The Weekly Times. "Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri" MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 1867. NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT.

Hawke's Bay Weekly Times, Volume 1, Issue 35, 26 August 1867, Page 211

The Weekly Times. "Nullius addictus jurare in verba magistri" MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 1867. NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT.

The abridged report of the debate ■siready given on the above bill is worthy of some consideration at our hands. Mr Stafford, in introducing the measure, exhausted all the arguments that could he used in its favor, without, however, trusting himself to descend to such details as the House evidently required, and could not graciously oppose the reasonable request of members to leave the full discussion of the measure for a few day-;, until night have an opportunity of mastering it. Mr Vogel's speech was a sound piece of argument tation against it,*ahd was quite successful in‘ demonstrating that it : was a deadly blow at Provincial institutions. Nothing could tell more in favor of Mr Vogel’s 'arguments than their misrepresentation b’y MrFitzMrbert in his reply, when lie did’not attempt to answer Mr Yogfel, but : only iris own distorted representation of what 1 that gentleman had skid,-.and diverted the attention cf the House by the relation of a foolish anecdote of the Chinese discovery of roast : pork through ? an accidental burniag down of a pig stye, which w.e did not think of sufficient importance to reproduce. Mr* Vogel argued that the establishment of one body in a province, independent : of, anil antagonistic to, the Provincial Council, would, by the unfair advantages it would gain over the rest of the province, necessitate the universal establishment of them, and so ’ the complete destruction 'of Provincial: Councils. Mr Fitzherbert’s caricature of thkt argument is : not worthy of fur-, ther notice. ; ' "" ; We have no hesitation in predicting the fate of the bill ; r it Will not pass during the present session, nor indeed anr all in its present shape. It > must be so .modified as to give to 'Superin- . =

ten3ents the power it now reserves to the Governor, to make it at all acceptable to the House, and it must contain.; a provision to. recompense districts whose land fund has been already expended. These alterations made, it may stand ia chance, as minor details may be modified in-committee, 1 We anxiously await further news from Wellington regarding the fate of the bill and theSiafford ministry, which should appeal to the country if- it be refused by the House. THE DEFEAT OF THE MINISTRY. Since thes above was written, we have received the intelligence, by way of Auckland, of the defeat of the Ministry by a majority of seven:— According* to-the opinion which we have expressed on the probable fall of the Local Government Bill, that event has transpired. The debate on the second reading was brought on in the House on Tuesday evening, August 6th, when Mr Stafford simply moved the second. reading without making a speech, and after it had been opposed by Mr Haughton, Mr J. O’Neil, Mr Brandon, and other gentlemen, the debate was adjourned to the next night, when Mr Vogel resumed the debate, being followed by Mr Harrison, Major Heaphy, and Mr Dillon Bell, who, amid the applause of the House, tore up the bill into scraps and trampled upon them. The debate was again adjourned, but, as we understand, has since been lost on a division, the numbers for the second reading being 29, those against it 36, giving the respectable majority of geven against ministers. All this we learn from the Auckland papers, which, via the West Coast, have intelligence from Wellington to eight or ten days later than we at Hawke’s Bay, and which the opportune arrival of the Star of the South has brought on; We further understand that ministers accept their deeat, and will not resign, nor appeal to the people, but continue the business of the session as usual. The Proceedings of the New Zealand Parliament as reported in the Parliamentary debates forwarded to us by post, extend only to the 16th inst, the supplimentary slips not having come to hand. We are therefore indebted to our Wellington contemporararies for all the information we have subsequent to that date. We condense from the voluminous mass of matters we have to hand such items as are of the most importance, reserving our remarks on them, as also minor matters to a future occasion. Mr M‘Lean introduced his Bill for the better representation of the Maorj yace on the 6th inst. by a motion forleave to bring in the measure. Leave having been granted and himself and Mr Williamson ordered to prepare the bill, it was read a first time and or dered for the second reading that dav sveex.

On Tuesday the 13 th the Municipal Corporations Bill was, after some discussion, read a second time and ordered to be committed pn Wednesday the 21stl.

The fate .of the Local Government Bill was recorded in our last issue, it having succumbs on the question of its being read a second time by a' majority of, not seven, as given in error by the Auckland, press, but nine, the numbers having been 27 for, and $6 against=the second reading,: :: Mr Jjili wasread a second timb oh AVed; npsday the l4th and ordered to be committed* pn thgt ,day - Qd .Wednesday the 21st Mr Bor* 13§e petuiss frgm the Rev.

A. Stock for an enquiry into the case of Walter Tricker, now undergoing the punishment of penal servitude for life for the crime of murder, a [considerable amount of evidence haying been discovered calculated to prove his innocence. The hon. Premier thought the house could not interfere, as it was a question of prerogative. The petition was, however, received and ordered to lie on the table. A similar petition was read before the Legislative Council by the hon. Mr Johnson, but its presentation was postponed, that the Government might consider the subject. In Committee, the Maori Bepresentation Bill underwent an alteration that may prove fatal to it. It is to make it compulsory upon the Maories to elect persons of their own race as representatives.

On Thursday evening, the 22nd inst., the Hon. Mr Fitzherbert brought down the financial statement, which occupied five hours and a quarter -in delivery. We find an abstract in the Advertiser of the next morning, but can only now afford room for the Estimates for the current year as follows ;

The proposed expenditure being:—

£734,173 These Estimates show an increase of £40,000 on permanent charges, and a total increase of £6,000. We shall give a summary of the whole statement without delay.

Mr Harrison asked if the Governmen intended to remove the restriclious on the supply of spirits to persons of the native race.. Mr Stafford said they did not intend to do so, but were willing to suspend them in districts where it would be beneficial to do it.

The Municipal Corporations Bill was further considered in committee. In Committee of supply £5,000 was voted for preparations for the reception of H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh.

Revenue. £ Customs ... 870,000 Bonded Warehouses ... 6,000 Stamps 75,000 Miscellaneous .... ... 134,000 £1,084,000

Civil list 27,500 Permanent Charges 305,818 Grovernment Domain ... ... 4,376 Public Departments 45,025 Lavr and justice 69,892 Postal 155,241 Customs... 44,830 Native ... . 24,058 Militia 28,052 Miscellaneous 39,404