NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 4836, 21 September 1876, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND NEWS.

SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH. o AUGUST-SEPTEMBER, 1870. FoTlrimsmUsionbythePJt.es. City of Sydney, from Wellington, on the 22nd September, to Harope, via, San Francisco. The four weeks that have passed since the last mail steamer left Wellington have heen pregnant with political excitement, and have not seen the business of the country advanced a jot. On Friday, August 25, Sir Julius Vooel announced that he would make a Ministerial Statement on the Tuesday following in reference to the Agent-Generalship. On the Tuesday he accordingly announced that he had resigned the Premiership, and that the Hon. Major Atkinson had been entrusted with the formation of a new Ministry. After a few days adjournment, Major Atkinson 1 was in a position to announce the formation of a Ministry as follows:—

Hon. Major Atkinson, Premier and Colonial Treasurer ; the Hon. Dr. Pollen, Colonial Secretary; the Hon. Frederick Whitaker, Attorney-General ; the Hon. Sir Donald McLean, Native Minister ; the Hon. Edward Richardson, Minister of Public Works ; the Hon. Mr. Bowen, Minister of Justice ; the Hon. Mr. Obmond, Secretary for Crown Lands and Immigration ; the Hon. George McLean, Commissioner of Customs, Postmaster-General, and Commissioner of Telegraphs ; and the Hon. John Hall a seat iu the Cabinet without office.

Several members of the Opposition at once alleged that this Ministry was disqualified, the Act providing for only seven paid Ministers (not being Maoris), and the objectors contended that as travelling allowances wera by statute the right of all members of the Executive, whether salaried or not, none of the above-named nine gentlemen could be said to be unpaid. The manner in which the nine members came to be appointed was this. Sir Donald McLean and Mr. Richardson both contemplate retirement at the close of the session, and on that event the Cabinet would have remained with the old number. But the Opposition pressed home their points. A committee of the "Upper House obtained legal opinions, amongst them being one from the SolicitorGeneral (a non-political officer) decidedly adverse to the Government; and a committee of the Lower House reported in effect that some members of the Cabinet must be disqualified. Although the opinion of the Attorney-General went quite the other way, the Ministry, acting on the advice of a caucus meeting of their supporters, resigned in a body, and were at once reformed as follows : The Hon. Harry Albert Atkinson to be Premier, Colonial Treasurer, Secretary for Crown Lands, and Minister for Immigration ; the Hon. Daniel Pollen to be Colonial Secretary ; the Hon. Fkederick Whitaker to be Postmaster-General and Commissioner of Telegraphs ; the Hon. Sir Donald McLean, K.C.M.G., to be Native Minister ; the Hon. Edward Richardson to be Minister for Public "Works; the Hon. Charles Christopher Bowen to be Minister of Justice and Commissioner of Stamp Duties ; the Hon. George McLean to be Commissioner of Customs.

Mr. "VVhitakek took the PostmasterGeneralship as some doubts exist as to whether a political Attorney-General could be appointed, and a Bill has been introduced to settle the question. In the meantime Sir George Gkey had taken out writs in the Supreme Court against Ministers for varying penalties amounting in the whole to some £50,000. Government had previously brought down an Indemnity Bill, and their error being a purely technical one, the House would have passed it through all its stages by suspension of standing orders, but the Opposition walked out, and thereby prevented the necessary two-thirds being present. Accordingly, on the report of the Disqualification Committee Mr. Ballance moved an amendment condoning the action of Ministers, and affirming that the position being urgent, a Bill of Indemnity should be passed. Late on the morning of Thursday last the Opposition wanted an adjournment of the House, which would have delayed the Indemnity Bill, but Government resisted, anA then Messrs. Rees, Thomson, and De Lautour talked against time, the House sitting with brief intervals up to twelve o'clock on Saturday night, and adjourning over Sunday until ten o'clock on Monday morning. In the afternoon of that day the collapse came. Moderate members of the Opposition had become fairly disgusted with the tactics of the more violent. Tactics utterly useless, because the Opposition is in such a minority that no Ministry capable of living a week could be formed out of it. The talk against time, therefore, merely wasted the time of the country, and from all portions of the colony came indignant protests against such a course. During the purposeless talking, the Opposition had frequently, through one of their whips, tried to trap the Government into a compromise, which should not be binding on themselves. But the Government remained lirm, offering, however, the following terms : "The motion of the Opposition for the adjournment of the House, which was "being talked to, to be negatived; the debate on the amendments of the Premier and Mr. Ballance to the Disqualification Committee's report to be adjourned until half-past two o'clock on Monday, and the House to be then adjourned at that hour, when the debate on the amendments and on the Indemnity Bill should be conducted simultaneously without any talking against time, and to be concluded within one sitting of the House. An honorable understanding was to be come to that on none of the Government measures now before the House should there be an attempt during the rest of the session by the Opposition to talk against time or give factious opposition. The Government wero willing to a»ree to these on a written understanding, or on Sir George Gkey's stating his agreement to them in his place in the House." These terms wero rejected by the Opposition, but on Monday the intemperate members of the party, finding themselves alone in their action, gave way. Mr. Ballancb's amendment was carried by a large majority, 42 to 24, and an Indemnity Bill was introduced and carried through all its stages, the Opposition, with one or two exceptions, leaving the House when the question of its second reading was put. The Bill has since passed the Upper House, with an amendment indemnifying Sir George Grey for any costs he may have incurred in his actions against Ministers. The above imbroglio being disposed of, the next question that stopped the way was an attempt by Mr Maoandrew to exempt the province of Otago from tho operations of the Abolition Act. Tho resolutions to that effect were however, after a debate, on Monday night negatived

by 37 to 24. There now remains still to impede business a bill introduced by Sir George Grey to mate the county system permissive.' The new Government, it may be mentioned, adhere to the Abolition and County policy of their predecGSSors. " In the narration of tho above events the Agent-Generalship question was lost sight of. When Sir Julius Vogel announced his resignation in a speech which will be found elsewhere, he mentioned that he had been pressed by his colleagues to take the Agent-Generalship, and had consented to do so, not however promising to hold office for more than two years, as due attention to his private affairs would be paramount. The then Ministry stated their intention of offering the Agent-General-ship to Sir Julius, and then the intense personal animosity with which a few members of the House regard him, was evident, and a resolution was brought forward against the appointment. The Ministry opposed tho resolution, but accepted "the previous question," moved by Mr. Stout, and have since made the appointment very properly on their own responsibility. Though some few politicians and newspapers have condemned the appointment, and loaded the ex-Premier with abuse, it has been ratified by the opinion of the country, and endorsed by those journals that were loudest in their opposition to Sir JtJi.ius when he was at the head of a Ministry. We have not alluded beyond mere mention to the reasons given by Sir Julius Vogel for the step which he has taken, as they are quite sufficient in themselves to satisfy anyone, and will be found fully reported elsewhere. At the same time we may point out that whilst recondite references were madeto the appointment of Ministers as Agents-General, and to precedents of English Ministers, the only precedents really in point were carefully overlooked. From the first appointment of AgentsGeneral for the Australian colonies, the office has been regarded as of the highest importance, and it has generally been filled by Ministers. For New South Wales there have been two Agents-Gene-ral. The first, Sir Charles Cowper, we believe, vacated the Premiership to take it. He was succeeded by the Colonial Treasurer of tho time being (Mr. Forstek). For Victoria, Sir G. F. Vbrdon wasappointed by the Government of which he was a member, after they had decided to retire, we believe, on an adverse vote. The appointment was virtually the last act of the Government. Within the last six months the Premier of Queensland was made by his colleagues the AgentGeneral ; and to go no further than New Zealand, Dr. Featherston was a Minister when he was appointed Agent-General. In short, of all the Agents-General the majority have been Ministers, and some Premiers immediately previous to their appointment.