MR DARGAVILLE AT AUCKLAND.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1157, 6 October 1883, Page 3

MR DARGAVILLE AT AUCKLAND.

On Wednesday night Mr Dargaville addressed his City West constituents at the Theatre Royal. There was a large attendance, and the member was well received. Mr Dargaville said he would at once proceed to remove any lurking prejudice that might remain in tbeir minds owing to the unfair manner in which his recent quarrel with the Colonial Treasurer had been put before (he public by Government organs. He described Major Atkinson as a professional politician of some 20 years’ experience, able and unscrupulous. His chief weapons in the House were vulgar raillery and coarse invective. These, together with the consciousness that the golden wings of a great political bank were spread over and around him, and that three-founhs of the Press of the Colony were in his interest, made him so insolent and domineering that many of the Opposition members even trembled to speak before him. There shonld be no mealymouthed sentiment in dealing with such a man, and even Hie observance towards him of the more refined courtesies of debate would be about as incongruous as taking one's hat off to a mastiff. The charges of political corruption were then referred to. The late Attorney-General’s (Mr Stout’s) opinion and the SolicitorGeneral’s opinion were read, to show that the loan to the Bank of New Zealand of a quarter of a million, without security, for two years, was illegal. The fact was not yet generally knpwn that the Government had during the last hours of the secsion in question hurriedly passed through both Houses a Bill legalising that and other I similar transactions. These were claimed as triumphs, and as a vindication of his (the speaker’s) accusations respecting that matter. Mr Dargaville then referred to the grossly unfair treatment of the Con-troller-General, a high officer of Parliament, by the Treasurer, in respect of the illegal payment away by the latter of £19,2. oin June last, and also in respect of the Conti oiler’s memo to the House pointing ouf that a member of the Ministry held .(8000 of public money in his (the Minister’s) own name in the Bank. The speaker then referred to certain disclosures made before the Public Accounts Committee, having reference to other financial transactions of the Government. and the affairs of the Insurance Department, especially dwelling on the fact that after action had taken on the 20th June, in the House, by a member of the Opposition (Mr Hutchison) enquiring into the circumstance that so largo a sum (£2900) was paid to Thorne, and while the House was waiting the production of a certain return relating to the Insurance Department, Commissioner Luekie on the 4th of July entered info a fresh contract with Thorne for two years and a half longer, thereby placing it beyond the power of Parliament to make any alteration without fully compensating Thorne. The Treasurer was made aware of this contract at the time it was being made, but did not stop it. A report on this outrageous proceeding was prepared by the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee for presentation to the House, but it was suppressed by the Government vote on that Committee. Such things would never dare to be attempted if there existed in the Colony an intelligent and united public opinion. The present form of Government administration precluded that Island was played off against island and district against district, so as to enable any set of designing men who supported' the Government to work out their schemes and keep themselves in power. To such an extent was this now going on that he believed it was leading the public mind to consider whether separation was not, after all, desirable. This he would regard as a great public misfortune, and with a view of rendering it unnecessary and securing the unity of the colony as a whole for all time, he thought each island should provide for its political autonomy. The following resolution was carried unanimously :—‘That Mr Dargaville deserves the best thanks of his constituents and the colony for his action in the House last session, and especially for bis unflinching advocacy of the right of free speech for the representatives of the people.’ __________