PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1023, 31 July 1879, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

Wellington, July 31.

In the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon, several formal notices of motion were given, and an adjournment thon took place to enable the Address in Ileply to be presented to His Excellency the Governor. On returning, the Speaker read the following reply by His Excellency : Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen of the House of Representatives—l thank you for this address, and for the congratulations which you are so good as to offer me o|) my appointment to the Governorship of the colony. I fully realise the necessity for my advisers possessing the confidence of the representatives of the people in Parliament, and I shall not fail to give to the views you express on the subject immediate and careful consideration.

The Premier statpd that while he fully realised the position of affairs, the Government did not wish that any unnecessary delay should take place in proceeding with the business. He would therefore move the adjournment of the House till 7-30, when he hoped to be prepared with a communication to the House. This motion was withdrawn eventually, and the House, on the suggestion of Sir William Fox, proceeded to the consideration of his Excellency's address. After this the Premier moved that supply be granted to Her Majesty. The further consideration of the motion was postponed until next day, and the Houso adjourned until half-past seven o'clock.

On the House resuming in the evening, Sir George Grey said that in the afternoon he had asked the House for a short adjournment, in order that he might have an opportunity for making a statement to the House as to the present position of aifairs, and as to the course Ministers might pursue. After the adjournment, he hud waited on his Excellency, and had informed him of what had transpired in the House, and had likewise, on behalf of himself and his colleagues, ventured upon giving his Excellency advice. He liad asked for a dissolution, at the same time staling that he was anxious that the decision arrived at should be conveyed to the House in his Excellency's own words. He would read to the House the communication his Excellency had given into his hands :

" On retiring I have carefully considered the position in which M misters are placed by the defeat which they have just sustained in the House of Representatives upon a noeonlideiice motion, and I am clearly of opinion that they have a fair constitutional chi'in to a dissolution. No iloubt a general election at the present moment would be inconvenient, having regard to the condition of puluie business. the prevailing financial depression. and the circumstances of the colonv generally, especially the native diiiieu'.tv upon the West Coast : but I presume that Ministers have carefully considered the ooiisojuenees of such a step before tendering to me advice to dissolve, and 1 am therefore prepared to adopt this recommendation; 1.-aving with them the entire responsibility of such proceeding. At the same time I think it right to stipulate that the well-rtc'-rniscd constitutional principles which •_'-'xvr:i crises like the present shall be stricliv auhcied to. Ministers have lost the confidence of tiie representatives of tlie peopie, and arc about to appeal from them to the country. A majority of the House of Representatives has declared that Ministers have so neglected and mismanaged the administration of this country that they no longer possess the confidence of Parliament. ]t is indispensable in such circumstances, if Ministers do not resign, that Parliament shall 1)0 dissolved with the least possible delay, and that meanwhile no measures shall be proposed that may not be imperatively required, nor any contested motions whatever brought forward. It is necessary also, and in accordance with constitutional precedent, that the new Parliament shall he called together at the earliest moment at which the writs are returnable, If Minimi -"*3 accept a dissolution upon this undergtr.u.iing, I beg that in any explanation which the Premier may think proper to make to Parliament, the answer which I have given to his tendered advice may be stated in my own. words. Hercules Rob/xson."

Sir George Grey continued to say before announcing that the Government had tendered their advice, that if this dissolution should take place, it would take some time to decide what measures should be brought forward before the House was dissolved. He had called the Governor's attention to the words " contested motions," when his Excellency replied that that did not include the Loan Bill, or the question of supplies for the public service. The Government would be very happy to communicate with the Opposition, and so act in the most cordial spirit in bringing before the Parliament such necessary measures as would have to be dealt with, and to carefully abstain from pressing any measure forward that was not absolutely necessary. Ho would now ask tlie House to agree to an adjournment until 7.30 p.m. on Friday, so that the Government might determine what course it would be best for them to pursue in the way of what was to come before the House before the dissolution was given effect to. Mr. Barff suggested that the communications should be laid on the table for the inspection of the Opposition. Sir W. Fox concurred in the suggestion, and added that he perceived that the course the Governor had adopted was one in strict accordance with constitutional practice. He (the Governor) had acceded to the request' of the Premier, and had left the House to consider the question of supply. That question would be brought forward by the Government before the House was dissolved. Under these circumstances he had no objection to agree to the adjournment as proposed. Sir George Grey replied that the letter would be laid on the table and printed as early as possible. At the same time it was not "to be understood that he acquiesced in the view taken by the member for Wanganui that his Excellency had made the question of supply a necessary condition of granting the dissolution ; there was no condition of the kind mentioned in the letter.

Sir W. Fox replied that he had not said it was made a necessary condition. What he meant to convey was that the voting of supplies was, according to constitutional practice, left to the House.

Mr. Barton called attention to the words " contested motion." He considered those words simply referred to the matters to be brought forward by the Government or the leader of the Opposition. He did not understand that they would prevent any member having a private grievance fr.om bringing it forward.

Sir G-. Grey replied that the words " contested motion " were those always

agreed upon by the leaders of Parliament in such circumstances. By a friendly compact they always agreed as to what should he brought forward and what should not. Of course no person had any power whatever to interfere with the motions of members.

The motion for adjournment was then put and carried.