PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1694, 25 July 1879, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY ITEMS.

[Bx Tblegeaph.] [PEOIf OTTB COEHESPOKDKNTS.J WELLINGTON, July 24. Mr Wakefield, in his speech last night, said the appointment of Mr George McCullough Reed was the most flagrant act of maladministration, and one which the Government should be ashamed of. Reed was a newspaper writer, and served the Government as a most subservient follower. Ho followed up Ministerial tonrs, and circulated some of most extraordinary stories ever published, and when the Government had made use of him, and got all the work out of him they could, they sent him Home as an Immigration Agent. What sort of a sovereign prince was Mr G. M. Reed that he should receive .£250 for his passage to England, when a first class passage could be got from Melbourne for £6O. The Government threw away public money for nothing. It was rank bribery, and nothing else. The Premier went to Mr Reed and said, “I have command of tha Treasury and I wi 1 take out £SOO for your passage to England and back, put it into your pocket and I will give yon £OOO a year until you cone back again.” How many immigrants had Mr Reed sent out ? How many were coming ? The truth was, Mr Reed was unfit for tha position. It was a shameful act. The Government had also appointed another Immigration Agent called Captain Barry, a nondescript person, a kind of ancient mariner, who went abont talking nonsense and bringing the colony into contempt. These appointments were the Premier’s interference with the Immigration Department. The Attorney-General was away and knew nothing of it. He would never have consented to it. At another stage of his speech Mr Wakefield said Sir J. Vogel owed all his success to his singular skill in discovering every man’s price. Tbe first thing Sir J. Vogel asked abont a man was —“ What does he want ?”

Mr Sheehan’s speech last night was a piece of very careful special pleading, with none of his usual life and wit. He avoided defending the Premier as entirely as the Premier had avoided defending his colleagues, and seemed to forget that he held the office of Native Minister, or that he was the only Minister capable of defending the conduct of the Government, after the Premier had thrown away his opportunity. Mr Wakefield’s speech was cruelly clear and crashing. For two hours and three quarters he held every department of the Government up to scorn and contempt. Their worst enemies must have pitied them. This afternoon Mr Tnrcbnll opened tbe debate in a far more lengthy and lively speech than he he s ever made in the House before. It was a better, or, at any rate, a bolder, attempt at replying to Mr Wakefield than any one expected from Mr Tnmbnll.

Mr Macandrew made a short businegs speech, with more in it than many long ones, and without any aim at eloquence. Ha was followed fcy the new member for Nelson with his maiden speech, which was delivered in a pleasant, clear voice, without any maiden embarrassments, and included an attack on the Government system of advertising. In the Legislative Council’s debate on the Address in reply. Sir D. Bell spoke over two hours, strongly condemning the Government policy, administration, &c. He characterised the grand Liberal policy as “grand Liberal rubbish.’’ 'lhey proclaimed manhood suffrage as the grand panacea for everything, and then allowed it to drop. Ho attributed the present dearth of employment to the imposition of the land tax, and considered that the West Natives we e being treated very unjustly. Ho said that while Mr Sheehan during the past session descanted to the House upon the happy state of affairs, he was in possession of facts that told a different tale. AH action of the Government tended in the direction of a personal Government. He considered that the public meeting called at Wellington, at which the Premier would speak, was an attempt to domineer over Parliament. Ho characterised tha whole career of tho Government as that of blunder and failure. Colonel "Whitmore was proceeding to reply to Mr Waterhouse and Sir D. Bell in defence of the policy, pursued with regard to tho Natives, when the Conncil adjourn d to tho next day. It is stated that Southern members have not piven up the idea of removing the seat of Government to Christchurch, and that another attempt will be made this session.