HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3369, 9 October 1879, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The Houso met at 2.30. All the business ou the Order Paper was po*tponed to enable the House to go into Committee of Supply for a sum of £200,000 to be grauted to Her Majesty by way of imprest for the public service for the year ending 30fch June, 1880. The Premier introduced the Bill No. 2, which was passed through all its stages. POSITION OF THE NEW MINISTRY. Mr 11 all said that when the House last met, he had stated that he was in progress of forming a new Governm nt, in accordance with a request made to him by the Governor. Since then he had succeeded. so far as to be able to furnish the names of a number of gentlemen to His Excellency, who had been pleased to receive them. They, were the following :—Mr Whitaker, senr., who would take the portfolio of Attorney-General; he would himself take that of Colonial Secretary ; Major Atkinson, Colonial Treasurer and Commissioner of Customs; Mr Olliver, Minister of Public Works; Mr Holieston, Minister of Lands, Immigration and Education; Mr Bryce, Minister of Native Affairs ; and Mr Tomoana, who will take office as a Maori Member of the Executive Council. That still left an office to be filled up, and they thought it desirable, so soon 83 they obtained a sufficient number for to enable them to proceed with the public business, to do so. It would be seen that provision had yet to I be made for Postmaster-Generalship and Minister of Mines. These had not yet been decided upon, but they would be filled up at the earliest possible date. When the Ministry was completed, there would, in all probability, be a redistribution of some of the offices, which, (they hoped) would be so arranged as to be made to include members representing the different interests throughout the colony. They had considered it desirable to ask the House to agree to an adjournment until Tuesday, so as to enable them to make themselves acquainted with, the state of the public business, and to arrange the measures they desired to submit to the House. No time would be lost in getting the preliminary work done, but they felt it would be Tuesday before they could posiibly b&in a position to meet the House, and proceed thereafter with the despatch of business. What they desired was, to go on with the business at the earliest possible moment. In view of that opinion, they considered they would best consult the interests of all concerned by asking the House to adjourn at its rising tiil Tuesday.

Mr Montgomery said that was more than could reasonably be expected. Mr Hall had been ia Wellington for a considerable time, and must hare made himself acquainted with the state of the public business. Members were anxious to go on with the work, and what had been stated was not sufficient to justify the adjournment asked. He suggested it should be made till Friday. Mr Macandrew proposed thtt the adjournment should be from day to day. When the new Government took their seats he intended to give notice of a very important motion. If the Government did not see their way to* adjourn till Friday he would move a formal amendment to that effect.

Mr Wakefield spoke ia favor of the motion, and said no grounds had been shown by Mr Montgomery for the suggestion he had made. The fact that Mr Hall had been in Wellington was no answer to the motion. Mr Hall had only been two weeks in Wellington and during the whole of that time he had been closely occupied in attending to the debates in the house. The suggestion, considering the grave importance of getting the measures proposed to be brought forward well matured was unreasonable. It would be merely a loss of time to meet on Friday. He had seen seven or eight Ministries go out of office, and he had never known an objection of this kind to be made before. Mr Sheehan then moved that the House adjourn till Friday. Mr Keader Wood seconded the amendment, and contended that the practice had always been for a new Ministry to take their seats as soon as possible, and then if necessary to get a few days adjournment for consideration of what they proposed to do. The new Government should be prepared to give the House an indication of what they intended doing by Friday. In the face of the indication given by Mr Macandrew they should be prepared to take their seats at once. Mr Brandon spoke in support of the motion. It was the present Government supporters who, in his opinion, desired to delay the business. Mr Hall, replying to Mr Reader Wood, said that what he implied in his speech was most extraordinary, what it meant was this, that before a Ministry was actually constituted, they were to be assailed by a vote of want of confidence, before the House knew what was the nature of the confidence asked. Had the Government been really anxious to prosecute the business of the country, they would have resigned the next day, and not have taken from Friday kit to do so. What was wanted was to get a division at once, they (the Government patty) well knowing that a number of their supporters were absent. It # was impossible for them to come down with a statement of policy on Friday; they wanted to furnish a full statement of policy, and he trusted under circumstances, the amendment would not be pressed. Mr- Moss said that he understood the new Government was going to adopt the policy already propounded, and this was the first ho had heard of a new policy being contemplated. He could see no reason for the delay asked. Mr Moorhouse contended that the short space proposed was not unreasonable for the purposes required. It was monstrous to expect that the attention to the policy demanded under the circumstances would be sufficient with the short adjournment proposed: a whole week was not too much time. He spoke as a thoroughly independent man ; he did not know which of the new parties he would Bupport, but still he wished to see fair, play, and he thought the motion did not propose any thing at all unreasonable.

Mr Murray spoke in favor of the motion. Serious charges had been made against the Government by thepcntlemen who tree about to occupy the Government Bunches, and it was but right in the public interest they should liave au opportunity for making good their charges. They were thrratenttd with ft vote of censure before they had actually come into existence. The proceeding was a most iudeeiiiit one, and tho country would now have an opportunity of forming a very unfavorable- opinion on the point. They had other matters; besides the Liberal measures spoken of to consider ; they had native affairs, finance, etc., and these matters of themselves were questions of great importance. It had always been the custom to give such delay as was asked to a new Ministry. Mr Acton Adams spoke in favor of the adjournment, but expressed regret that Mr Hall did not see his way to meet the House on Friday and go on with some part of the business.

Mr McLean said it showed a great want of courtesy in refusing to agree at once to the adjournment. He felt more convinced than ever there was truth in the allegations of the public scandals made against the present Government, else how were they so unwilling to leave the benches. It was all the same to him what Government was in power, if they were honest he would support them. The' new Government were composed of men whose honesty was undoubted, and with the scandals against the Government flying all round the country if they hjuL any honesty at all they would afloiuY* £ull opportunity to get them sifted. Mr Sauaders denied that any Government could make themselves acquainted with the affairs of the country in such a shovt time. It was an unprecedented proceeding to talk about a vote of want of confidence before a new Government had actually taken office. He hoped that hit side of the House would not be atked to adopt tbe miserable ill-considered measures brought forward by the Government. No one was more anxious than he was to get on with the work, but the conduct of the Government was calculated to prevent the business being gone on with at all.

Mr Hislop spoke in favor of the amendment, and denied the acciracy of the statements made by Mr Saunders. The present. Government, when it came into office, had only two days allowed, and moreover, Mr Hall, at Saturday's sitting, only asked that the House should adjourn until Thursday, whereas the Government were willing to give them a day longer, and adjourn till Friday. . Mr Bowen said that four or five members on that side of the House had gone away, never imagining that such an unheard of proceeding as the one proposed would ba taken. The Government evidently calculated on this fact, and he thought under the circumstances. it would perhaps be as well not to oppose the amendment, and throw the onus of the after proceedings on the Government and its party.

Mr Hurst defended the Government in taking time to consider whether they would re-construct or resign, as the Want of Confidence motion carried, was against the Government as constituted, and such being the case, they were justified in taking time to consider what, under the circumstances was the best to be done; and but for the way in which . the amendment was worded, he believed the Government would not have had any occasion to resign. Mr Sutton spoke in favor of the motion, and argued that it was justified by precedent. Sir George Grey said that a.question had been raised as to his not having sent in his resignation to the Government sooner than he did. The amendment affirming the No-Confidence was carried on Friday night, the House did not meet on Saturday, but the resignations were made on the Monday. He had heard from the Government that the new Ministry promised to take office to-day, and he did not know how that promise had not been carried out. The other side should hare taken the vote as it was passed, and attempted a re-construction of the Government, if Mr Hali could not succeed, then he should hare left the Governor to send for some other one to attempt such a reconstruction. He (Grey) had endeavoured to act in a strictly constitutional \ manner, it was M.r Hall who had not acted constitutionally. He ought to have told the Government that he bad tried to re-construct the Government, and had failed, and lie believed Mr Hall would not deny that lie did attempt to reconstruct the Government and failed, therefore ha (Sir George Grey) maintained the House was justified in having no confidence in him. The ;aew Gorernment should have come to that side of the House to-day, and he (Mr Hall) could take the benches that night, and then it would be open for him to more a further adjournment if he thought fit. If they had the confidence they profess to have, they would have no difficulty in carrying it. There must be some other reason for their desire for the adjournment than what appeared in the , face of the motion.

Major. Atkinson said it had been the invariable custom to get such an adjourn* ment as asked. He had himself agreed, when the present Premier turned him out of office some time ago, to an adjournment of a week, so as to enable him to complete his arrangements for taking office. The constitutional usage was that a no-confi-dence resolution, no matter wH^ft its wording was, invoked the resignation of every member of the Government against whom it was carried. When he wag

defeated some years ago, the motion wai carried at 10 p.m., and that very night he gave in his resignation to the Governor. The fact was, that a large number of the Government party had pledged themselves —not to measures, but to men. The measure referred io were never intended by the

Government to pass into lav, but what they wanted was to keep them dangling before the country; they, on their side, were quite prepared to get their measures passed into law. It was not the business of-the country that was in view, but to jeopardise tho party on his side of the - House that was aimed at, by the proposal of an adjournment to Friday. Still he would advise his friend to accede to the adjournment till Friday. The country will then be able to «cc what are the real

motives of the Government party.

Mr Hall said that, in deference to the opinions expressed, he woull accept the amendment, but he wished it understood

he could not possibly be able to go on with the business on that day. At 4.30 the House adjourned till Friday. ..