GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Evening Star, Issue 3575, 7 August 1874, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

[By Electric Telegraph.]

t tr Wellington, August 6. lu the House of Representatives, .. Hf moved the second reading of “• E - thought the House was bout to sanction a dangerous precedent in K^ cUUrT - L « suS ported the Bill as one much required, sane. Cli llm!? 1 ta8 ° T l i, WM read a * econd time, iaiaroa moved that section No 403 re B tn T irV? b Ch / lmer8 ' « £ wSm3 made 6 f ° r whom ifc WM or Wnally / M Lean recommended that the House do not agree to the motion, as the Government mtended to settle the matter by arbitration. The claim referred to laud? g M Ven M the /re«byt P riau Otago. -Mr Macandrew said that it had been given to that Church years was given to the Wolds explamed that it had been given re but they refused it AfT° to the Natives, fbo BlUßea «* —After some discussion the motion was withdrawn at the request s

such a measure without any limitation might lead to enormous waste o! public laud. Such a wholesale system was very objectionable. —Mr Bunny said that the previsions were exactly the same as those in the Marlborough Bill of the same nature. If they had no money, and the House wou’d not give them any, and they wanted roads and bridges made, wl y not alow them to do "as best they could with the means at their com mand ?- Mr Pearce, while admitting the. truth of the Premier’s remarks, could not help protesting against the extraordinary difference in the treatment accorded to some Provinces as compared with others. Only a few hoars before, while considering the Taranaki measure setting apart one-fourth of the lands of that Province, the Premier had justified the course pursued by the Government regarding Taranaki, and denied the charge of favoritism. —Mr Fitzherbert denounced the practice of the Government making fish of one and flesh of another, which, he maintained was done. Notwithstanding the statement of the Premier last evening regarding large favors and benefits showered upon Wellington, the reverse was the case : Wellington had been persecuted and sat upon.—(Laughter.) Was it because Taranaki votes were always safe, and because those ef Wellington, be was happy to say, were not always in favor of the bon. member at the head of the Government ?—The Premier adhered to every word he had said last night, and had the hon.

member been in his place be would have heard a great deal more about the Province of Wellington. He regretted that the hon. member threw out imputations regarding the purchase of votes. Had they been inclined to do so, they would not probably have gone very far away to do it —certainly not to the smallest Provinces of the Colony, whi'e there were notoriously others in the market, and at very low terms. There never was any Government in the Colony less ia need of that kind of thing, and in any case such a practice was a bad policy for any Government.—Mr Fitzherbert took the opportunity of replying to the remarks of the Premier, and observed in conclusion that he made bold to predict that he was hurrying the Colony to a speedy failure— (“ which, you, sir, well know”). —and that there was n >t a tittle ©{{truth in the financial statement made regarding the Province of Wellington.— The Premier was quite content to leave the House to judge between them. He might safely appeal whether anyone had ever known him wilfully make a statement with a view to deceive. He would ask hon. members to read the correspoddence regarding the account with the Superintendent of Welling, ton, and judge between them.—Mr Fitzherbert reiterated, for the third time, that the statement of the Premier regarding the loan and financial assistance to Wellington Province was utterly repugnant to truth, and it

was no answer for the Premier to refer to a correspondence of which he ought to be ashamed.—Mr Lnckie thought all doubts sfaeuld be cleared up by reference to the correspondence. He was about to quote from the decision of the Supreme Court, when loud cries of “Question” stopped nations.—Progress was reported. The Auckland Waste Lands Bill was committed. The eighth clause created considerable discussion, the Premier opposing it on the ground that it was contrary to the 6th section of the Public Works Act, which never contemplated giving land away. Messrs Sheehan and GHlies supported the dame on the ground that the best policy was net to aim at a land fund, but to settle the country with people,—Progress was re ported. Otago Waste Lands Act Amendment Bill. -—Mr T. L. Shepherd put his protest on record against the way in which similar Bills were treated by the other House session after session. The Bill passed.—On the request of the Premier, the Highway Boards Act Amendment Bill was discharged from the Order Paper. The New Zealand University Bill and New Plymouth Exchanges Validation Bill were passed.

The Premier laid a letter upon the table from Mr Bussell on the subject of the Webb penalties, and said the Government had concluded not to risk the expense of taking legal proceedings against Webb for the recovery of the penalties. Mr Vogel obtained leave to make a statement as to the course the Government proposes to adopt in regard to the question referred to in the debate on the State Forests Bill—namely, the question of abolishing all Provinces in the North Island. At an early period of the session, when the Financial Statement was made, he would not disguise that it was the desire el the Government to assist the Provinces in the North Island to continue to discharge their functions, and proposed that fresh assistance should be given in some cases. The loan question was materially changed by the debate on the Forest Bill. It then appeared that feme of the Provinces, nntably Wellington, looked

upon the Forests Bill as aimed at Provincial institutions generally, and Wellington in particular. One speech was of such a nature as to direct the attention of the Government to the whole question of Provincialism in the North Island especially. As a result, they arrived at figures which showed, to an extent he never dreamed of, or members generally supposed, the enormous proportion of revenue and means expended on this island that was indirectly supplied by the machinery of the Colony and the Assembly. He could not ray what impression these figures conveyed to the minds of members. Since his speech was made the evening before last, the Government bad received assurance frhpa ®ll sides which would leave ho doubt in tlie minds of Ministers that the majority of sbe members were anxious to see the Provinces abolished. Some of the conditions referred to the seat of Government, and that tho compact of 1806 should be recognised by Act. He believed a large majority of the members were prepared to assent to such a proposition, and see it given effect to with as little delay as possible; therefore it would be idle to deny that the Gavernment had taken into consideration whether it would be opportune to bring down a proposal to that effect during the present session. After what ho had said the other evening there conld be

no doubt as to his own opinion; but the questionwas whether action should be taken this session, and the Government had come to the conclusion not to ask for effect to be given to this proposal during the present efeseion.—(Hear.) they did this bepause there had been some sorb of understanding that the session should not be unnecessarily prolonged, and that, beyond subjects indicated in his speech at the opening of Parliament, no important legislation should be proposed. Although the Government could demand that consideration should be given to all matters of urgency, it would be always well to adhere to such understandings. But the chief reason w]uch weighed most with the Government in coming to their decision was that, although the majority of the House held the opinions he described, and although he believed tbe opinion of the people throughout the North and Middle Islands would make such a scheme exceedingly popular, yet there would be a general feeling thatit would be a dangerous indulgence for large legislation to be hurried, and without due notice. - Efen those most favorable might say “ After a surprise of this kind might we not have a surprise we could hot welcome ?” There would naturally be a feeling of insecurity if, while Parliament was sitting, large organic measures should be passed without -ordinary notice, so as to afford constitutional

means to the people to express their opinions by petitions. It warmest supporters might dread a surprise in legislation in the shape of a coup d'etat. He did not wish to assert there was any right to prevent the House expressing its opinion on the matter. Many members might think the necessity of the country would justify extreme action, but the Government did not approve of such a course. He thought such a measure would he more acceptable if it came from the c mutry, while Parliament was not sitting. He was not, however, prepared to say there would or would not be brought down some resolutions on the subject, but the Government had not come to a decision yet. In the House, the Select Committee appointed to enquire into the alleged breach of privilege in connection with the publication of Judge Ward’s evidence before the Ooamittee, has been made a Joint Committee. It is reported that Mr Luckie told the Committee bow the information in the telegram was obtained, namely, that while engaged in writing telegrams, he heard the whole statement from members in the passage while they were conversing, and took the words down. It is also said that he assumed a jaunty air before the Committee, and rather lectured them upon the ridiculousness of the whole affair.