WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3587, 21 August 1874, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

[By Electric Telegraph ] {From our own Correspondent ) August 20. TJje Opposition veto willine last night to gpt? a division, Wh6p Mr Brown rose to move an adjournment. As there was no intention of patting up another speaker, the voices were taken before the House rose. To day Mr Bollestbn tried hard, hut without success, to induce the Speaker to rule that the question must be put. The Speeches this afternoon were very common* place. August 21. Re Mr O’Rorke’s retirement from the Ministry : The telegraph report of Thursday afternoon’s scene was so fearfully mangled as to destroy the sense of many important passages, so that I lose no time in rectifying the errors, and take advantage of the opportunity to place the matter intelligibly before your readers. It will be recollected that on the House meeting on Thursday, an adjournment of a, q'iarter-of an-bour was obtained, rnmor said for the purpose of enabling the Government to patch up the disagreement with Mr O’Rorke; hut the fact was, to enable Mr Vogel to cheek certain figures he was about to use. It was commonly reported then that Mr O’Rorke bad resigned ; in fact it was^ known early in the morning to the Opposition members, as intimated tq ypq. Immediately after “ Mr O’Borke’s violent attack, Mr Vogel rose and denied Mr O’Rorke’s signifying to him or any of his colleagues his intention to retire from the Government and not oppose the resolutions. telegram made him say so entirely different, the statements demanded explanation. On the House meeting on Monday. the Governor having given permission « tbe ! proceeding of the Cabinet, Mr O Rorke called upon hia late colleagues to tell the House exactly what occurred. Mr Reynolds got up first, and said that although Mr O’Rorke had opposed the resolutions in the Cabinet, and afterwards in private conversation told him he could never agree to them ; be had never given him reason to believe he intended to resign, though he thought such a coarse probable. Mr M ‘Lean spoke much to the same effect, Idr O’Rorke expressed repugnance to the resolutions, bqt be never heard him say he intended to resign. Naturally he might have been expected to have made such an intimation of bis intention to resign from some beueh other than the Ministerial one. Mr Richardson corroborated his colleagues, and gave _Mr O’Rorke’s exact words when the question was put in the Cabinet. He said, !!.^ r i7 o lr ®annot expect me to acquiesce in that. Nothing was said to lead him to suppose in the slightest that Mr O’Rorke intended to resign, until he got up in‘hia place to say so. Out of the mouths of his own colleagues, then, is Mr O’Eorke convicted of having adopted amost unusual and unparliamentary proceeding. Coming from one who has been for years Chairman of Committers, and thoroughly acquainted with precedents, it is an unaccountable proceed-

ing, and admits of no excuse. His friend try to shield him by saying that, when he got on his feet, his intern ion was simply to announce his resignation and retire from the tench; but his feelings overcame him. That idea is negatived by the fact that Mr O’l’orke read his speech, but apart from that, Mr i >’Rorke would haveacted unconstitutionally if he mer dy announced his resignation in Hie first ptace. At the moment of speaking hj s icatenation h’dnot been received by the <»■ vernor, and certainly was unknown to his colleagues; therefore de facto he was 'till a member of the Government. But as Mr Vogel showed the R onse yesterday, there were plenty of precedents ; the latest being in 1867, when three members of the Derby Government retired. The proper course in such cases was to co-suit the head of the Government as to a convenient time to make an explanation, and those two things should be established beyond question. An announcement of retirement was never made until after the resignation was accepted, and then by the retiring member, not from the Ministerial Bench, but from his seat in the House.

7 here was considerable debate upon the Licensing Bill in the Legislative Council, and many unimportant amendments have been made. Mr Fox’s Bill has received general c ndemnation. Mr Waterhouse’s amendment, providing that new licenses shall be granted only at the quarterly licensing meeting in June, was carried by 15 to 13. In clause 16, Mr Buckley’s amendment, gixing twenty-eight instead of twentyone days’ notice, was carried ; as also was Mr Richardson's on clause 42 (barmaid clause), making the barmaids’ working hours from ten to ten ; and also Mr BucMev’s new Cause, that any one convicted of selling adulterated liquor should be for ever disqualified from holding a license. The amendments negatived were on clause 41, to prevent inquiry ; on clause 44, restricting the sale of liqwos to vithin a quarter of an hour before the departure of a train; and a new clause providing that a complaint book should be kept at each licensed house, such book to be produced to the Licensing Bench, and to make billiard rooms, etc., come under the operation of the Act. Last night there was an abrupt termination to the debate, owing to parties being unable to agree as to the further conduct of the debate Mr Vogel endeavored to arrange that Mr Pitzherbert should speak at 7.30, to be followed by v r Stafford, and winding it up himself, but the Opposition would not consent, claiming as being only justice that Mr Pitzherbert should go between the Ministerial big guns. It was then determined ♦hat neither side should speak, and a division was taken. The galleries were crowded to excess with persona anxious to Lear Mr Stafford speak. It will be’ seen that there was almost a full House Fifty-seven voted, ten paired, and seven were within the precincts of the House, but did not vote. The absentees were Messrs Pyke, Wakefield, and Webst'r. Mr Vogel at once moved an adjournment, which was negatived, because some formal business required pushing on. The Otago Land Bill passed through all its stages. There was some discussion as to the Real Estate Bill’s passage, which this session Mr Vogel opposed, as too slight consideration was given to. such an important measure. Messrs Atkinson. Funny, Wilson, and Pearce strongly advocated' its passage, and pointed out instances of cruelty under the existing law. Mr Vogel then consented to the debate being taken on Wednesday. Prorogation is fixed for the 28th inst. Government business is to be taken for the rest of the session, excepting on Monday aPernoon and on Wednesday. Mr Pitzherbert will review the session in a long and bittqr speech. ' The Wai ema'a election has been declared void, and a new writ has been ordered to be issued. . 3 pm. The Opposition held a meeting last night, the result being that Mr Pitzherbert will on Monday move—“ That, in the opinion of this House, it is inadvisable for the Government to carry the resolutions into effect until the country has first had nn opportunity of expressing its opiniop thereon.” He will make a four hour’s speech in support of his motion.