WELLINGTON.

Southland Times, Volume VII, Issue 541, 15 August 1866, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(condensed prom the "press" correspondent.) Tuesday, August 7. Between the conclusion of the Separation debate, on this day last week, and the Financial Statement, which is to be made' to-morrow, the politic? 1 atmosphere has been stagnant. Kumors there have been of an attempt to be made to oust Mr Stafford, or at least compel the re-formation of his Ministry ; and " Total Keconstruction" has been tried as a warcry by the Independent newspaper. - But j it must be recollected that Mr Stafford's claim to be considered a valuable Minister is generally admitted by the House of Representatives, and that no opportunity has yet been offered for eifcher the proof or the disproof of the grounds on which that claim rests. If he has carefully handled the finance of the colony for the past nine months ; if he can show that his promises of rigid economy have borne fruit ; if he has sodealt with the British Government and the money market as to secure the fullest justice and fairest terms for the colony, . while preserving its credit at least as high as when it passed into his keeping ; then the House will praise him for his past acts — the more, if his colleagues have been less than usually efficient. But he has to deal with the future as well as the past. He will to-morrow, by the mouth of Mr Jollie, explain his financial proposals, including the plan of colonial defence. Of what all this may be the House is profoundly ignorant as yet. There has been a small " remnant " of the separation debate in a recrimination between Mr Dillon Bell and MrWhitaker, involving Mr O'Eorke, of Auckland. In the closing speech of Mr "WTiitaker last Tuesday evening, that gentleman referred to Mr Bell's commendation of Mr M'Lean, Dr Featherston, and himself. He wondered, he said, to hear such highly complimentary language used, for one of those three had at one time held a very low place in Mr Bell's esteem. In 1860, Mr Bell had said in the House that Mr M'Lean was unfitted either by ability or education to preside at the Kohimarama conference. If Mr M'Lean was then unfit to take the chair at a Maori runanga,

how was it that he deserved such laudar tion now ? Mr Bell promptly denied the truth of the quotation said to be made from his speech in 1860, and demanded to know who reported him as having nsed those words. Mr Whitaker named Mr O'Rorke, and produced a written paper with the words in question under the hand of that gentleman. Next morning, Mr O'Rorke being absent, Mr Bell asked leave, to speak on this personal matter. He said he could find no record in the reports of any such sentiment having been uttered by him. On the contrary, he found four or five distinct reports of an opposite opinion of Mr M'Lean, being expressed by him, which he r^ad. On the following "day Mr O'Rorke appeared in his place. He said that he had mentioned; to Mr Whitaker his recollection of Mr Bell's remarks in IS6O, beard in the gallery before he was a member of the House — he was sorry that the charge had gone so far ; had it been in his hands, and Mr Bell had given it the denial which he did, he would have withdrawn the charge at once, believing that i£ must be made in error. He was sorry Mr Whitaker had not done so. As to the words quoted, he was quite certain they had been used ; his memory was very dear on that point. But he would not undertake to assert that Mr Bell had not used them (as Mr Bell said might have happened) by way of" quotation. Mr Whitaker said that it would have been easy for him on Mr Bell's denial to withdraw any charge resting on his own authority; but he could not do so, in the case of another, whose truthfulness he would have seemed to be doubting. But for that he would have let the matter drop at once. There was a report a short time ago, that the government meant to issue £500,000 of the 1862 debentures in place of the same amount of 1863. The difference is, that the former are secured on the Land Revenue of the colony ; the latter are not, and therefore the former would have been an additional and peculiar burden on the South. Mr Hall has asked whether the report is true, and has been told that it is not. Among the bills being pushed on, a few deserve special notice. The Supreme Court Judges Act simply declares that in the absence of the Chief Justice the senior Puisne Judge shall be considered the Chief for Vice-Admiralty and other purposes. The Vagrancy Bill is almost identical with the Victorian Act and the Ordinance adopted since the goldfields period in Otago. There is a similar law for the prevention of crime in England, rather more severe, but of course not wholly suitable to our circumstances. The Registration Amendment Bill provides that all, or most of the Resident Magistrates are to take claims to vote, instead of separate Registration Officers being appointed as hitherto. Further, the Revising Officers are to be appointed by the Judges of the Supreme Court, iustead of by the G-overnment. Thirdly, the roll is to be aaade up a month earlier ; that is, by the first of September instead of October, the annual claims being given in at the same period as at present. There are minor matters 'about objections, altered claims, &c, before the Revising Officer, but they do not affect the majority of the public. These and all the bills heretofore mentioned have been quietly passing stage by stage through both branches of the Legislature in the dullest but most respectable manner.