NOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 16, Issue 821, 12 September 1870, Page 3

NOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. ■ [3?kom the evening post,] August 30. Mr Macandrew was very inquisitive as ' , to whether the Government iutended to j immediately carry out the report of the Select Committee, recommending the erection of new Government and Legislative J ' offices, at a cost of £30,000. Mr Vogel replied that the Governnient did not in- { tend to do so ; but, as it might be rather f inconvenient if the roof of the present l building fell in while the House was sitting, a vote of £6,000 would be asked l for to repair the present buildings, and build additional offices, which could form j part of any new building to be hereafter erected. A large number of not over ' interesting bills were then considered in committee, and those which passed through without substantial amendment were read } a third time, and sent to the Council. In J committee, on the Stamp Duties Amend- '■ ment Bill Mr Vogel stated that the Government intended to legalise the use of adhesive stamps on Bills of Exchange, ■ provided the signature of the acceptor was written across the stamp The supple- 1 mentary estimates and the estimates of t unauthorised expenditure during the past 1 year were received by message from the Governor, and the House then went into f Committee of Supply. On the item of e conveyance of mails by sea, mail agents .- £SOO, Mr Hall called attention to the prac u tice of the present Government, of appointing as mail agents gentlemen entirely without experience in the postal service. , During the time of the Panama service, the then Government had selected the best * officers in the department for the office of £ mail agents ; and it required experienced „ men to perform the duty properly. Mr Vogel, although not admitting that his " impromptu agents had failed, said that the Government recognised the necessity of, for the future, appointing experienced v officers, but that he saw no reason for always having the same agents. A trip to Honolulu as mail agent, might be held out as a kind of holiday to all efficient officers , in the department. Mr Hall and Mr Gillies dwelt on the necessity of having e agents perfectly acquainted with the duties, , and the former gentleman said that if Mr Vogel thought it a holiday to have to sort J 25,000 letters, and quantities of newspapers, between Honolulu and New Zealand, he had better try it himself, and he . would soon be undeceived. JChe item was agre.'d to, and the committee then went on T

to the native estimates. On the item of general contingencies for clothing, travelling allowance, medical comforts, &c, to natives, £6,000, in addition to the Civil List grant of £7,000 for same purposes, MrGilliis objected to money being thus voted for luxuries to the natives. It wa? simply placing so much money in the hands of the IS ative Minister to be frittered away m gift 3. It was high time this system of dealing with the natives was brought to a conclusion, and he moved the reduction of the sum by £3.000. This proposal of ceasing to treat the natives like children, and beginning to treat them like men, seemed greatly to horrify Mr M'Lean, for he immediately jumped up and proceeded in the most energetic manner to protest against any diminution of the insignificant sum he had asked for. He was sony he had not asked for a much larger sum, and it would be the falsest economy to try and reduce this item. If the House was penurious now, the Government would be excluded from extending the hand of friendship to men well deserving of it, and what was spent in this way might prevent a much larger expenditure in war. Mr Bunny thought it high lime that the exceptional treatment of the native race was done away with, and the whole native department abolished. The department consisted of Civil Commissioners, who were really a most mischievous class of officials, doing more harm than good. The natives delighted in deceiving these men, and yet the Government depended entirely on the reports of such men as Booth and Parris. It was high time to cease administering arrowroot and ijruul tu the natives, to stop the sugar and Hour policy, and let the natives emerge from their swaddling clothes. Mr Bichmond said it was a hopeless task to try and make Europeans of natives, and as must of the Civil List £7,000 was absorbed by paying pensions, &c, he did not think iho sum asked for too much. The House wus now reaping the result of its careless legislation in 1861. Mr Gillies said we might not be able to make Europeans out of Maoris, but we might at least make men of them. Teaching them to lean on the Government was but degrading them, and while the present system existed i<» would be impossible eve:- to elevate the' raee. Mr M'Lean defended and euiogised the conduct of Messrs Parris and Booth m particular, and the officers of the depart ment in general. He declared them to be most admirable and heroic officers, and, greatly to the astonishment of the Committee, he went on to say that he was not himself a great advocate of the sugar and flour policy—had spent less indeed than most Ministers in tuat way—but it was cheaper to feed people than to them. Mr Kelly defended Mr Parris, and highly praised his conduct. Mr Gillies said the natives looked with contempt on out system of treating them, and, instead of fighting them, we were really teaching them to fight by feeding them as we diet. Mr Bolleston thought it would be verj ungenerous and unwise to attempt to curtail the expenses of the Native Minister at the present time, Mr Moorhouae avowed

himself a decided advocate of the so called sugar and flour policy, and thought it much better than a fighting policy. He would never have authorised money to buy gunpowder, as a sum sufficient to buy a rope to hang criminals under civil process ought to have sufficed. A guinea spent in presents would be worth any amount of horsewhips, and he firmly believed that Mr M'Lean could contract with the Government to keep the whole native race quiet at £1 a head per annum. Mr Russell made a very nice little speech in support of the Government policy, and, after some further debate, the item was agreed to. On the item of Trustee of Native Reserves, Mr Gillies strongly |opposed the vote, and attacked Major Heaphy, the trustee, in pretty strong terms. On a division, the item was agreed to by a large majority. The defence estimates were then gone on with, and wore agreed to, with a Tew unimportant reductions, the constabulary estimates being passed in a lump. The House then adjourned.