WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 240, 5 September 1872, Page 6

WELLINGTON GOSSIP.

Evening Star's Correspondent.) August 20.

Mr Ormond's Public Works statement was a clear and lucid explanation of works done and contracted for, and what the Government proposed doing in the future. The expenditure on railway works, roads, immigra. tion, and water supply to goldfields was clearly placed before the House. He shewed that in the nine months a great amount of work had been done malgre the exceptional position in which the Government had been placed as regards these works. The statements that vast sums, ranging from one to two millions had been expended without any result originating in the wild imagination of opponents to the Government, were entirely without foundation ; and with the view of placing before the House and the country the real state of the case, he had summarised the whole expenditure of public works and the results. He shewed that out of the L 805.023 placed to the credit of public works account it had been reduced by discount and charges, interest and sinking fund, buildings and English 'agency, to the sum of L 719.957 actually available for public works, and for this expenditure a most satisfactory return can be shewn. The details of this expenditure will occupy too much of your space, and as that statement will be printed, I thit»k it unnecessary to go into details. Suffice it to say that the nouse seemed to be agreeably surprised. The amount of road making in the North Island appears to have been very large ; 550 miles had been opened, besides more in progress : and, on the West Coast of the Middle Island, 69 miles were in pro gressand partly opened Of railways, 386 miles were surveyed and prepared for contract. The items on North Island land purchases, extension of telegraph, and subsidy to Road Boards and other works, all go to show how the money has been expended. Then in regard to immigration, so far as Otago was concerned, he stated that the arrangements entered into by the Provincial Government and their Home agents would be carried out as formerly, and that the Scotch and Irish immigrants would be shipped from the Clydt The Colonial Treasurer, in the evening sitting, bronght down his financial statement to a full House. He explained why he brought down his statement to the House in face of a vote of want of confidence motion being tabled. He had made a promise to the House, and he would abide by it, aud the information it contained, he would gladly make a present of to the hon. member, Mr Stafford He congratulated the House on the improved state of the finances of the Colony, for he had not now to speak of deficiencies or of impaired revenue. Last session, when he reviewed the results of the year 1870-71, he led the committee to understand there would be a deficiency of L 136.000, but he was glad to say the deficiency was less by L13,00d, the reduction being mainly owing to savings in connection with the reserve fund. The House authorised the issue of Treasury bills for L 45,000 at one year, and a like amount »t two years, so as to cover the deficiency, the balance to be paid cut of current revenue, which accordingly had been done, and provision would be made out of the revenue of this year to meet the L 45.000 Treasury bills coming due. He then alluded to the loans— how they had been negotiated, and showed how applied. In concluding his remarks on this subject, he said be wished hon. members to understand that provision was made for payment during the year to the sinking fond of L 66,000 on Colonial loans, and L 40.000 on Provincial loans r-_- those payments representing the sura which the Colony and the Provinces provided for reducing the public debt. In regard to revenue he shewed that material prosperity marked every department The actual revenue for the year was LI 007,400, against the estimated revenue L 990.000, the returns of the previous year being L 936.000, being an increase on the estimates of LI 7, 000, and an increase on the previous year of L 71,000. The exports also during the year had largely increased ; gold and wool showing more particularly an increase both in quantity and value. The exports during the year had exceeded those of the previous year l»y the large sum of tl, 181,000. lii« Treasurer largely entered into statistics, shewing the position of the Colony in all its aspects, making favourable comparisons as regard trade and commerce with Victoria, New South Wales, and the Home country. On sitting down, Mr Yogel was loudly cheered, as the favorable statement took everyone by surprise, after the alarming rumors that had been spread broadcast over the country. As no doubt you will give your readers the speeches of both Mr Ormond and Mr Yogel in extenso, it will be unnecessary for me to enter into them more fully. lam happy to say that both statements were listened to with patient; attention by a full House of members'; the' galleries being crowded with membeis- of the other House,* and the strangers' galleries overflowing.

August 21. After the ordinary business of the day had been proceeded with, all was expectation to hear the charges to be brought against the Government by Mr Stafford in his want-of-confidence motion. His supporters were ■well managed by his whip, Mr Ingles, so as to give him an ovation, and it was amusing to observe the by-play adopted. Mr Stafford, evidently to produce an effect, had gone out of the House a few minutes before his motion would come on, so as to give his supporters an opportunity to cheer him on his entrance before being called upon to speak to his motion... It is alleged that Mr Stafford has no policy, but this is » mistake ; for this was about as good a political dodge as could be devised, and well showed the tactics of the political school in which he has been trained. He said, in rising to move the resolutions of which he had given notice, that he was fully sensible of the responsibility which at all times attached to any member who submitted a motion calculated to displace the Government of the day. His motion was expressly against the administration by the Ministry snd against that special course of policy, which the Legislature authorised them to enter upon the execution of. The question of failure not only meant the failure of the Government, but the disastrous failure of the country ; and at no previous period in the history of the Colony, since responsible Government had been initiated, had so much depended on the mode •f administration as now. At the last general election there was no doubt whatever that the country, by a considerable majority, gave its sanction to the . policy enunciated ; there was, therefore, imposed on Ministers a very grave and responsible duty, and it was incumbent on them to do all that lay in their power to see that these great works were discreetly and economically administered ; and the time had now arrived when they should consider how far these expectations had been fulfilled. Mr Stafford went en to say that the idea of this great scheme of colonisation and public works was fairly taken np by one prominent member of the Government, and was attributable to his | vast inventive and brilliant imagination, but while giving him credit for these, as well as for hiti great zeal and real henesty of purpose, he **f not that lUadinev of action in ad*

ministratioa, nor had he that prudent' foresight, which would enable him to calculate carefully before he commenced his • operations. He alluded to the Sen Francisco Mail Service as hasty and ill-considered: to the Brogden contracts and the bringing of Mr Brogden to the Colony, also to their bad -effect upon administration, te the Ministry' beiug away .indifferent parts of the country, and to the neglect that Government had shewn in not availing themselves of Provincial Government information. He was not satisfied .with the immigration arrangements, and while not objecting to the foreign element, he thought that the complaints about the exclusion of Irish mxoigrauts were well founded. He said the old practice was being pursued of- drifting the Colony into debt, not for carrying oat the the great scheme, but in the direction of increasing the Civil Service. He was aware that if the motion were carried, a change' of Ministry must take place, and felt thai he had been urged to make the motion by others, and he therefore took the responsibility, as a sweeping reform was necessary, which it was hope. ess to expect from the gentleman at present occupying the (jjovernment beaches. Both, in and out of doors Mr Stafford's speech was considered a great failure. There were no direct charges made, but mere vague generalities, and he evidently appeared as an advocate on a false issue, raised by a number of men who have been long in the outside shade of Government pay and patronage, and by othorß who show upon all occasions a personal animosity against one or ether of the Ministry. His charge was more an attempt to implicate the capacity of Ministers to carry out the scheme that they had originated, and to prove that he and his friends would do it much better. However, the friends of the Government think that they, the Ministry, have done wonders in the short time they have had, since last session, to initiate the Publio Works and immigration scheme. At for the San Fraucisco service, at one time it was by many considered as a great boon to the country, and the failuie of the contractors to carry out their part of the contract cannot be laid to the charge of the Government, for "the best laid schemes of mice and men gae aft agley." Otago friends cau and will recoguise how many undertakings, both of a private and public character, an beset with difficulties unforeseen. Takt the Dunedin Water Works, for instance, also the Gas Works, aud the Otago Steam shipping Company ; their Provincial roads, bridges, and lastly the Ciutha railway and the bundling of the Provincial Government, as well as that most unsatisfactory affair, the Invercargill and Winiou Railway. The Premier, Mr Fox, in rising te reply, said the resolutions were of the vaguest character, and 01 a nature which he thought hardly weighty enough to induce the House to turn out a Ministry that had been doing their work for yeais. lie found himself 111 the position of having nothing of a definite character to reply to. One point was that the Government had fallen abort of Mr Stafford's expectation in- the carrying out ot the Public Works scheme. The speeches of the Colonial Treasurer and Minister for Public Works were at variance with the statements made by him, and telegrams of a satisfactory nature had been received from all parts of the country. The difference between his colleague and the hon. member was, as he had stated, the one having a brilliant and inventive genius, but the other (the member for Timaru) had none of the brilliant imagination or foresight with which he had credited the Treasurer. On his assuring the House, in 1868, that the Colony was in a state of peace and tranquility, two wars broke out, one on the East Coast and one on the West, for neither of which he had the prudence to make any kind of preparation. He alluded to the San Francisco service, and felt proud of being connected with a Ministry which had initiated a direct service with that great country America. In regard to the absence of Ministers from Wellington, he reminded Mr Stafford that in one of his Ministries, Mr Fitzherbert was absent eighteen months in .England, whereas the longest petiod Mr Yogel was absent was six months. He denied that the Government had refused to avail themselves of Provincial organisations, and he had the authority of the Ministers of Works for both islands in giving it an emphatic denial. Although the Immigration scheme, lie admitted, had given, me to &ome dissatisfaction, he assured the House that it was their desire to carry it out so as to make it a success. In the member for Timam's speech there was a topic conspicuous for its absence. The Government had, by the able direction of their Native Minister, saved the country from internecine war, and if he (Mr Stafford) expected to secure the service* of that gentleman in the event of his succeeding in ousting the present Ministry, he would be grievously disappointed Mr Fox on sitting down was loudly cheered. Mr Reid followed. He could not help remarking upon, the sneeriug character of the speech of the Premier after the gentlemanly speech of the member for Timaru. This was very good of Mr Reid, causing a laugh at his own expense, as no one in the Mouse is given more to Bneering than Mr Reid himself, and his interruptions by ironical cheering of speakers opposed to him are most remarkable. His antipathy to Mr Yogel and Mr Fox is shown in this way. After he had made some remarks upon some points of Mr Fox's speech, he entered into the Public Works pcheme, strongly condemning the admiuistration of it by the Government He raised many charges against them, alluding more particularly to the giving over of the works on the Ciutha and Invercargill and Mataura Railway to Messrs Brogden. He tried to prove that the works would have been contracted at a lower price by local contractors. He alluded to an offer made by Messrs Proudfoot of ~Dunedin, offering to construct the Dunedin railway at 7i per cent below the engineer's estimate. He forgot to tell, however, under what circumstances the offer was made and when it was made. It is, understood the offer was made sometime last year, when it was known by the offerers that these lines were to be constructed by Messrs Brogden, agreeably to a vote of the House last session, giving them the construction of railways to the amount of one million of money. On the whole, Mr Reid's figure* and statements nude an impression on the House, and you could hear the inquiry made, " Can this be true, for if go we must condemn the Government." After he sat down there was a considerable pause, the House expecting that the Minister of Works for the Middle Island would reply to the grave charges made. This, however, he declined to do, wishing to put himself and the Government right with the House at a later period of the evening. Mr Reeves moved the adjournment of the House, so as to give -him an opportunity on the following day to rebut the charges. .This he most ably did, and the charges, made by Mr Reid fell to pieces. When a clear and practical explanation was given, the House saw at once that Mr Reid had gone on wrong, data, and had come to false conclusions thereon. Mr McGillivray said he admitted that the Agent-General was haidly the man for the position ; but he saw in Ministers of the day a good deal of ability and honesty of purpose, and before he would vote against them he would like to we a better set of mem to fill their places. Mr Bunny closed ' tbt debate. He had

many ohaegw tin make against Ministers. L&t year this gentleman was the Government whip ; ( but because he, as Provincial Secretary for the Province, along with Mr Fiizherbert, could not get their little swindles, as Mr Reynolds calls them, carried out by the '( government, these two gentlemen have thought fit lo desert; fnin the Government ranks, and. join. Mr Stafford— either they jor Mr Stafford g vingin, the one being a strong Centralist, and' the Wellingbonians extreme Proviucialists.

In finishing this letter, I may as well tell you a good retort that -was made by one of the Otago members. It happened thus :—: — Mr Bunny had seated himself on a rather rickety chair, which, on noticing, he said, was as bad as the tottering Ministerial benches. The retort quickly made was: " Yes ; it has become shaky by the undermining of the Wellington rats"— a reply which completely nonplussed him, and caused much laughter and amusement at his expense