PARLIAMENT.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1079, 4 October 1879, Page 2

PARLIAMENT.

WF.r.Li>-<;Tox, October 3. In the Legislative Council to-day, The lion. "Jr. Chamberlain asked if the Government intended to introduce any measures u.r the protection of local industries. He said a protective policy was necessary to the prosperity of the country. (•'No, no.") The Hon. Colonel Whitmore said the Government intended to refer the whole subject to a Select Committee. The Hon. M. Holmes moved for a return from the Public Trust Office under the Public Trustee Act. He expressed

his belief jthat, had there been a Public Trustee in England as there was here, the ruin of many persons by the failure of the Glasgow Bank would not have been caused. The Hon. Mr. .Waterhouse said the appointment of a Public Trustee was outside the business of the Government. Had there been a Public Trustee in England, the Government would have been responsible for the whole of the losses or the Glasgow Bank. The motion was carried. A Affairs Committee of eight members was appointed, and, oil the motion of Captain Fraser, selection was made by ballot. The second reading of the Habitual Drunkards Dill was postponed till Tuesday, tile Council being disinclined to take general business until the political crisis is settled. The Council adjourned at 4 p.m.

In the House of Representatives this afternoon, Mr. J. C. Brown applied for leave to ask a question without notice. It was that the Postmaster-General be requested to stale whether the Luna, on the ols; August, 1872, left Wellington with a mail 011 board, contrary to what was stated by the Hon. Mr. Hall Mr. Hall said that he had never stated any date as to when the Luna left ellington with a mail. Eventually the latter part of the question was struck out, and the question, as amended, was put. Mr. Fisher said the information asked for would be obtained. Mr. M'Loan asked if the Government would lay before the House a statement showing " the receipts from Customs revenue for the quarter ending 30th September, 1879, also receipts from land revenue for the same period. The Premier said the return would be furnished. Mr. Su-anson asked what steps, if any, thev intended taking to enforce compliance with clause 23 of the conditions in Government contracts. Mi*. Macandrew said that the provisions of the clause would bo enforced 011 com-: plaint being made that, the nici; iuu.l not received their wages as provided for by the Act. Mr. Murray asked if Sir Julius Vogel applied for leave to stand for an English constituency in the House of Commons. If so, was such permission refused, and why? The Premier said that the AgentGeneral had made no such application, and that the opinion oi the Government was that he. should not stand as representative for an English or any other constituency. Mr. Andrews asked if all the employe's on the Government railways were treated in a uniform manner as regards hours of work and rates of pay? if auniformworking time existed of eight hours? if any exception existed, to whom did it apply ? if a uniform rate ox pay existed for similar services given ? if there was any fixed rule for the payment of overtime, and, if so, what that rule was, and was it «bs«jrved in all cases.

Mr. Macandrew, in repl.y, laid on the table a copy of the regulations under which railway employe's were engaged. Mr. i3oweu resumed the debate on tlie no-confidence amendment. He said that the grossest misrepresentations had been tnade against the Canterbury members in connection with their fond laws. Statistics would show that there were more of the fsa'mer class settled on the lands by virtue of those laws than in any other place. .For the objectionable part of the Canterbury laud i:-,w he said the Pre mi or w;\s alono ve.;p-..if.ible. When Governor of the Colony he had in defiance of the prayers of the people given effect to legislation which actually gave away their h-.u-.i.-s to the lsir.ro monopolist, which he did in defiance of the machinery of the Supreme Court. To those who were .ucouainrou with all the facts of the case it wits perfectly amazing to hear the Premier trying to shift the responsibility of their proceedings on to the shoulders of others. What disgusted members on that side of the House was the absolute imposture there was in the cry set up by the Government of its liberal interests. Any of ihe acts of the Government done in defiance of Parliament would in another country have been sufficient to unseat the Government, Their conduct in connection wiih Mr. Larnach was quoted as a

«-riFiO in point. In Parliament it was stated that Mr. Larnach went Home at his own expense, ami now it turned out tfu*£ ho had been paid some thousands ot pounds. He hoped that the Bills which had been kept dangling before the country would now V.u allowed to pass, and that the Legislature would settle down to the business i,r the country, and not have wen going about idle asking for bread and getting nothing belter than a stone. He alluded to the Land Bill, and stated that the prediction of thai side of tl e House as to the detects of the I'iil had now been fully dispiayu'i. Mo felt couviueed that the eoimtrv would be satisfied with nothing short of a more equitable distribution of the tax than provided for. In concluding, he stated that his side of the House hoped to see true Liberalism, and not the word made use of for mere clap-trap purposes. Messrs. Tainr.i and Tawhia spoke in support of the Government, andTamoana iii opposition, the latter alleging that the Government had not kept any of their promises regarding the natives. Mr. Sheehan said he would not have spoken at all but for the faot that there were so many now members, by whom his silonce might be misconstrued. He thought they would be glad to have heard the Maori members who had just sat down. It appeared from the remarks made by one of their members that the leader of the Opposition had interviewed the Maori members, and had said that Mr. Hall was a new member, and that he believed that all lie had said to him he would carry out. That was the way in which support was gained—whatever was asked was promised. Some of the promises made by the leader of the Opposition to the Maori members were perfectly absurd. The same proposals had been mado to him (Mr. Sheehan), and he replied that they could not be acceded to in the present state of Maori affairs. He could crime to no other conclusion than that Mr. Hall, for party purposes, had made promises he never could nor yet intended to fulfil. He would ask them to consider for a moment the position of the case. They claimed to be the superior race ; they had introduced Christianity amongst the natives, and yet, for party purposes, to gain these benches, they misled the Maori, and made promises to him they never intended to fulfil. He referred to the fact that they had gone to the country with a majority of 14 against them, and they had come back with a good firm majority in their favor. Lie further alluded to the absence of certain leaders—Sir VV. Fos, Mr. V. hitaker, and others, and argued that these facts alone showed thai the Opposition had not the sympathies of the country with them. He went on to say that many would be disposed to support the Government, but then the excuse they made for their disaffection was, to use their own words, because they could not stand Grey. He would defy anyone to point out a valid reason why the Premier should be thus denounced. His (Mr. Sheehan's) private character had been attacked last session. He would say nothing about that, but j when he found his private character assailed outside the House during the late elections, he thought he had a right to complain. The constituency had very properly rejected the candidature of his | maligner, and he hoped the constituents j would all mark their sense of such j cowardly conduct in a similar way. <

The speech was interrupted by the 5.30 adjournment. The House re-assembled at 7-30. Mr. Sheehan resumed the debate. He proceeded to rebut a statement by Mr. Hall, that discontent with the Government existed all over the Colony. He assumed that special reference was made to the feeling in the Ivorth Island. Tho fact that the Maoris of the Thames refused to give up the offenders was no reason to believe that they were opposed to the Government ; on the contrary the tribe there had done its best to maintain the law, but then blood was thicker than water, and it was on that principle they refused to give up these oil'enders. About using tho telegraph for election purposes, lie could show that any telegram he had despatched on {ho business was paid for. and he believed tho same was the ease with his colleagues. Tiiat state of tilings was not the case when the Opposition were in office. The Opposition were not the representatives of those who desired liberal measures. Addressing the Maori members, tho speaker said that when they were promised the release of the Maori prisoners and other promises, they were lold what was not true, and what the Opposition never intended to fulfil. The attempt last session to remove the Government failed, and he would assure the House that they would be no party to a Coalition Government. If defeated they would go out and bide their time. They would be prepared to stand or fall their party, and they would simply take their defeat. Tlie Opposition might win the day by a vote or two, and if so they would iind that their trouble would then only begin. They were prepared, on their side of the House, to go to a vote at once, and ho would advise those on his side not to speak any more. Dr. \Yallis, who was received by the House with cries of " Divide," said that confirmed him in his determination to address them. He denied that the tone of the debate had improved, and said it was only a catch io get at the young members. If they carried out the liberal measures they were returned to carry out, a dissolution would have to take- place at the end of the session. Ho charged the Opposition with attempting to defeat that purpose. If the amendment was carried, he predicted that not one of the measures put forward in the speech would be carried, but, on the contrary, the Legislature of the country would revert again to the slow groove in which they had so long run. The question was then put : That the amendment stand part of the question, when there voted for the Ayes 43, and for the Noes 41.

Ayes —Adams, Atkinson, Bain, Bowen. Beetham, Bvyoe, Dick, Driver, Fulton, C!ibbs, Hall, Hirst, Hursthouse, Johnstun, Kelly, Kenny, Levin, Mason, Masters, M'Causrlian, M'lieau, Moorhonse, Murray, Oliver, Ormond, Pitt, Pyke, Richmond, Rolleston, ltussell, Saunders, Seymour, Stevens, Stewart, Studholmu, Sutton. Tamoana, Trimble, WukefiuUl, Whihiker, Wiiyte, Willis, Wright. iNoes Allright, Andrews, Ballance. Barron, Bunny, Colbeek, De Lautour, Finn, Fisher (J. B.), Fisher (J. T.), George, Gis,borne, Grey, Hamlin, Harris, Hislop, Hurst, Hutchison, Ireland, Lundon,Macanduew,M'Donald, Montgomery, Moss, Beeves, Beid, Seddon, Shanks, Sheehan, Sheppard, Shrimski, Speight, Sv.-aiison, Tainui, Tnwahia, Te Wheoro, Thomson, Tole, Turnbuil, Wallis, Wood. Pairs—Aye : Brandon. No : Brown. Mr. Hall moved that Messrs. Trimble, Atkinson, Pitt, and the mover be elected to prepare the Address as adopted. The motion was put and carried. The Address, as amended, was then brought up, read, and adopted. On the motion of the Premier, it was resolved to go into Committee of Ways and Means at the next sitting. Mr. Fisher, in replying to a question put bv Mr. J. C. Brown, said the Government steamer -Luna tlid not, oil the ulst August, 1872, take away a nr-il from Wellington, but that she brough back a mail from Port Chalmers on the 2nd September following. The Premier moved, " That as the House had aillrmed the amendment that the Government as constituted does not possess the confidence of the House, tho House do now adjourn till Tuesday." The motion was put and carried, and at 9.20 tho House adjourned till Tuesday.