PARLIAMENTARY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 238, 18 October 1879, Page 2

P AR LI AMENTA RY.

HOUSE. Willtnoton, Friday night. Mr George gave notice to more tbat the

House sit on Mondays and Saturdays for the remainder of the session. Mr Adams asked if the Government would establish a training school for boys at Nelson similar to that at Auckland. In reply to Mr Bowen the Government said they would make provision for weighing grain and other produce at the railway stations; also that the Government do not intend to discontinue tbe system of payment by stamps at the Police Courts until further information. At three o'clock the House proceeded to take the elections petitions. The Speaker explained that the custom was to appoint a Committee of seven, the petitioners appointing one, the sitting members one, the Speaker one, and the House four. The petitions of Grafton and Newman against Dr Wallis and Mr Hurst were called and a long discussion ensued. It the course of the debate Major Atkinson pointed out that four of the Committee had given their opinion against their validity, and it was therefore ' no use referring it to them and he asked that the matter be referred to the consideration of the Speaker. Mr O'Rorke saw no way out of the difficulty and decided to leave it in the hauds of members to deal with. Mr Hall suggested that the names of the Committee be left in the hands of the Selection Committee, and this amendment was adopted. The petition of Mr Richardson against Sir G. Grey for Christchurch then came on, and the Speaker submitted a list of names of members to the House to whom the petition should be referred. Mr Hislop pointed out tbat the document was not stamped. Mr Tole ruled that it was out of order moving that a petition be discharged. Mr Moorhouse was selected on behalf of Mr Richardson, and Sir G. Grey selected Mr Downie Stewart. The Speaker named Mr Fulton as chairman, and appointed eleven o'clock tbe next morning as the time and his room as the place of meeting. In reply to a question, the Premier said the cost incurred in conveying a late Minister from Auckland to Napier to contest the Clive election was paid by that gentleman, though Ministers were allowed the charge of travelling expenses. Mr Sheehan said he could have charged the amount to the country, but did not. The Wardens will be appointed land officers in Nelson. Several Bills were read the first time. . . „ „ , Saturday. At 7-30 last night Mr Bryce, the Native Minister, proceeded to make his statement. All his facts and arguments went to show that the expenditure of the Native Depart ment was passing out of the control of the House and into the hands of the Native Minister, who disbursed the money in an irresponsible manner. This was oue of the results of personal Government, aud the tendency of that kind of Government, which had very much increased of late, was very detrimental to the best interests of the country. He remembered the time when personal Government was in its full glory but he believed that during the last days of Sir Donald McLean's life he saw its disadvantages. Formerly much could be done witn a little nour vr sugar, but the Macries lately had no scruple in asking for a million of money. He believed bis predecessor was doing his utmost to put an end to that personal Government but of late it had flourished again. He did not think the Maoris were in favor of this class of Government. A Native Minister could not go about without beiog besieged ; and tbis sort of thing seriously interfered with tbe work of the department. He had been waited on by telegraph and had as many as 1 50 telegrams in one day all connected with money. He read one aa a sample in which a sum of £2554 was asked for and that was only one of some hundred or hundred and fifty in a day. Personal Government meant permanent expenditure and he had been perfectly astonished at the money at the control of the Native Minister. After referring to the very large expenditure made at the Thames by the Native Minister on public works, tbe hon gentleman went on to say that there were iv the colony 157 native pensioners having pensions averaging £32 each per annum, and 81 assessors averaging £43 15s. Taking all these items the expenditure was £10,000, and the pensioners, assessors, and policemen causing that expenditure were all dependent on the will of the Native Minister. He would ask if that was a proper state of things. The Native Minister had greater power in the distribution of the money at his command than any other Minister. If a Native chief entered an action against a European and the case went against him a new trial was given with all costs, 'and the mils were taken in to the Government for payment. A chief had the misfortune to lose his wife, and there was a grand funeral at a cost of £300, the only security the Government had being the chief's promissory note without date. In a return in bis hands they would find the following figures of amounts appropriated and the same expended:—Salaries and contingencies appro pnated, £1712; net expenditure, £21,636. This had arisen from an item called contingencies. Native schools, appropriated £14,000, expanded £13,000; land sales per centage voted £150, expended £130 *The total appropriation was £47,311, and the amount expended £52,498. He would now allude to "contingencies." The amount voted had been exceeded. It was £2000 and £50 for the following quarter. The' amount expended during that period had been £18,599 (applause), showing an excess in fifteen months of £16,000. There were many other items which ought to have been placed under the head of » contingencies," to which they should be added. Touching the Native Land Purchase Department th transactions of which were condemned by the Native Minister, he said these were matters upon which he spoke with some degree He said the purchases would not prove a commercial success nor promote settlement. He had been at great trouble, and had prepared a return of the land purchases in the North Island since 1870. (Return read from 1870 to 1879 showing that the total appropriation was £732,000 and the expenditure £705 435 ) By tbe end of the present year no less a Bum than £80,000 would be required to make payments for land purchases. The estimated amount required to complete purchases was £1,121,000. Hon members would not be surprised to hear that the salaries for the land purchase department amounted yearly to £10,265 besides incidental expenses. With respect to the salaries he wanted to point out that up to the year 1877 the whole of these salaries were voted in detail, but now a lump sum was voted and distributed practically by the Native Minister. In conclusion he said if the House cared to carry on Native matters under the present mode they must do so, but, if not, he felt convinced there might be a very great improvement made in them. Mr Sheehan said the hon. gentleman had gone into the matter of native affairs fair, square.and above board. Headmitted the fairness of figures used by the gentleman who had preceded him. He contended that every Minister on the Government benches was the personal governor of his own department. In old times a small sum of money went a long way, but not so now. They had been told that what would do among the Maoris a few years ago would not do now, but he would ask them, had the Maoris changed their nature or the land altered Hi character?

Mr Sheehan justified the visit of himself and the late Premier to the King country, and the consequent expenditure thereon. There was a native in that House now who was at all those Maori meetings, and he believed that if he went back to those people he would be able to solve all the present difficulties. The hon. gentleman argued at great length in justification of the administration of the Native Department in respect to general and native land purchase expenditure. Major Atkinson and other speakers followed until 1245, when the House adjourned.