MINISTERIAL STATEMENT.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 687, 1 September 1876, Page 3

MINISTERIAL STATEMENT.

We take the following verbatim report of the speeches delivered in the House on Tuesday night, from the Nero Zealand Times'. On the House re-assembling at 7.30 the galleries were completely crowded and great excitement was manifested. After some little preliminary business had been transacted. Sir Julius Yogel rose and said—Sir, the other day I promised to make an explanation to the House upon the subject of the AgentGeneralship, and now I will proceed to redeem that promise. For some time past, as is well known by hon members —I may say from the time of the vacancy in the AgentGeneralship of New Zealand being made known to the House—my name with those of several other gentlemen, has been connected with the prospect of that office being filled up. Sir, I venture to trespass upon the indulgence of honorable members and ask their permission to make a short personal statement. I am aware that I have to ask the indulgence of the House ; but under the circumstances I trust it will be accorded to me. Whilst I was in England last year I was very ill, more so probably than many hon members are aware of, and I had very great inducements offered me to remain in England, valuable notonly on account of the inducements themselves, but on account of saving me the great risk which I ran at that time in attempting to come out again. Indeed, I had taken my passage twice, and twice was obliged to give it up in consequence of being advised that I was not well enough to come out, I never wavered, however, but from first to last considered it my duty to come out again. On my return, my colleagues did me the honor to ask me to resume the Premiership. I told them that though I was desirous of carrying out the policy with which I had been identified, I could not undertake to continue in the Government for any length of time. I told them my healih was such that I did not consider it open to me to remain long in public life, and I told them also that I realised the fact that public life was altogether inconsistent with that attention to one’s private affairs which everyone more or less should give for his own sake, and for the sake of his family. I have now been seven years in office, and I have come to the conclusion that being in public life is utterly incompatible with attention to one’s private affairs, and therefore I feel somewhat strongly impressed—and that impression has been strengthened when I reflect that I am liable to be prevented by illness from dealing at all with my private affairs —that it is my duty to myself as well as to my family that I should relieve myself of those fatigues which may interfere with my health. And here I may say that when I returned to this country I told mycolleagues that I was under no engagementwhatever which madeitnecessary for me to give up office at any particular time—for of course had it been otherwise I should not have again taken the position I did, —but at the same time I gave them clearly to understand that I wished to be relieved of office as soon as possible. I do not think hon members can accuse me of a desire to desert my post, or to abandon the policy with which I have been identified. Such a charge cannot be made, because there can be no doubt that that policy has been thoroughly adopted by the country, and when a public man’s policy has been generally adopted he can scarcely be called upon to continue to administer that policy regardless of his health or regardless of his private affairs. .Of course at the time I returned to the colony it was unknown that there would be any vacancy i in the Agent-Generalship. But when it was made known that there was a vacancy, my name was connected with the names of others who would most probably be asked to fill the vacancy; but nothing was done by the Ministry for some time, as I stated in reply to questions previously put. The Government had not even discussed the question till within the past ten days, but now it has been intimated to me that they think it desirable that I should undertake the duties of the office. I have replied that I am willing to do so for the present, but will not undertake to fill the office for longer than about twelve or eighteen months, because I consider attention to the duties of the office would be incompatible with the duties I owe myself and my family. And here I would point out that my health this session shows that I am unfitted for continuous hard work. I have felt the work of my office exceedingly onerous this session, and constantly have gone to bed with no certainty that I should be well enough to get up in the morning. Several times, as hon members are aware, I have had whilst suffering greatly to perform my duties in this House. Of course it would be utterly inconsistent with my position in the present Government that I should by this Government be appointed to the office of AgentGeneral. If the question of Agent General alone had been at stake, therefore, it would have been necessary to have a reconstruction of the Cabinet. But apart from the Agent-Generalship, the personal reasons I have explained have made the probability of the Government remaining in office for any length of time exceedingly small. Had I been asked whether it was likely the Government would continue in office after the session, I could not have answered in the affirmative. Every division list on important questions has shown that the Government had the confidence of the House, but still the Government as at present constituted could not have continued to exist, for the reasons I have explained. Under these circumstances, I have sent in my resignation to his Excellency the Governor, and on his request to be advised for whom to send, I advised him to send for the Hon Major Atkinson, and accordingly that gentlemen has been sent for, has had an interview with his Excellency, and will inform the House what course he proposes to take. I may state that the question of the Agent-General-ship is entirely open ; the Government have done nothing which will at all bind the House to the appointment this “must be clearly understood. Perhaps I may be allowed to say before I finish that I am not without hope that the day may come when I may be able to resume an active part in public affairs in New Zealand. Be this as it may, wherever I am it will always be impossible for me to forget what I owe to New Zealand ; it will be impossible for me to feel otherwise than the greatest anxiety to serve this country wherever or in whatever position I may be. I shall always remember New Zealand as the land of my life ; as the land in which I have found many strong and firm friends, in which I hope always to have many friends—[hear, hear] —as the land in which I have contracted the dearest ties of my life as the land in which my children

were born ; and aa the land in which I have achieved the greatest success, and in which the highest position has been given me. 1 shall not leave it without the greatest sorrow and the greatest regret, but I feel convinced that in the course I am taking I am pursuing the right course. I shall always have the greatest pleasure in lending every assistance I can to the country to which I owe so much, and in which I hope I shall be remembered as one who has endeavored to honestly and unselfishly serve it. [Cheers. J The Hon Major Atkinson—After what has fallen from the Hon the Premier, I have fo

inform this House that his Excellency has been pleased to send for me, and has done me the honor to request that I should form a new'Ministry. It is desirable that I should consult my friends, and therefore I trust under these circumstances that the House will not think it unreasonable in me to request that we adjourn until Thursday evening next, at half-past seven o’clock, when I hope to make some definite statement to the House. I will now move that the House do adjourn until the hour mentioned.

Mr Rolleoton—lt may seem strange for me to rise on an occasion like this, after what has fallen from the hon the Premier. Sir, I have been a consistent opponent of that gentleman ever since I have been a member of this House; and I would wish it to be distinctly understood that anything I may say on the present occasion is not intended in any way to mar the feelings of acknowledgment of the deserving exertions made by the hon gentleman in the interests of this country—of the work he has done for the country during the past year. Sir, I should not have risen to speak had I felt that anyone else was about to rise, and I am sorry that nobody has to say a few words on the present important occasion. Sir, I feel that a young country like this cannot afford to let an occasion of this kind pass without expressing in some way a sense of what is felt on the important matter which has been brought before the House to-night. I heard with mixed feelings what fell from the hon the Premier just now. I felt that he spoke under great difficulty, and I felt that anybody who should follow him must likewise speak under great difficulty. I think it would be a great mistake in a young country like this that a precedent should be created, which is felt generally by the representatives of the people to be a bad precedent, and that it should not be immediately acknowledged. I think that no technicality of position, such aa that the Ministry on those benches have now practically ceased to exist, should stand in the way of hon members expressing their opinions on the present s tuation, I think the course pursued is extraordinary and unprecedented. I think the country has a right to complain that at a crisis such as there has never been in this colony before, the leader of the Government, who has guided the affairs of the country for some time past, who has been looked up to by the country generally, and who has had the utmost confidence of the country during the past—that he should take advantage of a vacancy in a subordinate office of the Government to place his resignation in the hands of his Excellency, and ask this House to approve of the course he has taken. I believe that this action is unprecedented in character, I should be sorry to use any language which might seem to be heartless, or which would wound the feelings of hon members differing from myself, but I feel I should be wanting in my duty to myself if I did not express what I feel, and that is that the country is placed in one of the falsest positions that auy country was ever placed in. We learn from what has fallen from the Premier that on his return to the country he told his colleagues, those who, on all constitutional principles, owe their existence to him—that he was willing, having come back to the country as he was bound to do—that he was willing to take his position as Premier in the House, but was unwilling to remain in that position. Sir, I think hon members will agree with me that he should have told the House then what he told his colleagues. I think we have not had that confidence in the matter which we ought to have had. He says he told his colleagues that aa soon as they could relieve him he hoped they would do so. Well, it is something new to me to learn that the Prime Minister of a colony owes his existence to his colleagues, and that he should appeal to them to relieve him of the position he holds. I regard such as an entirely false position. He says, and I am sure every member of the House sympathises with him, that his health has suffered in the public service. In the short history of this colony many men have sacrificed health in the public service, and I am sure the House ia always ready to recognise their services, But I do not think, and I speak advisedly, YJiat on the occasion of any great crisis in any country men who have led the public affairs are justified in quitting them on the ground of private affairs. I think the House would be wanting in its duty to the country if it let an occasion of this kind go by unmarked. It is a precedent in its own history and in the history of the colonies most dangerous. I must hope that we shall have an opportunity of discussing the question whether directly or indirectly the Premier can vacate his seat in favor of taking a subordinate position under the Government of the country. Mr Andrew said that though it was unusual to oppose a motion for adjournment under the present circumstances, yet the case was so unparalleled that it was impossible to avoid asking whether, with a flowing majority at his back, it was proper for the firsc Minister of the Crown to resign his portfolio in order to take a subordinate and more permanent office, even though he complained of failing health. Mr Andrew read an extract from a life of William Pitt, to show that under similar circumstances that statesman had acted differently. Mr Stout thought the action of both Messrs Rolleaton and Andrew unconstitutional. If any opposition were to bo made against an appointment the proper thing to do would be to move a direct vote of want of confidence. He declined to say anything on the statement of Sir Julius Yogel. as this was not the proper time. An adjournment should be taken until Thursday next at halfpast seven, when anyone who wanted to debate the constitution of the new Ministry, or the present appointment, could do so. The House then adjourned.

The Southern Railway.—We learn, says the Timaru Herald, that very satisfactory progress has been made with the Great Southern Railway lately ; the Pareora and Hook section, which is in the hands of Mr Proudfoot, being now nearly completed as far as the Hook river.