GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1018, 29 September 1877, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

[By Telegraph.] [pee peess agency.] HOUSE OP EEPRESENTATIfES. Friday, September 28. The House met at 2.30 p.m. After some angry discussion regarding the delay of the Disqualification Committee in reporting on Mr Kennedy's case, a division took place on Mr Eees's motion to reduce the quorum, from five to three. Ayes, 35 ; Noes, 38. The amendments made by the Council in the Bill to remove doubts regarding the disqualification of Messrs Peacock and Fisher were disagreed to, and managers were appointed for a conference. THE NO-CONFIDENCE DEBATE. Mr Curtis resumed the debate on the " Waka Maori " case. He had never before known a want of confidence motion depend on such an utterly insignificant question. The assertions of the motion itself were not consistent with facts. It had been absolutely proved that no charge to the revenue had been imposed by the continued publication of the paper. After enquiry, he found that the subscriptions for the paper, from January to September, amounted to £2lB 2s 6d, and had been paid into the public account. The actual expenses of the paper, from 7th November, 1876, to July 31st, 1877, was certified by the printer to be only £lB5 4s, and upwards of £3OO was still due for subscriptions. He believed a majority of those who voted against the "Waka Maori" item last session did so simply to save the £IOO, not to kill the paper if it could be conducted without cost to the colony. Had Sir D. McLean not been absent through illness the vote would not have been struck out. He thought the subsequent representations made fully justified the Government in continuing the publication on the terms they did. There was no doubt a thoroughly substantial guarantee had been given the Grovernment. No Government would be worthy of the name if, under such circumstances, it had feared to accept the responsibility of doing what they thought best for the colony in such a small matter as this. The libels having previously Appeared, they did not affect the present luestion at all. There was nothing whatever to justify a vote of want of confidence on a luestion in no way affecting the policy if the country. He thought the Government had done all it could to push on the business if the House. If delay occurred, it was not their fault.

Mr Montgomery thought it for the good of the country that matters should be folly hscussed, and that the time so occupied was not lost, nor could it be said tbat business was obstructed. He attributed the disorganised condition of parties in the House to Mr Stafford's conduct in abandoning his party in. IS7;{ without providing for any successor. Sir •J. Vogel then became all-powerful. Matters continued eo till 1874, when a strong

Opposition was again formed, and Sir Julius Vogel left his party and joined the other side to retain office. This was demoralisation, not disorganisation, and the leaders of the party then gave up their seats and took Judgeships and other offices. Then the Abolition question was fought, and there was the nucleus of an Opposition, yet when the House met this session one of its leaders was on the Treasury Benches. He did not question the purity of Mr Reid's motives, but he regretted actions calculated to make people suspicious. Out of the chaos of the early part of the session there were now two ways —a right and a left of an Opposition—for the Middle Party was a misnomer—working cordially together to do good to the country. They were charged with obstructions, but he defied them to show a single instance of it. The Opposition knew their duty, but the Government had not yet given them information on which to discuss the finance of the country, and base a vote of want of confidence. When they had the Public "Works Estimates, the Loan Bill, and other matters before them, they would be prepared to discuss the general policy of the Q-overnment, and traverse its whole position. His motion was a vote of censure, not of want of confidence. There was a wide difference in the mode of meeting and discussing the two. After the vote of last session the Q-overnment should either have carried on the " Waka Maori" boldly and taken the responsibility, or not at all. The Government, by pleading justification in Eussell's case, adopted the libel as fully as if they had written or published it themselves. He read correspondence relative to Mr Sheehan's libel case, in which the poverty of the editor and printer was pleaded by the Solicitor-General as a reason for not giving £IOO as well as an apology for the libel published after the present Government took office, in a paper published by authority, with the Royal Arms at its head. The House had a right to ask who were guarantors, and was the contract made in writing —who ordered the paper to be printed, and also to ask for a great deal more information about the terms of this extraordinary bargain. Even if beaten on this question by members not voting for what they thought right, the Opposition would not give up, but would strive earnestly until they placed men on the Treasury benches with convictions, and determined to stick to them, not merely doing anything in order to retain their seats —men also who would not, when they had a vacancy, go and try to steal a man from the Opposition. Mr Sutton would oppose the motion. He considered the Opposition case had entirely broken down. Mr Russell never gave the Government an opportunity of apologising, and Mr Sheehan's case had only been heard of since Mr Eussell got a verdict, although the libel was said to have been published a year ago. The Government to him appeared always anxious to carry on the business of the country, and had managed to carry one important measure, the Education Bill, at least. Mr Whitaker had entirely answered every word said in support of the motion. Mr Takamoana said the Government waß not so ready to attend to the request of Maoris in other cases, as they were about continuing the "Waka Maori." They had not read communications from the Natives on other subjects of great importance to the Natives. He denied that the Maoris supported the "Waka." Kemp's letter was simply to ask what had become of his subscription. If the paper now belonged to the Maoris it should be made to express Maori views, which it did not now. Great evil would arise if the present Government remained in office and was carried on as had been, for if so there would be fighting in this island next year. The debate was interrupted.