NOTES OF THE SESSION.

Southland Times, Issue 1632, 13 September 1872, Page 3

NOTES OF THE SESSION.

«•> Our notes in last Friday's issue brought the continuous narrative of the events of tbe session up to the commencement of the debate on Mr Stafford' 9 Y?ant-of-confidence resolution, which commenced on tbe 21st ult. From that time till now, the debate has continued to occupy the attention of the House, to the exclusion of all other subjects ; and the Legislative Council has adjourned from day to day, until tbe grand issue shall be decided. Abstracts of most of thespeeches delivered up to the afternoon of Wednesday, the 28th ult., have already appeared in our columns. On that day Mr Yogel made an able defence of the Ministry, in a speech which occupied five hours in delivery. He reviewed in detail the various charges against the administration, denying some, and explaining others ; and occasionally turned upon his opponents in a very effective manner, as when he reminded the House that Mr Reid had formerly la-untied at the idea of getting the Clutha line for £270,000, and wanted to spend £400,000 on it, and give the promoters of a Company a bonus of besides, while he now found fault with the Government for getting it done for £276,000, notwithstanding the rise in the price of iron. He concluded by saving that it would be a reproach to constitutional government if the motion were earned, for it would show that men, and not measures, influenced the decision of the House. He was followed by Mr Fitzherbert, who ppoke against the Government for three hours and a half. As might have been expected, the burden of his song was that the Ministry had not left enough to the Provincial Governments. If Mr Stafford sbould 3o the same thingr. be would share the same fate. So said Mr Fitzherbert, and he had not finished •when the House adjourned, on account of the Governor's Ball, in honor of the Queen's birthday, which was held the same evening. Next day, Mr Fitzherbert, who it must be presumed 1 ad not stayed late at the ball, resumed the debate, and spoke all day, up to the time of the afternoon adjournment. He criticised the Financial Statement, and while bearing testimony to the ability with which it was drawn tip, said that Mr Yogel had failed to draw any useful practical conclusions from the mass of facts he had accumulated. He would tell tbe House in one word what the moral was — taxation. With great works in progress, we must have retrenchment, taxation, or borrowing. He objected particularly to tbe manner in which a portion of the charges for interest and sinking fund were charged against the capital of the Loan, instead of to the consolidated revenue. The House then adjourned for dinner, and on resuming, Mr Fitzherbert continued his address, and, after disposing of the Financial Statement, proceeded to show that though Mr M'Lean was a very good Native Minister, yet if he would not join a tew Ministry, ihey would manage to do Tery well without him. He concluded by comparing the plea set up by tbe Government, that they h;id conceived a great scheme, and were yet big with it, to the plea pet up sometimes against sentence of death by a woman, which the law required should be investigated by a jury of matrons. The House, as such a jury, had enquired into the plea of the Ministry, and their deliberate conclusion must be that there was no cause for a reprieve — the Ministry was barren. He was followed by Mr Kelly, who could not support Mr Stafford on account of his previous Native Policy. Sir J. Craeroft Wilion, on the other side, said that the Government were servants of the public, and should be dismissed on the ground that whoever they got, it would be hardly possible to get much worse ones. He ahowed that Mr Vogel's comparison of the Provincial plan for the Clutha line with his own was not a fair one ; the one was a broad-gauge line, and the other a narrow one ; the one was to be made on a guarantee, and the other for ready money. Mr Henderson followed, to the effect that he did not think a change of Ministry desirable ; it was a question between tbe ins and tbe outs, and there ■was six o£ the one and half-a-dozen of the other. The debate was then adjourned. Saturday and Monday being non-sitting days, the House did not meet again till Tuesday, 3rd September. The deba'e was then resumed by Mr T. L. Shepherd, whose remarks may be very well summed tip in his concluding statement that, on the whole, he thought it would be better for the interests of the Colony that no change of Ministry should take place. Mr Webster followed, summing up the arguments on both sides in a somewhat judicial fashion, and concluded by saying that although he rather hoped that Ministers would retain their seats, be could not conscientiously say " Ne" to the first resolution. He thought that the contract for the Invereargill and Mataura railway had been made without due care, and instanced the difference between the Canterbury and Southland price of railway sleepers as a case in point. Sleepers could be had in Southland 50 per cent, below the Canterbury rates, and many of the sleepers used in Canterbury were even sent from Southland, yet in the estimate the Canterbury price bad been allowed, besides a sum on the whole contract of £8000 for contractor's profit. The appointment of the [Resident Minister for the Middle Island he regarded as a mistake, and he believed that many of the errors of administration charged against the Ministry were owing to his inexperience. He deprecated the manner in which Mr M'Lean's name had been used to prevent the House from deciding on its merits the issue raised by the first resolution. The argument in favor of Mr M'Lean's supposed indispensable position really was that the management of the public works must not be interfered with, whether it was good or bad, or there would be a native war. If the management of Native !

affairs really was a mystery, as represented, and peace depended on one man, then that man dare not refuse to give his services to the country if they were demanded. One result of the debate, whichever side won, would be the formation of a real Opposition, and that would be fortheinterestof the country as a whole. Mr Caider dwelt at some length on the manner in which the contracts had been arranged with Mr Brogden, showing that in every case they had exceeded the limits fixed by the Assembly. He wondered that the House had shown so much patience in seeing its resolutions set on one side as they had been. The Invercargill and Mataura line would cost £22,000 or £23,000 more than it need have cost, through the Ministry neglecting to avaii themselves of local skill and knowledge of prices. He saw no incompatibility in maintaining local supervision of the works and central administration and responsibility at the same time. He criticised the financial management of the Ministry, pointing; out that there was £1,000,000 lying in London banks at 1| per cent, interest, for which the Colony was paying 5 per cent., thus losing 3^ per cent., when by making an arrangement with the New Zealand banks the loss might have been reduced to one per cent. By this and by the Brogden contracts the Ministry had thrown away £150,000 within the last two years. Mr Pearce, one of the members for the city of Wellington, spoke in behalf of the Government, appealing to the general prosperity of the Colony and the absence of public agitation, as proofs that the Ministry enjoyed the confidence of the country. Majur Jackson, while admitting that the management of the public works bad not been quite satisfactory, deprecated a change of Ministry, and moved as an amendment, which was seconded by Mr Kelly—" That in the present prosperous condition of the Colony it is not desirable that there should be a change of Ministry." Mr Hallenstein supported the resolution, declaring that the Ministry had been guilty of corrupt patronage. Mr Harrison defended the Ministry, stating that the Provincial Councils were not in favor of the local management of the public works, and that the financial condition of the country was satisfactory. Mr O'Conor followed on the other side. He wished to see a Minister of Mines appointed, and the control of the gold-fields withdrawn from the Superintendents. He strongly condemned the management of public works by the Ministry on the "West Coast, and declared that the Government had demoralised the press of the colony by means of a corrupt distribution of the advertising expenditure. The present system of public works construction led to those districts whose representatives were adepts in the art of log-rolling receiving all the consideration of the Government, to the exclusion of the rest. Mr O'Neill moved the adjournment of the debate, and this concluded the proceedings on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Mr O'Neill resumed the debate. He contended that the reports of the Government engineers were surely better than the vague assertions of members, and said he believed that our railways would turn out in the end to re the cheapest in the world. Mr Hunter followed on the same side. He believed in borrowing, so long as the money was spent on reproductive works, and the Colony was able to pay the interest. Mr Stafford, he was sure, would be found an uncompromising opponent of the Provinces notwithstanding the specious air of the third resolution. Mr Sheehan had made up his mind to vote against the Government with preat regret. He did not believe in the policy of borrowing, and said that though the Government had despoiled the Provinces of nearly ail their revenue, Treasury Bills continued to be issued as usual. He was specially eloquent on the manner in which Auckland had been neglected, and declared that even if Mr Stafford abolished the Provinces, it would be a great thing to have some honest finality. He regretted the vote he was about to give, i and had some doubt as to what would come after, but the present Government , had forfeited his honest support. Next day, Thursday, sth September, Major Jackson withdrew his amendment on Mr Stafford's motion. Mr Williamson resumed the debate. He characterised the administration as having been hitherto unsatisfactory, and advocated the formation of a coalition Ministry, including Mr M'Lean. If Mr Fox retired from Parliamentary life, he could still do the country great service as a leader in social reforms, and he would then have an influence which he could not have while drawing his salary from a revenue chiefly maintained by duties on strong drink. Mr Andrew found fault wiih both sides, but on the whole preferred to support the Government. Mr Tolmie thought that a reconstruction of the Ministry would be desirable, but thought that task should be left to the Government themselves, and when it was fulfilled the House could say whether it was satisfied or not. He would therefore oppose the resolution. Mr Ormond followed with a long and elaborate defence of the Ministry, after which Mr Stafford rose to reply. A fair summary of his speech appears in our telegraphic report to-day. The division was taken at an early hour on Friday morning. The first and third resolutions were carried by a majority of three, and the second by a majority of two. The Ministry, having tendered their resignations on Saturday, Mr Stafford was sent for by the Governor, and the list of the new Ministers, so far as yeb completed, haa appeared in our telegraphic report.