THE WANT OF CONFIDENCE VOTE.

West Coast Times, Issue 285, 22 August 1866, Page 2

THE WANT OF CONFIDENCE VOTE.

On the 14th instant the debate on Mr FitzGerald's resolution was closed by Mr Moorhouse moving an adjournment, and on the following day it accordingly devolved on the member for Westland to resume the discussion.

Mr Moorhouse said that last night he had moved the adjournment t>f the debate for a particular purpose, because it was evident that the teniper of the House was such as not to admit of proper discussion. The resolutions were intended by the hon. member to take the opinion of the House upon the competency or policy of the gentlemen at the head of affairs. At the request of some gentlemen, he was going to move resolutions that evening, which, he thought, would embody to a greater degree the intentions of the mover of the original resolutions proposed by Mr FitzGerald. In adopting this course he wished it to be understood that he was a very inferior judge as to what was or was not the best policy. Ib was his desire to give hon. members an opportunity of speaking on the competency or policy of the members of the Ministry. For his own part, he could find many gentlemen who were better capable of administering the affairs of the colony than those by whom the present Cabinet was composed, He would not, however, particularise anyone. . It was not any wish of his to exclude the hon. gentleman at the head of affairs, but it was evident weakneas existed in the Ministry as at present constituted. In putting forward an amendment, it was his desire that no time should be wasted in unnecessary discussion.. Already they. had been six or eight weeks in sesoion— -he had paid his landlady six weeks— (laughter)— but although they had been in session so long, what had been done ? Absolutely nothing. The work of the session was yet to be commenced. He had consulted with several bon. members, and it was deojded fjjat to save time, as he

Mtjip MM Jie inleni'ed to put before ttie House. He believed thai the policy of this House was already settled, eicgjjt $n point of. vote. .lie would .aat tfi, Speaker to rule whether iJrnot h'eMd Hlh tf^ mfcn t tJt^ehlly. fcries of" Head It. ) It was , a very ren\arkabje amendment (laughter), and ran asfollows: -- u .rhat some ojE the. .member.s.t»f theMimstxy do^not • jpowew the 9onfidepee..Qf this IfeuM. 1 ' If. howevefi a Jredonatru^ tibn «if, thfe Ministry should .be brought ab6ut, and he (Mr Moorhouse) sent f or bv> ' his Excellency (laughter), he would ad- ■ vise him to send for the hon. gentleman at the head of the.present^dministrationi TO th««;)t h ««;) 1.% hQPPd they, shoM otndioiisly ,aVold making remarks thai might call forth unnecessary debate. He :! would make no further remarks, and would conclude by asking the Speaker if hid amendment couldT)e put at once. The Speaker ruled in the negative. Mr Parleton suggested that Mr Moornouse should poet his amendment in th« lobby for the inforniatid.h of rnembef3 ' '' . Air T6gel thought tbdt the hon. member fdr Westland (Mr Moorhouse) had moved Hs amen.dmentior tjie purbose of evading discussion ( .Ttye Hdn. ( member, seemel to h^ve a desire to have questions turned out of the House without discussion, and carrtt his particular views ii? an indiract manneri It was folly to say that Mr Moorhouse had *?V? V «x hi ? '. a V ack gainst, any irtemlffeFidl the Executive, while on the other hand the hon. member for Christchurch (Mr FitzGerald) had made an unmietakeable attack on the hon. gentleman at the head of the Government in his resolutions He did not think that the member for West, land had takett a pi-Bpef course in coming dowh to the HdUse, a.nd erideiVoring td , ?etjßeilj opinions by what he might teraj a side- wind,. Mr Yogel proceeded at conl siderdtile length, and Concluded amidst the general cheers of the House.

eers of the House

After some formal divisions preparing the way for the main issue to be submitted to the House, -■' ■ Mr Moorhouse satf, that at a pre-'vTouT " hout ; he had intimated His intention ofbfingitjg forward ,a, resolution of the subject before ,the,. House. He would move, without further, jeraark— S' that ithe Ministry a* ,at preamt . cqnstitut*!, ddei ' notioossfesfi &$ confidence; ofc the IM?!' Major Richardson asked the indulgence of the House, while he put a question to the gentleman at the head of the Government. He would wish to ask, what were the views of the Government on"the question. (Laughter.) .The Hdh. Mr' Stafford .said that ttie Government woiild. b-e.wagting in rtspec? fonatself if it, did not reply! ' , , . Tlie^Won^JVlr Joll^ -rose tp reply o^thg . Question. He Jiad had very little tinje,'a'U Ipwed to. hira^. tp fianie f the finanqial stater meat whiahjieh^ flubmittect to-the H»usAj . , but tie llop-ea ttiat it presented m as deaf a ' manner as possible, the affairs of the colony. It happened that it was within a quarter of an hour before he was called upon te make that statement that he 'had. p6eit supplied tirith same ,o£ the data thai was rifctjFsary tt» !*naßU him" to make J»3 statemeiit ; and he did not for a moment doubt that it contained its defects and ■hortcomings ag to details. . He had no desire to say a word that was personal either to the gentleman who had headed he" late (JdverrimeHt dr dtiy of his bQU eagUeb, Mt it bjic^me bJs d"t% 18 refeif id ;he Estimates of, thai; Government; y/h^ sbepkipg of, those -brought for.wardiibs himself. THe Horii niernber! aftef dl:awlh| a comparison of the Estimates for this land the former year, explained that he had taken office through no sordid motives, but with a sincere desire to lend his poor seryieesto the hon. gentleman at the head Of th« Goverhtnent in the administration of .the affairs df ihe" colony, fpf his dtyh 1 pVrt he t carpd pot that he ah'quld le^avb Office to-morrow ; but Ke trusted that whatever Government might be in office', the, hon. leader of , the present Ministry would be at its head, He had .hoped that i .he cpald have &k\&. thip iftti^iiin we (A|? ! 4 absence, bnfas «he MA bBBn a liat'dner to his remarks, he trusted the House would pardon him for having given expression to them. (Hear, hear.) A 9 he said before, be did not care if he went out of office next day, so lotttf as" hx«; removal would conduce to the nubile good: fpi 4 It Was a " bed bf Wse^.fßr nond t of Ihem to DB^mepersof thfe Gdyernmetit. , Tne.Hohi Mr Paterson (Postmasterj general), said t^at he had, neyeir iy, th§ <jourse of ( his public office sought forp'lace °F ,)^o,sitiori. . Sinpe he t ,had joined the Ministry. He had discharged the duties required of him to the best of his ability; and if it shoiild be his fate, to be displace!! it would not be too much for hi^n to lay thp.t^e Ile(blhe;aenai:tpßn^ w)th[w^ieti; hg was eohn^cted in as good a Condition aa he U<\ iound It. (Hear, hear.) , . „ „, The Hon. Col. Haultain said ' that he had not been anxious for office, but had been assured by his hon. colleague (Mr Stafford) that his services were required by him. If the amendment before the House were carried, he could only say that he would feel happy in vacating His seat in the Government. (Cheers.) t^ v [After some further debate, the division' took place with the result stated elsewhere.] , . ..,.,'-, . Q -r

T*he " Southland" Times 1 ' days :— v It is wltli regret we loam from our telegrams that^thg 1 . Zephyr has been unable to prosecute-hertrip-to Hobart Town. When she left the New River she was considered thoroughly s«a* worthy, and her", owners.oxpected^fhe-Wpyld-mako a splendid trip, although they had cte"> cided upon putting her on ,thj»i'atip~,in Tasmania, to be more completely repaired than tho appliances in Invercargill periiittefl j and one of the owners (Mr Livesey) left by the Otago on Saturday last, en rputeiov Hobarjs Town to superintend the work."

We quote, from Safurday's " Westlaud Observe*," th&t "At the FfveTfcile^each'-Soine fresh excitement has been caused this week by 'the prospects which have been obtained of a third lead extending along the tqrrace) insido of th© present workings. A number oF fresh claims were marked, off, '.ana* the holders are already at work, with encouraging prospects in several instances. ' The chief difficulty to' contend with is the water, f ; but - this is beingovercome by slabbing the paddockß, and, from the quantity of wash-flu^ (s.aid to be^seyfijal feet deop), good results "are expected. The claims are chiefly situated towards the south end of tho beaoh, and, with anything* liktf- a continuance of the prospects, there ir-iittle. doubt that, in that locality, there will ,be profitable wprk far a number of popple for » <•<>»';

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