THE MATERIALS FOR A NEW MINISTRY.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1282, 7 September 1872, Page 4

THE MATERIALS FOR A NEW MINISTRY.

• rMfc Refolds; inihis speeclilduring "the debate on the anti-Ministerial motions, gave the following sketch of the probable or possible Ministry of the future : — Sir, before I would turn out one, Government in order to replace it by another, I should liko to know who the members of the incoming Ministry are to be. I have heard it reported in the lobbies that, in tho event of the resolutions being carried, possibly the new Ministry would consist of the honorable member for Tiraaru, the honorable memberf or Auckland City West> the honorable member for the Hutt, the honorable member for Nelson City (Mr Curtis), and an honorable gentleman in another place, Colonel Whitmcre. I would like to ask, what can we expect from the honorable member for Timaru 1 Those who were in the House when the honorable member vyas in . Jhe Government,: will riot ' forget one great occasion when the Loan Allocation Act was repealed, and when the honorable member and his Government, who were in danger of* losing-their-Beats,— were-enabled toretain them through; a, cburge being fixed upon the Colony of some LIBO,OOO. Then, as to the honorable. member for Auckland City West, from what he has stated^'in this House aud outside, I am sure that he is anxious to break through a compact that was entered into as far back as 1856 —that he is hankering after the land i fund of the Middle Island, and that he desires to lay hold of it without regard to the justice of the cade. I have another little matter against the honorable member. He has been once in the Ministry, and his arrogance as a Minister was something' unbearable. I do not think that the policy of the honorable member for Auckland City West would entitle him, as a Minister, to the confidence of a majority of the Colony. With regard to the honorable member for the Hutt, I must say that he is not, as, he has styled some honorable members of this House, a " village politician." He is too grasping to be a village politician. His motto is, " Give, give, give !" and i£ the honorable members on the Government benches had only given him what he wanted, I believe he would be one of their strongest supporters, on the present occasion. Honorable members cannot go about the lobbies without hearing and knowing what is going on, and if there is one thing more than another that influences me in Jhe.yoteJ.intendlto.gute, it is.theiact. of the members of the Government standing firm and refusing Wagree to terms proposed by ( the hon. member .for Hutt. I find also/fha't the honorable member^B receiving a pension from the Colony of L 325 per annum, and that in 18G9 a sum was voted to him by this House of L3OOO. I quote this, because I, think that the 1 honorablo gentleman, when he accuses 'other honorable gentlemen of being Village politicians, should bear in mind that there are members of 'this House who know that he is riot a village politician— that his principal object in life has been to get as much as possible from this Colony, both* for himself and for the Province of which he is a' representative. I have nothing to say against the honorable member for Nelson City, who, report says, is to be a member of the new Government except that, as he has been brought up in a rather sleepy hole, I do not think he .Would shoW that activity and energy which a Minister of the Crown in* this Colony should display. lam reminded here, by an honorable member near me, of his management of the West Coast Gold Fields, and there is no doubt that, seeing that a largo portion of his Province is now seeking, at the hands of this House, separation from the main portion of the Province of Nelson, it is riot a" recommendation for the honorable [ member's holding a seat on those benches. There is another gentleman who is spoken of as one who: is; to be a member of the new Government— Colonel Whitmore.- I think, from what honorable members know of that gentleman's administration when he was connected with native affairs under the Government*~6f thehbnorabTe member for Timar.u i; #>me years ago, it must be admitted that he would not be the most desirable person to :hiive' ffe/a member of the Ministry.' lieel-'poifecciy certain that the moment he got ! into harness we should have native disturbances all over the North Island; / '■• ' / /

Bootmaker