WELLINGTON.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 247, 24 October 1872, Page 8

WELLINGTON.

(From* q, Correspondent.) *"' -

October 14>,

You Jiaye' no doubt heard ' that Yogel has again nip ceded in grasping the reins qF the state-coach. The four weeks he was out of office, he did little else thsl go &bou,t the lobbied and committee .rooms, butfcon-hbling rijeroberp, It was natural tp ejfpect that when Stafford got into poweh

his party should gain strength,, and that the Yogel party should get weaker and weaker. But the reverse of this is exactly, .what happened. And it js explained by the indomitable perseverance of Vp?gel himself in whipping ppth his. party and . other members as well. It was at the evening sitting of Friday week, that he came down with his want-of-confidence motion.. The speech was a very tame affair, full of i abuse and misrepresentations/as usual. He spoke for about two hours. When he sat down, Stafford said that he did uot wish to continue the debate, and that he should prefer to take the division at once. The Speaker gave the usual adjournment, to allow the two ■parties time to come to an understanding. When the House met, the division was taken, and the motion was carried by a majority of two. I have heard it said that if Stafford had insisted on taking the division immediately after Vogel's speech, the result would have been different. The three men, who, by their votes, assisted in placing Stafford in power, and, who a few weeks afterwards, voted against him, have not yet offered any explanation to the House as to their conduct ; and they, therefore, occupy a very unenviable position. They are looked upon with distrust by both parties. - They are usually spoken of as the "three rats." One of the rats is a Maori. I am happy to. tell you that all the Otago men were true to their parties. The Maoris are a, great nuisance in the House. They have held all session the " balance of power " between the Government party and the Opposition. The House is full of Maori doctors, that is, men who talk Maori, and whose sympathies are with the Maoris. They are men who can command only their own votes, so far as the European members are concerned. But to add to their own importance, they all plume themselves on the influence they can exercise over the Maoris. \l need scarcely tell you that none of the - Maori doctors are from Otago. It has just occurred to me that I am not quite correct in this observation. Macandrew cannot speak Maori, but he endeavors to keep up a half-colloquial and halfsymbolic conversation with Taiaroa, a Maori who has his head-quarters at the Otago Heads, and who unfortunately has a seat in the House. There is little o*oubt that he exercies a certain a,mountof influence over Taiaroa; butit is equally true that he does not exercise the very slightest influence over any other member from Otago. What with the Maoris, who from their want of knowledge of the English language, are not able to form an independent opinion, and the .Maori doctors, who are always endeavoring to influence the Maori mind-, it is almost impossible to carry on a responsible government with Maoris in the House. lam sorry to tell you that a Mnori Bill was carried through the lower branch of. the Legislature, giving the Maoris another member, which will simply have the effect of increasing the difficulty — already too great — of carrying on Parliamentary Government. Two Maoris have also been appointed to the Upper House, very much to the anuoyance of some of the Lords. However, it is a much more suitable place for them than the Housj of Representatives, because the Lords have nothing to do with money matters.

Well, Mr. Stafford's Government were ouly four weeks in office. It is deeply to be regretted that they were thrown out; but still, they did a great deal of good duriug the short time they held the reins. They have dragged to light many things which would- have remained shrouded in darkness for many a long day. Several disclosures will yet be made, which they had not time to lay before the public ; and in regard to which they were to some extent influenced by the feeling, that it was scarcely fair to strike men " when they were down."

I need, not tell you who the new Government are, as the wires have flashed their illustrious names to all parts of the colony, e\&en the most remote. I daresay the names are new to you from that of the Premier downwards, with the exception, of course, of the illustrious Julius ; and by the way, also, that " political weathercock," Bathgate. The Premier is a Mr. Waterhouse. He has a run at a place called Waidrap, about sixty miles from Wellington. He is, it is said, very much respected at Waidrap, and in the event of, -a vacancy occurring for the House of Representatives, he would very probably be returned. But except to the people of Waidrap, and to some extent Wellington, he is an' entirely unknown man. He came to the colony only about three. years ago. For some years previously I ,"] have heard 'it said, he was a member of, the South -Australian Legislature, and had even attained to the pdsijbion of Premier. But. South Australia is a small colony, with a revenue not iniich beyond the Ee.ye.aue of Otago ; -if-to the purely provincial ire vjejHiej; yb'u/add, its contribution 4tbercJSiasftU'dated revenue,, ;r Bus although* wf-' have • this- general * information, ' we seem to-be entirely in the. dark as to the party he played in this said South" Australian Legislature, And this is the liaan. fco, whom Yogel haa^given the .Premiership J of the colony -»• a man entirely unknown in connection with the colonjjiation of $<?• country j a

man whose reputation, is entirely confined to the locality in which he resides, and a man who has never yet condescended to offer his services .to a constituency. He is entirely indebted to Mr Yogel for his political position. He was pitch forked into the Legislative Council by Mr. Yogel, and he was pitch forked into the Premiership by Mr Yogel. And this is the man who is to act as a drag on Mr Vogel's extravagance. Atleast, if be does not so act, it is very evident that there is no other member of the "Cabinet who will act in that capacity. Many.who &re well qualified to judge of the personnel of the Fox- Vogel and the Waterhouse-Vogel Governments, are of opinion that the latter is the worse of the two., Fox at all events had the advantage of being the representative of a constituency, and they are not indebted to Yogel for his political position, but if Waterhouse interferes much with Yogel, he may expect the latter to turn upon him, and twit him with this — which is only 1 too true, that it is to him he is indebted for his very political existence. By the way a curious paper has been laid upoti tLe table. It has just been printed and circulated. Should a copy of this wonderful document" reach you, I should advise you to glance over it, and transfer to your own pages a few of the most important figures. It is entitled "Return of travelling expenses for tho financial yea* 1871-1872." Tt appears that no less a, sum than £28,343 10s lOd was expended in this manner during the past financial year. In this precious document our friend Julius, who is ever foremost in all matters connected with extravagance, figures to the tune of £4,258 10s sd. This is exclusive of the expenses of Ebenezer Fox his secretary, which amounts to £330 9a. The expenses of Featherston, "N6w Zealand's great deserter," amount to the trifling sum of £1732 0s 7d. " That's the way the money goes, pop .goes the weasel."

In easting my eye on what I have already written, I notice there is one matter regarding which I should like to make a remark. 1 have said that Stafforc} did not reply to Yogel. Stafford- has been blamed for this, and perhaps deservedly so, especially as there was a doubt as to which way the division would go ; But it must be recolected that the no-confidence debate brought on by Stafford himself continued for three weeks ", that it was extremely desirable to get ou with business and that another debate 'would probably be more perconal and more acrimonious than the former one had been.

The members are now getting very tired of Wellington. It will be difficult to keep them together much longer.

I presume Thomas Luther Shepherd is known to some pxtent in your district. The Government have intimated their intention to have a " Minister of Mines." It is generally understood that Thomas Luther is the coming man for this department I have no doubt the appointment will give great satisfaction on the goldfields of Otago, where the honorable gontleinan* is well and favorably known.