PARLIAMENTARY

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VIII, Issue 2349, 17 July 1886, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY

(Ux'ited.Prnss Association.)

'LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

Mr Menzie's presented several petitions from Mr Warren of Dunedin against the Contageous Diseases Act. Mr Reynolds moved the second reading of the Civil Sewico Reform Bill, and at length explained the proposed measure. Mr Pollen strongly opposed the Bill, and counselled Mr Reynolds to consign it to the waste paper basket. Mr Mantoll moved the second reading this day six months. SirF. Whitaker morod tho adjournment of the debate to Tuesday. The motion was agreed to. The Hakateramoa Kaceeourse Bill was committed and reported with amendments. '

The Wellington Harbor Board Licensing Bill was read a third timo »and passed. - - The amendments of the House made in the Defence Bill were agreed to. The Local Bodies Loans Bill was wad a third time and passed, and the Council adjourned till Tuesday next.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Sir R Stout introduced the Representation Bill. Sir George Grey asked the Minister of Justice upon, whose recommendation wss ,Mr T. Slee appointed a Justice of thePeace, and what was the date of his appointment. Mr Tole said a local representation had been made on the subject. The date was June 8,1885. MrTurnbull moved the adjournment of the House on the,ground that tho answer was not satisfactory, Sir George Grey said he was not to be put off by an adjournment being moved, «nd proceeded to quote a letter by Mr Sice, printed in evidence taken by the District Railways Purchase Committee, in which promises jf remuneration were made to Major Steward and ■< — if they sold the railway debentures satisfactorily. .Ho oxplained it had become, known that Sir Julius Vogel's name was the original of the —, and he sub mitted Mr Slee's proposal was most improper, and ought to be punished. Sir J. Vogel asked permission to make a personal statement, explaining ho would have done so on Wodnesdav but for feoing taken by surprise at the Premier's resolution not being traversed by a motion for the adoption of the Committee's report. The paragraph of that report referring to him was most unwarrantable. He admitted that Mr Slee's letter was exceedingly improper, The evidence had utterly failed to establish that any member had any pecuniary interest whatever in reference to passing the Railway Purchase Bill. Major Steward could not have possibly known the Government would have purchased the debentures, On first reading the report he thought it implicated Mr Peacock, bnt in reading that gentleman's evidence, to his surprise he found the report was utterly inconsistent with it. He read a memorandum dated October 3rd of last year to the Secretary of the Treasury giving the reason which guided the Government in the purchase of the District Railway Debentures, and also others five days later Bhowing that arrangements had not been then definitely made to purchase, so he hud drafted a letter personally to the Waimate and Dqntroon Companies, but it was not sent, as' Major Steward appeared on the scene in the- meantime. He claimed that all these purchases had b*en a great bargain to the Government, and the account showed £BO,OOO to orodit, which it could not do, had not the negotiations been conducted with discrimination and. judgment. He denied the right of the Select Committee to comment upon the opinions held by the members whori they examined. Nobody would be safe if this could be done. Regarding privileges of members he quoted the practice in the House of Commons, in which it had lately been established by a large majority that Directors of Companies were free to vote) in questions m which they were directly concerned. Regarding the blanks in Mr Slee's letter he thought it an outrage to him whose name had been so used. If Major Steward had let him know this matter would have assumed a very different aapect, He considered the letter a contempt of Parliament, The Premier should confer with the Speaker and the leader of the Opposition as to whether the writer could not bo punished for daring to suborn a member of the Government, flo himself had given instructions to his solicitors to take ■ proceedings against two papers in Wellington for their comments on his behaviour. Mr Lance detailed a conversation with Sir J. Vogel to show that the latter then for the first time. learned that his name was the original of the blank in Mr Slee's letter.

Mr Thomson said surpriM had been oppressed that, as chairman of the committee, he had not defended his report, but he had heard nothing to reply to. The resolution of the Premier m his opinion confirmed the committee's report. He detailed the reasons whioh led him to take any part in the enquiry. When he first heard the rumors he thought them so serious that he at once said thoy ought to be looked into. The Committee was fair and impartial in constitution, and not one to be, warped by party consideration. He himself was reluctant toundertake the duty, but he thought they had done good work. All right minded men must feel these transactions were discreditable to all concernedr

Mr Garriok as a member of th» Commitfcee deprecated tho application by the Treasurer to members', of the Committee of such terms ut spitehil, vindictive, and disgraceful, which he had employed in the course of his speech, Th» hon. member then defended the report of the Committee clause by clause, using the most emphatic language.- He accused Major Steward of lobbying in-favor of the PurchtM Bill by.fair meui and toil

.•■ ■. '■ - I'.-.'.! .-■! v *' UiiV. »■ ' a 1 i'.iy'iH""' 1 ;' 11 A.*'.*»wyw| and getting the Wujninte lino ina-jitud at past 2in the morning.' He was also of opinion the Treasurer'ought to bate warned Major Steward of the.rlskjie ran of his motives being misunderstooM . Major Steward assorted the' •'YfßjiaJe liue was inserted tibout'll'at night, not' in the morning, fie concluded as Jio had done befoio that he felt hi had done 119. wrong, although he admitted he -might hare placed himself in a false position, and all trouble might hare, been avoided had he at .once withdrawn 'when (he Government came into negotiations. Wi JPere said it was too si'uch luck for one man to make £IOOO, and he mended to move that the mosey be. refunded f« the benefit of the sufferers by Hie «wp tion. . "['. _ Mr W.. F." Eucjdand quoted., {Km journals of she House to shoV Mr Garrick's statement as to the hour' whe» the Waimate line was restored to Sohedule Bill was oorreat, and ftajoy Steward was wrong. Mr Barron eorrfpkined of. KV. Julius Vogel's remarks regarding the 'ac&s of the Committee. Mr Bruce disclaimed any Men of beisg actuated by malice in his share "of tfce report, or that the Committee acted were as prosecutors than judges. Messrs Sutter and Fulton, alio setshers of the Commitfcoa, spoke ißgWmilaJ terms. ..' Hf ■ The debate was interrupted by tw £96 adjournment. .','.;:'

At.7.Spp.m. MrFulton.continued kit remarks to the offeofe that if. the committee really had-been, vindictive, they 'might have gone still further. They hi. thought it fairest to leave Sir' J. name blank in the lettor as' prihtesl, a member informed him 'fliat'-'Majof Steward himself it was who first,revealed the real name. ' "•'-•■' Sir J. Vogel interrupted 1 to say that his jeijiarke had sot/been ei all directed to the members' -it the Committee, but he was informs! thrt one at least' had openly «preej»d his regret that it could not ISe m'ase'-''? better for Voeel." (Cries of* natne.V • '••' Mr Fultoß said he spoke {« Kimsalf. He contended it was the Treasurer's tisfy to warn Majer Stewasd of the'lift it wa* running. ■ ~'-'•.•■"

After MrO'CoflnufwidMr % IWwt» had spoken, MVButyw atttil the committee had been btoifcd, and. $ flfaiihei effort had been made at one of its'-- ttfesfeings to bring Sfiijor Steward wifchin Uu Disqualification Art. In supporfcof tfy he detailed some of the proc*edingswhieh had taken plasa. explaining that be had consulted the Speaker as to the propriety in bo doing. tfjk Mr Bryce said'Mr Duncan's to his mind had pwved rftore.fchan'ariftlww else said m the debate of the fairp.si ; M the Commifctee,;for''M there -had;- beeW disposition to be toe severe it was wfdent when they came to draw up- ties report they had reasonable sad devoid of paiity spirit!. He took it ttat the feeling of the House • wm -unanimous that no member shbuHl be "engaged is transactions in w#Srj. Government were either buyers or sellers. Despite wh&k $* the Treasurer had said the.iresolution passed on Wednesday /-.distinctly etas blame, on him. He.(Mr Bryoe) went further than the Committee, for he held that if a Premier promoted the.pusige of any Bill from which he had oxpaef*tions, whether the Government; entered into the question or not, it. was wrong He objected to epithets applied 1 by w Julius Vogel to the Committee. "'He eon* siderad the Committee had done good servioe to the House and country. Messrs Kerr, Levastam, -and; Bevai also spoke on the question, v, Major Atkinson regretted tj»Bir J. Vogel had attacked the Comnltee in such a manner, in terms for which fee thought there was no greund. He had known Majoi Steward for many years, and always found him as good « his l word. When he first heard the, r.omonr» he disbelieved them. At the request K Major Steward he had carefully peVoiw the evidence, and he was bound to say, though with great pain it fully bore eat the report. Indeed he considered that Major Steward had no course but to demand further enquiry, for the • present one had dearly not gene far anoiiga. Mr Sice's letter waß of so gross a nature khat Major Steward, direotly he "revived ft ought to have immediately gone to Sir Julius Vogel and brought ft tinder the notice of. she House. Proecediija to the detajli 'of Major ■ •Stewwd transactions be argued that it/tfae p]af» Sir Julius Vogel could have 'come to terms with the companies without M&ie? Steward's intervention, and, .'practically, the-commission c«ne out of the- public chest. _ Major Stewafd's only hope of regaining the good name he had always borne was by refunding the money back to Government or the oompaniMJt They must be jealous of the good narH.of the House, and no member was' justified in taking-such a commission after ho had assisted by accident or not, in passing »n Act liko Hie District Railways Purchase. Major Steward himself hid admitted he ought to have retired, and he could not in good faith retain that money in his pookA' He disliked very much the letter me!» Honed in Mr Buckltnd'i evidence wherein mention w« made of L3OO or WOO to be paid to Major Steward for some purpose or other. This ought to be cleared w. He thought now they had boon too hatty in passing Wednesday's resolution, He protested in the strongest possible terras against the Treasurer's,- dictum thai it was right for members to engage in joeh transactions.

Mr Rollestra- eonsidered that if the Treasurer was sincere in hu viewa, lit ought to ask the House- to; feifasM ii» Committee's repori He was utisfied that the queetion'hiidljeenanyissed irirk a desire to asfhre at a fair eeatdmlon, ai4 also that the Committee's report' w« jus* and impartial. •■- < Mr Turnbull blamed the Qf>m'ijiitt«8 fej not drawing Sir Julias Vo?olV* ; alitei||i!« to the letter when he was ttiyiiwjriflenae before them. He thought the MWjw'i language had been perhaps totf^Song. The motion for the. adjournment, wsj then put and bit, and the orders of tie day called on, Sir G. Grey'i twdtsi question eonsequentljr wu shirt ont, Sir R, Stout introduced the R*pr*wn. tation Bill, ifii in an»*«r *j JJupj Atkinson, he said - Tie would m»b!l« statement on the second reading. 'f~The First Offender' Piojjation 881 mi passed through Ooinmlttwi, witi slight amendments. , ' The' Mining Bill m partially obisidered in Commiftw. At clause IBJ progress was reported, a»d th« House row ,■ at 1.40 ».m. ■.'■■, •, ■