PARLIAMENTARY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 94, 25 July 1879, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUdlJj OF KEPfIESBML'ATIVfIS,

NO-CONFIDEXCE MOTIO.V,

[Abridged from the New Zjalml Times.]

The no confidence deb.ifce was resumed on Tu3*day afternoon by Mr Birff, senior member for Holcitika. Mr Saymour G-oorge, the " nephew of ray undo " (Sir G-aorge Grey) aud the other inaaibjr for Hokitika, li:id moved the udjournrnjUu of the dcbata, and should have spjkeu, bat appears to have fought shy of his duty, for svhich he was soundly rated by Air Barff, who declare! that though he had formerly supported Sir G-aorge Grey, he could do so no loader, ti3 the G-Jvernnunt had strewn the fl >or of tho House with broken promise. Both parties at the time of the abolition debate li-id promisid lo^al •self-gjvernmont for tho people, but no attempt; hid baen in-idc to carry out such prosnUas. In spita of the grand speeches they had heard, he questioned whether any of the departments were so ellLjient as they had bean at any time during the last ten years. It hal been said that the rights of the people would be maintained aud their wrongs redressed, but nothing of the Iciui had taken place. The various departments appeared to be controlled by the uuder-3ecretiries. Mr Barff then attacked the Q-JVermnont's management of the native question. The natives, he believed, were of opinion that much of the land had not been legally conns'! ited. And the conduct of tho native offija was sufficient to strengthen them in that opinbn. The reconstruction of the Native Department wa3 urgently needed, or even its entire abolition. The department had for rainy years beea sifctiug oa New Zeulaud, like the Old Mm of the Sea in " Siubad the Sailor." What the natives wanted was one law for the two races alike, and if on inquiry it were found that the Maoris had acted wrongly, tho Native De^ p-irtmont would be found co be not free from blame. Ho would not attack any par ticular Government on this point, for he believed they were all alike. It had boon s lid that the Govermn >nt was a Liberal Government; but ha denied it, for ho failed to see a single meisura iutroducDd by the G-overumonc which it seemed prepared to support in a liberal manner. He considered himself a Liberal, and should feel bound to support the atnoudment of the hou. member for Wanganui. Dr Willis followed, on tho Government side. He said there had been ap)liticalearthqii'te in Ne v Z jalau.l, an! tho Government had bjon Inmperei with a gnat many difficulties, of whioli the Opposition had taken advantage to attack them. M-iny Of tho Ministry's good djeds hid bean kept in the back ground. What would be the result of the Opposition's aucjess ? Why, a Liberal Ministry would be upsat, and a reactionary Ministry would be put into its place, an 1 the goad measures that were to be brougiit forward would be indefinitely postponed. Ministers might not have come up to their expectations, but it was better to bear the evils tint they had than fly to others that they knew not of. In Now Zealand, for many years past they had been trying to establish a real party Government, and they were on the eve of getting what they wanted The present was tlio most liberal Ministry tliey ever had. If the reforms to which he had alludod were carried out they would have a real party Government. They might bhon be well nnd wUe'y governed without tho existence of hostile pmtie*. Tha present Ministry, take it nil in all, was the ra.ost liberal one they had ever been blessed with. Believing that to bo so, he would certainly voto against the amendment of Sir W. Fox. He admitted that Libera lism had ln.my weak points. One groat principle of Conservatism was rest and be thankful, while that of Liberalism was forwards and upwards, exciting these by hostility. Tho Opposition might.be able to pull

down but thay were not ablo to build up. Ha would put tho question to the Opposition, What is your policy ? Wh it are the planks of your platform, or are you going to Steal the clothes of your predecessors P He would paint out to the House the faults of the Ministry, and also their great merits. No doubt they hid cjni aitted va.ious mia- \ takes, and what Ministry had been ia exis- v tence for two years without committals* some mistakes and blunders P They hai bwn accused of not carrying out this, that, and the other, and Sir Gh Grey had received a number of na-ne3 that were not meant to honor him- Hj admitted that they had been extravagant, and he proceeded to refer to salaries, residences, and trips in the Hinemm, ia whioh the Ministry indulged. Well, it was not such a serious charge after all, and he had no hesitation in saying that the Ministry of whioh Sir W. Fox was the head wa3 a great deal more extravagant than that of Sir G-eorge Grey, while Major Atkinson's Ministry wa* the most extravagant of all. Mr Sheehan had worked like a hero arid a giant to settle the native difficulty, and he was not to be blamed for the present condition of things. With regard to the borrowing policy, he believed it was a mis* alee from the beginning ; but they were now in tor it, like a maelstrom, and would go rou:id and round and round now till they were sucked in to the bottom. So that he considered every Gtaveramsnt would have to borrow now that the thing had been begun, in order to carry out the business of the country. Ha likened the Opposition to a band of prisoners once seen in Ireland who were chained together, and who, on being questioned as to what they wer*, said they exiled themselves the United Tipperiry Volunteers. He was sorry to find that the House used such strong language on both sile3. and he might especially refer to both Sir William Pox and Sir George Grey. Of coirse the laujjuage mu3t be strictly Parliamentary, or the Speaker would put it down. - All ha could say, if it was Parliamentary, he would like to knov what was I not.

The Eton Sir Giaborne spoke next. He would have liked to sco an Opposition worthy the name on the direct question of policy. He could not think a speech could have beun delivered containing a more defiuitd policy than had been declared. If that policy were carried out, ifc would bo a great public benefit. Even if the Opposition had got a policy, they got it from the Government, and were in possession of it under very suspicious circumstances. The Ministry was asked to go out of office, and to leave their clothes to be worn by their successors. The question of administration was a most important one, and any charges brought against it to depose it from office ought to ba of a very serious character. Of the charges that had actually been brought most of them «vera of a vague and trumpery character — aharges such as had no doubt been picked up from the man in the street. Referring to the native meeting with the King party, he said that th-a Premier and Native Minister having arranged a year before to a ttend it, were bound to go. It was ridiculous to blama the Premier because some of the natives at that meeting had abused him. The King and his party had been quiet and peaceable, and liewi had declared he was an ally of the English. The Ministry left the matter to the House with confidence. Sir Win Fox had said he regretted to see him (Mr Gisborne) a member of the Government. For his own part he could only reply that ho was very sorry to see Uis hon. friend a member of the Opposition. Ho might claim that he had at all events been actuated by conscientious motives. He had never said one thing to his 4. constituents and another to that House, botr^ l lud always done his best to serve the interests of the country. He failed to see ou the other side of the House any policy or party. .Ur Saundjrs spoke againU the Government, replying to the speeches made on their st<i ). ani was followed by Mi- W. L. lij.is, w 10 in a lengthy speech attacked the Opposition, llesiidthe pre* sont wis tho first time that so mmy goo.l measures hid been introduced into the House. The attacks that Had been made uooii.tUe Government were of a most trivial character, and were in utter bad taste. Too vary sa:nj mm who Ir"d vote! against liberal land laws and othor goo 1 measures now p.usjd by the principles, .nil seemed bant ou turning tho Ministry out. Tha uttack of the leader of the Opposition was Wiiat the Govji'iunsnt cjuU not be called npm to mast, it w is of so va^ui ao'iaraoter, with thd exujptio'i of tha q lestio.i of native affairs. H3 dwelt at lengtu u,j-)u the native question, and showed tliat Sir Wm. Fox hid bought on trouble in tho Colony by his action in tut'iva matters, and was now eir.luavourinj to lix the onus of confiscation ou the Premier whan hu would have seized whole blocks of native lands, aui driven off the tribes— men, women, and children. Ho considered the speech of tha Government was in every rasp<?ct an exojlle.it oae ; and the gi'eat principles contained in it had never been announced by any Government bat'ore. He referred to che Judges who had asserted their right to imprison any man without trial or warrant of any kind. The djctrine was infamous in the extreme, for if the J udge could do it with one man he could do it with twenty, and if with twenty, with a thousand. All a Judge hid to Bay was take a man away au.l put him in gaol for life, and there was no appeal. Why, they would ba slaves to submit to such tyranny. The proposals contained in the speoch really went in tho direction of the freedom and the liberty of the paoplj. He would ask whether for the last twenty years a siugle Acu now in the Statute Book had gone in thit direction, independent perhaps of the questions of eduoat;on,oharitablti aid, aud ova or two matters of a similar character. Tho party to whiob he belonged were determine I to carry out the programme that they had set forth — to attempt to form a great Constitution for the people ; ani he maintained that they were doiu,' it to tin best of their ability. Mr H. Jackson declared his intention of supporting the Government, owing to their policy. The Hon MrTin<nson, who lately joined the Government, defended them, whilst

Dr Hodgkinson strongly attacked Sir Win. Fox, after which the debate was adjourned. On Wednesday, the Hon. Mr Sheehan made an exhaustive defence of hU administration of Native Affairs, and was followed by Mr E i. Walcefiolil, who mada a vigorous onslaught on th: .Ministry. Tim debate was then adjourned until yesterday afternoon.