THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Southland Times, Issue 1646, 11 October 1872, Page 2

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

•> (BY ELECTRIC TELEGBAPS.J ♦ Wellington, Oct. 8. In the Legislative Council to day, the Hon. Mr Sewell announced the resignation of the Ministry, and laid upon the table memoranda which had passed between the Governor and Ministers. From these it appeared that Mr Stafford had asked for a dissolution on the ground that neither party had a working majority. The Governor had asked if he was sure the House would grant the necessary supplies, and Mr Stafford had replied that Ministers had no reason to doubt it would. Iv a long and able memo. His Excellency discussed the whole aspect of the crisis. He said there was no expression of public opinion in favor of either side throughout the country. The country appeared to regard the differences between leading public men rather as personal than political, and as existing on matters of detail rather than on points of principle. There was no great political question to refer to the constituencies, and he was not at all sure the House would grant interim supplies. He was not sure either that a new Administration could not be formed on such a wide basis as would command the confidence of the House and the country, and both evidently deBired this. Under such cii'cumstances he thought it would be premature to grant a dissolution, but if assured of supplies for carrying on the public service being granted, he might reconsider the matter. Mr Stafford had then asked for a positive promise of a ' dissolution on condition of supplies being voted, but tlie Governor refused to give , such a promise, and Ministers, after ex- j pressing their dissent from His Excellency's views, had resigned. < Mr Stafford, in the House of Repre- ' sentatives to-day, made a similar j announcement to Mr Sewell's in the ' , Council. In reply to Mr Eox, he ]

declined to say whether he had advised the Governor to send for anyone.

We take the following from the Otago Times: — "Wellington-, Oct. 4. The No Confidence Resolution was moved by Mr Vosrel in a speech of a little over two hours. He commenced by explaining why he, instead of Mr Fox, moved the resolution. Mr Fox, althoujb not intending to retire from public life, did not desire agiin to occupy a seat in the Ministry. He expressed great regret at this determination. He brought the motion forward upon three grounds : — First, that Ministers obtained their seats on false pretences. Second, because of the personnel of the Ministry. Third, because of the consequences sure to follow if they retained office. The present Ministers' only idea of policy seemed to be to grope in the footsteps of their predecessors. Instead of one Superintendent, there were three now in the Ministry, and an ei-Prorincial Secretary, who had very properly been dismissed from that office. The old Ministry was blamed for an anti-Provincial policy ; the new one showed its affection for tho Provinces by taking away the Stamp Duties and Road Board grants. The late Ministry had been blamed with regard to the Brogden contracts, and for not accepting Proudtbot's' tender. Mr Reid'a statement never mentioned either matter, although the latter was quite as open to him as to his predecessors. It was good for the members of the late Government that they had been turned out, as their successors showed the hollowness of the pretences on which they had been turned out. The Budget was not an extraordinary production. It was evidently compiled with an intention to make things as bad as possible, and it proved the correctness of the late Government that their statement was worse than their opponents could make out. He then criticised the Financial Statement at great length. He deeply regretted the proposal to abandon the Koad Board grant, which had been most valuable. The late G-o---vernment had intended to meet Mr Keynolds's resolutions, not by the previous question, but by a distinct amendment that such a change was impracticable and inadvisable. He believed that sooner or later the Provinces in the two Islands would be consolidated ; but Separation was impracticable, as the Imperial Government would never allow it. He could not countenance any removal of the seat of Government, although such had been imminent owing to Messrs Fitzherbert and Bunny's action. He then criticised the individual members of the Ministry at length. With regard to Mr Staffjrd, he said he would be sorry if the vote should result in the country losing his services. He believed the Ministers would carry out the Colonisation policy with the view of making it a failure, so as to justify their own predictions. He was altogether opposed to reconsidering the railways already authorised. He thought the proposed bridle track to Kaikoura was in no way a work of colonial importance, as it was only for the benefit of a few stationholders. Thousands of places had a greater claim. He declared that the condition of the West Coast must be dealt with this session, and if he returned to office he would deal with the matter. He denied that it was possible for Mr Stafford to carry out Mr M' Lean's Native policy. He believed that Ministers were also hostile to the Government Assurance Scheme. In the Legislative Council they had struck out the clause in the Bill requiriug assurance companies to deposit a security. The San Francisco Service could never become a success under their management. The results of the present administration would be that Native affairs would be put into disorder, the Road Boards crushed out of existence, West Coast interests sacrificed to those of a clique, a number of detached and anfinisked railways, and the country in tli© state- of depression which it was formerly in under Mr Stafford. He condemned the proposal to abandon the confiscated lands, but admitted that the Colony was now pledged to carry out what the Ministry, whatever its tenure of office, had promised.