THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Evening Star, Issue 3308, 26 September 1873, Page 2

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

[By Electric Telegraph.] Wellington, September 25

A letter from Mr Carter to the AgentGeneral, dated July 9, states that he proceeded to Merthyr Tydvil, in South Wales, for a hundred coal miners for the Province of Otago, and received thirty applications. He found hundreds of colliers making from 12s to 14s per day, and the majority 7s. 'therefore the terms offered by Mr Carter were not attractive. According to the last advices the average rate of wages for good laborers on railways was (is to 7s per day of eight hours. Mr Carter received twenty applications in Whitehaven. At the Wellington Colliery he found the rate of wages to be 8s per day, with live days’ work per week. In the pastoral and secluded valleys of Cumberland the wages were 24s to 26s weekly. Only three of the applicants paid the preliminary deposit for bedding, &c. After a year, however, he was likely to produce an improvement in immigration. In further papers relative to immigration, the Agent-General defends his action regarding shipping accommodation. Mr O’Rorke complains that free passages have not been granted to suitable immigrants, as the AgentGeneral had been instructed, though it was five months since the instructions were sent. The Agent-General, in reply, refers to another letter from Mr O’Rorke, instructing him not to grant free passages. The AgentGeneral proceeds to point out that it is impossible to charter vessels privately on terms equally advantageous with those obtained from Messrs Shaw, Savill, and Co. In the House, on the motion of Mr Fox, the production of correspondence on the subject of the rates of insurance ou the lives of total abstainers in Great Britain and elsewhere, was agreed to. Also, on the motion of Mr Sheehan, a return was agreed to of the amount paid for Government printing aud advertising to various journals and printing offices. Mr Fitzherbcrt moved that the evidence taken before the Select Committee on the petition of the Messrs Brogden, be printed. Mr Fitzherbert said his position was one of responsibility, as he had presented the petition himself. The report ou the petition recommended that the evidence should' not be published. The report stated that there was no ground for such a claim, either in law or equity. Then why not give the evidence upon which this conclusion was based ? The House was placed in a wrong position. Messrs Brogden’s claim was parallel with that of Mr Webb, and the Government ini

the latter case took the most lenient Granting that Messrs Brogden had no iegai claim, yet the petitioners had expended 1,39,000, and had introduced 2,000 immigrants. They had lost a considerable sura of money, of which they had recovered only a small amount. The petitioners had made a great loss, but the Colony had made a great gain, and the same argument was used in favor of the remission of Mr Webbs penalties. Was the Colony to boast of having over reached Messrs Brogden, and of having benefited by the contractors loss? It “was wrong to make one arrangement with one contractor and another with another.—Mr Reeves opposed the motion. He regretted that Mr Fitzherbert was not present when the Committee decided upon the report which was arrived at, in his opinion, with great care. It was the opinion of the Committee that it was not in the interest of the country to publish the report. —Mr Richardson said the question must come up in another shape, and it would therefore be injudicious to do anything to prejudice the case. Negotiations were proceeding at Home, and no decision had been come to there. Therefore action here was premature. It was granted that Messrs Brogden : s petition would have formed a dangerous precedent.—Mr J. L. Gillies supported the motion.—Mr Tribe also supported the motion. He said a rumor was afloat that a letter from the Agent-General had been suppressed by the Government, and that only a garbled extract from it had been given. The firm hed been put to loss through ne fault of their own, but through the constant changes in the immigration system here. He hoped some member of the Government would be able to deny the accusation as to the suppression of evidence.—Mr Bunny supported the motion. A wrong had been done to Messrs Brogden by suppressing evidence, while the evidence should be placed before the House. MrT. B. Gillies said he was one of the members of the Committee on the petition, and from the first he saw that the case had been prejudiced against Messrs Brogden. There was nothing in the evidence that should not be published. The evidence not being sworn to could not be used in any law court. It was competent for any member of the House to read the evidence now on the table, and it would then appear in Hansard.—Mr Reynolds said the House should be guided by the views of the Government, It would not be right to furnish Messrs Brogden with evidence which might be used against the Government in a law court.—Mr Ormond said there was nothing in the evidence to affect any case.— Mr l yke supported the motion. The admission that there was something in the evidence that might be used in a court of law proved that Messrs Brogden had a good case. —Mr White supported the motion.—Mr Rolleston opposed it. He said the matter should be left to the Executive,—Sir J. C. Wilson opposed the motion.—Mr Swanson and Mr O’Neill supported, and Mr Hunter, Mr Tolmie. and Mr Bathgate opposed the motion. —Mr Thomson moved, “ That the evidence be now read.”—Mr Carrington seconded.—Mr T. B. Gillies vas proceeding to read the evidence when Mr Fox called attention to the presence of strangers in the House. The galleries were cleared, and the debate then continued with closed doora. September 26.

In the House last night the Search for Minerals Bill passed through Committee. The Ministerial Residence Lease and Lowry Bay Estate Bills were committed, and an amendment, giving power to sell the estate by auction whenever the Governor was disinclined to pay five per cent, on L 2,000, was brought in. The Premier moved the second reading of of the General Purposes Loan Bill.—Mr Rolleston condemned the system of paying interest on sinking funds out of borrowed money.—Mr Murray advocated the halfmillion loan to be lent to Road Boards.—Mr Tolraie coincided with Mr Murray. The Bill was read a second time.

The Premier moved the sesond reading of the Immigration and Public Works Bill. He said the plan of purchasing land for the North island would bear good fruit in the future. The land would be available for fresh population, and thus increase the Customs duties —Mr Uolleston said the proposal was an infraction of the compact of 1856 He characterised the present session as the worst for log-rolling he had ever seen. —Mr Brown, of Canterbury, said land in the N T orth Island should have an uniform value. The Middle sold one-fifth of the area of land sold by the North Island, but received five times the amount.—Mr Reid did not think the North Island had any claim.—Sir J. C. Wilson said L 900.000 had a'together been paid to the North for the purchase of land. Mr Vogel said Mr Rolleston’s gloomy prospects were unfulfilled. LBOO,OOO of the guaranteed loan were in market at Rome, and would probably go off at four and a-half premium. The Bill was read a second time. The Census Act Amendment Bill and the Railway Regulations Bill were read a second time. The General Purposes Loan Bill, Immigration and Public Works Loan Act, and the Immigration and Public Works Amendment Bill were committed.—Mr Sheehan said the money to be distributed to the Provinces under the Bill were not fairly divided—Auckland and Wellington not receiving a fair share.—Mr Vogel said Auckland should not look a gift horse in the mouth. The time was approaching when the North island would consist of two Provinces. The Government in dividing the money had regard to the future.—Mr Sheehan said the money should be distributed according to the present claims of the Provinces.—Mr Rolleston thought the money would be better spent in roads and bridges, and not tied up in Native lands. —Mr T, B. Gillies said a half million was only an instalment of justice to the North.—Mr Fitzherbert said that whenever the time came that the North required more money it would receive it.—Mr J. E. Brown denied that it was an instalment. The Middle Island would resent such a declaration. He could not see how the North had any claim upon the South. The North Island would have to muster stronger than ever it had yet done before it could seize the land of the Middle Island. —Mr Williamson regretted the looseness of the debate. Lauds were given to the Middle Island for purposes of settlement, but now they were being sold to speculators. This caused dissatisfaction in the North. They must continue buying land in the North. He criticised the speech of Mr Rolleston. To know the Natives, a man must live amongst them. The Middle Island would soon have cause for gratification through having settled the difficulties of the North.—Mr Sheehan suggested giving the Natives annuities in payment for lands, s® as to prevent money being dissipated.—Mr M‘Lean said the Government intended to do so.—The Bill was reported. The following Bills were then passed : General Purposes Loan Bill, Immigration and Public Works Loan Bill, Census Act Amendment Bill, Railways Regulation Bill, Civil List Amendment Bill.

The HouSe rose at tea minutes past one this morning.

(FROM our special correspondent,)

September 26. Messrs Brogden never applied to the Go* vernmeut for compensation, and the Ministry consider this should have been the proper course. The subject came before the House, and not before the Cabinet. Before Mr Brogden left for Home he spoke about stop, ping emigration, and the matter was referred

to Dr Featherston. The Committee recommended the petition not to be printed, but the Ministry did not accept the suggestion. The subject will come on again this session if members stay.

The Southern members talk of going away on Monday, and the Northern ones on Tuesday, but this will depend on the action of the Lords this afternoon on the Provincial Bills.

The Committee will bring up a report on the Mussel Bay workshops early next week. The leader in the Post last night is uncomplimentary to the citizens of Dunedin, and advises the Government to remain firm in resisting local pressure. Should they decide on any change to be made, one railway workshop should do for all the Colony, and Wellington is suggested as the most eligible site. It is useless bothering Mr Reynolds and Mr Bathgate about the matter. Though members may become delegates, Ministers cannot.