WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

Evening Star, Issue 2973, 29 August 1872, Page 2

WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

(From our oxvn Correspondent')

August 20, Mr Ormond’s Public Works statement was a clear and lucid explanation of works done and contracted for, and what the Government proposed doing in the future. The expenditure on railway works, roads, immigration, and water supply to goldfields was clearly placed before tho House. He shewed that in the nine months a great amount of work had been done mahjrH the exceptional position in which the Government had been placed as regards these works. The statements that vast sums, ranging from one to two millions had been expended without any result originating in the wild imagination of opponents to the Government, were entirely without foundation ; and with the view of placing before the House and the country the real state of the case, he had summarised the whole expenditure of public works and the remits. He shewed that out of the L 505,023 placed to tho credit of public works account it had been reduced by discount and charges, interest and sinking fund, buildings and English agency, to tha sum of L 719,957 actually available for public works, and for this expenditure a most satisfactory return can be shewn. The details of this expenditure will occupy too much of your space, and as that statement will be printed, I thi»k it unnecessary to go into details. Suffice it to say that the House .seemed to be agreeably surprised. The amount of road making in the North Island appears to have been very large ; 550 miles had been opened, besides more in progress ; and, on the West Coast of the Middle Island, 09 miles were in progress and partly opena 1, Of railways, 3SG miles were surveyed and prepared for vontract. Tho items on North Island land purchases, extension of telegraph, and subsidy to Road Boards and other works, all go to show how the money has been expended. Then in regard to immigration, so far as Otago was concerned, he stated that the arrangements

entered into by the Provincial Government and their Home agents would be carried out as formerly, and that the Scotch and Irish immigrants would be shipped fiom Hr Clyde.

The Colonial Treasurer, in the evening sitting, brought down his financial statement to a full House. He explained why he brought down his statement to the House in face of a vote of want of confidence motion being tabled. He had made a promise to the House, and lie would abide by it, and the information it contained, he would gladly make a present of to the hon. member, Mr Stafford. He congratulated the House ou the improved state of the finances of the Colony, for he > had not now to speak of deficiencies or of impaired revenue. Last session, win nhe reviewed the results of the year 1870-71. he led the committee to understand there would be a deficiency of L 136,000, but he was glad to say the deficiency was less by L 13.000, the reduction being mainly owing to savings in connection with the reserve fund. The House authorised the issue of Treasury bills for L 45,000 at one year, and a like amount at two years, so as to cover the deficiency, the balance to be paid aut of current revenue, which accordingly had been done, and provision would be made out of the revenue of this year to meet the L 45.000 Treasury bibs coming due. He then alluded to the loans—how they had been negotiated, and showed how applied. In concluding his remarks on this subject, he said he wished

Hon. members to understand that provision was made for payment during the year to the sinking fund of 1.66,000 on Colonial loans, and L 40.000 on Provincial loans those payments representing the sum which the Colony and the Provinces provided for reducing the public debt. In regard to revenue he shewed that material prosperity marke ! every department. The actual revenue for the year was LI 007,400, against the estimated revenue L 990.000, the returns of the previous year being L 936.000, being an increase on the estimates of L17,<»00, and an increase on the previous year of L 71,000. The exports also during the year had largely increased ; gold and wool showi g more parti' ularly an increase both in quantity and value. The exports during the year had exceeded those of the previous year by the large sum of L 1,181,000. The Treasurer largely entered into statistics, shewing the position of the Colony in all its aspects, making favourable comparisons as regard trade and commerce with Victoria, New South Wales, and the Home country. On sitting down, Mr Vogel was loudly cheered, as the favorable statement

took everyone by surprise, alter tue alarmh g rumors that had been spread broadcast over the country. As no doubt you will give your rcvderß tVic speeches of both Mr Ormond and Mr Vogel in extenso, it will he unnecessary for me to enter into them mo v e fully. Tam happy to say that both statements were listened to with patient attention by a full House of members ; the galleries being crowded with members of the other House, and the strangers’ galleries overflowing. August 21. After the ordinary business of the day had been proceeded with, all was expectation to bear the charges to he brought against the Government by Mr Stafford in his want-of-conlldence motion. His supporters were well managed by his whip, Mr fugles, so as to give him an ovation, and it was amusing to observe the by-play adopted Mr Stafford, evidently to produce an effect, had gone out of the House a few minutes before his motion would come on, so as to give his supporters an opportunity to cheer him on his entrance be f ore being called upon to speak to his motion. It is alleged that Mr Stafford lias no policy, but this is a mistake ; for this was about as good a political dodge as could be devised, and well showed the tactics of the political school in which he has been trained. He said, in rising to move the resolutions of which he had given notice, that he was fully sensible of the responsibility which at all times attached to any member who submitted a motion calculated to displace the Government of the day. His

motion was expressly against the administration by the Ministry snd against that special course of policy, which the Legislature authorised them to enter upon the execution of. The question of failure not only meant the failure of the Government, but the disastrous failure of the country ; and at no previous period in the history of the Colony, .since r sponsible Government had been initiated, bad so much depended on the mode of administration as now. At the last general election there was no doubt whatever that the country, by a considerable majority, gave its sanction to the policy enunciated ; there was, therefore, imposed on Ministers a very grave and responsible duty, and it was incumbent on them to do all that lay in their power to see that these great works were discreetly and economically administered ; and the time had now arrived when they should consider how far these expectations had been fulfilled. Mr Stafford went ©n to say that the idea of this great scheme of colonisation and public works was fairly taken up by one prominent member of the Government, and was attributable to his vast inventive and brilliant imagination, but while giving him credit for these, as well as for his great zeal and real honesty of purpose, he had not that steadiness of action in administration, nor had he that prudent foresight, which would enable him to calculate carefully before he commenced his opera tiona. He alluded to the t-'an Francisco Mail Service as hasty and ill-considered: to the Brogden contracts and the bringing of Mr Brogdcn to the Colony, also to their bad effect upon administration, to the Ministry being away in different parts of tho country, and to the neglect that Government had shewn in not availing themselves of Provincial Government information. He was not satisfied with the immigration arrangements, and while not objecting to the foreign element, he thought that the complaints about the exclusion of Irish’ramigrauta wore well founded. He said the old practice was being pursued of drifting the Colony into debt, not for carrying out tbe the great scheme, but in the direction of increasing the Civil .Service. He was aware that if tho motion were carried, a change of Ministry must tales place, and felt that he had been urged to malrc the motion by others, and be therefore took the responsibility, as a sweeping reform was necessary, which it was hopeless to expect from tLo gentlemen at present occupying the Government benches. Both in and out of doors Mr Stafford’s speech was considered a great failure. Them were no direct charges made, but mere vague generalities, and be evidently appeared as an advocate on a false issue, raised by a number of men who have been long in the outside shade of Government pay and pa-

tronage, and by others who show upon all occasions a personal animosity against one or &ther of the Ministry. His charge was more an attempt to implicate the capacity of Ministers to carry out the scheme that they had originated, and to prove that he and his friends would do it much better. However, the friends of the Government think that they, the Ministry, have done wonders in the short time they have had, since last session, to initiate the Public Aoi ks and mmigration scheme. As for the San Francisco service, at one time it was by many considered as a great boon to the country, and the failure of the contractors to carry out their part of the contract cannot be laid to the charge of the Government, for “the best laid schemes of mice and men gae aft agl\y.” Otago friends can and will recognise how many undertakings, both of a private and public character, arc beset with difficulties unforeseen. Take the Dunedin Water Works, for instance, also the Gas Works, and the Otaeo Steam Ship; ing Company ; their Provincial roads, bridges, and lastly the Clutha railway and the bungling of the Provincial Government, as well as that most unsatisfactory affair, the Invercargill and Winton Eailway. The Premier, Mr F«x, in rising to reply, said the resolutions were of the vaguest character, a d of a nature wdiich bethought hardly weighty enough to induce the House to turn out a Ministry that had been doing their work for years. He found himself in the position of having nothing of a definite character to reply to. One point was that the Government had fallen short of Mr Stafford’s expectation in the carrying out of the Public Works scheme. The speeches of the Colonial Treasurer and Minister for Public Works were at variance with the statements made by him, and telegrams of a satisfactory nature had been received from all parts of the country. The difference between his colleague and the hon. member was, as he had stated, the one having a brilliant and inventive genius, but the other (the member for Timaru) had none of the brilliant imagination or foresight with which he had credited the Treasurer. On his assuring the House, in ISGS, that the Colony was in a state of peace and tranquility, two wars broke out, one on the East Coast and one on the West, for neither of which he had the prudence to make any kind of preparation. He alluded to the San Francisco service, and felt proud of being connected with a Ministry which had initiated a direct service with that great country America. In regard to the absence of Ministers from Wellington, he reminded Mr Stafford that in one of bis Ministries, Mr Fitzherbert was absent eighteen months in England, whereas the longest period Mr Vogel was absent was six months. He denied that the Government had refused to avail themselves of Provincial organisations, and ho had the authority of the Ministers of Wo;ksfor both islands in giving it an emphatic denial. Although the Immigration scheme, he admitted, had given rise to some dissatisfaction, he assured the House that it was their desire to carry it out so as to make it a success. Ju the member for Timaru’s speech there was a topic conspicuous for its absence. The Government had, by the able direction of their Native Minister, saved the country from internecine war, and if he (Mr Stafford) expected to secure the services of that gentleman in the event of his succeeding in ous'ing the present Ministry, he would be gr.evously disappointed Mr Fox on sitting down was loudly cheered.

Mr Reid followed. He could not help remarking upon tbe sneering character of the speech of the Premier after the gentlemanly speech of the member for Timaru, This was very good of Mr Reid, causing a laugh at his own expense, as no one in the House is given more to sneering than Mr Reid him* self, and his interruptions by ironical cheering of speakers opposed to him are most remarkable. His antipathy to Mr Vogel and Mr Fox is shown in this way. After he had made some remarks upon some points of Mr Fox’s speech, he entered into the Public Works scheme, strongly condemning the administration of it by the Government. He raised many charges against them, alluding more particularly to the giving over of the works on the Olutha and Invercargill and Mataura Railway to Messrs Brogden. He tried to prove that the works would have been contracted at a lower price by local contractors. He alluded to an offer made by Messrs Proudfoob of Dunedin, offering to construct the Dunedin railway at per cent below the engineer’s estimate. He forgot to tell, however, under what circumstances the offer was made and when it was made. It is understood the offer was made sometime last year, when it was known by the offerers that these lines were to be constructed by Messrs Brogden, agreeably to a vote of the House last session, giving them the construction of railways to the amount of one million of money. On the whole, Mr Reid’s figures and statements made an impression on the House, and you could hear the inquiry made, " Can this be true, for if so we must condemn the Government.” After he sat down there was a considerable pause, the House expecting that tbe Minister of Works for the Middle Island would reply to tbe grave charges made. This, however, he declined to do, wishing to put himself and the Government right with the House at a later period of the evening. Mr Reeves moved the adjournment of the House, so as to give him an opportunity on the following day to rebut tbe charges. This he most ably did, and the charges made by Mr Reid fell to pieces. When a clear and practical explanation was given, the House ‘saw at once that Mr Reid had gone on wrong data, and had come to false conclusions thereon.

Mr jMcGillivray said ho admitted that the Agent-General was ha idly the man for the position ; but he saw ia Ministers of the day a good deal of ability and honesty of purpose, and before be would vote against them he would like to see a better set of men to fill their places. Mr Bmmy closed tbe debate. He had many eh arg«s to make against M misters. Last vear this gentleman was the Government whip ; but because he, as Provincial Secretary for the Province, along with Mr Fitzherbeit, could not get their little swindles, as Mr Reynolds calls them, carried out by the overnment, these two gentlemen have thought fit to desert from the Government ranks, and join Mr Stafford—either they or Mr Stafford giving in, the one being a strong Centralist, and tho Wellingtonians extreme Provincialists.

In finishing this letter, I may as well tell vou a good retort that was made by one of tho Otago members. It happened thus Mr Bunny had seated himself on a rather rickety chair, which, on noticing, he said, was as bad as the tottering Ministerial benches. The retort quickly made was : “ Yes ; it has become shaky by the undermining of the Wellington rats”—a reply

Which completely non-plusscd bon, and caused much laughter and amuroment at his expense