PARLIAMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 4254, 14 October 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

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HOUSE OF RBPKISBOTATIVES., October 13. Sir Gsobgh Gret in moving an adjournment said the House would agree with him that he most have been dreadfully shockedat the despatch laid upon the table last night. He did not consider" it a fair representation of. the facts of the case, andne had not the slightest idea that such was in ?. existence. The despatch was deficient and „. not fair. There was, for instance, no reference to the composition of the Legislative Council as regards representation. He.took i particular exception to the tone of the document. No one could rise from the perusal of it without coming to the conclusion that it emanated from a political partisan, but he did not feel at all affected by that, because, upon reflection, anyone who read it must:>, see that it redounded to his (Sir George' Grey's) credit, and the cause he advocated. He commented on the impropriety of «f person being trapped into a private convert sation, and that conversation being sent to, a private secretary of a Governor. Wno . was authorised to show it to the Governor !-, That was an act of gross treachery and injustice to himself. The writer, and those, who advistd him, must have known that' there were statements contained in that letter that were untrue. * ■>-_ The Premier here called the attention of the Speaker to Sir George Grey's impugning • the Governor, and deprecated such practices being tolerated. '.'•s" Mr Ptkx said he had been punished for using the word discreditable; but was that any more unparliamentary than to say of the Governor, and those who advised *w m j that certain things were untrue ? : Sir George Grey resumed, saying that all through the session the Premier had en-" deavored to oompass his destruction. He submitted that a man pleading for, he might * say his life, at any rate| his honor, should not be subjected to such interruption. He regretted to say that a system of espionage had surrounded him for a long time. His ruin was being plotted. For his own part he would never have entertained such private accusations. He would have shrunk with abhorrence from such a thing. He might say the writer of the letter was absolutely unknown to him. He never znet him in a private house, and used to have 'to avoid the Club as much as possible so as to • escape the persecution he was subjected to by this man in asking him questions. Bef erring to the paragraphs of the Governor's despatch which accused Sir. G. Grey of being the author of what was called the "Bombardment rumor," he distinctly denied.that such rumor emanated from him. He pointed out that the report was in circulation simultaneously in Auckland and Dunedin, and it was the duty of the Government at once to have contradicted it, and not'to have allowed such a letter to be sent Home to the Secretary of State. As for the statements in Mr Darg tville'B letter, he had ho recollection of them. At any rate, he ought to have been afforded an opportunity of contradicting or explaining those statements before they went further. The Government had used every means at their disposal to damage him.. They had bribed the Press to ndnhim with his Sovereign, to ruin him in the eyes of the people of the Colony, and even in the eyes of the people of Great Britain, by means of the great 'Times* newspaper, whose aid against him had also been purchased. He appealed to the House to do something to throw the "shield of protection over aim and his.friendß, and to protect them from the malignity with which they were being pursued. ; ■ Mr Thomson said the despatch was written in a party spirit, and, he believed, by Sir Julius Vogel himself, for it was just in his. style. The document ought to -have been laid on the table the day after it was written, and Sir-G. Grey allowed anopportunity of repelling the charges' made against him. The Premier said that, although Sir George Grey complained of being slandered, he did not hesitate to slander Ministers and say they were shameless, or, to use the words themselves, "Shameless with greed in providing estates for themselves." Sir George Grey denied using such> words. The Premier felt almost positive he had heard them, and thought he could trust to his memory. The hon. gentleman did not hesitate to say that Ministers bribed newspapers and employed spies to entrap him. He scarcely ever rose in his place without attributing the ( most shameful corruption to Ministers; therefore they did not feel that sympathy with him which they otherwise might. Let them remember the nature of the despatch sent Home direct to the Secretary of State, in defiance of all constitutional usage, and that that despatoh was written and sent without giving the Governor an opportunity to send a despatch along with it. And the hon. gentleman, who ought to know better, thought it right to do this. As to the despatoh, the Premier would inform the House that the Governor' said he sent his despatches Home direct, and without the knowledge or assistance of Ministers. The reason the despatch was not laid before sooner was because his Excellency wanted it to be received at Home first, and-it would not then have been tabled, had not Sir George Grey asked a few nights ago that the despatch should be produced. Mr Reid regretted the Governor could have written sucn a letter. Nothing could justify the tone of tile despatch, and he regretted to have to stand up and.say so. There were paragraphs in it that.suggested to him the idea of the late Premier having a hand in it. THE SAN FRANCISCO SERVICE, At the evening sitting, The debate on Mr Whitaker's motion re the San Francisco Service was continued. The Postmaster-General explained the particulars of the service and adduced elaborate compilations to show that the service was efficient and inexpensive, but if the Colony insisted upon a coastal service the contractors would have to throw the whole thing up. Under the circumstances, he thought we should not do anything that would jeopardise the service, and he therefore urged the acceptance of the modification proposed by him, and informed the House that the Sydney Government was pressing for an answer. • . A long debate ensued, and a variety of amendments were put, the ultimate result of which was that Mr Whitaker's resolutions were passed in the following amended form: —"That the service be direct from s San Francisco to Sydney, calling at, Honolulu and Auckland or the' •'Bay 'dt ll&B&to,

with the option of the contractors' that the . coastal service be performed by ten-knot boats to be approved of by the Government. That the share of New Zealand's contribution be reduced by L 7.500, if caHing at Auckland; and LIO,OOO, if calling at the Bay of Islands." THE GOVERNOR'S DESPATCH. The debate on the Governor's despatch to the Secretary of State was then resumed. Mr De Latouh, in a speech condemnatory of the Governor and laudatory of Sir George Grey, moved '■ That the House regrets that the Governor's despatch w»s ill-advised. Sir G. Grey supported this in a speech of considerable length, in.which te Bpoke in terms of reprehension as to. the action of the Governor in relation to the despatch, and of the Government generally as to their persecution of himself. Their whole course was dishonorable and full of the poison of malice, and yet they expressed not a single word of regret. He prayed the House to rise to the occasion, and despite the frown of power to do justice to one who had been cruelly wronged and to set an example to future time. The motion was put and lost by 34 against 25. THE ESTIMATES, The House went into Committee of Supply and sat till 2.35 a.m. A number

of items were passed. On a motion by Mr Shbehan the item L6OO for In-spector-General of Prisons was struck out by 32 against 19. TJbe item L7CO fer Inspector of Lunatic Asylums was also struck out. On coming to Provincial charges Sir George Gkey moved that progress be reported, and insisted upon a division when the proposal was negatived by a large majority. Messrs Shebhak, Swansok, and other members opposed the motion, voting with the Government. Sir G. Grey then moved that Mr O'Rorke do leave the chair and was again defeated. In reply to Mr Swanson, Sir George said he wished to study the items proposed to be passed. Several members expressed their disapproval, amongst them Messrs Sheehan, Swanson, Rolleston, and Reid, who protested against his action and the obstruction of business. Sir George again asked that sregress5 regress be reported, but did not press for a ivision. • A few more items'passed.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

THE COUNTIES BILL. The speeches of hen. gentlemen on the second reading of the above are very curtly reported in the Wellington papers. The Hon. Colonel Whttmokk thought chairmen of County Councils should not sit in Parliament if they were paid as chairmen, and he would like to see a half per cent, sinking fund established. He would rote'for the second reading. The Hon. Mr Watekhot/se perceived that some machinery appeared in the measure. He thought that was the only endowment the country was likely to receive permanently from the abolition of Provincial management. __ The main Road Board system ©f a neighboring* Colony was a simple one, which he would like to see adopted. He advocated the voting power being made to some extent on the basis of responsibility of voters. The Hon. Mr Hall was willing to accept the measure, although he would have been glad to see a measure under which Counties would have been erected at the will of and by the aggregation of Road Boards. There was great difficulty, doubtless, in the varying local circumstances of the Colony, and he mußt admit that he would have been better pleased had the Southern Provincial Governments been maintained. In the North of course they could not stand. In committee he would endeavor to amend the clause relating to election tj be by Councils.

The Hon. Mr Robinson regretted the passing of the Abolition Act, and considered the BUI, if passed, would inflict upon the country, in an intensified form, all the evils of Provincialism. He took exception to the large borrowing powers given!