HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Wednesday. -There was H si range aceno in the House this afternoon. The (li">|)it ( >i| || 10 Wellington now spapers charged the Government with haung withheld wus dcinunded by the Jloiw, in I nit hough the Government tried to shield liicmI solves behind ili*.* Gevernor's alleged rcronunendulion for suppression, and the adopt on of every conceivable mode of )>rt.w nting iU prod uct ion, the House demanded that tlio de- pitch should Ik- laid on tlie liiblc, and though the Premier culled for a division, the question was carried on Lite voices. The following is a copy of the correspondence ordered to bo laid on the l.ible of the Jlou-e, and winch had been hold bni k h\ the Government:- "The 110-i J)r I'ollen to the Agent -Gcneial, London —Colonial Secretaij's Ofli<-e, Wellington, :i7th Au»u«t, 167J (So 101)— Sir, —I hu\e the honor to inform )c»u lh.it. > our three letters (>'i>. 373, llth June, 1873; No. 383, l'lth Jun , 1873; 2\'o HO, 13th June, 1873) have boen brought specially under the notice of the <«ov eminent, on a'jcouut of the \ery unu^uul manner in whic h they are plira-ed. First : Even had t lie* tone ,you adopted been more courteous anil Ip«s insubordinate, the Govern men t would have considered that they were called ! upon to deieud the instructions they have given you. It i-> from no desire to do ?o but snnplv to enable 3011* to understand tlio news of the Cabinet on the subject, that 1 briefly refer to the second and th'rd of the letters montiono '. The instruction! to which 111 the-c letters jou twin to refer, and which, in the latter of the I wo, you so bitterly complain, appear to be thus! which prohibited your renewing a contract with Messrs Shaw, S-iv ille and Co ,on your arrival 111 London. You appear to be fully sensible of Meshrs Shaw, Suville and Co.'s monopoh (sit your letter No. 284, Nov. 24, 1372.) The Gm «r>i»n >i' iccognisud the same evils, and regretted the fi'M '■' it vlnch yon hud entered with tho?e gentlemen On tour .ipp'wug for permission to renew it, jon were prohibited f"om doing bo, when you telegraphed out the singular appeal, ' J)on't imperil thousands lives ; entrust ing service to inexperience 1 hands.' Still the Government adhered (o their determin ition They then found that under a system of calling (or tenders, you had agreed to pay Messrs Shaw, Saulleand Co the enormous price of £17 per statute adult. It is true, that pursuing their usual policy, Messrs Shaw, SuviUe. and Co. on the advent of the New Zealand Shipping Company, reduced their rates, and induced you to agree for four more ships; hut this did not render it less necessary to break down Messrs Shaw, Savillo and Co's monopoly. The Government saw that in the interests of the colony the monopoly must be put n stop to, and in order to do so they, with great reluctance, entered into an arrangement which gave sit months' monopoly to the local company. The Government do not regret the cost of upseit ng Moesrs Shaw, Savillc nnd Co's monopoly; they regret that the tusk was left to them, instead ol being performed by you. Had you arranged privately through respectable brokers for each ship jou required, the Government think you might have employed Messrs Shaw, Savillo and Co only to the extent you considered desirable, and that you might have escaped their exorbitant denr.ands. Paragraph 3: I take the opportunity of obi'i-iing tint, commencing as jou did, with unfettered power-*, the Government have only interfeied with, and specially in»tru< ted you .•», they found the exigencies of the service required. The iriegulnr manner in which you conducted jour correspondence has occasioned much inconvenience. 011 this side. The Government are aware that you have s uttered from ilJnes«, and they recognise the devotion wilh w Inch, in spite of it, you shewed your desire to continue to discharge the duties of jour otliee. Much of the irregularity of \ our correspondence is no doubt attributable to this (iiuse, nml the Government also desire to attribute to the simp cause the discourtesy of this letter under consideration. I have to remind you of the cordial terms w Inch should exist between an oiliier holding so high a position as \ourself and the Government, and to request jou to conduct jour correspondence in the future in a more becoming mnnner. Ministers expect Unit jou will endeavour to givecllcct to their wishes, mil that you will do to not in a carping spirit, but with a desire to promote their wishc . Should jou consider it would be disadvantageous to curry out any instructions jou receive, \ou should at once telegraph your reasons, and ask for fresh instructions. Jsu« , us a rule, you should consider that it is meant you should follow llipI Iip instructions sent you. Tlio Got eminent dej-iro tnal whether or not the New Zoaland Parliinicut 1- nboul to meet, you should regard it as your duly to reph monlhlv to nil communications you receive from them, a* well us forward any information at your dispoMil which you muv consider likely to be of interest to the I oloiii -I am, sir, Are., I)anii:l Poli.f.v" Mr IMI/herhprt upoke Mtiongly ayanist tlio principle of the G-nveri or bavins; a voice in the presentation of papers to the House, eventing such as affected Imperial rights. Ministers nnnle -i cruve uiiHliikp in permitting interference. .•l^.lll st (o 1-1 ttitio-.J puvilcf/ei Mr Vogel interrupts I Air Fitzliei beil bt »atlug thut the Standing Order* gmo the Guieiiior a voice vi the mutter The Speaker could deem them nre-enled bt command. It was a mere form. Tlio n»ht Lit with Ministers whose recommendation the Governor aefed on. Mr IMI/heibert continued in the lamo strain If apjie ireJ that t lie de^pu'i h was actually printed. The Uoverninont hud bitter make a clean breaat of it, and admit pln)in<; double. ll tl,e Hoiiki wai to discuss the A'.'ent 0> ivnl's skill it *ln>u]ii unh 110 soon full inibrmulion, lie believed the Government knew they had blundered over the minugrat 1011 •eiieine, mid de»ired to make Mr Feutbm-t'-in tic htij eio-it Mr Stnlloni snid letters fiom lj>i'(loii ii.niie iiiiu heliitc that vvcr.il unporlimi ile jtiiel 1 < I n' Lull vvill-hi'.l t'lis ses-ion and Inst Me>sis (.) 'JoiKc, (Iriuoiid, Ketve~, and ltiehar r Kou cli lued this Mr .Si idbiil s ..'ue-!e.i d n^id <c .rei altir letterij, lor he could li.jLlei .111 .!> i'kii' ij—oi tiims and his lellei'S. Jhi ■ di I.ik w.i- a>!|.iiii,ie I \u i iiuitx ni-iu d lh.it the despatch
[be laid on the table. Sir Vogel called for u division, but fa- voieo* bonig manifestly in favor of the production, he j ga\ o way.
Thursday. On tlio llou^o resuming last night Sir O'Korke gave a sketch of tho iuunigration policy, and dofcuded the system of grunting five passages. The Hiltl -t had beon a largo in•■l'pnoo of noimnitect unmigninto. Within tho last month • is. hundred people hid landtd it D lined m ; also two vesseN with passengers to Canterbury, and advices had been received of fifteen vessels now afloat « il h nearly four thousand souls Fivo more would sail i in September, and six in October, bo that fully ton thousand immigrants would be introduced during the year. Mr T. L. Shepherd referred to tho division of tin- Upper House on the Provincial Loan Bill, and said that the efforts of the Lower House were useless if they were to be defeated in any other place. He was called to order by the Speaker. Mr Vogel said ample opportunity would be afforded for discussing th« attitude of tho Upper House. Mr FiUherbert said the present dUcussicn was aimless. The question would be discussed in a direct mode. He would reserve his opinions for future debate. Mr O'Rorke had admitted Mint the Agent-General's department was in a- more satisfactory state than it was before supposed to be. The Immigrant* Laud Bill was well int#ntioncd, but was wenk. Mr Brandon defended the Agent-General. Instructions to '■urn had been unsatisfactory, and the Agent-General had been blamed becauso he presumed to offer advice upon a question upon which he had more knowledge than tho>o who m■'riiflcd him. Mr Hunter praised Mr Vogel for taking the responsibility of the Agent-General's acts. The Agent-Ge-neral was evidently expected to be ambassador, and an insurance and shipping- broker. Ho had been over-worked, and there was no wonder if mistakes had occurred. Mr Webster spoke at random, and condemned the bill as having been framed by literary men. He compared editors to washerwomen, and spoke of editors as scorchers, southerly bursters, &c. He ridiculed tho goldfields membeis, and said the members of the Ministry know more about, selling old clothes, lawyers' letters, and invoices than about colonisation ! The House listened in dead silence to all tins. Mr Luckie approved of the delicacy which led Ministers to desiro to refrain from producing the "°e3patcb, " Wallace light." Webster, member for Wallace, had surpassed himI self during the evening. He considered the festive garb in i which he appeared there was perhaps an excuse for him. Land was the question on which everything in the colony would hang Mhorlly. Tho iquatting, or large land-holding interest, would have to make way if what happened to-night in another plaoo should be repeated. That interest would have to go down before the intoiest of the people. Ten years ago, in the place nhere he spent ten years of his life, Colonel Wliitniore had the boldness at a public table to say, " What do w e want of sett lers and shopkeepers here ? " This is u sheep country, and sheep-farmers intend to hold tho land. As to the ■sneers of Mr Webster and the Press, was it right, he naked, that such sneers should be thrown out? They were a class of men who had made their mark in every colony, and one of whom had reached the highest position in the colony. They rose sometimes, no doubt, from small beginnings, but they knew where to get instruction, and that j was knowledge. They had heard also, of assignees and clerks' assignees in bankruptcy coming to a condition of wealth by the misfortunes of others, but wai that anything to boast about, or hod any man a right to sneer at these men when he himself might be sneered at ? If the system of granting land on deferred payments had been established, which he regarded as one measure which had been nipped in the bud by Urge holders in another place, and whose interests were opposed to it, it would have made this bill much more useful than it was. The prime question was now, people's land for people, and people for land. This question — tho question of land laws— would ring throughout tho colony during the next twelve nionthi, and he would do his best to make it do so. Mr Vogel replied. He said Mr Gillies had spoken for and against the bill. Fifteen thousand miles away, the colony could well afford to pay £20 for each immigrant. In America 5,000 and 10,000 dollars were given. It wns impossible for nny Government to carry on the business of the colony if they were bound to produce nil correspondence. At regarded the general question of immigration, the Government would bs prepared to give free passages as desired. Mr Reeves' system of nomination would require to bo made by name, not by occupation. The latter would be very unfair to the labouring population. Any one who wanted labour of any kind could, without incurring any responsibility, swamp the market. Tlie bill pa*s«*ri it-« second reading, and was ordered to be committed on Friday-
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Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 213, 20 September 1873, Page 2
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1,964HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Waikato Times, Volume IV, Issue 213, 20 September 1873, Page 2
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