WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3890, 12 August 1875, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

{From our own Correspondent.) [Bt Telegraph,] Wellington, August 11,

Mr Reader Wood’s speech proved too much. He either should have held fast to his consistency or recanted his abolition principles. The figur s of the financial statement he made suit his foregone conclusion. The ‘ Tribune ’ has again pitched into the Speaker for the liberties he allowed Sir George Grey in the debate, Itsays:—“if Mr Luckio ventures to apeak of English taxation the Speaker cannot see its relevancy to the question of duty on light wines, and that member is at once ‘ sat upon,’ but Sir George Grey may wander ‘ from grave to gay, from lively to severe ’ —the latter f redominating—without interruption or rebuke, lis referenc° to the Governor last night was again in very bad taste, and we hope tho undue liberty accorded to the hon. gentleman will not be altogether turned into license huitful to the feelings of thone whose position prevents them from entering the poli'ical arena and explaining their conduct. i erhaps the most reprehensible portion of Sir George Grey’s speech last night was his »tta k upon the Chief-Justice, proceeded from an entire misapprehenof facts. Sir George charged the ChiefJustice with giving a legal opinion ex cathedra. but as pointed out by Sir D. RDLean, the Chief-Justice did nothing of the kind. In answer to a question addressed to him he simply stated he had never given but one opinion on the question of constitutional change, and Sir George was mistaken in asserting he had given two opinions.” The ‘ Post ’ also admits that Sir George has most woefully disappointed public expectation,

and says his diction was elegant and his delivery polished, but as a speech of a leader of a great party it was quite on a par with Major Atkinson’s. On the second reading of Mr Mervyn’s Gold Bill. Mr Byko pitched into him for his attack on the old identith s. Ther- was an Otago free fightover‘hesecond reading of the New River Harbor Board Land Bill, introduced by Mr Cuthbertson, which conveys to the Board endowments sanctioned by the Provincial Council. The Government offering no objection, Mr Thomson got up and accused them of favoritism, seeing that his Bill t't Clutha conservators was opposed last session. Mr Murray followed suit, saying that Mr Cuthbertson, who was a jaek-in the-box had got a sop for his political support. Mr Reid drew drea< iful pictures of the state of things when the new order of affairs corns into existence. Mr O. M'Lean pointed out how di.-sonilar were the New River and the Clutha Bills. The first conveyed a few sections frontage of the river; the other proposed to set which should be subject to the waste lands of the Province. Turning to Mr Reid, he said : “ I suppose the hop. member for the Taien never heard of pressure being brought in the irnne way on a Provincial Govemrmnt?” Major Atkinson complained of the unfair way Mr Reid put the matter before the House, Ministers were unable to act otherwise, as the law officers advised that in the Clutha case the Provincial Council had no power to make such a grant. The Provincial Government had been written to that a Bill must be introduced into the Assembly to give effect to the Provincial Council’s recommendation. The law made the distinction —not the Government. Mr Shepherd said the Clutha had been made a pet district by Mr Reid, and asserted that during the last three years three-fourths of the land was diverted from its pro er use. Mr Steward also complained of Mr Reid’s not putting the matter airly before the House. When he t«U the House of two similar endowments before sanctioned he shou'd have stated that in the case of the Oamaru hospital there were exceptional circumstances. The land was not leserved to prevent its passing into the hands of applicants for purchase. In the discussion on the We’lingtnn Corporation Offices Bill Mr G. M‘Lean sought to limit the interest on monev to be borrowed to 6 per Cent. Mr Murray objected to any interference when Dunedin for its Waterworks was allowed to borrow at 8 per cent. On or Reynolds correcting him be said he meant to say the Province had guaranteed 8 per cent.

The semifinal rit urns of the area of hinds held under depasturing and other 'eases (exclusive of goldmining), and the rents, &c., paid, showed results up to December 31,1874, divided into Provincial districts, thus For depasturing purposes —Auckland. 73,390 acie-, LUO; Tamn jki, 04 acres, 1.23 9s ; Hawke’s Hav. 181,745 acres, L 586 9s 2d; Wellington, 5,800 acre®, 112 Is 8d; Nelson, 067,517 acres, L 4,476 6s 6d ; Marlborough, 1,035.589 acres, 1,4,236 19s Id; Canterbury, 4,839,463 acres, 1,45,020 12s 2d; Westland, 155,600 acres, L 413 lls 8 ; Otago, 6.464 218 acres, L 63.692 lls 8d ; Southland. 847,823 acres, 1,6.843 2s 6d. Tohal, 14.270,622 acres, 1,125,348 18s Id. The total area held under mineral and other leases (excluding gold-mining leases), was 8,796 acres, and the rent paid L 1,624 19s 3d, together with 1,24 18s royalty. A return shoeing the quantities and value of coal imported into New Zealand for the two years ended June 30, 1865, shows Auckland, 31,444 tons, L 49.358 ; Thames. 2,705 to: s, 1,4,987 ; Wanganui, 130 tons LIOO ; Wellington, 70,110 tons, 1,1.22 906; Napier, 6 427 tons, L 14.646; Nelson, 7,736 tons, L14.98C; Lyttelton, 66 904 tons, L 125.361 ; Timaru. 7.392 tons, 1,19.234 : Oamaru, 4 441 tons, L 12.108; Duoediu, 54,004 tons, L 71.756; Invercargill, 3,066 tons, Xi»,553. Total, 254,359 tons, L 440,995.

August 12. The speeches last night were decidedly better, all being practical. Mr Montgomery’s was the best. With great frankness ho admitted that public opinion in Canterbury was ia favor of abolition, and that he himself was in favor of a change j but he disapproved of the Bill because of the uncertainty of the endowments, and said the effects of the Bill on outlying districts where the population was sparse, would be injurious. Mr Tribe made a most effective speech on the Government side, showing conclusively that the capitation grant, even now, was fully equal to what Sir J. Vogel originally promised it should be.

At a meeting last nierht Mr Travers said Sir J. Vogel’s on the proposed Bill Was statesman like, yir Julius is desirous the measure should consolidate the existing local laws, and that the people should not feel the change as doing any violence to the existing Constitution, or as plunging into a new system without due preparation. The Government intend exempting mortgages of under LSOO or L6OO from the operation of the new Stamp Act. A strong effort will be made to exempt building societies also.