PARLIAMENTARY.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 126, 24 June 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

;■ ■ [per press agency.] LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. Wellington, June 23. In the Legislative Council yesterday*, Captain Fraser moved and the Hon. Mr Hall seconded the address in reply. Mr Waterhouse spoke at length, and said the progress of the colony was not so great as had been made to appear, and he denied that the position of the colony was one of prosperity. He said that the elections at Wanganui ond elsewhere, disclosed corruption on the part of the Government. He criticised the Bank correspondence, which would damage New Zealand in the eyes of strangers. Colonel Kenny said he would bo ready to join any gentlemen who would form an opposition to the Government. The Hon. Mr Chamberlain denounced the Government as reckless and extravagant. He said the Governor’s speech was barren. It should have contained Immigration returns, Public Works statement, and details of the escape of Winiata, the murderer. Dr. Pollen criticised and answered the remarks of Waterhouse, and defended the action of the Government, The address was adopted. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wellington, June 22.

After the usual questions and notices of motion had been disposed of, Sir J. Vogel moved, “ That the House do not interfere to prevent the granting of Crown grant for Piako sale.” In doing so, lie read all letters and telegrams which had passed between the members of the Ministry and Thomas Russell over the matter, extending over two months, to show that the transaction =was not made in a private room, as alleged, and to show that the Government acted with consideration. Personally he had nothing to do with the sale beyond giving Ids approval. The whole thing was left in the hands of the Native Minister. He argued that under the circumstances the sale was a good one, and, place him in the same situation again, lie would have acted precisely similar. The reason why the Order in Council was issued when it was', was simply because the survey and map of the land had not been prepared before, and ns soon as it was, Mr Whitaker on behalf of the purchasers, called upon the Government to give the Crown grant according to agreement. He indignantly repelled all insinuations of corruption, saying the member for Auckland West seemed to suffer under morbid hallucinations. He characterised the action of Sir G. Grey, in appealing to the Secretary of State and Imperial Parliament to interfere in the local affairs of the Colony, as an affront upon and and insult to the Ministry, the House, and the people of the Colony, and which the majority of them would not tolerate. He boldly asserted that if the purchasers were to offer the land hack, provided they were recouped what they had expended on the land, not six members of the House would agree to it. He deprecated making the question a party one, and left it to the impartiality of the House. He was greatly applauded upon sitting clown. Sir George Grey followed by asking tho members to dismiss from their minds, as trash and twaddle, all that Sir J. Vogel had said, saying that tho Piako sale was not an isolated instance of the kind. Ho piocecdcd to refer to a series of other land transactions, which he said were great wrongs upon Europeans and Maori races alike. The Premier practically called him a lunatic, and he craved the sympathy of the House under such an imputation, while citing land transactions to show the corruption of the Govcrnmon— Major Atkinson exclaimed, “It is untrue.”

Sir G. Grey refused to continue unless an apology was made. The Speaker said that if Major Atkinson could not show that the allegations were untrue, his denial would recoil upon himself.

Sir G. Grey concluded by saying that the Ministiy should not sit as their own judges, and should therefore not vote. He being a suppliant, would leave the House. Mr Stafford followed, and referred to his own experience as Premier, Sir Q. Grej r then being Governor, to show that the very things in connection with Orders in Council, which Sir George Grey so vehemently condemned, were still more common in his time. Not in one or two cases did he sign blank forms, but in hundreds of cases. Sir George Grey appeared to have become impressed with the idea, that since ho was Governor, all who followed him were mere pliant tools in the hands of the Ministiy. He positively refused to believe there was any corruption in the matter, and having seen a very large portion of the Swamp over which one might sail with as much freedom as on the Waikato River, and considering no men even yet saw the centre of the swamp, he thought the bargain a good one at the time, Mr Stout argued that no lawyer in the Colony would so far risk his reputation as to say that the sale was legal, and concluded his speech by moving an amendment to the effect “ That while expressing regret that the exigencies of the country, or Government, were such as to necessitate any sale of the kind, they would not take any steps in this particular case to interfere with the issue of a Crown Grant.” Sir D. McLean said the Government could not accept the amendment. Mr Header Wood moved the adjournment of the debate at 12.30 a.m. June 23. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Replying to Mr Rees, Sir J. Vogel said Dr. Pollen was in the Civil Service, but SirD. M'Lcan was not. Sir D. McLean explained that since 18G3 he never drew a penny public money, save his salary as Super, and Ministerial allowance when he was made Minister. The office of Native Land Purchase Commissioner was abolished by Sir George Grey, in ISSS, and lie wondered how the hon. gentleman had forgotten the circumstance. The Disqualification Act Amendment Bill, passed through all its stages without opposition, except a protest from Murray. Mr Reader Wood re-opened the. Pinko debate. He spoke at considerable length, chiefly criticising the speech Mr Stafford

made last night, and commenting with seventy on Sir J. Vogel’s actions ■as Premier, and his habitual, arrogance of tone, as shown in Bank correspondence. He would not. fol* a moment insinuate tJbat Ministers were corrupt, in the sense that they received a cheque, or any beneficial interest, from their land transactions, but it was nevertheless corruption to make over large.blocks of land by secret sale to personal friends. He referred to one of Sir J. Vogel’s arguments as that of an idiot, apparently ns retaliation for Sir J. Vogel saying Sir G. Grey laboured under hallucinations. Ho was checked by. the Speaker. Ills speech was very personal all throngb. Mr Ormond expressed great regret at the utter lack of any evidence adduced to to substantiate the sweeping reckless charges of corruption made against the Ministry, and attached great blame to Sir George Grey, for wasting the time of the House in this way, when more important business awaited them. He was more surprised at this, after the labors of the Piako Select Committee last session, which conclusively disproved all the charges made. Mr Rees moved an adjournment.