WELLINGTON.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 349, 26 July 1875, Page 4

WELLINGTON.

(From a correspondent of the Press ') July 23,

The ball was fairly opened on Wednesday, when the House met to consider what appeared to be a short order paper, the only item of importance on which was the address in reply. As intimated by telegraph, Mr Ingles, the henchman of Mr Stafford, and principal whip of the party which that hon gentleman has led, moved the reply. His position was an admitted indication of what the JV. Z. Times called “ a complete fusion of parties,” and prepared the House for what fell from his chief in the course of the debate. The member for Cheviot is dn indifferent speaker, and though he had little to say on this occasion, be stumbled and stammered terribly. Of course his observations on the abolition question were listened to attentively, and the ministerial following were bound to greet with acclamation a declaration of adherence to their aide. But the effort of the member for Cheviot, either in respect to manner or matter, did not deserve applause. According to programme, Mr Ballance, the successor of Mr Fox for Rangiteiki, and a declared abolitionist, was to have seconded the address, but he not having yet reached Wellington, Mr Joseph May, one of the Auckland contingent, was put up for that purpose. Last year he was included in the minority, who opposed the abolition resolutions ; but, as he now explained, his opposition was then solely owing to the fact that the Government proposal did not go far enough. Although he spoke a little more on the abolition question than did Mr Ingles, he also touched upon most matters dealt with in the speech, making especial reference to the native question, and expressing his own opinion that Mr Stafford was driven into the last Maori war, and that the sugar and blanket policy was to be preferred to war. From the pause that ensued after Mr May had resumed his seat, it seemed as though the address was going to pass through without comment. That idea was dispelled by the member for Newton getting up and moving an adjournment. That this step was purely a thought of the moment is evidenced by the fact that when Mr Swanson got upon his feet he was not prepared to name a day on which the debate should be resumed. His plea for postponement was that the Government measures were not in circulation, and members were in reality dealing speculatively with a very important question, the decision of which he contended should rest with the people. Much in the same strain spoke Mr Murray, who also asked for information as to the loan negotiations ; and Mr Wakefield, who, in the course of his remarks, made a direct appeal to Mr Stafford, which that gentleman was not slow to accept. Half regretting that the Government had not at once acceded to the request of the Opposition, he pointed out, at the same time, that to do so would be practically to defeat the very object the adjournment was asked for. viz., the production of the Government Bills, because no Government could, without loss of self-respect and disregard of all Parliamentary procedure, bring down their fundamental measures until the reply to the address was out of sight. After showing the Opposition that on other grounds their request could be most fairly declined, he proceeded to state “ exactly and precisely” the attitude he intended to pursue towards the Government. It would be impossible to make a plainer declaration than he did, “a loyal and cordial support on all questions on which the existence of Ministers may be ftaked ” during this session from the member for Timaru, who fails to see in the present House of Representatives the material out of which a better Ministry than the present can be constructed. That was letting down the Opposition with a vengeance. They, however, profess to have foreseen this move, and that the sequence of it is to be, as the Post now shadows it forth, that Stafford will come in as Premier when Sir Julius shall retire from the Ministry to accept the Agent-Generalship rice Feathereton recalled in disgrace. So, too, the Opposition express surprise, not so much at what fell from Mr Stafford, but that he did not immediately afterwards walk over to and take his seat on the Treasury benches. Since Sir George Grey is the recognised leader of the Opposition, it was natural and fitting that he should follow Mr Stafford, and he unquestionably made the best speech of the debate. In appealing to Ministers for a little delay he had the sympathy of most members on both sides of the House; but when he launched into an extravagant laudation of provincial institutions as the real representative institutions of the country, he was saluted with a chorus of negations. In my humble judgment Sir George Grey is the finest speaker in that House. His oratory is not of the showy theatrical kind, a la Wood ; nor does it resemble that of Stafford, whose rounded periods roll out so mellifiously; but is that calm, dispassionate, and earnest style of speaking that is sure to carry weight. Of necessity, Sir George, if he can survive the blow which this Parliament is certain to give to his cherished institution, must be the most prominent man in the House, because not only is he an excellent speaker and debater, but is without equal as a statesman, and the only man there capable of coping’with Sir Donald McLean on native affairs, Itjwould have been a graceful thing for the Government, to have given way, after Sir George spoke. A week’s delay would hardly [have produced the fearful results to the public service from the want of supplies, which Major Atkinson seemed to contemplate; and Sir George was not unreasonable in asking for a couple of days to consult with members who had not arrived—of course, everyone knew Mr Macandrew and Mr Reid were alluded to. Had they done so, the House would have been saved Mr Luckie’s sneering allusion to the absence of those members, whose presence Sir George seems so much to desire. Mr Fitzherbert made the only strong point of the debate. He asked if it was seriously intended that members should join with his Excellency in congratulations upon the “ successful ” negotiation of the loan, when they had had no oppor tunity of seeing, much less studying, the papers connected with that transaction. Jus 1 : before the time for adjournment for dinner arrived, there were loud cries of “ question,” but Ministers showed no sign of giving way, and Mr Bunny was barely able to intimate his intention of speaking more than a minute, when time was called. On the House resuming, Mr Pyke was found joining in the demand for an adjournment, and then Mr Richardson was put up to say that as the Government saw there was a general desire for the adjournment, they would not oppose it, Till the following day (Thursday) was

Mr Fyke’s proposal ; but from Mr Bunny came the suggestion, in stentorian tones, of Friday, which was accepted. Before the House rose, Mr Reeves extorted from Ministers the promise that the loan correspondence should be circulated on Thursday, on which day the House met only for that purpose and to dispose of the questions and a few motions on the order paper. The debate in the Upper House on the Address was brief and tame. The Hon Mr Holmes, who appears to have donned Mr Waterhouse’s mantle, as well as appropriated his seat, adopted the role of “ Dismal John,” and drew a terrible picture of our indebtedness ; while Mr Chamberlin was the railways ever paying, and sought "to guage the financial prospects of all lines by the Onehunga railway. The Premier replied at some length, and argued that so far from the railways not paying, those that had been opened had without exception more than realised the most sanguine expectations of the Government. He promised to prove by the hard logic of facta and figures that the whole of Mr Chamberlin’s assertions were moonshine. Passing by Mr Holmes’ compliment to himself as not merited, he proceeded to deal with that hon gentleman’s criticism of the loan negotiations. At the outset he gave the flattest contradiction to the rumour that the Rothschilds had, when undertaking to float the four million loan, exacted a condition that there should be no further borrowing for two years; and then dealt severely with those persons out of the colony whose “ slanderous untruths ” respecting her resources and finances, had done so much to weaken her credit at home, and with those persons who held “ responsible positions ” in the colony, who had assisted in the work began by people at home. The Premier’s declaration that there would be no occasion for further borrowing for two years, appeared to give intense satisfaction to Colonel Kenny and those whose views coincide with his, But the reservation was most marked. The people must not ask for nor expect the works to be pushed on with same rapidity they have been during the last twelve months. The eagerness of the people to have railway communication, had caused the money to go at a much quicker rate than had ever been intended, and Dr Pollen was particularly careful to warn the Council —and through them the country—that on the moderation of the people alone depended our ability to do without further borrowing for two years. And he was emphatic in his declaration that no new works must be thought of during that time. The FTon John Johnson, who followed, took the Premier’s observations as to men in the colony assisting others at home to damage the colony’s credit, as aimed directly at Messrs Waterhouse and Sewell, and as such characterised them as totally uncalled for. He twitted the Government with having at last acknowledged that there was something in the warnings of those members who last session urged that such frequent appeals to the London money market were sure to injure the colony’s credit. The address then passed. The circulation of the immigration correspondence and the loan-negociation papers have furnished members with plenty of mental pabulum. There was quite a rush for the last-mentioned paper, which has been read and re-read. I have very little doubt many hon members who attended the gubernatorial ball last night put it in their coat pockets, and perused it between the dances. I have myself seen a small knot of opposition members, and a few friends of their own way of thinking, excitedly discussing the letters between Sir Julius and the Crown agents, and drawing therefrom innumerable conclusions, some of them most laughably absurd. Fancy one, with all the seriousness of his nature, stating that he saw through the thing. Russell intends to work the oracle so that Vogel shall join the directory of the Bank of New Zealand 1 However, the whole of the loan transactions are to be explained by the Treasurer when making his statement, and there is certain to be a warm debate when the House is asked to consider the matter.

There was some amusing small talk in the House on Wednesday, on the appointment of sessional committees. In the first place Mr White professed to see in the omission from all the committees of any Westland member a slight cast upon his province ; and he pitched into Taranaki for having two representatives on most committees. Of course the explanation was that Mr Carrington was put on because he was Superintendent of a province ; and the second Taranaki member had to be on the more important committees, because he happened to be Colonial Treasurer and Minister for Immigration. The Government made their peace with Mr White by appointing him to the lands committee. It does, however, appear strange that Mr Harrison’s name should be conspicuous this year by its absence from all the committees of which he has been a member for the last eight years He is the only newspaper man in the House not on the reporting debates committee ; and was a useful member on the goldfieldscommittee, though I havemydoubts of the utility of that committee. I am inclined to think that the Government are revenging themselves for the attacks on Sir J. Vogel, which have appeared in the Grey River Argus , edited by Mr Harrison, but of which attacks the latter has publicly disclaimed the authorship. At his own request Mr Stafford was struck off the waste lands cornmitte, and“ Sir Cracroft Wilson, who wanted to be served the same way, complained of the rowdiness with which the proceedings of that committee were conducted. However, the laugh was fairly turned upon the knight by Mr Mervyn, who informed the Housethat the only occasion on which the proceedings of that committee was disorderly was when Sir Cracroft was chairman, and in consequence of the way in which he presided outlet occasion he was carefully left out at all future choices of chairman. Then Mr T. L, Shepherd ran a tilt at his hon “ friends ” Messrs Pyke and J. C, Brown, the former of whom he accused that morning of doing his best to prevent the “ little Bill,” of which he (Mr Shepherd) was father, from seeing the light. Though Mr Pyke, at a subsequent stage of the proceedings, took the opportunity of flatly contradicting the statements of the member for Dunstan, it is beyond ques tion that he called a caucus meeting of the goldfields members, and endeavored to get the Bill, which he thought would be similar to the voluminous Goldfields Bill Mr Shepherd introduced last session, sat upon. Mr Pyke was fairly sold when he discovered that Mr Shepherd’s Bill was only of two short clauses, dealing with the question of riparian rights, the necessity for legislation on which subject is admitted by no one more strongly than by Mr Pyke. And apropos of the same lauds committee referred to above,

the Lords evidently are much of Sir C. Wilson’s opinion, for by twelve to four they refused to confer with the same committee of the Lower Chamber.

Yesterday Mr Walter Johnson, in moving for a return showing the amount of revenue received from sales of Crown lands within the present electoral district of Manawatu, during each of the nine years ending June 80th, 1875; the amount received on account of the purchase money of Crown lands within the said district (exclusive of the Manchester block, agreed to be sold on deferred payments), and the amounts still due thereon; the amount of both principal and interest received on account of the purchase money of the Mauchester block, and the amount due on June 30th, 1875.” preferred the first indictment of the session against the provinces. To show how unfairly local resources are appropriated under the existing system, he mentioned that his constituents cum plained that the moneys derived from the sale of lands in the Manawatu district were habitually spent outside of it instead of on necessary works, as roads and bridges, in it. Indeed, the money might just as well be given to the Emperor of China for all the benefit the Manawatu people derived from it.