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Clutha Leader, Volume II, Issue 55, 29 July 1875, Page 3

FRIDAY 23rd JULY. In the Legislative Council, on the Address in reply, the Honorable Mr Holmes complimented Dr Pollen on the assumption of the Premiership. Commenting on the four million loan he said the interest on this that would have to be paid represented 17^- per cent* of the value ot all our exports. . The only good feature he had heard about it was that the Rothschilds had expected a condition that there would be no m-ore borrowing for two years. He wished the stipulation had been for seven years. • He vowed there was no foundation for the rumour that Dr Pollen was only keeping 1 the seat warm for Sir J. Vog^el, as he felt satisfied the administration of the Colony would be much benefited by Dr Pollen's position in the Cabinet. He was opposed to the 'Frisoo service. He was in favor of simplifying the present form of Government, and if a better system was going to be adopted he would support it. He would assist in either the abolition ot the provinces or of the present form of Government. He was, however, free to state his belief that, in the provinces of Canterbury and Otago, the manner in which public business had been conducted would compare favorably with that of the General Government. Dr Pollen replied, and said, in reference to the remarks about the lines.' opened not paying, this was as the returns to be <laid..on the table .would show. He knew of no exception among the lines completed where the _sa_Qsi sanguine expectationsjof. the moter of the policy,;had , noti^en jsus-, gained.- ...A^outf the four millio^ }ffjsii'j he taoug&i taafc considering all the cir-

:eumatan&e.B:. •■ * „tb& colony, iha jjatter^^^Vbro'iifg-M^aVout fy persons, who , u gim, H^msiJlves, . to Jle-j prepiatft tHe^iqplpnj^ ; . it; wSS : { fortunate the loan negotiations were completed in the time and .manner they werej He denied that Rothschild had made the condition I <name,d ;{ by / Mr Holmes; but it was to be. hoped that, with pru r dencjß and^ecpiiomyjjjhe -qolony would not have to go i ;; jo/t)&e lipndbn money market for another loan duriog;,tliis year or next. With the exercise of prudence and moderation, the Government would certainly be able to com^ plete all the works now authorised with the means already provided. The Address, was carried nent con. In. the House of Representatives, Mr Mervyn obtained leave to introduce a Bill, entitled The Gold Fields Act Amendment Bill, No. 2. The object of the Bill was, he said, to fix the amount of compensation to be paid to pastoral tenants when deprived of their holding-s for goldfields purposes, The Bill was read a first time. The adjourned. debate on the address in reply was resumed by Mr Murray who said he Would not offer any disrespect to His« Excellency in opposing the passing of the Address, but he must oppose what he could not endorse. The honorable gentleman dwelt upon the amount of debt imposed upon the polony by the present administration, and th« intense dissatisfaction felt throughout the country at the present condition of our railways. He also dissented from the terms of the Address generally, but especially at the way the departmental , expenses had been increased and the loan negotiated. The latter showed something very like a great scandaL The correspondence largely quoted from seemed to bear out this opinion. Regarding the abolition measure, he considered it unfair of the present Parliament to deal with so momentous a question. If the Government would pledge themselves not to press their measures through the final stages this Session, he would accord them all ,the support he could. Justice to the country demanded this, Mr M'Gillivray considered he would be in no way committed by supporting the Address. Mr Thomson could see no particular harm in the adoption of the Address. He animadverted upon much of the conduct of the present Administration, and fully believed the Ministry were cognisant before the breaking up of the last Session that the Premier intended g»ing home as soon as their backs were turned. That was information the House had a right to know, and the Government acted disingenously in not informing the House of the Premier's contemplated sudden departure. Another proceeding, and a highly unconstitutional one, was appointing a gentleman unknown to the House and Colony as Minister of Justice. He wished to see the question of abolition relegated to constituencies, but he hoped whatever the Government did they would adhere to their programme, and not turn as they did last session. Mr Williams would vote for the Address, as he felt it did not compromise anyone. He would be found supporting the Government upon the question of abolishing the provinces. On the question of abolition, however, his opinions were very decided, as he considered Provincial institutions a curse and nuisance to the country. If the Government intended to pass their measure of abolition this session, he would be one of their most fervent and uncompromising opponents. He could not consider that such a serious constitutional change should be entrusted to a Parliament in its last dying hours and before they know what local machinery was to replace Provincialism. Pie could not agree with the statement regarding the satisfactory progress of Public Works. He had grave doubts about the 'Frisco Service. He questioned whether it was the slightest benefit to the country. Regarding the . Pacific Mail Company, the honorable gentleman read an extract from Harper's Magazine to show that the Pacific Mail Company was governed by a lot of gamblers. . He thought the Government would have shown more discretion if they had not laid the correspondence, between .the Loan Agent, and. Sir Julius "Yogel before the House, because it rejected anything* but. credit upon the Colony and those connected with these negotiations. Mr Bunny regretted the Government did net deem it necessary, to express any opinion upon those large questions brought under notice by the Address. Without meaning any offence, he must consider the address an absurd one. He maintained that the General Government administration was lax, inefficient, and disastrous. He regretted the , Government should have published the correspondence on immigration and loan negotiations. It should never have been written, and if written not , published. ,, It was injurious tQ. the colony. As to the abolition, it was idle to say any form of Government was a curse arid a nuisance so long as the people th.emseiyes were at the bottom of it, arid as the, people ought to be considered^a^^Sgj^aterestejd^ they./ ou^J^o^ consujtedjSijM^^^^ 11^ form of local Governr|«HKral /taken away, and nothing: i^ : place, ; except • substantial end^^7jjgjJffl||^H^^^; . :.<;Mr^ ;^eyno|is«BHHH^Hn|i|^ ha4i &d&fsßßßmß^Ht^B^R

.mestions touched upon, and matters in tne Addressf it : -'#ak ; noit' : tHrbug-'fiiciis^ courtesy, bu&^because it wa&considered a" waste pf time' to do so until details and* measures ~were.Be:f6re . them., f ; Mr Montgomery; r agreed that the Address was not binding upon memj bars. He was gladit was so, because lie could not .at all iagree.. with, the strongly apprqbative language put. in his Excellency's mouth regarding railf ways. He thought the production; of the. loan correspondence, showed the debate should have been adjourned. He regretted much of that correspondence had seen light. It was a disgraceful exhibition between "gentlemen^ and the words used by 'Sir Julius Yogel thai; the colony' was. #in a messY was most reprehensible. He hoped the abolition measures would be drawn out with the greatest care, but however good it was it should not pass this session. If the Government pressed it, he would vote against it in every shape. - He agreed that the Eill for abolition should include both islands. To do otherwise would be unstatesmanlike. He regretted no change was to be made in the other branch of Legislature. The. .members of that Chamber should not be merely nominees of the Government. . . \ ■ , Mr .IkE'-Glashan, Jftfr Ward, and Mr Wales opposed the amendment. Mr Brandon supported it.