EVENING SITTING.

Southland Times, Issue 1116, 20 August 1869, Page 2

EVENING SITTING.

IMMIGRANTS BILLS. Mr Daniel gave notice of motion affirming the desirability of cancelling j the amounts due to the Provincial Government by assisted immigrants with families. PETITION. Mr Johnston presented < a petition, signed by 570 persons, in favor of the appointment of Commissioners to confer with Otago on the subjectof re-aanexation, and explained that a sheet containing 100 signatures to the petition bad been lost. The petition was read and ordered to lie upon the table. Dr Monckton wished to correct a wrong impression made by his remarks in the morning referring to Mr Calder. He had not intended to impute personal motives. After notices of motion by Messrs Basstian and Steufti't, Mr Calder moved, " that the course pursued by His Honor the 'Superintendent in dismissing his late Executive, and appointing another without consulting the Provincial Council on the points at issue, Was unwarrantable, and that the administration of public atiaira generally by the late Executive during their term of office commands the confidence of this House." He said he had no intention to complain of the change in his position, which the circumstances to w hich he was about to refer had occasioned. The late Executive had entered upon the duties of the Government at the request of a majority of that Council, and the Council had a right to be informed as to the reason why they were not now in office, whether they had done right or wrong, and whether they had carried out the policy, to carry out which they took office. The policy upon which the late Executive was formed was that of retrenchment. He (Mr C.) wished it to be distinctly understood that he had no desire to go back into office, and he would endeavor to make the whole matter as clear as possible to tbe Council. The correspondence which would have to be read was very voluminous, and at the distance of time from the events which had occurred it was possible there might be some omission. He (Mr C.) considered the present Executive substantially the same as that which had previously been in office, and in reference to which that Council had expressed so decided an opinion. The late Executive

had entered office probably not with tbe hearty good will of the Superintendent, and shortly after their entrance they had reason to know this. They found • that tbeir views were opposed to j that of the Superintendent in J several unpleasant matters, such as the j Harbour Department, and the Kail road ; ! but they had felt bound to carry on, and i were determined to carry on within the scope of the Estimates. The first difference arose oufc of the despatch to the Colonial Secretary, of November 7th, 1868, which stated that the plant rails, j and other iron work, had been sent for | from England and paid for, and which the j Executive found was not the case. Then a difference arose about the Invercargill and Bluff Harbour Railway, which the Executive decided upon leasing. The late , Executive had felt all along that it was I impossible that material retrenchment , could be effected unless their scheme was \ carried out in its entirety. Still they were determined to keep on until the Council met. The fear that the decision of the Executive might be at any time upset by the Superintendent had proved not groundless, as would be seen by reference to the correspondence with Mr Morrison, the direct immigration agent, which would show that the Superintendent had reversed the decision of the Executive, (correspondence read), while the Council believed that the agreement with Mr Morrison stood on its original basis. The case was very different, and the result was that Mr Morrison sent in his bill for over £800, and asked for a remittance. (His ! Honor the Superintendent here said that Mr Morrison had agreed to carry out the original agreement.) Then came the serious collision relative to the dealings with the railway contractors. He (Mr C.) had supported the railway scheme because he believed that under the circumstances it was best for the province, but he would ' s:iy if the Council, in September last, had known the true finaucial position of the province, the contract would not have been entered into. The appalling disclosures which had been realised since the late \ Executive took office had completely altered his view of the matter. The contract for the Oreti Railway had scarcely been signed when the contractors made an application to the Executive to make their election as to whether they would pay for the works in cash or in land The object of the Executive had been to avoid throwing any lands into the market to come into competition with the regular land sales, and as a matter of course, even on this ground alone, they had reason for refusing to make election. In fact tbe Executive wished the contract had not been signed, and all their proceedings had been influenced more or less by this feeling. Their apparent dilatoriness, as to the Engineer, arose from a hope that the work would not go on. The contractors, however, asked tor a concession, aud the G-overnment would not grant it, and wrote to Mr Harvey, Solicitor for the contractors, that they were not prepared to elect. They had no wish to hamper the contractors but they were determined the contract should be carried out honestly and fairly — yes, to the letter. Tenderers had doubtless been kept out of the field by the belief that the Government would not elect, and it would not have been right in any way then to make election. The contractors wanted 5000 acres of land before they had laid out £500 on the works, after having offered, if necessary, to advance £7000 for freight. The Executive wished to withdraw certain works to prevent any claim by the contractors for compensation, and wished the engineer to withdraw them, which he consented to do, if legally advised. He was legally advised, nnd the withdrawal, if carried out, would have amounted to some £3000. Another difficulty arose as to the fresh work to be given to the contractors. The Executive insisted that before any fresh work was given out, a distinct understanding should be called for, in case the price named by the contractors should be deemed too high. In short the whole of the proceedings of the late executive had been with the object of curtailing in every possible direction, and with this object every possible effort had been made to | utilize to the fullest extent existing officers, to prevent additional cost. The Executive believed Mr Dawson, the i present Road Engineer, competent to the work of the railway, and thought also that the Chief Surveyor's services might be used, both of which might have been done without additional expense, Mr Dawson not being full-worked. But Mr Baker was not employed, on a point of etiquette, as it would not do for the Chief Surveyor to take his orders from the Chief Engineer. He (Mr Calder) thought the province ought not to suffer from such considerations. In iNelson it had recently been carried that the Government should be conducted on the same principles as those which regulate commercial establishments, that all the government officials should be utilized, and render assistance where it was possible for them to do it. He (Mr C.) would refer to the explanation of the Superintendent of the incorrect statement made to the Colonial Secretary, and contended that it was not a matter in whicli the Government should have been involved in ex- ( planation. The explanation given by the Superintendent was personal inadvertence, and he only should have made the explanation to the Colonial Secretary. The Superintendent had complained of a document " calling itself a memo, signed John Ross, chairman, as an instance of embarrassing independent action on the part of the Executive." The Council should be informed why that memo had been signed by Mr iioss, and the explanation was the urgency ot the case, as the contractors were intending to begin work on Monday. This was the only instance in which the late Executive had held a meeting without the presence of the Superintendent. The Executive were anxious the works should be withdrawn before a spade was ever put in, and the Executive had, in the matter, just done what the Superintendent had done before,

nothing more. The Superintendent had complained of Mr Pearson's conduct in reference to the letters. ' No doubt Mr Pearson was well able to defend himself, and did not need his (Mr C.'a) help, but he would say he approved of what Mr Pearson had done. He did not approve of any course of proceeding suggesting the idea 01 a dual Government, and thought the objections taken by His Honor were frivolous and uncalled for. He reviewed at considerable lensrth the alleged reasons by the Superintendent for the dismissal of the Exeeixtive, and referred to the financial position of the province, at the time at which the Colonial Secretary was advised the plant had been paid for, and showed that there was then no justification for such a statement, nor reasonable probability of the early payj ment of the money, He considered the I statement " paid" and that " will be paid" would, to the minds of the members of, that Council, convey very different ideas, j Mr Clerke would, pro forma, second the motion, reserving his right to speak. Mr Pearson thought that the various members of the G-overnment who intended to speak on this motion might follow each other, that the member for Campbelltown might be able to include the whole in his reply. His Honor the Superintendent (member for Campbellrowu) in reply thought the matter ought to be considered in committee. The 'Speaker was of opinion that matters of importance were best considered in committee. He thought the proposal of the hon: member for Oteramika, a very fair one, but it would be departing from the rules of all legislative bodies. Mr Calber did not regard the question as of much practical importance to the Province. The statements he had made, had been wrung out of him. He would have cast all to the winds, but for the position he was in. He objected to the House going into committee. Dr MoNCKTOJf moved that the House go into committee. Mr M'CiiUBE seconded the motion. Mr PaATT objected, as did also Mr Johnson, who thought it contrary to precedent, that a motion, substantially of want of confidence, should be considered in committee, and suggested that a formal amendment might be moved to meet the case. The amendment was then put and lost. The Speaker advised that all the members of the late Executive who might wish to speak, should follow each other. Mr Pearson rose and laid before the Council a financial statement showing the position of provincial matters on the 28th July last, and the actual and eoutemplated reductions by the late Executive. He reviewed the whole matters in dispute between the Superintendent and the Executive, and called upon his colleagues for confirmation of statements made by him. Mr Ross said the subject was becoming wearisome. He supported tbe statements of his colleagues in the late Executive, and went over the leading features of the disagreement, establishing the fact that their action in the different matters referred to had been for the good of the Province. He considered they were justified in the action they had taken. Mr Pratt, at great length, took the same view of the Bubject, excusing Mr Pearson, as being, perhaps, less to blame than any other member of the Executive. The debate on this motion was adjourned at 1.15. a.m., lit til the evening sitting, notices of motion, standing over to be taken in the morning sitting at 11 o'clock.