GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2082, 7 August 1890, Page 3

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL,

On Tuesday, The motion for the third reading of the Legislative Council Bill was lost by 13 to 17. I he Dog Registration Act was read a second time.

OF REPRESENTATIVES On Tuesday, sie julixts vogel’s claim.

Mr Mitchelson laid Bir Julius Togel’s petition, respecting his claim against the colony on tb© table. He stated that the Government had been advised that a claim of this kind should, under the Crown Suits Act, be laid within twelve months of the date on which it happened. He proposed to consult the House on the subject on Friday next.

HUTCHISON CHAEGEB.

Mr Withy brought up the report of the Hutchison’s Accusations Committee »s follows: —“ the Committee has the honour to report that it cannot usefully proceed further with the enquiry committed to it, inasmuch as five of its members have expressed a desire to be discharged from further attendance. The Committee respectfully recommend that it be discharged.” He moved that the House concur in the request made to relieve the Committee from its duties, and also to discharge the witnesses. He pointed out the desirability of agreeing to this question, especially as an important witness was being kept waiting in Wellington at present. The motion was agreed to without debate.

Mr Hialop said the Government had tried its best to obtain the most effective tribunal to go into these charges, and a committee was at last agreed upon. The Governmenthad come to the conclusion that as they had failed to obtain any satisfactory enquiry into the charges made against them, they were determined to take their course without consulting the Opposition or anyone else. There were three courses open to the Government, and he hoped that the House would excuse him from now stating what course they would i take, but he would seise an early opportunity of doing so when the Government had come to a conclusion on the matter. The first charge made by Mr Hutchison was that the Government has created an abnormal finance for the purpose of assisting the coffers of the Bank of New Zealand, and had issued deficiency bills to the extent of £840,000, but the fact was that before the present Government took office power had been given to the late Government in 1887 to issue £995.000 of deficiency bills. The requirements of the colony in October of that year necessitated the issue of an extra £500,000 of deficiency bills, and that was all the present Government were responsible for. The next charge was that a cablegram was sent Home to the Agent-General to bolster up the Bank of New Zealand, but he asserted that no such cablegram had ever been sent Homo. With respect to the charge that the Government had foregone the claims against the bank, £600,000 was owing to the bank when theGovemmenttookoffi.ee, and that remained owing till March, 1888, when only £IOO,OOO was required, There had all along been a balance in favour of the bank, (Mr Hutchison; We all know about that.) Then as to the charge about the balance being allowed to be in the bank in London without interest, Mr Hialop pointed out that a few months after raising the loan in 1888 the balance in the Bank of New Zealand at London was £30,890, and on the 20th October the balance to our credit was only £5762. He would ask the House whether that was an unnecessarily large balance to the credit of the Government at the bank. The present Government were 905 days Jin office and the daily average balance at the bank was £134,8,50. The Stout-Yogel Govern mept were 1130 days in office, and their daily average at the bank was no less than £2§4,00Q, so that it would be seen bow far Mr Hutchison's charge was sustained, that the present Goyerpipent kept large balances at the Bank of New Zealand, Had the Government been able to place their intentions before the Committee he would have J been_ prepared to disprove the charges

made by Mr Hutchison, and he submitted "that the gentleman had not made out * pritna facie case. He again challenged Mr Hutchison to forego his privilege as a member of the House and allow the Government to meet his charges outside the House. Mr Ballance reminded the House that the Government had not offered to refer the enquiry to a Judge and two members of the House until the Committee was nearly decided upon, and he had taken objection to that proposal on the ground that it would not be right to drag a Judge of the Supreme Court into the arena of politics. What he (Mr Ballance} had objected to on the Committee was the minority of the Committee coming down and asking the House with the aid of a strong party to direct the Committee what it should do. Anything more scandalous or unconstitutional was never known. Mr Hislop knew very well when he issued the challenge to Mr Hutchison on Friday night that the latter could not accept it whilst: the matter was sub judice. He quite agreed that the House should be the judge of its own Ministers, but if Mr Hislop thought so why did not the Government let the House deside the matter. Mr Hislop had told them that there were three courses open to the Government, and yet he refrained from saying what they were. The minister had stated that he was not free from restraint as the matter was still sub judice. Mr Ballance was not prepared to discuss the charges so far as they affected the credit of the Goverment, and he thought Mr Hutchison would be pursuing a right course by withholding all his remarks until those three courses were disclosed by the Government.

Mr Hutchison said that he agreed with Mr Ballance that the course he had directed was the proper one to pursue. He only wished to say that such of Mr Hislop’s statements as were correct he knew before.

In reply Mr Hislop said that he had offered to put the Government’s case before the Committee and to give full details of the Government accounts for the last sir years, but Mr Hutchison had objected to that course. The subject then dropped. women’s bights.

A motion by Sir Jonn Hall to extend the franchise to women was discussed up to midnight when it was carried by 37 to 11.