HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Thames Star, Volume XIV, Issue 4550, 4 August 1883, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Wellington, Yesterday. Ministers said colonial blankets were of too superior quality to be used in Lunatic Asylums, but if the local manufacturers made suitable quality Government would give them preference.—The increased rote for Education last session was due to Mr O'Callaghan's exertions, and was for the purpose of restoring the 10 per cent, on teachers' salaries. Messrs Fish, Fergus, 0. Johnston, Dodson, and Swanson were added to the Committee on Education Petitions. The Volunteers Act Amendment Bill (Atkinson) was read a first time. Major Atkinson rose to move the resolution he gave notice of yesterday, for" appointing a ■Committee to -inquire into the charges made against himself and the Premier by Mr Dargavillo. In the interest of pabJic morality be held that an immediate inquiry should be made into the charges, which, if true, would render him unfit to sit in the House, and make him a criminal of a ircry.bad class indeed. He has a right to claim this, he thought, as a matter of justice from both sides of the House. —Mr Munro seconded.—Mr Dargaville thought Major Atkinson had lost bis head to place himself in such a humiliating position. Spleen and vindictiveness were now taking the place of reason with Major Atkinson. No doubt he bad spoken warmly, but he had not in any way exceeded the courtesy of debate in saying what he beliered to be true about Major Atkinson. He was quite prepared to stand by what he had said. Major Atkinson had framed hii own

ndicfment and named his own jury, and asked to be tried on it, and by them; such a thing had never been heard of. There could only be one result of such a proceeding. The motion raised a falße issue. He read from his notes the precise words he had used in his speech, and compared them with the terms of the resolu* tion. He had not accused either Messrs Whitaker and Eussell, or Major Atkinson of any abuse of their political positions. Mr Whitaker had no political position at the time referred to. He reviewed the whole fucfcs of the Loan Consolida-. tion proceedings, 1867, for their part in which Messrs Whitaker and Eussell, the solicitors to the bank, received £10,000 for ' their valuable services. He quoted Dr. Feaherstofl's speech on the subject in 1867, to show them what he had stated was fully justified. The country knew that the Bank of New Zealand kept the Treasurer in office; Did they want a committee to inquire into that ? He moved an amendment " That in the opinion of this House the implication contained in the Treasurer's motion did not arise out of anything said by the hon. member for Auckland City Wiest."—-The Hon. W. Johnston strongly supported the motion, and accused Mr Dargaville not only of slandering the Premier and Mr JRussell, but of libelling the House in the speech he had just made.—Mr Joyce urged the withdrawal;of the motions, and letting the matter drop.—Mr. Holmes thought the motion should be remodelled, and moved the following amendment:— To omit subsections numbers 1 and 2, and substitute in lieu thereof the following :—(l) Whether the allegations made apainst the Premier and the Colonial Treasurer contained in the uncprrected report of the speech of Mr Baigaville, made in the House on Tuesday, the 31st day of July, 1883, in the discussion on the Property Tax Bill, imputed any political corruption or personal dishonesty, or dishonor to either of those hon. gentlemen. (2) Whether those allegations are true.—Major A tkinson and Mr. Dargaville accepted this, but the latter urged that the Committee should be appointed by ballot.—Sir Geo. Grey suggested that the debate should be adjourned till the amendment was printed.—This was agreed to. ' Mr Turnbull resumed the debate, holding that Mr Dargaville had not gone further than the facts justified, but the statements made did not justify the inferences sought to be drawn from them. The Treasurer was so habitually rude to members on that side of the House that he was glad to see him chastised in the way Mr Dargaville had done it—Mr Fish did not think Mr Dargaville's words bore out the imputations assumed in the motion. To appoint a com* mittee would establish a precedent danger* ous to freedom of speech in Parliament. He urged that the matter should be allowed to drop. He objected to the composition of the committee, especially to. Mr Hurst being on it, as his enmity to Mr Dargaville was well known. He strongly condemned the strong terms used by Mr Johnston and Mr Muiiro, and thought it high time that it was established that such gross imputations as Mr Dargaville had made should not be made with impunity in thit House.—Mr Joyce said Mr Dargaville should place his charges in type, outside the House, and allow Major Atkinson to take his ordinary legal remedy. It was degrading for the House to carry on this discussion.—Mr Fergus pointed out that the action of the Government in regard to the Native Land Court Bill disproved the alleged influence of the Bank of New Zealand over the Government. The Treasurer was in duty bound for his honor, that of his party, and that of the House, to have the matter thoroughly inquired into.—Mr Fyke said that Mr Holmes' amendment having been accepted by both sides of the House, this wrangling should be stopped; either the Treasurer or Mr Dargaville deserved to be expelled from the House. It should be left to the' Committee now to arrive at the; merits of the case.—Mr Montgomery did not think there should be any Com* mittee of Inquiry at all. Mr Dargaville't words should have been taken down when they were spoken. It was contrary to the Standing Orders to take notice of them now, and the motion would establish a precedent dangerous to the freedom of debate. He moved an amendment to the effect that the words not having been taken down at the time they could not now, according to Parliamentary rules, be taken notice of;—Mr Moss thought the action of the Goverment in regard to the New Zealand Native Land Company's Bill was a triumphant reply to Mr Dargaville's accusation as to the charge of being under Bank influence. Did the Government intend to suspend themselves while they were being tried ?—Mr Connolly thought Mr Montgomery's amendment entirely foreign to the subject. The Standing Orders referred to words of heat or abusive, unparliamentary, words; the statements of Mr Dargaville were not of this character, but studied accusations of a most serious character.—Mr Shepherd thought the previous question should be carried, and the matter be dropped.—Mr Hurst urged the duty of sifting the charges thoroughly, unless Mr Dargaville himself withdrew them. He had no personal feeling against Mr Dargaville, but he would decline to act on the committee —Messrs Stevens and O'Callaghan sup. ported the motion, and Sir Geo. Grey said he would move that the Commitee consist of five members nominated by Mr Dargaville, and five nominated by Major Atkinson. r*t ojj • Lateb.—This d%., • Mr Seddon, in a long speeehi said it would be impossible now to prove what took place in 1867. He objected to government by committees, and thought that Mr Dargaville had already, by his amendment, disavowed any intention of imputine personal dishonor to the Treasurer or the Premier.—Major Atkinson said he was WlK ng T J <i a. coept a retraction and apology -Mr Petne supported the motion for a commit cc, unless the charges were nocon" ditionally retracted.-Mr Godson sJouS like, to see the matter settled.—At 12 45 o clock a division took place as to Whether Mr Holmes' amendment or Mr Montgomery s should be added to the preambla previously agread to. The former w « carried by 43 to 23—Major aSmJE asked leave to withdraw thepreamblX k -On the motion as amended beine «nk onthero:o e », The UquuT^l jgg,