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Hawke's Bay Times, Volume III, Issue 177, 3 June 1864, Page 5 (Supplement)

The Three Million Loan. —In the House of Commons, on the 2Gth February last, Mr. A Mills put two questions to the Home Government: —First, —Whether it was the intention of the New Zealand Legislature to authorise a loan of £3,000, 000 for colonial purposes, and wether such was to be guaranteed by the Imperial Paliament; and secondly, whether any recent correspondence respecting the war would he laid before Parliament ; also, whether there was any intention of changing the seat of Government. Mr. C. Fortescue, Under Secretary for the Colonies, replied, that “ last year the Home Government agreed to make application to Parliament to guarantee a loan of £500,000 on condition that a certain portion—,£2oo,ooo he believed—should he applied to liquidate a debt due by the Colonial to the Home Government. However, the gentleman in this country who was then acting for the New Zealand Government, objected to the amount claimed by the Imperial Government, and the hill was withdrawn. Since that time the Governor of New Zealand had informed the Home Government that his Ministers would he prepared to make the payment claimed by the Imperial Government out of such a loan. A rumour had reached the,Colonial Office in the shape of a debate in the New Zealand Parliament, that the Colonial Legislature had passed, or were about to pass a bill to negotiate a loan of £3,000,000, and that they would probably apply for a larger guarantee ‘ for,sucb'a . loan. No such application had yet been received, and the subject could ; ot, therefore, be considered. With respect to the papers alluded to by the hon. member they would be laid on on the table. With respect to the proposed change of the Seat of Government, no information had been received at the Colonial office.