PARLIAMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 4170, 8 July 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

[By Telegbaph.] (From our Special Correspondent.)

Wellington, July 8. In the Legislative Council yesterday,. The Friendly Societies Bill passed without material alteration.

A return of the proceeds of the sales of confiscated lands in each Province was ordered on the motion of the Hon. Mr Hall,

Captain Fraser intends asking the Council to affirm the inexpedience of the erection of a central penal establishment until the matter is further considered.

In the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon,

After Sir G. Grey had moved for papers in re Winiata.

Sir D. M'Lean, in laying the correspondence on the table, said that if he had not been informed on the previous evening by the member for Auckland City West that he intended to speak on this subject; he would have laid it on the table when the hon. member gave notice of his motion; but he thought it was due to him to afford him an opportunity of addressing the House on this matter. With reference to the honor of the country being involved in anything that transpired during his visit to Waikato, he absolutely denied that he had in any way compromised the dignity of the Government. He went to the country in compliance with repeated invitations from Tawhaio and other leading chiefs. He had previously visited Tawhaio in 1875 at Waitomo, and he (the Native Minister) believed that the visit had been productive of most important results to the country at large, as waa proved by the greatly improved relations which had existed between the Kiug Natives and the European settlers since that visit. He had no doubt that testimony would be borne to that effect by all the sottlers along the frontier. Before the meeting at Waitomo Nuku had. gone to the place where it was expected that the meeting would be held, but when Tawhaio heard of it he peremptorily ordered Nuku off the ground, and during the meeting Nuku was at a distance. That was the action that Tawhaio adopted on that occasion. He (the Native Minister) might also inform the House that there was no murderer present at the meeting at Kaipahi or at any meeting ho had held with Tawhaio, and had there been any such person present, he (Sir Donald M'Lean) would havo instantly withdrawn, because he would have much compromised the honor of the country.— (Cheers.) When the assertion was made that a murderer was present he deemed it his duty to send a telegram to the Resident Magistrate, Major Moir, to inquire if there was any foundation for the report. The telegram was to the following effect:—"lt

: :.; Jiiicycd that there were at Kaipahi during the time I held the meeting with Tawhaio, Let me know if there is

any truth in the report.—Donald M'Lbas." The reply was as follows:—" The report that there were any murderers, present at Kaipahi during the meeting with Tawhaia is utterly without foundation. Nuku had keen in the neighborhood but was sent away before you arrived. You may remember that Sir George Grey took Tapihana, the man who committed the murder oh the Great South Road, to accompany him to Kawau, when he went to examine as to the fitness of the place for the prisoners." He could only say that the effect of the speech of the hon. member for Auckland City West was only to find fault with and throw obstacles in the way of those who were endeavoring to bring about permanent friendly relations, to vilify the actions of the Government on every possible occasion—(Hear, hear)—and to prevent the Native* from coming to any definite understanding. Hon. members and the people of the Colony generally would remember the unfortunate results which followed.the .escape of the Maori prisoners from Kawau during the period when Sir George Grey was Governor. —(Hear, hear). He would point to the seven years during which he had enjoyed the honor of administering the Native affairs of the Colony, and confidently appeal to the House as to who had been most successful in the administration and who had saved the country the largest expenditure. He denied emphatically that any action of his had in any way compromised the dig-, nity of the Crown—(cfilerß) - and he denied that he had ever held intercourse with any murderer., He would not have been present for one moment at the meeting at Kaipahi had any murderer been there.—(Cheers.) He thought that these allegations were got. up for political purposes, and the member/ for Auckland City West-he of all other men, from his previous position and knowledge of the Natives—should abstain from causing trouble; and his entering into direct communication with Natives more or less hostile to the .Government was not likely to lead to the peaceful settlement of the country. He asked the House to look at the position during the time they had the conduct of Native affairs, and to say whether they had been carrying them on successfully in the interests of both races, and with a desire to save the country the expense and loss of life which had occurred prior to the time that the administration of affairs was in his hands. He was not now going to: discuss questions of Native policy, but he asked the House to say whether or not he was able to be trusted with these matters. If they said he was not he would be quite satisfied with the verdict. So far as lay in his power he had done his utmost, and he believed with a considerable amount of sue* cess, while previous efforts in the same direction at different times had been attended only with moderate Buccess. That was not the place where a discussion of this character should bo initiated—delicate negotiations with power* ful and influential chiefs ought, to be left in the hands-of the Executive-and not be meddled or interfered with. If the Government did not bring them to a satisfactory, termination, then it would be proper for the - House to find fault with its action; but while these matters were pending, these accusations, none of which had been substantiated," ought not to be made. Constant jealousy was evinced, and these accusations were constantly iuade. The member for Auckland City West,, when the allegations were disproved, did not apologise, but repeated them over and over again, knowing well there was no truth in them. He (the Native Minister) had learned, when he was in Auckland that the hon. member had sent up an emissary in the person of an ally to!, the King country, who pretended to be on some other mission, and these emissaries set to work in every possible way to vilify him (Sir D. M'Lean), and send false representation to the Press, and to throw obstacles in the way of the final solution of our difficulties with the Natives, and the establishment of peace and prosperity between both races.—(Cheers.)

On the House resuming at 7.30 p.m. The Orders of the day were disposed of, the AVeEington Rivers and other local Bills being passed and the rest postponed. * The motion for the production of papers re the conduct of the .Returning Officer a} Port Chalmers, led to a debate in which Messrs Reynolds, Burns, Reid, BarfF, Macandrew, and Stout took part. On the motion of Mr Gibbs it was agreed that all correspondence relative to the resignation of the Commissioner of Crown Lands at Nelson should be tabled.

Mr Shrimski will introduce a Harbor Board Bill for North Otago. Mr De lautour will ask what items of revenue are included in the ordinary goldfields revenue from each field, exclusive of the gold duty to be handed over to the local governing bodies for expenditure; and if it is the-intention of the Government, to create local governing bodies for mining districts counties, or are the locw governing bodies to which the goldfields revenue is to be paid the county councilß. Mr Seaton will call attention to the un* satisfied claims by volunteers to land. Mr Seaton yesterday presented a petition from Stead, praying for redress for loss bustained through the action of a Government officer.

{Per Press Agency.)

The report of the Committee of Inquiry into Sir George Grey's election for-the'. Thames was read, ana it was held that hu election for the Thames was quite in accor- ; dance with the law in the: Colony and at Home, and that he was eligible to sit for that district.

Mr Stout immediately gave notice that on Tuesday next Sir George Grey would declare for which constituency he would sit. r The Premier moved the second reading of the Municipal Corporations Act, explaining ' its provisions. There was a general concurrence in the principles of the Act, but there was a strong desire, expressed that the different constituencies of the Colony should be afforded an opportunity of expressing an opinion on the Act and offering suggestions ' as to amendments, while exception was taken to many of the details. The Government expressed its willingness to consider many of the objections raised, and concurred in the • desirability of not hastening its passage through committee, but deprecated the apparent desire of many hon. members to postpone everything. As long as they had something to go on with they would not hurry the Bill* but they wanted to get on with the business. .

The Bill was read a second time on the understanding that it would not be pressed on with undue haste.

The adjourned debate on the Coroners Act-Amendment Bill was resumed." Great exception was taken to this Bill by several lion, members on the ground that the change was unnecessary and undesirable, that it was superseding an old system allowed.by centuries, and that the latter worked smoothly except in a few isolated instances. Arguments wgre used on the other halt that the Bill was a desirable change from a system that ought to have been abolished long ago. Public harm was predicted on one side and public benefit anticipated on the other. Strong objection was taken as to the inefficiency of medical coroners inquiring into fires. Ultimately the Bill was read a second time on the voices. The House adjourned at 9.30 p.m. i