General Assembly.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1139, 14 October 1879, Page 2

General Assembly.

[PEESS ASSOCIATION'.'] . HOUSE OE REPRESENTATIVES. Wednesday, committee of supply. All the business on the order paper was postponed to enable the House to go into Committee of Supply. Iu Committee of Supply a sum of £200,000 was granted to her Majesty by way of interest for the publio service for the year ending 30th June, 1880. On resuming, the resolution was further dealt with by the House. Leave was granted to the Premier to introduce the Imprest Supply Bill No. 2, which was passed through all its stages. THE NEW MINISTRY. Mr Hall said that when the House last met he had stated that he was in progress of forming a new Government, in accordance with the request made to him by the Governor. Since then, he hacl succeeded so far as to be able; to furnish the names of the number of gentlemen to bis Excellency, who had been pleased to receive them. [The names have already appeared in our last issue.] There was still an office to be filled up. They thought it desirable, so soon as they obtained a sufficient number for enabling them to proceed with the public business, to do so. It would be seen that provision had yet to be made for the PostmasterGeneralship and Minister of Mines. These had not yet been decided upon, but they would be filled up at the earliest possible date when the Ministry was completed. There would, in all probability, be a re -distribution of some offices, which, they hoped would be so arranged as to be made to include members representing the different interests throughout the colony. They had considered it desirable to ask the House to agree to an adjournment until Tuesday, so as to give them time to make themselves acquainted with the state of public business, and arrange the measures they desired to submit to the House. No time would be lost in getting the preliminary work done, but they felt it would be Tuesday before they could possibly be in a position to meet the Souse, and proceed thereafter with the despatch of business. What they desired was to go on with the business at the earliest possible moment. In view of that opinion they considered they would best consult the interests of all concerned by asking the House to adjourn at its rising till Tuesday. Mr Montgomery said that was more than could reasonably be expected. MiHall had been in Wellington for a considerable time, and must have made himself acquainted with the state of public business. Members were anxious to go on with the work, and what had been stated was not sufficient to justify the adjournment asked. He suggested that it should be made till Friday. Mr Macandrew proposed that the adjournment should be from day to clay. When the new Government took their seats, he intended to give notice of a very important motion. If the mover did not see ots way to adjourn till Friday, he would move a formal amendment to that effect. Mr Wakefield spoke in favor of the motion, No ground had been shown by Mr Montgomery for the suggestion ho had made. The fact that Mr Wall hacl been in Wellington was no answer to the motion. Mr Hall had only been two weeks in Wellington, and during the whole of that time he had been closely occupied in attending the debates in the House. The suggestion, considering* the grave importance of getting the measures proposed to bo brought forward well matured, was unreasonable. It would be merely a loss of time to meet on Friday. He had seen seven or eight Ministeries go out of office, and he had never known an objection of this kind to be made before. Mr Sheehan then moved, " That the House adjourn till Friday." Mr Reader Wood seconded the amendment. He contended that the practice had always been for a new Ministry to (take their seats as soon as possible, and then, if necessary, to get a few clays adjournment for the consideration of what they proposed to do. The new Government should be prepared to give the H ouse an indication of what they intended doing by Friday. In the face of the intimation given by Mr Macandrew, they should be prepared to take their seats at once. Mr Brandon spoke in support of the motion. It was the present Government supporters who, in his opinion, desired lo delay the business. Mr Hall, replying to Mr Reader Wood, said that what he implied in his speech was mostextraordinary. What it meaut was this : That before a new Ministry was actually constituted they were to be assailed by a vote of want- of- confidence before the House kuew what was the nature of the confidence asked. Had the Government been really anxious to prosecute the business of the country, they would have resigned the next day, and not taken from Friday last to do so. What was wanted was to get a division at once, they (the Government party) well knowing that a number of their supporters were absent. It was impossible for them to come down with a statement of policy on Friday. They wanted to furnish a full statement of policy, and he trusted that, under the circumstances, the amendment would not be pressed Mr Moss said that he understood the new Government were going to adopt the polioy already propounded. Tbis was the first he had heard of a new policy being contemplated. He could see no reason for the delay asked. Mr Moorhouse contended that the short space proposed Avas not unreasonable for the purposes required It was monstrous to expect that the attention to the policy demanded under the circumstances would be sufficient with the last adjournment proposed. A whole week was not too ' much time. He spoke as a thoroughly independent man. He did not know j which of the new parties he would support, I still he wished to see fair play, and he thought the motion did not propose anything at all unreasonable. 1 Mr Murray spoke in favor of tho motion. Serious charges had been made against the Government by the gentlemen who were about to occupy the Government j benches, audit was but right, in the public interest, they should have an opportunity of making good their charges. Thoy were threatened with a vote of censure before ! they had actually come into existence, j The proceeding was a most indecent one, and the country would now have au opportunity for forming a very unfavorable opinion on tho point. Thoy had othei* matters besides the Liberal weasurea

spoken of to consider. They had native affairs, finance, &c, and the.se matters of themselves were questions of great importance. It had always been tho custom to give such delay as was asked to a new Ministry. Mr Acton Adams spoke iu favor of the adjournnvnit, but expressed regret that Mr Hull did not see his way to moot the House on Friday, and go on with some part of the business. Mr MoL'nm said it showed a groat want of courtesy in refusing to aji ee at once to the adjournment. He felt more convinced than ever that there was truth in tho allegation-? of the public scandals made against tho present Government, else how were they so unwilling to leave the Government benches. It was all the same to him what Government was in power. If they were honest, he would support them. The new Government was composed of men whose honesty was undoubted. There were scandals against the late Government flying all over the country, and if they had any honesty at all they would afford full opportunity to get them sifted. Mr Saunders denied that any Government could make themselves acquainted with the affairs of the, country in such a short time. It was au'unpreeedenfced proceeding to talk about a vote of want-of-confidence before the new Government had actually taken office. He hoped that side of the House would not be asked to adopt the miserably ill-considered measures brought forward by the late Government. No ono was more anxious than he was to s-et on with the work, but the conduct of tho Opposition was calculated to prevent the business being gone on with at all. Mr Heslop spoko in favor of the amendment, and denied the accuracy of the statemjnts made by Mr naunders. The Grey Government, when st came into office, hacl only had two days allowed, and moreover Mr Hall, at yesterday's sitting, only asked that the house should adjourn until Thursday, whereas hir party were willing to give them a day lodger, and adjourn until Friday Mr Bowen said that four or five members on that side of the House had gone away, never imagining that such an un-heard-of proceeding as tlie one proposed would be taken. Tbe party of Sir George Grey evidently calculated on this faefe, and he thought, under the circumstances, it would be well, perhaps, not to oppose the amendment, and throw the onus of the after proceeding on them. Mr Hurstdef ended the Grey Government in taking time to consider whether they would reconstruct or resign. The want-of-confidence motion carried was directed against the Government as constituted, and such being the case, they were justified in taking time to consider what under the circumstances, was best to be done, but for the way in which the amendment was worded he bslieved the Government would have had no occasion to resign. Mr Sutton spoke in favor of the motion, and argued that it was justified by precedent. Sir G. Grey said that the question had been raised as to his not having given in his resignation to the Governor sooner than he did. The amendment affirming the non-confidence motion was carried on Friday. The House did not meet on Saturday, but the resignations were made on Monday. He heard from the Governor that the new Ministry promised to take office to-day at noon, and he did not know how that promise had not been carried out. The other side should have 1 taken the vote as it was passed, and attempted a reconstruction of the Government. If Mr Hall could not succeed then he should have left the Government to send for some other one to attempt such reconstruction. He (Sir George) had endeavored to act in a strictly constitutional manner. It was Mr Hall who had not acted constitutionally. He ought to have told tho Governor that he had tried to reconstruct the Government and had failed. He believed Mr Hall would not deny that he did attempt to reconstruct the Government and failed; therefore, he (Sir George) maintained that the Mouse was justified in having no confidence in him. The new Government should have come to that side of the House that day. He (Mr Hall) could take the benches tbat night, ancl then it would be open for him to move a further adjournment if he thought fit. If they had tho confidence they professed to have, they would have no difficulty in carrying it. There must bo some other reason for this desire for the adjournment than Avhat appeared on the face of the motion. Major Atkinson said it had been the invariable custom to get such an adjournment as thafc asked for. He had himself agreed, when the present Premier turned him out of office, some time ago, to an adjournment of a week, so as to enable him to complete his arrangements for taking office. The constitutional usage was, that a no-confidence resolution, no matter what its wording was, involved tne resignation of every member of the Government against whom it was carried. When he was defeated .-ome years ago, the motion svas carried at 10 p.m., and that very night he gave iu his resignation to the Governor. The fact was, that a large number of the Government party had predged themselves not co measures, but to men. The measures referred to were never intended by the Government party to pass into law. What they wanted was to keep them dangling before the country. They, on their side, were quite prepared to get their measures passed iuto law. It was not the business of the country that was iu view, but to jeopardise the party on his side the House, that Avas aimed at by the proposal of adjournment to Friday. vStill, he would advise his friend to accodo to the adjournment till Friday. The country would then bo able to sec what aro tho real motives of the Grey party. v Mr Hall said that, in deference to the opinion expressed, ho would agree fco Friday, but wished it to be understood that he could not possibly go on with the business on tbat day. At 4.30 the House adjourned till Friday.