NOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 813, 15 August 1870, Page 3

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. [mOM THE EVENING POST.]

August 5. Almost the only thing worth noting fi om the gallery yesterday, was the battle of the Superintendents while the House was in Committee of Supply. The fight arose over the item of clerk to Government Agent at Napier, and was a renewal of the dispute of the previous night regarding Mr Ormond, and the propriety of charging his salary on the Civil list. Mr O'Rorlw raided the storm by deprecating the carping criticism of the previous night regarding Mr Ormond, who was essentially the right man in. the right place. On this, Mr Rollcston rose, and made a fresh attack on Mr Ormond for having, while a Superintendent and a General Government Officer, attacked and held up to ridicule the high elective officers who presided over Provincial Institutions. This brought up Mr Ormond who, though he spoke coolly, was evidently at white heat. He said ho had never been so insulted before a 3 on the previous evening and the present oc casion ; and the insults ha l come from the last people who ought to have given them —people who lived on the Colony. He declared that the position of Government. Agent had been forced on him, and that had he not taken pay for it, he could not have afforded to give his time to the office. In previous years he had often given his time for nothing to the public, but of late he, like most other peoplo in the Colony, had become much poorer. The position of Superintendent he had only taken at the earnest request of the people of his Province, and as it enabled him better to discharge his duties as a Government Agent. He looked on the Superintendency asquite subordinate to the other office, and his opinions of Provincial Institutions, and Superintendents especially, had never: changed. If in the House, next year, he would bring in a measure to reduce to their proper level the crew who lived on the public. After a few words from Mr Richmond, who thought no man need be ashamed to take a fair wage for a fair day's work, Mr Stafford rose and expressed his sympathy with Mr Ormond, under the insults which had been offered him. He considered Mr Ormond, who it was wellknown was not a personal friend of his, as one of the most consistent public men in the House, and thought he had been unfairly attacked by Mr. Gillies and Mr Rolleston. This brought Mr Gillies to his legs, who said Mr Ormond had been the first to attack and insult the class to which he himself belonged. He had no intention of insulting Mr. Ormond, and had only spoken in self-defence. Mr Macandrew rose in great wrath to denounce Mr Onnond's impertinence in attacking and villifying Superintendents, and Mr Hall told Mr Ormond that he had himself j to blame for what had been said. He should not be so thin skinned, for no man in the House had used ruder, bitter, personal, unfair, unjustifiable, and as to facts untrue, language than Mr. Ormond himself had, both in the House and out of it, regarding the late Ministry. Mr. Rolleston said he was not at all ashamed of what he had said, nor did he at all regret having said it. Then Mr. Vogel got up to defend Mr Ormond, and he was followed by Mr Pox, who, in spite of a headache, laid the praise on very thick indeed. He declared all that had been done to Te Xooti during the past year was owing to Mr Ormond, and that, so far from his having been paid fur Ids services, they would not. be paid for, it' Mr Ormond had received twenty times as much as he had done, and twice that. (This would just amount to £28,000.; After a little more discussion the matter dropped, and a large portion of the estimates was disposed of. The Pill to Pre vent the Sale of Spirits in Native Districts was read a second time, after Mete King , Tareha, and one or two other members had expressed their strong approval of it. A general desire was also expressed that the ordinance preventing publicans supplying Maoris as well as Europeans in European districts, and which has for a long time been a dead letter, should be repealed. . Mr McLean said he had no objection to this being done. The Re-

ciprocity Bill was passed, and a good deal of time was spent in committee on the Militia Bill. A few other bills of no great public interest were advanced a stage before the House rose, at a quarter past one o'clock.