PARLIAMENTARY.

Manawatu Herald, Volume II, Issue 12, 3 October 1879, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

. -♦ _ In the House of Representatives, on Tuesday last, the Address in Reply was moved by Mr Andrews, seconded t>y Mr Hurst. The Hon. John Hall moved the fol lowing amendment :—" That while we are bound to give support to the Liberal measures desired by the oountry, we are bound to submit to your Excellency that your Excellency's Government, as at prosent constituted, does not possess the confidence of this House." The Government, when they came iuto offi.e, had spoken strongly on the question of economising, and they had been told thoy could reduce the cost of the public service by a hundred thousand pounds. But the cost during their first year in office was increased by £8,000, and the second year by £15,000. They had b:en told that the Govornment were not allowed by the House to red uc. their own personal • ilaries. If the Government had thought proper they could have oarried the proposal. The proposal was no sooner made than a supporter of theivs moved an amendment, which wus seoonded by another steady supporter. Did the Government oome dowu again with it f No. And the punishment of those who had prevented the motion from being carried was they were both made justices of the peace. He next complained of the unreasonable use

they had made of the Government steamer. Of course, at.. -times the steamer sbould be nsedj but it lud been a systematic thing for the Government to use the steamer for their own use whon they could just as well have gone by priv ite steamers Then there had been an en or moti. expenditure on native* affairs. What that, expenditure was they did not kn-iw exactly, but they were determined to do so The votes had been exceeded by £ -0.000. What had they gofc for this large expenditure ? Was lhe condition of na;ive affairs better, or as good n's it was when thoso gentleman came into office ? Ia faca of what mot them in the newspapers every day, ho did not sco how thoy could say so. Tho native question was the trump <;ird of the lx jvernment, bu*. how had they played ifc ? Uuder tho wise care of Sir Donald M'Lean native affairs had been steadily improving, and had he been spared he believed they would now have beon in a very satisfactory condition. What was tbe present state of things ? Why, in the Waikato the King was in a position of it ore pronounced antagonism than when the Ministry took offioe. A great deal -had been made of-the concessions obtained from the Chief Itowi by the Native Minister. But officially they had nothing to show that anything whatever had been conceded. As for the West Coast difficulties, he might state that the safety ofthe settlers had been left wholly to themselves, and if it had not been for their tact and energy, great disasters would have ensued. The surveyors had been turned off the plains. It had been said the Government was not to blame, but their predecessors. Of course as soon as the Opposition heard it tbey knew some reason of the kind would be advanced. Ho asserted most positively that there was a spirit of lawlessness which did nofc exist when tbe Government came into office. They were certainly indebted to tho Government for trying to govern the native's by the personal . influence of the Nativo Minister. But they wero all agreed, from end to end of the country, that tbis system should end, and that the natives should be treated in the same way as tbo white people. That, he hai hoard, wns tho feeling of the natives themselves. Th. y c mid liave best got at the feeling of the natives through the natives themselv- s. Ho next came to the question of fiinince What was the condition of finance through the country ? That was exactly what they wanted to know. They knew, however, that there was a very large deficiency. He blamed the Government, for hiving over-esti-mated the revenue in the way they had done. If ever there was a time when this was desirable, it was last session, when thoy were asked to p iss a Loan Bill for more than had ever been previously asked for. The Minister of Publ* cWorks gave I hem a fair and satisfactory summary, and ho had cci tainly thought that they would also have had some iutelligib'e Financial Statement brought down. But. nothing of the kind was done ; and what did they find in Hansard ? Why, a stalen.ent to tbe effect that as Financial Statements had always been aupplied, and as Sir; G. Grey was apparently reading it, the reporters had not taken a vote of his observations, and thafc thorcforo no financial statement would be fouud in Hansard. He did ask the House if such a proceeding as tliat was not enough to slcake the confidence of any money market? lie next charged the Government wilh tampering with the public Press, which be maintained was fche bulwark of their liberty. What had the Government done in this way ? They could not take money from th. public chest to give to papers, but they conld give Government advertisement-'. ' This they had done in the most unblushing manner. And then they had tried to bribe certain papers by giving them the advantages of a special telegraph wire. He next charged the Government with unfair treatment of thu Civil Service. Tiie subject had already been dealt with by Sir Wm. Fox, who had especially instanced the ca-;e of Mr Booth. (I -Xtract s read from Hansard, of Sir George Grey's speech, in wlndi he stated that Mr Eooth had been reinstated with a higher salary than ever.) t'e hear.l, however, on the be.t authority that this was n_t the case, ihe Government had done aii injustice to the Civil Scrvic. by placing people ovir their heads in au unfair way. Old members, if efficient, had a right to look forward to promotion in due course, and not to be jumped over by persons who weie in no way experts. He instanced the appointment of Mr Luetic. Tiie uext charge wa* oue of maladministration iv the department of justice. He instanced the caseof Lyttelton, where, foi' a long time no magistrate bad been appointed. He next referred to fc'-c state of Addiug ton gaol, which was most frightfully overcrowded. These were samples of the w->y the d partment of justice was administer...!. The next charge be had against them was the scandalous way iv which the lunatics of the Colouy had b.-en treated. Year after year the Inspector of Asylum-: had reported on this question in reference to the various asylums of the colony. The Christchurch AHylnni was jus 4 , as bid to this day. And the same might be said, be believed, of the condition of tho lunatics in Wellington. lie was quite aware that every Government musfc make mistakes, and that they were often blamed for tb" misconduct of their subordinates, but in h-. nstai cc) he bai cited the. l-overninenb was personally responsible He had never kno.vn a Government which' in two years, were guilty of sue 'i a gross catalogue of blunders and official negligences as tho prosent Ministry. He would spea ! i with every rc.pc.t of the hon. gentle man at the head of the Government, but he maintained that his very antecedent') wore sufficient to disqualify him from being the leader of the Government. It was not to be wondered at, therefore, that the character of the hon. gentleman had beeon.o so decidedly autocratic. Ho would instance his own acts to prove it. Among other things, when one of hi* colleagues declined to obey him, h. drove that g-utlemnn out of his Cabiuet in a way that reflected not only discredit on himself, but. it passed over by t hem-on Ihe whole Colony. Tbe groat question which the couniry had to con~ aider was whether they should have a personal Government, or a Govornment that was according to the constitution. He would refer to what had taken place duriDg tbe elections. Had the Government and the Opposition been allowed to be placed on equal terras? Certainly not. He had never known an occasion when the Government had so used their privileges to influence an election. Why, one Government sleamer hud started off with Mini, ters one way, and one another. Then, when one steamer was at the South, a cry of distress camo from the North, and the Hinemoa was sent off post haste, and the railway was used on the Sunday so that Sir George Grey might again post away up North. Theu she returned, and was so run off her legs that she wis completely knocked up. If the Government had actod fairly they would have said, you take one steamer aud we will have the other. (Laughter.) If this had been tho case, and Sir W. Fox could h'.ve had the uso of thes. steamers to have taken hitu to contest the election at Heathcote, there could be no doubt that the hon. the Postmaster-General would have disappeared from off the floor of that Houso. No sooner was the House dissolved than the Colonial Secretary and Native Minister posted off to Napier, and just before the '

elections piles of a brilge had been drivetf with the view of influencing the elections. But unfortunately they hnd not effected their object, and Napier had been ungrate- y ful. (Laughter ; Mr Macandrew : We xrilU do better next time.) Mr Hall then rj^. ferred to the West Coast elections, maiAg special reference to Rops, which requiretri* water-race to develop its wealth. Tbie ra_. has been required for years, ami strange to say that , Mr Gisborne proceeded to Bobs' , promised the race, and turned the first sod. It was a remarkable concidence. He was glad to meet his hon. friend the member for lloss ou the floor of the House ; but lie really wished he had not come floating fn on the bosom of the water race (Laughter.) Then in Christchnrch thero was a clock. (Laughter.) And this clock the Premier had graciously given to the people of Chrisfcohurch. The clock belonged to the people — but ifc was all right, the Premier would make them a present of ifc as an electioneering present. (Laughter) Then with regard to subsidies to local bodies. Sydenham a largj suburb of Christchurch, had asked when fchey were 10 have theirs, and tlie reply was the next day. But other bodies had nofc received their subsidies to this daj . This, he .aid, was most unfair. Steamers were Government property, worked by Government people, and if they could use one class of Government property they could use another, and, indeed, use. ■■■ the Government clerks in the various Government offices. It was the first time that a Government had so used its influence. The House of Commons a hundred years ago had passed a resolution to the effect that it was highly criminal for ony Minis- . ter to use his privileges to influence elec- * tions. (Hear, hear.) lie had no doubt ' that the Government would pass lightly over these charges of maladministration. He did not agree in tho description which tho Premier gave ofthe probable result of these Liberal measure-, aud denied that a very much larger number of votes could be p nt on tho roll than could be put on now if properly worked ; still, he agreed with, the proposed extension of the franchise. Ho believed they should have have four years' Parliaments, but'as the people had ' set their hearts upon triennial Parliaments he should be prepared to support such a measure. He should support a redistribution of scats, and he conld ..peak fctlingly upon tin. subject because lie came from a part of the couniry which was very much underrepresenlbd. He did not think it should be altogether on the basis of population. A lurtber adjustment of taxation was absolutely necessary, as they wanted more revenue. Additions should be in the shape ofa property tax, arid he had ho reason to be ashamed of tho part he had taken in this system. They should have the tax . . ation on a broader and juster basis than tbey had at present. A variety of measures were required for social reform, and he mentioned, especially, the question of charitable aid and hospitals. -Social and political reforms were required, but it was still more necessary that the laws which they had in existence should be capably, energetically, nud honestly administered, and while the present Government was in office be did not believe they would. For that reason he lud moved the amendment which was now beforo the House. (Loud and continued applause) Sir Gcov.e Gr.y tben rose to reply to the leader of the Opposition. He defended Iho notion of himself and his colleaguerip usipg , the Hinemoa, on the ground that the steamer was '.here lor their use, and that it was ne> cessary thit they should avail ihem .elves'-M' it in order that they might be "able "ta &» about among the people. If he w^SOfPß^*le^tho people censure him, but until'lie t* i.A so censured, he intended to act a* he hud™ done. He would not say much in regard to native mutters, as the Nativo Minister was quite cipable of defending hinuelf, but he would express the opinion tint the native difficulty w .s in a much better position now tlian it was when tbo present Government took offiue. With reference to the subsidising of newspapers, be had only to say tbat !.e pitied the mm who thought the Press could be bought by a few advertisements. He ulso defended the conduct of the Government in regard to the tre .tment of lunatics. The Premier then proceeded to defend himself against tiie accusations which had been made agaiust him of being an autocrat ; in fact, he had no hesitation in saying that he had beeu too easy, and his colleagues would bear lum out in that assertion. (Laughter.) With regard to the action that he took-at' - the close of the session of 187-S, iv reference to the Lind Mill, ho had only to say that he would act in the same' way tomorrow, because he believed that if he did not do so he would bo sacrificing the interests of the community to the squatters. (Applause.) He explained that his object in going round among tho people was to inform them what the measures were wbich tho Government proposed to introduce. He accused his opponents of being the enemies ' of the country, inasmuch as they had de-<| siroyed provincialism, and ho also said that there were many members in the House who did not properly represent their constituents. In conclusion, the hou gentleman said that ho und hiß Government would continuo to work for the benefit of the country whether they were in offioe oe not. The debate was continued on Tuesday night by Mr Sam.deis (Opposition), after which tbe House adjourned. On Weduesday, j I essrs Speight, Moss, Gisborne, and L eland spoke on behalf of the Govern ment, and Messrs Trimble and Dick on tbe Opposition side.