WELLINGTON.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 522, 26 June 1869, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

THE DEBATE in the ASSEMBLY. (FE.OII oue own correspondent.) June 16. The first battle of the session has commenced. On Tuesday evening Mr Fox moved, " That this House has no confidence in the present Ministry." His speech on the occasion, which lasted from . seven I o'clock till ten minutes past nine, was very weak, and was admirably described by Mr Stafford, who said that " what was new was not true, and what was true was not new." The general impression throughout the House at its conclusion was one of disappointment, and members are really asking themselves whether Mr Fox is not worked out. There was no boldness, originality, close reasoning, scarcely even wit, to be noticed. An indecision marked every allusion to time, places, and persons. The policy of Ministers, which by this time has become pretty well known, was left unquestioned while individual acts were condemned in a hesitating way that must have damaged the speaker's reputation with his party. He said the House had to decide not on the fitness of the policy Ministers intended to pursue, but on' the merits of their actions since last session, and he believed they had permitted matters to drift on the East Coast into their present deplorable state without exercising prescience, vigilance, care, or ability. He blamed them for the way they had treated Mr M'Lcan, whom lie described as the one man capable of carrying on the pacification of the colony on the East Coast, and for having done so from the miserable ambition to retain office. He blamed Ministers also for their treatment of Colonel M'Donnell, and for the entire conduct of the West Coast campaign, in which matters had been allowed to drift, and through' neglect favorable opportunities for the establishment of a permanent peace had been sacrificed. Col. Whitmoro's operations were next criticised,andthoughhe gave that officer credit for energy, pluck, and zeal, he believed the result of his operations were by no means commensurate with their cost, and that matters had been brought by them to a far worse state than they were before. He alluded to apparent negociaf ions now being carried on by Mr Firth with King Tawhio, and hoped the Government did not give them their concurrence. Ho declared that the policy of the Government was such as to render it certain that a largo portion of the Kingite natives would join in the war when the fighting season came on. The Government were also blamed for not carrying out the self-reliant policy, and, at the same time, for not having ashed for assistance from the ships of her Majesty's Navy in New Zealand ports, and for not having asked for Imperial troops from home. He considered that the attitude of independence of 'the Home Government assumed by Ministers was one of the worst faults they had committed, and that independence w T as disgraceful, while the settlements in the one island were being destroyed, and while the colony was drifting towards bankruptcy. He then alluded very brief!/ to the evident intention of the Government to subvert Provincial Institutions, and their miserable failure to devise any scheme in substitution. The motion was seconded by Mr M'Lean, who reserved his remarks on the question till a later period of the debate. Mr Stafford then rose and said that the speech just delivered was one which must make the House ask, " Is this the leader of men, the saviour of the country, for whom we have been waiting ?" and there could be but one answer given with mingled feeling of disgust and disappointment. He had heard speeches by the member for Eangitikei, with some of which he had agree], while from others he had differred ; but they all had carried their hearers with them. He could not but recall to memory the time when, in a crisis far less grave than the present, both sides of the House had united to support the hon. member's Government. On a second occasion of Mr Fox's temire of office, when he and his agents were traversing the country, establishing runangas (since proved to be the curse of the Colony) both parties had cordially assisted him in his work. On that occasion he had unlimited supply . of money —he had three millions of that loan under which we are now groaning, and he spent it like water—and he had further, what

no ministry before or since has Lad, the unanimous support of the House. At that time the war was confined to one spot, and was at no time more than 90 miles from Auckland, between which city and the scene of war there were 15,000 troops to relieve him of auy anxieties such as now pressed heavily on Ministers. The position of the present Government is far different, with a war on each coast, with little or no funds, and with the necessity of carefully watching the centre of the Island, where matters were in such a state that war might break out there at any moment. It had not broken out there yet, hut no one would be hardy enough to say that it will not do so. He (Mr Stafford) emphatically repeated the denial made last session of the charge of having thrown Mr M'Lean over, and having appointed Mr Whittaker in his place. He denied that the Government had communicated inany way with Mr Whittaker respecting matters in any way connected with Hawkes Bay, or that they had received any communications from Mr Whittaker. The only matter that had taken place which could give rise to such a belief was, that some cliims for compensation, arising out of actions in the Auckland Province had been referred to Mr Whittaker in accordance with the custom in use long before he took office, that such claims should be referred to the Superintendent of the Province in which they arose. Beyond this one instance, he defied the hon. member to produce a single case which would support the charge made. And he could not but remark the wonderful change which had taken place in the hon. member's opinion of Mr M'Lean. Now, he was the one man who could restore peace on the East Coast, and yet when he had the power he carefully avoided availing himself of his services, and in ISGO he openly accused him of wilfully destroviug the most hopeful scheme ever devised for

the pacification of the Natives, simply through jealousy of Mr Fenton. As regards the charge of the Government having sacrificed Colonel M'Donnell, it was utterly false. He could appeal to the House as to whether he had ever sacrificed any one who had worked with him. On the contrary, the Government had on more than one occasion supported its employees even against their judgment, because they considered such was their duty. So far from having sacrificed Colonel M'Donnell, the Ministry had sacrificed themselves to Colonel M'Donnell. Last session, when they were only saved from defeat hy the Speaker's casting vote, tiicy could have had four votes more which were offered on the condition that they should promise to dismiss Colonel M'Drumell, and t.bay refused to do so. He took that opportunity of giving the most emphatic denial to some words put iu his mouth bythosewhohad'writtenthebookstgned by Col. M'Donnell, to the effect that, in reference to the destruction of the Patea district, the sooner it were done the better. In the presence of Col. Haul tain and Mr Hall, who were the witnesses to the interview referred to, he gave this charge the most emphatic denial. He would now say, what he did not choose to say when Colonel M'Donnell was unfortunate, that the retreat was not the Government's work, but entirely M'Donnell's. He, however, was not prepared to say that it was not a wise one. He justified the conduct of the Government in not raising the alarm of war at the opening of the session. War had not actually commenced, and although it was easy to prophecy after the event, yet matters were then in such/a state that it would have been very unadvisable for the Government to have raised an alarm. As soon, however, as there could be no doubt of the matter, the Government lost no time in coming down to the House and demanding increased supplies. "With regard to Mr Firth's negociations they were without the sanction or fore-knowledge of the Government. The action taken by the hon. member for llangitilcci in opposing certain bills had put it out of the power of the Government to stop such communications. Respecting the troops he had kept within the spirit and letter of the resolutions passed last session by the House, but thinking that possibly the House might change its opinion, he had last March addressed certain categorical questions to the Home Government, and be expected an answer to them by the in-coming mail. He had no hesitation iu saying he believed the answer to all of them would be "no." Ho believed that certain members of the House were there, pledged to refuse any more assistance from the South to the North in putting down the Native rebellion. Putting aside the sentiment of the question, such a course would be detrimental to the interests of the South and would be unjust. Separation, if it could be obtained, would be immediately followed by the bankruptcy of the North, which would be a sure first step to the bankruptcy ol the South. Allocate the existing liabilities as you could, if the North wore once bankrupt the whole burden ef the present debt would fall on the South, which would have to bear it with diminished resources and damaged credit. For, destroy the credit of one part of the Colony and you destroy the credit of the whole. People at home look upon it as one. Why emigrants and capital are now diverted from ITcio Zealand—mark that, not from the North—because of the native difficulty. He spoke as a representative of an important southern constituency, and he

was glad to say that his known desire for the retention of the unity of the Colony, was one of the reasons given in the address which was presented to him by his constituency when invited to represent Timaru. There was something to be said about the justice of the case too. In years pas the North had given to the South an immense estate, of incalculable boon, the localization of its land fund. To that gift ho had been a party. How would those who now talk of going back to the Constitution Act like to return to the provision which made the land fund available for Xative purposes. The gift to the Middle Island had already realized more than the existing burdens of the colony, and the estate was not yet exhausted. The common obligation to bear liabilities must be recognised or there must be a revision of the agreement of 1856. He thought, however, that as at present the South pays the larger share of the burden, when the troubles in the North cease as they must if the colony as a whole copes with them, and when prosperous times come for the North, that the South may well then expect to be repaid a part of its contribution. As regards separation, he did not think that it could be got if every man in both islands asked for it. The Home Govern incut would not grant it simply because of the seven millions owed to British bond holders and the Imperial guarantee for one million. The question before the House was a purely personal one, and as he failed to see on the opposition benches gentlemen who would command the confidence of the House niether ho or his colleagues considered it their duty to tender their resignations. Mr Swan, one of the ' Auckland members, is about to introduce a bill to give the miners a vote for the election of the Superintendent of the Province in which they reside, on the same qualification which now entitles them to vote at the election of a member for the House of Eepresentatives.