HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3375, 16 October 1879, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Tho llouso met at 2.30. AN EXPLANATION

Mr Toniouna said he wished to correct n statement made by Mr Sheehan. Ho df-nied having said (as alleged) that Mr Hall had promised that tho JNative Lands Court would be abolished, and all selling and leasing stopped. Mr Sheehan said ho would take an opportunity of referring to the subject at llio next sitting. LOCAL ASTAIB3. . Replying to Mr Stevens, Mr Oliver eiiid no instructions had boon given for the reruovul from Christchnrch toDunedin of the Commissioner, accountant, and cashiers oi tho department of the Middle Island railways. ltuplying to Mr Moss, Mr Oliver eaid the matter of taking steps to open up communication between Cambridge and Lake Jiotorua by way of To Papa, would be considered before estimates were brought down. SUB3IDIEB TO LOCAL BODIES. Inferring ts Mr Fulton, Major Atkinson said the subsidies now duo to various local bodies in the Taieri County would be paid so aoon as the Deficiency Bill had been negotiated. BAILWAY .MANAGEMENT.

.Replying to Mr Baio, Mr Oliver said the question df placing a sum of rabney on the estimates for the purpose of fencing the railway line from Bluff harbor to Win ton was engaging the attention of the Department. The matter was one of broad application, and to make provision in that scale would involve a very serious cost, and would therefore have to be carefully considered. Keferring to Mr Murray, Major Atkinson said the Government are disposed to pay to the local governing bodies in the Provincial District of Otago, the £54.000 of the late Government, and which the Public Accounts Committee reported belonged to the Provincial District- of Otago, and that it would be paid on the negotiation of the loan.

THE WELCOME £5,000,000. Beplying to Mr Mtirray, Mr Hall said the Government bad received information regarding the negotiation of the £5,000,000 loan, but it bad not been completed. A telegram oa the subject, however came to hand last night, which could be laid on the' table for perusal. OTTE STANDING ABMY.

Eeplying to Mr Murray, Mr Hall said there were no volunteers under arms at the present time in New Zealand with the exception of the Thames. Eeplying to Mr Tole, Mr Hall said the Government would lay before the House a return showing the amounts paid to various bodies having the control of reserves under the Public Domains Act for the year ending 30th June last.

LOCAL INDUSTRIES. ' Replying to Mr Levin, Mr Hall said the Government would appoint a select committee to inquire into the best means of promoting and encouraging manufactories end local industries in the colony. BILLS INTBODUCED. The Wanganui Endowment School Bill; and the Lyttelton Harbor Board and Corporation of Lyttelton Exchange Bills were introduced and read a first time. Mr Ballance introduced the former, and Mr Allwright the other. BBSTJMED DEBATE.

Mr Sheehan resumed the adjourned debate on the question of leave to introduce the Electoral Bill. He said the Government did not; command the confidence of the majority of the House, and they thought it was not right that they should be allowed to bring in that measure; as it was really and truly a measure of the Liberal party, and the Government in office did not belong to that party. They had simply taken the measure from their predecesiors, because they knew that the country demanded such a measure. He would therefore move the previous question, but before doing bo, asked if it were carried could a similar measure be introduced that session.

The Speaker replied that it could. Mr Sheehan then moved the previous question.

Mr Hall wished to explain the course he intended to pursue. The Government proposed that before the want of confidence motion was taken they should be allowed to place their policy before the House, and a correspondence on the subject, between the Government and leader of the Opposition, was read. He had now to state that if they allowed the Government the present week to bring up their Bills, they would agree to the noconfidence motion being brought on on Tuesday. ' .

Mr Macandrew said if they would agree to take the motion on Friday he thought the matter could be arranged. Mr Hall replied that the Government could not possibly be ready by Priday. The Native Minister was busily, engaged preparing for his statement; he was at work from 10 ■ a.m. till 2 o'clock in the morning, and it would take all the week to complete his enquiries. Mr McLean thought the Government proposal a very reasonable one, and expressed his opinion that when matters were enquired into by the Government the Opposition would be only too glad to retreat from the position they had taken nPMr Moss suggested that the statement of tho Native Minister should be made during the course of the debate on the no confidence motion.

Mr Seddon urged that the Government should allow the no-confidence motion to be broueht on at once. In the event of that course not being adopted he counselled that all business should be obstructed so as to force them into the course he proposed. > Mr Pitc said it seemed simply to be a question as to who would have the honour of passing the Liberal measures. The House had been returned to pass these measures, whereas in tho present spirit of parties it would be impossible to do so. He urged them to agree to some course of action that would enable the business to proceed.

Mr Murray deprecated the action of the Opposition, and expressed an opinion that the offer of the Government was a fair and reasonable one.

Mr Wakefield pointed out that the effect of the amendment being carried would be that the whole week would be wasted without any business being done at all. Kven after the no-confidence debate ,was carried, he looked forward to the work of the session being carried on with a great deal of difficulty.

Mr Speight urged that the no-confidence vote should be taken without delay. In voting for the amendment, he maintained that they were bringing the business to a focus, and that, in the present state of aftaiw, was a very important step.

Mr Header Wood said the Government hnd had ample opportunity for laying before the Home, inul to show hi 3 impartiality, he would admit the Electoral Bill was a decided improvement on that brought down bj' the kte Government last year. Ihey had, therefore, had all that they asked for. and there was no reason why they should not proceed with the motion for no-confidence. If the House had no confidence jn tho Government, it was nonsense to speak about proceeding further than they hnd gone. There would bo no us« of Native Affairs Statement until the Government by whom it was brought down had asserted its position in the House. t1 Col. Trimble contended that whether tho no-coiifidcnco motion came on that day week or that day fortnight it was necessary that the Government measures should bo brought down as a record- He argued that it was of great importance that Ihe Government should take time to mature its measures, and hoped that they would not consent to any proposal that might prevent thatcourse being pursued. Mr Sutton and Mr liussoll both spoke in supoort of the views urged by the Government.

Mr Whitaker moved adjournment of tho debate.

Mr Hall said what the Government contended for was that having come into, office with a majority they should have an opportunity of placing their measures on the records of the House. That, he contended, was no waste of time, and that was what they were determined to do. As a constitutional principle they were' entitled to do that, and it was of the greatest importance in laying the foundation of representative institutions in a young colony that a principle of this kind should not be violated. What the Opposition said was this, " You had a majority lately, we have got that majority now, therefore at our bid you are to leave the benches." The whole question was this* whether they would take the vote oh Friday or Tuesday, all the difference in the dispute was one single sitting day. For the sake of this one sitting day they were asked to lay down a wrong constitutional principle. It was an indecent scramble for office, for the Opposition so soon as they had made one or two conversions outside the Hrmse that they should take the course they have adopted. Had the Leader of the Opposition had his own way ■ho believed the proposal for delay would have been agreed to at once. Mr Macandrew said that his real object was not place or power, but to assist in establishing really Parliamentary Government by party. Mr Bowen said that the conduct of the Opposition suggested to his mind that they wanted to prevent tho policy of the Government being made known to tho country, and by that means prevent new members, by a species of terrorism, from being brought fairJy within- what had been designated party lines. It was monstrous to say that the very men whose administration had been condemned should have the power to say that a Government commanding the confidence of the country shall not be allowed to disclose its policy.

The debate was interrupted by the 5.30 adjournment. .