WELLINGTON.

Evening Star, Issue 3892, 14 August 1875, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

[By Tf LEGRAP<H.]

(From ovr ntri. Correspondent.)

Wellington, August 13. In asking for leave to bring in a Bill re confiscated lands Sir George Grey asked the Government if he would be allowed to proceed in the ordinaiy course to the second reading of the Bill. SirD. M‘Lean said the motion was of such a character that he was bound to oppose the introduction of the Bill.

Sir George then said ho was at liberty to offer a few reasons for asking leave to introduce the jßill. He objected to any private arrangement by which any individual bestowed on himself or’others must valuable property in breach of the law, and to the General Government doin;; anything in a private room, because such it re dly was, A new Parliament was about to bo returned, and it would institute a full, fair, and open inquiry into those unlawful transactions, which had been of enormous magnitude. The truth was that at the present moment the Government had, he believed, without the knowledge of "the country, but with the acquiescence of the House—though not with its knowledge—provided two means of dealing with the public lands in a manner that really took the transactions from the public notice The first of these means was by orders in Council; so the Government became their owtr legislators upon subjects, and after admitting having broken their own laws, proposed to proceed to make new laws to ratify what they themselves did. Instead of taking means of dealing with the public lands, so that the public had full knowledge of what the transactions were, the House absolutely allowei the laws to bo made to enable the Government to legislate in favor oi individual persons and not for the public good would give a notable illustration of what he meant, Under onellaw of the country it was enacted that {the Governor might by proclamation declare any land acquired by means of the L 700.000 at the disposal of the Government should be waste lauds of the Crown, subject, to bo dealt with under the provisions of the Waste Lands Act in force in the Provinces .in'which :he lauds were situated. That law was confirmed by another law passed on September 30, 1873, and into that Act a clause was introduced {which ho felt satisfied the House had no knowledge that the Gonernment intended to use aa it had been. In point of fact on August 31, 1874, a. clause was introduced into the Bill, by which the Governor was authorised to revoke that proclamation without the knowledge or consent of the Provincial authorities. In September a proclamation was issued iu reference to a block of land in^Auckland. The block in question was of considerable magnitude, but two or three individuals whom the Government must have wished to favor, had had taken out of the proclamation those portions of the block which was their property, and by that means their timber licenses were in point of fact placed in a different position to the lands of any other person in the Province of Auckland. Ho contended that the Government should have no such power : that (here should be one fair laud law in every Province, open to all the Queen’s subjects—one law for the rich and poor, one for the supported and opponents of Government,—(Opposition cheers.) All should possess equal rights. The Government should not have power to make new laws ro satisfy unrighteous acts They Should wait until the new Parliament’ which would bo unprejudiced, and make a fair inqumy into all the circumstances. With feat object in view he implored the House to pass this Bill, which was just in principle, fair hi itself, and could reflect injury upon no one.—(Loud (Opposition cheers). Sir D. M‘Lean said he would take exception to the member for Auckland City’s remarks wherein he stated lly-t private arrangements had been made by the Government, in private rooms, about the public estate of the Colony. Such assertions were not borne out by facts’ and he could answer that every transaction by the Government Lad been open and fair, and wa* open for the pnqioution of anyone.’ He inyited the hon, gentleman to name any particular case he had in view, and the Government would give every explanation. Why should they wait for the new Parliament 9 Why not dispose of the matter at onoo v—(Ministerial cheers,)—lf sqoh imputations were made, it was due to the Government that there should bo the fullest, most careful, and immediate jnqipjiy, Mr Pitahorbr-rt said he placed little romance on Ministers’ promises, and referred to the rumors of large dealings in the North Island. These rumors should be set at rest. Tire management of the -vast estate in the North Island, which equitably belonged to the Provinces, had too long remained a mystery, and if the Provinces had been put into someihinglike legal possession of it the existing discontent would never hj ave occur red.

Mr Stafford said ho had objected to the administration of lauds by Ordois in Council, but he quite remembered the exceptional reasons wny these confiscated lands had been so administered. It must have been patent to the member for Auckland West that he himself was no party to the .Act by which tboao lauds were bo administered. The very serious charges of the members for Auckland against the Government amounted to a direct vote of want of confidence—(Ministerial cheers) —if it meant anything atall. It was unbecoming for a gentleman holding SirG. Grey’s position in the country to bring such charges in an indirect manner without at the same time expressing his entire want of confidence ih Ministers. He could not conceive any gentleman recognising what was due to their position who would .submit to the observations with which one gentleman accompanied liis motion accusations which he should not be allowed to make without testing the Hon<e how far it agreed with him in the course he proposed to take. The position of the member for the Hutt with regard to the member for Auckland was like that of a Newfoundland dog. The Speaker called Mr Statfox-d to order. Mr Stafford submitted, but reminded the Speaker that Lord Fortescue had’Used exactly the same expression in the House of Commons,

yet was never called to order. The member for tho Hutt had tried to induce the House to believe the object of the member for Auckland City Westwas to get an immediate and searching investigation, but it was nothing of the s >rt. —(Cheers.) He had listened to Sir George Grey’s remarks, which were a direct insult to the present House. From beginning to end the observation?!;)! the member for the Hutt were an insult to the House and to his old colleagues.

If there had been improper action, if Orders in Council had not been faithfully carried out, if any action has been taken in regard to the disposal of any confhcated lands except under the authority of Onh rs in Council, then there was a fair subject for inquiry and investigation—(cheeßs) —which tho Ministry could not successfully resist.—-fHear.) Why postpone invest! gation and in the meantime let float over the Colony against the Government accusations which, if the Government were guilty of amounted to Raying they were guilty virtually of robbery’—(Cheers and “ noes.” Sir George Grey did not use those terms, but that was what his in innafons meant. If Sir George Would move for a Iloyal Commission, or a Select Committee, or any other thing that ho might consider an impartial tribunal, to hives tigate the matter, he would have his (Mr Stafford’s) co-dial supper t,— (Loud cheers.) sft Sjjeele.n would not take upon himself to gay ipiylphij, hjr f d been done, but he knew the public i} fin'd ip the Hoith had been greatly disturbed i.; leferenco to the transactions. If the Lev nnneut could stand an I IfUjuipy, why oppose its initial stage (“ Oh. ! oh;’’) The Jirqui/ (iOtp-so was to oppose the measure on ity second reading.—(“ Oh, 1 ’) The

preseat course was wfthout precedent in the Colony. The Government were really playing w°A^ e au^s °f the member for Auckland West by refusing an inquiry.—(“ No.”) n,uw° r - At i cius ° u , barged tin last spaiker with trying to mislead the House. The mover had not said anything about an inquiry by that House, and it was an attempt to condemn the Government before an inquiry was made (Cheers.) Had the Governnm :t not come forward at the first moment tin; hon. gentleman would have been th« first to taunt thorn with nti.ig afraid. So long as the present Govornlvl‘,, occupied the I'reasury Benches they would ,lever submit to such ’an open dcclaraimx of their unfitness t.o occupy their seats (C leers.) Let the member f.,r Aueldand V.msl name any particular cases he wished inquivi,. • nude into and the Govoir.mont would give him every possible assistance; hut after Hie msimia,wiill undo they were not prepared to agree to anything beyond offering to assist in the fullest char*es° 3t iu( l n ’ il- y hilo any sped lie Mr Loader Wood raid a great .leal of strong language had been used over what appeared a very simple affair, lie could recollect no <du'de instance of a member being refused leave to introduce a bill, and it was without precedent in the Colony that any attempt of the kind should be construed into a vote of went of c mfidence. If every question, however trivial, was to be considered one of want of confidence on wmch party strength was to ho gathered without reference to the merits of the question there would bo an absolute slop to anything m the shape of inquiry—(“ No v l --or freedom of investigation. ,\’ o ”) AVleu tho member for Auckland West; ask'd for was a full inquiry by the House and the government was trying to burke iiiat.’ A ■■••utlcman holding a high position in the rohuiy luul to id him that the. Homo of Keprcsontativos was unlike any ollv r Hoir-a, and ho (Mr AVood) could tell them the i'.mhvi why. In JSnglish Parliament uiou spoke tb***" . “ ae more and took an independent * r Ul d; : '; s Parliament more resun blod J * course. This liamont of the unci?" . . - 1,0 old French Ikirthe decrees «>* V, ‘ winch registered ment of v i " t:nn t,le i’eHiain-. . whicn defend'd the people’s wii tics.—(Loud Opposition dims.)

r .... August 14. Linst night a division gives a. fair idea of what the voting on the main qmvt.oa will be. From the speeches of Messrs Kelly and Slay if, transpired that the land in question was swampy, and had been open for selection for seven years without finding a purchaser. ,, ‘"e ‘'rimw* points out that the course adopted by the Government, while rare, is not; without precedent. In IBGS the Mouse refused leave to the Native Minister (Mr Fitzgerald) to introduce a Bill dismembering Auckland for the enlargement of Ha wires Bay. Mr George * n hiking the motion on his own responsibility without consulting his party, made a mistake, and the Opposition was compromised by it, and could only act as it did. r Abolition debate last night, Mr T, L. ohepherd made a good poii't in advocating that the Road Boards should be constituted lor goldficid s districts, and that the gold revenue should bo treated as rates, and subsidised as such, under the general abolition scheme.