PARLIAMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 4156, 23 June 1876, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

[BY TJXEGBAPH.]

WELLINGTON. June 23. In the Legislative Council yesterday Captain; Fraser moved, and the Hon. Mr Hall seconded the Address in Reply. The Hon. Mr Watorhouse spoke at some length. He said the progress of the Colony was not so great as had been made to appear, and denied that the position of the Colony was one of prosperity. He said that the elections at Wanganui and elsewhere disclosed corruption on the part of the Government, and criticised the land correspondence, which, he said, would damage New Zealand in the eyes of strangers. Colonel Kenny said he would bo ready to join any gentleman who would form an Opposition to the Government. The Hon. Mr Chamberlain denounced the Government as reckless and extravagant, and said the Governor's speech was barren. It should have contained.immigration returns, public works statement, and details of tie eeeagt of Wiaiata, thtjaiurderer.

Dr. Pollen criticised and answered the remarks of Mr Waterhouse, and defended the action of the Government.

The Address was adopted. In the House of Representatives at 7.30 last evening, After the usual questions and notices of motion were disposed of, Sir Julius Vogel moved, "That the House do not interfere to prevent the granting of a Crown grant for the Fiako sale. In doing so he read all the letters and telegrams which passed between the members of the Ministry and Mr Thos. Russell on the matter, extending over two inonthsj to show that the transaction was not made in a private room, as alleged, and to show that the Government I had acted with consideration. Personally he had nothing to do with the ->sale beyond giving hh approval—the whole thing was left in the hands of the Native Minister. He argued that under the circumstances the sale was a good one, and if placed in the same situation again ha would have acted precisely similar. The reason why the Order in Council was issued when it was, was simply because a survey and map of the land had not been prepared before; and as soon as it was, Mr Whitaker, on behalf of the purchasers, called upon the Government to give them a Crown grant according to agreement. He indignantly repelled all the insinuations c of corruption, saying the member for Auckland City West seemed to suffer under morbid hallucinations. He characterised She action of Sir George Grey in appealing to the Secretary of State and the Imperial Parliament to interfere in the local affairs of the Colony as an affront Upon and an insult to the Ministry, the House, and the people of the Colony, and such as the majority of them would not tolerate. He boldly asserted that if the purchasers were to offer the land back, provided they were recouped what they had expended on the land, not six members of the House would agree to it. He deprecated making the question a party one, and left it to the impartiality of the House. Sir J. Vogel was greatly applauded on Bitting down.

Sir George Grey followed by asking members to dismiss from their minds as trash and twaddle all that Sir J. Vogel had read, and saying that the Piako sale was not an isolated instance of the kind, proceeding to refer to a series of other land transactions, w £ich he said were great wrongs upon the EuropCf" l Maori races alike. The Premier had practically called him a lunatic, and he craved the of the House under such an imputation. While citing one land transaction to giiowthe corruption of the Government—

Major Atkinson exclaimed; "It is untrue."

... Sir George Grey refused to continue unless an apology was made. The Speaker Baid if Major Atkinson could not shew that the allegations wev© untrue, his denial Would recoil upon himself. Sir George Grey concluded by saying tiiC Ministry, should not sit as their own judges, and he should therefore not vote: he being a suppliant would leave the House.

Mr Stafford followed and referred to his own experience as Premier, Sir George Grey then being Governor, to show that the very things in connection with Orders-in-Counoil, which Sir George Grey so vehemently condemned, were still more common in his time. Not in one or two cases did he sign blank forms,'but in hundreds of cases. Sir George appeared to have become impressed with the idea that since he was Governor all who followed him were mere pliant tools in the hands of the Ministry. He positively refused to believe there was any corruption in the matter, and having seen a very large portion of the swamp, over which one might sail with as much freedom as on the Waikatb River, and considering that no man ever yet saw the centre of the swamp, bethought the bargain a good one at the time.

Mr Stout argued that ho lawyer in the Colony would so far risk his reputation as to say that the sale was legal, and concluded his speech by moving an amendment to the effect that, while expressing regret that the exigencies of the country or Government were such as to necessitate a sale of the kind, the House would not take any steps in thiaparticular case to interfere with the issue of a Crown grant. Sir D. M'Lean said the Government could not accept the amendment, and Mr Header Wood moved the adjournment of the debate at 12.30 p.m.