HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3386, 29 October 1879, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

The House met at 2 30. THE CHBISSCHUBCH PETITION. ' Mr Fulton, the Chairman of the Christchurch Election Petition Committee, brought up the report of the Committee, which resulted in unseating Sir George Grey. , Mr Tole moved that the report and

proceedings lie allowed to lie mi the table with the view of ascertaining whether or rot the pri'CPPilings wt re conducted in accordance with the law.

The Speaker was übcut to rule that the motion could not be received, w lien .Mr Tole explained that he hiu] reason to beheve that the proem-dings were im»giilnr, as the vote of nil I lip members of the Committee on the question was luken with the exception of one, who delayed giving his vote for a day or two afterwards. In these circumstances lift argued that the member who had not recorded his vote was opeu to all manner of influences from the outsida public.

Mr Hislop spoke in favor of the motion, and argued thai there was nothing in the evidence to 'warrant the Committee reporting: the. sitting member was disqualified. Mr Fulton said the statement made bj the mover was in accord unco with the facts.

Mr Moorhouse stated that the question wan not put until the final rote wa9 received. Sir George Grey argued that he was j returned by the Chrisiehurch electors by ; a vote of 1350, and if the finding of the Committee was given eflvct to, it would practically disfranchise that large and important body of electors ; moreover he pointed out that if a petition of bribery ngaiost Mr Richardson were to be lodged, then the Acl provid d that such a petition must be made within 14 days of the election, In this ease no such peti > tioa could be sustained against Mr Kiehnrdson, an the 14 days had, in point of fact, transpired before it was decided i that he was entitled to the seat. The question that the finding of the Committee be sustained was put, and carried on the voices. The attendance of the Clerk of the Write was then summoned, and by the instruction of the Speaker, the name ot Sir George Grey was taken out, and that of Mr Richardson inserted. Mr Eichardson, who was in attendance, was then summoned, upon which Sir George Grey moved the adjournment of the House, but the motion was not allowed to be put. Sir George Grey then rose to a point of order, mid submitted that it was an order of tho House, and not that of the Speaker, which warranted the substitution of one name on the wiit for another.

Jhe Speaker ruled the question could not he sustained, when Mr Richardson was then formally introducer;, and took his seat. THE AUCKLAND COMPACT. Mr Hislop gave notice of a question relative to the terms of the agreement made by the four Auckland members for an appropriation of a sum of money to be spent on Public Works of that district, and also that .the detailed particulars of the works on which ■ the said sum of money is to be spent be furnished. In accordance with the resolution of the House calling for all correspondence between the ,Governmtnt and the Auckland members relative to the terms on which the Government secured the votes of four members, Mr Hall laid a document on the table stilting that there was no BUch lorrespondcnce on record. Sir G. Grey said that the report tabled was simply an evasion of the motion, and that correspondence of the kind hid passed between the Government and four Auckland members.

Mr'Hanilin moved the election of a select committee to inquire into the subject of the said correspondence. He argued that there were twenty members returned by Auckland, and these members had as much right as the four members in question to know what wore the terms of the compact.

Mr Whitaker maintained that the motion was one of which notice would have to bi* given. •

Mr Pi all argued that the motion was asking for something the House had no right to demand, und if given, effect to it wi'uld have to embrace all the correspondence and communication?, and negotiations passing between Government and any member of the House as well as previous Governments. He hoped they would not tolerate the absurdity of pressing such a motion. The House was practically speaking in possession of all the information that could be given, having been stated t>y Mr Header Wood on the laiit sitting day. Mr Swansou said tbat the whole affair was s delusion, and all the correspondence he had had on the subject stipulated nothing about money at all. What was to be done for Auckland was to be done with the sanction of the House. So far as he nai concerned, be was agreeable that the wholai thing should be published.

,Mr Moss said that the statement of the last member showed that there had been gome correspondence, whereas Mr Ball stated that there was no such correspondence.

Mr Hall said tiiat what he bad said was there was such correspond' nee to hand. He admitted a memo had passed between the Government and the four members referred to.

Mr Hollestbn said that what was aimed at was to bring up a correspondence of a non official character. They had l*een told by Mr Swanson tbat the correspondence .contained nothing of which any person need be asharord of, and, he hoped that tltat would be sufficient and the House should not commit itself to such an absurdity as that proposed. Mr Tole said that a serious scandal had been committed, and they now attempted to shelter themselves under the plt*a of private and cooßdential. He hoped the House would not submit to such a mere artifice being practised. Capt Oolbeck defended his conduct on the matter, and in explanation charged the Opposition with having deposed Sir George Grey from the leadership of the party. They had been sent to the Houso to transact the business of the country, and in taking the step he did ha con* tended that he was consulting the best means to carry out that purpose. The truth was, that now the Opposition- as a party had been broken up into a faction in consequence of having departed from the leadership of the only man who was able to lead them.

Mr Harris said that Auckland had been disgraced by the action of the four members, whose conduct was challenged. The Auckland members might learn their part now, but when they returned to their constituency they would meet with a very different reception. He would vote for the election of a select committee. Mr Lundon spoke in support of the amendment. The debate was interrupted by the 5.30 adjournment. COMMITTEE OF STJFPLY. On the motion for going into CommitU*

of Supply, Mr Macandrew said that had tho purpose of'the no confidence motion carried Hguinst the lute Government b^eu given pfiWt !o, and a reconstruction taken place, they would have I.ad a (Government on these 33< ncltcs possessing the confidence of the House, as:d the business would have been much more forward than it wns. Jiis party had bp«*n charged with, en incrensing desire for« fiici*; bu!, speaking for himself, he coula say that h« was not'led by any undue extent by a desire for office. liad the no confidence motion, of which he had given notice, come on in its proper course, he believed it would have been carried by a majority of six,and in ail probability they would have eventually commanded a majority of twelve. On the eve of the battle, however, they were defeated by one of their - lieutenants and some of their chief supporters. He denied the statement which' had appeared in print, to the effVct that overtures had been made for him to join the present Government. -He was a great ■■ advocate for party Government, and in that case he was not likely td be a party to such a proceeding. Without saying more, he would move that the Orders of the day be postponed, end the no-confi-dence motion be discharged from the Order Paper.

Mr Hall said thnt as a Government all' they desired was that they should have a fair trial, and he repudiated the respon* sibility of the delay that had taken place. He was well pleased at the turn events had taken, and expressed a hope that the House-would soon settle down in earnest to the business of getting the measures before the country passed into law. MOKE MOSSY. The notion lor going into Committee of Supply was put and carried, and in Imprest Supply Bill for £200,000 was passed and made an order of the daj fur to-morrow. THE END OF THB NO-COKPSDISCI MOTION. On resuming, the motiou number 29 on - the order paper, " That the Government does not possess the confidence of the House," was called, and Mr Macandrew, in whoso name, it stood, not raising to speak,' it was allowed to lapse. Mr Eollfston moved the second reading of the Land Act 1877 Amendment Bill, aud.in doing so he stated that be intended embodying t!i ■ provisions of the Special Settlement Bill in the measure. Mr Macandrew, in supporting the motion, expressed regret at the proposal to embody the Special Settlements Bill; He regretted that better provision had not been made by Parliament for the settlement of the country, and in con* draining the quantity of money spent on Public Works, he claimed a deep interest in the work of special settlements. Having given considerable attention to the subject, he strongly advised that the measure should be kept perfect by distinct powers being Sett in the hands of the Minister* of the day. Hitherto great difficulty had been experienced in under* standing the Land laws of the colony from * the fact that there were spread over a number of acts, and the Government was . anxious to get the. land legislation at much as po sible embodied in one bill. That was his reason for desiring that the special settlement Act should not be embodied in the Land Bill. The motion for second reading wai then put and carried. KBIT BILLS. The following bills were introduced and read a first time:—'l he River ton Drill Shed Reserves Bill; Hamilton Hall Site Act, 1578, Amendment Bill; bill to am* nd law relating to electors qualified to vote at elections of members of the House of Representatives ; a bill to provide for the representation of Maori people in the House of .Representatives ; a bill for the prevention of corrupt practices at election of number* of the House of Bepreaen* tatires; a bill to repeal certain enact* ments which have been consolidated in several Acts of the present session relating to the election of members; a bill to enforce and collect the duties on the estates of deceased persons. BECOM) HEADINGS, A bill to make provision for the trial of election petitions; the Auckland Loans G< nsolidation Bill; Slaughterhouse Act, 1877, Amendment Bill; .Napier Church Lands Trust Bill; were read a second time after which the House adjourned at 12.30.