THE TWO LAST SHOTS OF THE SESSION.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 238, 3 October 1873, Page 2

THE TWO LAST SHOTS OF THE SESSION.

(Wellington Independent, October 1.) On the motion for tn*e second reading of the Appropriation Bill, Mr Fitzberbert said be would avail himself of the constitutional opportunity afforded to express his views on the situation of affairs. He thought it would have been better that more time should have been given to consider the Appropriation Act, us the House was not to prorogue till Thursday. It was not in reference to this subject that he rose to speak. Ila sjpoke, he might say, entirely on his own responsibility, and without consultation with anyone, nor was he aware whether there were any who would concur with him in what he was about to say. He rose for the purpose of drawing the attention of the House to that which might be fairly characterised as the climax of the sesßion — the fate of the Provincial Borrowing Bills. He would first review the matter from a narrow provincial point of view. Having been the member who brought down, during the first days of the session, a bill to borrow a moderate sum of £200,000 for the Province Oi Wellington, he had postponed from time to time that measure on the representation of the Premier that a bill was about to be brought down to deal with the question generally. That bill being brought down, though he did not like it in all respects, still, on its third reading, he felt it liis duty to support it. He had also, on the persuasion of the Premier, withdrawn the bill first brought down. He had thus been prevented from bringing the measure under the consideration of the House. He had thus far not been loyally dealt with. He could not understand the inconsistency of a Government which refused to borrow such a sum on the credit of the colony, which yet that day brought down an Appropriation Act providing for the borrowing of £100,000 for road boards. A sum of £300,000 that rooming at an early hour had been voted away for buildings, yet no such sum was available for roads and bridges. All these matters, however, sunk into insignificance compared with the position ia which they now

found themselves. He thought the position of affairs had as yet only been shown in a mirror which distorted its true features — Mr Vowel's ministerial statement. Mr Yogel "would fain have led the House to believe that. 'b. 2 whole fault of the rejection of the borrowing bills lay with the other branch of the Legislature. He told them that, it would be their duty to inform the various Provincial Councils ami their constituents of the state of matters, and shadowed forth the necessity for a reform of. the Council. Mr Vogei had stated that the Government bal snpported these bills with loyalty. Ho slated his disbelief in the loyalty of the Government to those bills. He understood from a previous statement that all constitutional means would be exhausted to secure the object of these measures. He had approved of the proposal to semi up these measures again to the Upper House. It was wise and statesmanlike. But why hud it not been followed up as promised? He was no:, surprised that the measures were rejected. He threw uo blame on the Upper House for r<-j j ccing them, though he diO^reu in judgment from tho majority there. That House lad not exceeded its constitutional powers. The Premier's view is directly opposed to this. Ho urged Ihan (0 resort to irregular means of exciting the country against (he Legislative Council. That was not Mr Vogel's only error. "When he failed to exhaust every other constitutional means, lie broke faiih with the House and treated the Council unfairly. He must fay that the discussions on the borrowing bills in tho other branch of the Legislature compared most favorably with the discussious in that brand), ami because its members ventured to disagree with them, were they to stump the country to create an agitation against them? He ventured to call the proposal the most unconstitutional one ever m«ie by any Minister, The next step that Mr Yogel ought, iv justice to all parties to htive proposed was to borrow the money on the credit, of the colony, accompanying proposal with the one for n property Jax. Mr Yogel. however, said that he henrd from other sources that, such a proposal would be rejected by the other brauch of the Legislature. This was surely a flagrant violation of all constitutional practice to parade information he obtaiued iv lobbies. Such information, he fully believed, was thoroughly incorrect. Whether h was that he faiied to keep his sacred word (0 {be Bouse, owing to same influence brought to bear on him be need not enquire, at anyvnte the measures were nor so followed up. The Prime Minister had ailiMVi.d himself to brftnk his word, iusteiid of giving the Upper House, r* chance of tiliowiu;.; whether their professions were sincere or not. They had then surely no right to assume that they were not sincere It was the elected branch of the Legislature which occupied the insincere and ignominious position, aud the nominated one which occupied the honest and dignified one. It was the House, not the Council, which really rejected the; bills. Both Houses were in thy wrong position, because now, by the connivance j of the Premier, the Legislative Council dictated tho policy of the country. If, { however, after due deliberation, he felt that it was impossible to carry his measures through by any constitutional means, there remained still one other course by which he might have saved his political I honor— that was to resign his office. We i were here, however, how as if uo measures of importance had been brought down and none rejected. The facts that remained to them were those that have needlessly For remaindtr of news see fourth page.

fish"— "a badger"— -"melancholic"— ami a "windmill." Of course, " you puys your penny and baa yuur choice." This is certainly a rare collection of sirnilies, p.ncl could only emanate from ths brain of that deep thinking editor who \v;is not only to eclipse all editors that had ever graced I^eJson, but put in ;hs slinda us mere literarj r ( lumber all '• former contribntors " Kueh was the promised programme. Compare - these I promises with the ehiliiish j.nd vapid tenders, and judge what the result has bten. It is true they jive cheap— only one penny my masters!— but it | is a known fact tli.it cheapness and inferiority are i close connections. For my own psrr, having often cracked * joke at others, I must be thin skin'd indeaJ, if I could not bear one without wincing, but let me deserve it, which in this instance I emphatically state, merely for my own satisfaction, I do not. There is no doubt some of the " many cooks " attached to the establishment have misled this easily cfiujzht new (hum and persuaded him they k-ew my bold Roman hand. - o nd thence arose this mighty contest; but this must be the last on the subject, as I cannot ufLrd, at my time of life, to have such va'uable time abstracted from my sleep. I now close ray comiepontience with a similar case of Mistaken Identity. A colored man-servant to an editor of a limited journal, famed lar writing slashing arlicl- s, when bringing in breskftst and his penny paper, exclaimed — •• lie-id your pap»r, sar, fierce os, a tiae-r : ; ar, and you look like a lion, par." "' 'A hy, v hut do you know of linns? You never saw one " '• Haven't f," said Sambo, "I seed mi a of tk-m dere animals, with two paniers on his back, iull of cabbages, ihr now." '-You fool," fX : iiinud the editor, " th.'.l; wasn't a lion, it was a donkey " " Can't help it, massu." replied Sambo, " it ioo'ttd exactly like you," I am, &c , A. Humbug-. Trafp.lgar-slreet.

bearded the opponent. Ministers had run away: life was safe. The hon. gentleman at the head of tbe Government had lost his policy, but had retained bis seat (applause), Mr Vopei said that tha cod. gentleman had told them that he made an unpremeditated speech. They might hope that it was unpremeditated. He had lost the hill to raise a loan for tho province of Wellington, so he came down and scolded the Government. In respect to what had passed since the Loan Empowering Bill was passed, he would remark that the bill was a large measure of policy, intended to do away with a system which had converted the House into a largo log-rolling establishment. Mr Filzherbert himaalf was largely responsible for this. All who heard him would admit that no greater boon would hare been con/erred on f,he House, as regarded the improvement of its tone, than a measure which would place provincial borrowing practically outside the control of tho House. That bill having been thrown our, these other , bills — some of them prepared with much care, some of them on the spur of the moment — were brought down. The Government had given them all the support in their power. Ho entirely deoied that there had been any want of ! loyalty on the part of the Government. He had assured the House that if he was supported by it he would take all possible measures to carry tbe bills through. They found, however, that it was almost the unanimous opinion of their supporters that nothing furlher could bo dono this Bc-S3ion. Members were anxious to get back to their homes. He repeated what he eaid yesterday that they had the beat reason 10 believe that the Upp?r House would not pas 3 these bills. Mr Fitzherbert now thought they should hare gone on with tho policy of imposing a property tax. ami raising the money on the colonial credit for the provinces. Ho read from tho report, of his speech a passage in which he described tho policy of the colony's borrowing the money for the provinces to spend a9 a " puerile policy." Yet this was the policy he desired them to go on with. The Upper House, which so much objected to provincial borrowing, had fhe>t dny passed a provincial borrowing bill disguised It was tbe Wellington Harbor Reserves Release Bill. He considered iliafc tbe throwing out of the Prcvincinl Loans Empowering Bill in the Upper House wa3 a measure of which the Lower House hud much reason to complain, more so, no doubt, than of the throwing out of tbo substantive measures which followed. Mr Fitzh^rbcrt had spoken of the Government having lost their policy but kept their seats. He spoke as if this measure was the only measure cf tbo eeeßion. On the contrary, he (Mr Yogel) believed that the session wa3 one which would not soon be forgotten. A bill, which he regarded as one of tbe most important bills that bad been brought :n for rainy years past, that for purchasing an esfaie for the North Island bad now become "Jan-. There was aho n measure which during mp.ny successive years Parliament had not. succeeded ia dealing witb, but which had hoy/ been brought through successfully, tho Native Lsnds Bill. The Education Bill, thsre was some reason to bylievo, voul.'J also scon become law. There was also the Railways Bill, which had cost the Government months of consideration, though it hud been rapidly passed through the House. He would reftr only to onu other bill, ibe Tariff Bill, which placed the incidence of taxation on a bettor foofing He v.oultl not. ai present state whether the Government would next session introduco a property-tax. Ifc would have tfaeir earnest consideration. They felt, however, that the question of Provincial borrowing was one which must be dealt with in a comprehensive manner, There were also several important bills which had been passed through the Houso, but thrown out by tbe Council. There v/as the District Courts Bill, which would have done much to facilitate the administration of justice. There was also the Civil Service Bill, a subject specip.lly within the functions of the House. The action of tbp Council in tbe matter was an infraction of the privileges of the House. Tbe Government had received immense support throughout the session. To say that they were bound to resign, was to ignore all constitutional practice — to place it in (he power of the nominated biannh of the Legislature to determine the fate of Miniat'ere. They had been tbnatbied -wiili ml manner of penalties in connection with the Waiknto difficulty, and with the immigration question. Yet they tmu nut with Doihinjr '"i support in connection with ih«?u -. iiit*y were as ready ro resign their eente as any Government had ever been, but for them to do so now would be a breach of faith with tbe House and the country. (Applaufee).