General Assembly.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1145, 28 October 1879, Page 2

General Assembly.

HOUSE OJF REPRESENT A. TIVES. FIUDAY. On the question of going into Committee of Supply, moved by Mr Hall, Sir George Grey moved as an amendmen , " That all correspondence that had passed -between the Auckland members ami the Government relating to the terms on which they would vote for the Government be laid before the House, and if no such correspondence has passed, that Ihe Government state their own terms upon which their votes have been promised." He said he was told that four Auckland members had agreed to vote with the Government in pursuance of an arrangement made with the Government. These gentlemen had opposed any coalition until tht no-confidence motion was disposed of. Under these circumstances lie thought the information asked for should be .tff<)rded, so that all parties might kuovv how they stood. Mr Hall submitted that the amendment was not in order. It was not an official correspondence. They had had correspondence with a great many"Tnerubers as as Auckland members.

The Speaker ruled that the amendrneut was in order.

Mr Hall said they hoped to have the support of certain Auckland members. They had expected nothing less since they had had time to develop their policy. That was all the information they could give. The amendment for th» production of the correspondence was carried, the division being—Ayes, 31 ; noes, 52, the Government voting wi'h the noes.

Mr Raider Wcod said he was one of the four Auckland members alluded to, and he was not in the least ashamed of his position. He had violated no engagement;; on the contrary, he submitted he had remained perfectly true to them. When he contested the Wniiemata district, he was particularly cautions in the pledges he gave. These pledges were to be found in his printed address. They were, that he would support the Liberal measures set forth in the Governor's speech, and that he would accept Sir George Grey as leader of the party. When ho came down here he did, as a matter of fact, support Sir George Grey up to the point when he himself went in Opposition to these pledges. He did so, both in public and in private, attending his caucus meetings and otherwise. He opposed the step that was taken in his retiring from the leadership of the party. He s-iid that was not their policy, and irged that he (Sir George Grey) should be forced back again to the leadership of the House. That was the cause he advocated immediately after the caucus held in that very room. Tho fact must be in tho memory ot hon. members, if they had any memory at all. He advocated the necessity of Sir George being forced baok again on a relucaut House. Sir George himself and Mr Lucdon would bear him out in this point. He also supported another resolution brought forward »b the caucus in question, a resol"tion which was moved and carried, that resolution was this; " That there should be no ooalition." Now, then, he would put this to the House, The charge made against him was, that lie had broken his pledge. The pledge he had given was given under one set ®i circumstance i. How, then, could it be called breaking his pledgo when the circumstances became quite different? Surely it wouU not for a moment be contended that they were to be bound a<3 a party together under all circumstances, and for all eternity. They were told that Sii? George's retiring from the leadership of the party would be followed by a accession of members to its ranks. The faqts, were fchat nearly thvoo weeks hai elapsod, and they

found themselves in the same position in which they then wore, It was that which caused ln\n to do what he did not intend doing. Promises weva made to them, to ba c.irriod out in the jourse of eight or ton days, and had not yet been carried out. They were placed in entirely different circumstances. Then, again, supplies had been stopped, and, such being the case, he would like to know how the public service would be provided for. He for one was not prepared to accept the responsibility entailed thereby. He repeated thnfc all these facts brought . together created quite different circumstances, and he found that there was no sympathy amongst the party with his views. He had the courage of his opinion. He could say that ho acted perfectly right. He knew that he would be branded as a traitor on the one hand, and ho might expect to landed as a benefactor on the other. For his own part, he was alike indifforeut to both expressions of opinion. There war© not no-.v in the House two parties. There was no real difference between members, as both sides of the House had accepted the Liberal programme. B )th were agreed that the financial affairs of the colony were in a sad condition, and that these financial affairs required the immediate consideration of all sections of the House; and yet, through mere personal feeling, and nothing else, the work could not be got on with. A deadlock had been come to, and if he could be the means of unlocking tuat deadlock he caved nothing for the abuse that might be showered upon him, confident as he was in doing what he had done he had consulted the good of the country. If they were to be dictated to by one man, aud the wills of 14 or 15 members subordinated to that one man, then these 14 or 15 members might go home, leaving these one or two men to do as theychoso. He

( Mr. Wood ) was nofc responsible for anything he did to any man in the House. He was entirely free to act for himself. He was only responsible to his constituents. He would say it was not right th it the whole business of the country should be stopped, and that people should not be paid the money that was fairly duo to them. They had heard •* good deal about arrangements made or proposed to be made. He thought oae side had very little to say to the other on that subject. He would appeal to hU honorable friend there as to whether he slid not want to make an arrangement with thera? Sir George Grey would remember the occasion when he sent for him to his office and told him he had made up his mind to give up the leadership of the party, and had arranged with Mr Maoandrew that he (Mr Wood) should be Colonial Treasurer. Now what was the reply he .made 1 He said if he (Sir George) retired, it would be contrary to his views, adding that he must make no bargain of the kind with him. If the House desired it he would go further. Mr Maoandrew had told him that lie though tit was ti mistake to force the Premiership upon him, and proposed that he (Mv Wood) should iake that office. He turned these different circumstances over in his own .nincl, and the result was that he did not feel at all satisfied. He felt that he woild be occupying a false position, and, that he could not expect to have* any control over the House q: the Government, Subsequently he went to the member for Port Chalmers and told him so. He then repeated that he felt as if he w s placed ia a false position, and tktt he thought he (Mr Wood) would be a much better man for it. It came to this, he (Mr Wood) at last did not know whom he really was following. He felt he w;is a wandering sheep without a shepherd. Even if they sucoeeded in carrying the no-confidence vote, he did not see how a Government was to be formed—a Government at all events that would command the confidence of the House. He might be mistaken, but still that was his absolute convicliou. In those circumstances he went to Mr Swanson, believing him to bo an honest and independent man—a man who had not only the confidence of his own constituency, but likewise of the Avholo provincial district of Auckland. On broaching his views to Mr Swanson, he (Mr Swanson) at once endorsed them. Ho said that he too could not see his way out of the difficulty. They then put their heads together, and along-- with Mr Hutst and Captain Oolbock made up their minds to iuform (he Government that they were ready to open negotiations with them. They saw one of the Ministers, who told them that, if they went over, the Govern-, raent would do certain things. The first was that there should be no change in the present educational system. The second wa9 that the measures they called the " Liberal measures'' should be carried; aud, third, that an account should bo made out shewing the expenditure on public works ia the differeut parts of the colony, and another account shewing the expenditure of public works in Auckland ; and that if these accounts shewed that Auoklaud had not received a share equivalent to that given to other districts, then, in some way, it should receivb the balance shown to be due to it. There was no specific siiin stipulated. They thought Auckland had been unfairly dealt by, and had nofc received a fair share as compared with the South. He would ask them to let him tell them another- thing. When it became known that their negotiations we're going oa they were.

.asked, " Why do you seek to make tortus with the Government 1 You could have made as good terms with U3." Now he would ask whether or not, under these circumstances, they had done right or wrong ! So far as he was concerned, that was the position he had taken up in this business. If he was to be called a .traitoz and many other terrible things said of him, he had at least the satisfaction of feeling in his own, mind he had acted honestly and straightforwardly. Under reproach he had made up" his mind to keep quiet, and to feel satisfied in his own mind that he had been instrumental in some small degree in ending this deadlock, and thereby enabling them to consider the important affairs of the colony.

Sir U-oorgo Grey said he felt no anger at what had been said. He would confess however, that he felt a deep sorrow. He intended casting no reflricdons whatever on any one. The last speaker and he belonged to the sama party. They con./"vd together as friends, and otherwiJtf* conducted themselves ou confidential terms. In pursuance thereof, he had told him that proposals were made that he (Mr. Wood) should be made Colonial Treasurer. He made that proposal, because he (Mr. Wood) had a natural, talent for finance, and that he was better fitted to do good to the country in that way than any other gentleman. In Mr. Wood's ca.se, il was a member of one party speaking to a member of another party, that was a very different thing indeed from the negotiations spoken, of as having passed between him and the members of his own particular party— v the party with whom he was in the closest confidential contact. They had been told that when the fact became kaown that he (Mr. Wood) was making terms with the Opposition,he was tald thathe might have made equally good terms with them. The two cases were not by any means parallel, and the Opposition were perfectly justified in making such requisition to one of its own members who had begun to show symptoms of wavering. When they found that such negotiations were ' going on with the Government, it was only natural for the Opposition to say," Why didn't you come to us." First it was quite certain the Opposi* tion had a majority of five or six members. Now the majority had gone over to the Government. Mr. Wood had mentioned the word " bargain " as having passed during a conversation which took place between them and Mr. Wood. He demurred to that phrase being applied to the arrangement, or rather a proposal to for the good of the colony Tbe proposal was one which involved a breach of no one's confidence and would disturb no parti 33. No agreement would have been broken; in that respect it was in a very different position from what it would have been bad it been a transaction between two persons belonging to separate parties. In taking the stop lie had done, Mr. Wood had disturbed party ties. He would not attempt to say that in taking that step, he had not been actuated by houesty of motive, still it had done, and would do a great deal of harm, more haim than any possible crood it could do the other side. The debate was interrupted by the 7.30 adjournment. The House resumed at 7.30. SUPPLY The House went into Committee of Supoly. an Imprest Supply Bill f,r £300,000 was passed through all its stages. The debase, interrupted by the adjournment, was continued by Sir George Grey. He blamed three of the Auckland members for having 1 hidden their designs from him. The •me.mber for Marsden, however, had acted more straightforwardly. He , had the ourage to come to him and . and tell him that as he had retired , from the leadership, he now felt he , was at liberty to vote as he thought , proper. He (Sir George Grey) con- , cur red in. the honourable member':, , opinion. However sad he might be at what had taken place, he was still sanguine that right would triumph and that the majority on the sido of Liberalism would soon be largely augmented notwithstanding what , had transpired.