such a combination should riot be allowed to continue the administration of affairs.

Mr Pyke said he rose to explain his vote as one who gave that Vote to place the present Ministers on the benches, but not under the impression that the Hon. Mr Hall would be sent for. Ho did so because ho thought a reconstruction would follow-. He thought the same when Sir Win, Fox’s no-cnntiilencs motion was brought down, and should vote o" the same ground again when an opportunity presented itself, both he and the member for Dunedin thought a reconstruction would follow, and therefore intended to use their votes to bring this about. The question before the House was simply whether the Government would state a time when the motion before the House should be allowed to come on for discussion, and did not affect the question of supply at all. He contented that the present Government was composed of sham Liberals who stole the crest of Sir George Grey, and wanted to be intrusted with the plate. He did not cry, “Measures, not men.” He wanted measures and men, but did not expect to get them in the present Ministry, who cared nothing for any Liberal Bill. He would promise hon. gentlemen of the Ministry that if they were successful in resisting this no confidence motion, he for one would go in heartily for carrying on the business of the session and a °sist to rub up their German silver into honest English plate. He trusted they would have no more spectacles of heavenhorn financiers condeming the financial condition of the Colony, and in pursuing it in the money market. The motion tor adjournment was then carried