HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XI, Issue 193, 5 August 1876, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wellington, Friday. The Honse met at 2.30 this afternoon. Replying to Mr Burns, the Minister for Public Works said there was a probability of tenders for the railway rolling atoek being accepted in the colony. Mr Kees remmed the adjourned debate upon Sir George Grey's resolutions, and went at great length into the finance of the colony. He accused the Govern ment of having abused their position of trust by landing the colony in desperate difficulties after starting ' with everthing in their favor and unbounded means at their control. They systematically broke erarj promise they had made After giving attention to tbe Financial Statement, he was bound to say that It waa entirely incorrect, and did not agree wiih the published figures of the Government themselves; aud last year the statement of their Colonial Treasurer did not agree with that of the Minister of Public Works. There were discrepancies of hundreds of thousands of poands between them, though by some magic the totals were made to agree. The Financial Statement of the present year showed that our accounts were kept improperly and were meant to mystify. The account of income and expenditure showed that the colony was £.00,000 to the bad. In fact, the figures seemed to be thrown together by mere guess-work. He maintained that by the end of the third quarter of last year the fourmillion loan was exhausted, and since the 31st March th9 colony had been using tbe balance of former loans, guaranteed and unguaranteed By the time the public worts Bcheme was accomplished the . colony woulld owe £25,000,000, and the whole of the revenue would be required to pay interest and sinking fund. Our whole system of finance was illusive and fallacious, and if some means were not devised whereby current expenditure could be met without increasing the enormous burden under which the colony was beginning stagger a, disastrous period was imminent. He advocated tha expediency of establishing a Parliament f.ir each Island, with a Central Government at Wellington, as better calculated to meet the requirements of the people; indeed, he doubted whether any central government that could be created could preserve the peace of the colo Dy while such strong pnblic fee-inns private i ns did now in Auckland and Otago. The Government had degenerated into a mere Hoard of Works, instead of carrying out those higher functions of govern, meet that devolved upon them. He accused the Government of fomenting discontent amongst the out districts, aui maintained that aoolitiou only swept away the free aud liberal insitutions of the people. The hon. gentleman accused the Government of forcing Judge Arney off the bsnch, so as to put Mr Gillies upon it, and thus getting rid of a bitter political opponent. He ridiculed the idea ot the Premier talking about Road Boards working oue thoir own destinies, and said he ought to have inscribed over hia grave, *• Here lies the man who enabled Road Boards to work out their own destinies." The hon. gentleman haa apparently not reached the conclusion of his aigument when 5.30 arrived, _, __ Saturday. The House resumed at 7'30 when Mr Rees went ou with his speech, speaking until nine o'clock, severely criticising the Ministry indlviiualiy and collectively, accusing them of general mismanagemsDt, reckless extravagance, and such gross misconduct of the public affiirs as to render them quite unworthy of the confidence of the House. He dwelt chiefly with the finances, the administration of justice, an i native affairs, and said that if a clerk hai done the same as the Premier while at home he would have been put in the felon's dock. He accused Ministers of bribing and influencing the newspapers for the purpose of hoodwinking the public and keeping themselves in power, of giving appointments to memb'.rs ani their friends, and also of giviug public works to certain districts for the purpose of gaining po itic&l support, as in the ca-e of the central prison at Taranaki, and the public works at Greymouth. He also said tsiat the hospitality of- tho Premier in.the way of balls and dinners was displayed with the same effect. Mr Wason followed in support of the resolutions He said he hailed abolition when it was promised, but, one by one, his hopes of obtaining justice for his district were disappointed after be came to the House, and when lie saw the Counties Bill and the Financial Bill he despaired altogether. Mr Lusk made a long gpeerh in defence of the resolutions, and in commenting on the policy and administration of the Government he said it appeared from the silence on the Ministerial benches that all the charges made by Mr Rees were unanswerable. He saw no other remedy to allay the discontent and apprehension that prevailed from one end of the colon? to the other but to adopt Sir G. Grey'a proposals, and allow each island to manage its own affairs. Now was the time, fo<- another opportunity might not present itself. Mr Fi'zroy opposed the resolutions. He hid waitBd in vain to hear any explanation or particulars of the scheme proposed, but nothing but a skeleton was shown them. Mr Tuomson made a long speeech denouncing the Government aud all their works, and strongly supportei the resolutions as the only plan tJ rescue tho colony from the disastrous position into which it had bten dragged. He spoke till one o'clook. when Mr Button moved the adjournment ofthe deb ite Mr Stout warned Ministers who had shown no desire t > speak during the evening lhat they must not treat tiie Opposition with such indignity as to treat their remarks with contempt by taking no notica of them. There were men in the House who would not put up with such treatment.