PARLIAMENTARY.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 142, 19 August 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

, [>EB PRESS AGENCY.2 HOUSE- OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wellington, August On the House resuming at half-past seven’last evening,. Mr Rowe continued his speech against resolutions. Mr Kennedy opposed the resolutions, as calculated to injure the credit of the colony, and retard progress. Sir Robert Douglas opposed the resolutions. He supported the Government proposals mainly because lib recognised in them an attempt to give the country districts an opportunity to- manage their own affairs’. Mr Hamlin supported the resolutions, lie did not believe any of the promises made by the Government to out districts would ever be kept. Mr Cox spoke at some length against the resolutions, Which he compared to j dry bones, which could not be galvanised :into life. ... - Mr Barff was’in favor of the Govern’inent proposals as’far as the principle was . concerned, but was not prepared to swallow all the details of the Counties Bill. Mr Carrington also opposed the resolutfons.- , Mr Pykc made’ a- long and vigorous 5 speech against the resolutions and defended himself against, charges of inconsistency , made against him. Mr "Wakefield moved the adjournment iof tho debate, having waived his right of speaking in the afternoon,- and the House adjourned at 12.40 a.ml- , The House resigned at 2.30 pan. ? In reply to questions by Mr Murray, the Hon.- Mr Richardson said the Government - had no-objection' to v lay before the House a copy' of the conditions relative to the' appointments of MrCarruthers asEngineer-in-Chief, Mr Blackett as Assistant Engi-neer-in-Chief, Messrs Higginson, Enorpp, Passmore, and Clayton;-, As to furnishing their certificategof. qualifications; that was another matter.- As to whether all or any have a right to-Carry on private practice,he made the following explanation The Enginccr-imCilief was permitted by the 'terms of his’ engagement to'take private practice, provided if did not interfere With his duties. Mr llig'ginson and one of the iSilperintcnding'Eiigineers wereriotaUowecf >to do-’sb Without this consent of the Gb*' vormnont,-though' they had, done so’on’one or two- qecastofig off*'tho-application of fPr&viivtial Councils’." AsTo fhe .other two ■< Engineers, no permission luui beeff given thenrto undertake.any private work.- The’ .position' of the Colonial Architect as' reIgardcd- these matters had so of.ten been !<lisciissed‘ih : tho‘ Hntrsw as not to call for any remhrk; As to the question of dis.pensing witlftho services of tlifesti..gentleiuen, Messrs Camithers, Kuorpp, Blacky t, and Passmore would require to receive one.year’s notice p three- months would .-suffice fot the others/

(Jir:. the Separation' debate* doming on, iMr Wakefield (who had moved its adjournment)' was : not present, and no one else seeming inclined to speak, Sir" George .Grey'was. about to‘reply, when -' The Hon Major Atkinson' rose, -with adktclrof carefully-prepared notes’-and 1 addressed tlife Hbusc. The principal part of ibis speech was in reply tclhb accusations Land statements ; of Mr Rees rfesp6cting ; the Laccouhtsmf- the colofiy. The hqn. member took-the’charges in detail, as they arose in' ;thfe speech,of the hoii. member for Aocfe- ■ land City East. lirthe colirse of his remarks* : lie quoted a great many extracts from'fhe : public accounts,oand'referred’ membersto - particular appendices add Gazettes to verify : bis statements for themselves. The whole thing that looked so startling-ami dreadful when' referred to by Mr Rees, was neither more nor less than a simple matter of booking ;' and although it was pretty' evident that Mr Rees had" bestowed a great deal of pains id- examining the colonial accounts, Ins want of elementary knowledge of the sj-stem upon- which;these accounts were kept, led hinr-into' ridiculous errors. Had be- approached- the consideration of the accounts in a proper spirit—namely, not of finding the Government guilty before they were convicted} —and' have asked for a little information, he would have been spared these mistakes. The hon. gentleman explained the apparent discrepancy of £30,000 in Hie Public .Works Act, the balance of the Two Million Loan, said not to be in existence,'-and the want of any check in drawing'colonial moneys in'Loudon, as was instanced in the case of Sir J. Vogel drawing more' than’the House ever' authorised. The latter, was* not a fact, because when the Premier returned to New Zealand, the colony Was actually in his debt; and all he had dhnfe was to come to the House to recoup liirarfor the extra expense he had been put to.'- The' hon: gentleman, in arguing against the resol nations before the House, sard they were a pure sham as far as regarded Separation : they meant nothing but the ment of provincialism—because no one supposed that the southern* portion of the North Island would ever submit to' be governed from Auckland. They had bitter experience of that 23 years ago.- What would be the case if war broke oilf in-the. North Island, and Sir George Grey' vVere Governor-in-Chicf? Why lie would simply, use the money of the South Island—*-and rightly so, too—for the benefit, of the North Island. The lion, member argued that the financial arrangements to bo made upon the partition went To show that, after

the cost of constabulary and Native school, had been defrayed, the North Island would; have only £36’,000 ter carry on the work of Government. Mr Swanson made, a v'elremerft speech iif favor of the resolutions, which was much applauded by the Opposition’. August 17. The House resum'cd at half-past seven' last evening, when Mr Wakefield took up thb debate on Sir G'eorge Grey’s resolutions; which ho supported hi cT long and eloquent speech. Sir George Grey then"replied, and*moved the first resolution; This course being objected to, some discussion, arose ; and,-ultimately,'the Speaker being appealed..to, he ruled that the resolutions could be put separately. The Hon. the Premier announced that the Government would support'the first,’ second and last resolutions. Tiro following are the resolutions p—nl. That, - iif tire opinion of tiny House,the state of, the colony requires. that its' ; financial ati\i constitutional arrangements’ shoiild bb‘ reconsidered. “'2; .That the unity of the colony should be maintained .- ‘‘'3;- That there shbilid fib two local governments—one for. each* island, “ 4 That the Colonial Government being' r6spbnsit?se foV the' chiotnal deht. foi*^whici/ the a’nnual charge for interest and- sinking fund is £816,000, the North Island shall bo charged with £IOO,OOO pbr_ annum; and the South Island with £625,000 per annum*. „ • . , “ 5. That,- With the' exception of those matters of great colonial importance which'’ must be reserved for the’ Colonial Government, each local government shall have the entire Control and management of its" own affairs and the disposal of its ownrevenues. , , “G. That th’e seat of the Igdal government for the North Island shali bb at Auck-’ ; land. , “ 7. That thb seat of the local government' for the South Island shall be at , Christchurch; “ 8. That the seat of the Colonial Government shall reineiir as at present Wellington,The first and*, second resolution were’ carried on the voices;-

On the third resolution being put, a' divlsiontook-place, the result being—Ayes, # 32 ;* Noes,' 47 ; Government majority, 15. The following is" the division list: — Ayes—Messrs Brown (J. C.) (teller), • Burns, DeLatour, Dignan, Fisher, Grey, - Hamlin, flislop,Hodgkinson, Joyce, Lumsden,- Macandrow,- Macfarlane, Murray, Mahe,- O’Korlte, Ife Reid (D.), Seaton,* Sheehan, Shrhnski, Stout (teller); Swanson,* Takamoana,Thompson,Tole,Tonks, Wakefield, Wason, Whitaker,* and Wood (R. G.)* Noes—MesstS Andrew, _ Atkinson, Bail' gent, Ballancc, Banff, Bbwen, Brandon, Bryce, Bunny, Button,' Carrington, Cox, Curtis, Douglas, Fitzrdy, - Gibbs, Harper, - Henry, Hunter, Hursthouse, Johnston, • Kennedy, Kenny, Manders, M‘Lean (D.), M'Lean (&.), Montgotncr^j. Moorhouse,* Murray-Aynsley, Ormond, Pearce, Pyke,(teller), Read (G. E.>, Richardson; Rolles-' ton- Rowe, Russell,- Seyipbur, Sharpe, - (teller), Stafford,*Steven’s,-Tawnti, Tesche-' maker, Tribe, Vogel, William&;and Wool-' cock, , The- fourth resolution was negatived by. 46 to R. Dbuglas;votihg for it, and' Mr Donald Reid feeing absent. The iifth/sisth, ahfl ; seventh resolutions vven? negatived ofbthe voices. , .The'HoiiKo divided* on the eighth resoln-, tion, which was rejected (carried ?)liy 47 The Ifbnfee adjourned about midnight. August 18. The House met at 7.3D last,evening. Mr' St’epiiOiw resumed torbury Pastoral Licenses Bill. WV urged l variety of reasons to show that the Bill was - detrimental to public interests. A vi.-rv' loiliaf discussion • followed; - durinir which sdino of the members got very' warm.

The debate was- adjourned for a fort-' night. The House rose at 2.30;* The House met at2.3Dp;.TTn to-day.' of absence was granted to Reader .Wood and Reynolds,' . , * Second reading of Comities Kill moved- W' .by the Premier in a long speech, in which die explained its most important provisions. He read'a, variety'of compilations to show' tiie capacity of the County system to raise money and carry on public works as well as local government together', with a return' of tlife 'reventies of Bbftd Boards in the' colony 1 Ife pointed out that the Bill would be permissive, and that even where people declined, to'avail themfcelyps’ of the bill, they could still have th 6 benefit of its financial provisions,- if not of other machihery. In conclusion, he pointed out that it would be an injustice to tiie country if the s'ession?closed' without passing the hill’ He thought if there was one measure more than another calculated to benefit Auckland it was this one. Indeed, they were largely influenced in : bringing down this bill by the objection of Auckland tobe dealt exceptionally with when abolition of North-Island alone was proposed.

Sir Gborge Grey moved that the hill bo read that daysi.v months, denouncing it, on behalf- of the'whole of tiie Colony, as the most monstrous and objectionable measure everintroduced into any civilized Assembly. It was to rate people, and make them serfs and slaves of the monied classes, by throwing'the Waste Lands of the Colony into the hands of run holders. The debate was cut short by 5.30’