By Electric Telegraph

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume IV, Issue 209, 28 February 1873, Page 5

By Electric Telegraph

(From our own correspondent.) Dunedin, Thursday Afternoon. A serious ministerial complication has occurred at Wellington. The Prime Minister, Mr Waterhouse, tendered his resignation soon after that of Mr. Hall's had been announced. His reason was that Mr Hall's intended resignation was all along known to Mr Vogel, butwas concealed from him when the ministrywas formed, and that Mr Hall's retirement left him in a weak position in the Council. Before sending in his resignation, Mr Waterhouse communicated his intention to MrVogel, expressing his dissapointment- at hisfalse position by not knowing Mr Hall's intentions. The Governor declined receiving - his resignation as a mere cabinet member, unless Mr Waterhouse undertook the responsibility of a resignation involving that of tha whole.ministry. Mr Waterhouse replied that., Mr Yogel, having formed the ministry, wascompetent to fid up the vacancy. The Governor referred Mr Waterhouse to Mr Vogel's - definite reply to a q iestion as to whether the • Premier's retirement would involve the break up of the ministry. Mr Waterhouse declined to recognise the principle, and being asked to reconsider his determination, declined to do so.. The Governor telegraphed to Mr Fox, who arrived in kwn last night, and has been in close consultation with all parties to-day. He (Mr Fox) declined to take any action untd; Mr Yogel returns. Another reason for Mr ' Waterhouse's resignation is understood to be that ajhVect pledge of the first vacant seat in the Cabinet, was given to Mr Shepherd of Nelson, and known only to Messrs Yogel and M'Lean. The Governor, finding it impossible to induce Mr Waterhouse to reconsider his determination, recommended that Parliament should be called together. Mr. Waterhouse declined to adopt the suggestion. The complication is increased by the fact that Mr Yogel's medical advisers imperatively insist on his retiring from political life, and avoiding all excitement. o Haley has been sentenced to six weeks in irons. Twenty-five volunteers' representatives sailed yesterday. Brogden's. tender for twenty-six miles of. the Moeraki-Waitaki line has been accepted The amount is £134,000. Private letters, state that Vogel, after the Conference, entered into an agreement-, with Queensland for a joint guarantee for a cable" from Norman Eiver ta Singapore, and on& between Australia and New Zealand. Stafford addressed a large meeting- at Timaru last night. In referring to the Brogden contracts, he asked what use was made of them. The Government, in place of usingBrogden as an engineer of ability,, only employed him as a superior navvy. He doubted the continuance of the present prosperity. I The ordinary revenue was one million; the. present debt was eleven millions, the interest, j thereon being £600,000, thus leaving a dei ficit,, acccr Jing to Ormond, of two millions j which will be : required to complete the raili ways. , Vogelhad promised a railway estate, but there was none. The stamp duties were over estimated. Another future debt of £610,000 in Treasury bills falls due next year when money will probably be tightest. Neither Vogel nor Stafford have deceived Colony regarding taxation. The former jocularly said taxation would be heavy after the third year. It was rather ominous that the newspapers are now agitating a land tax j they say it must sooner or later happen. While not despairing of the future, he foresaw great changes. On the suspension of the railway works the people would be too soon out of employment Had he (Stafford) chosen, he would have been in office'now. Every exertion had been made to maintain peace: but he strongly objected to the idea that only one man in the Colony could keep the natives quiet. .Many chiefs had requested him to become Ji atwg Minister. His own opinion was that the Public Works Policy was a wiseone, but the mode of carrying it out was dangerous. A vote of confidence was carried.