Thursday, August 26.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 13, Issue 1081, 7 September 1869, Page 3

Thursday, August 26.

Mr. Burns was very anxious to know if the Government would ; close the telegraph offices on Sunday, and said he asked it, not on religious grounds, but because he thought a very hard-worked class of Government officials should have one day's rest out of seven. Mr. Yogel said that, in the very disturbed state of the country at present, the Government could not shut the offices the whole day, but, like the late Government, they would, as far as .possible, discourage thesending of telegrams on Sunday. In reply to Mr. Ludlam, Mr, Yogel said the Government intended to send, delegates to the Australian Colonial Conference in October. A: motion, of Mr. Kelly's, about steamers calling at Taranaki on Sundays, was disposed of by the previous question;. and then, after some other unimportant notices of motion had been passed, the debate on Mr. HaU's motion for a select committee to enquire into the excess of expenditure alleged by the Colonial Treasurer to have taken place last year, was resumed. Mr;, Yogel pointed out that, even if the committee was appointed, it could not report before the end. of the session, but he said he was willing to accept a suggestion frequently made by Mr. Hall that a Sessional committee on public accounts should hereafter be appointed, at the beginning of each session. The committee-would.deal with.technical and not political questions, and he hoped Mr. Hall wjould accept this. Mr. Hall/after some debate had taken place, intimated his assent; and so Mr. Vogel's amendment to the above effect was agreed to.. Then Mr. Curtis rose, and, in a short concise speech, moved that an award having been given against the Colony by. the arbitrators appointed under the provisions of the Land, Claims Arbitration Act* 1867, it is incumbent upon this House to satisfy the same without further delay, and that the Government be requested to take immediate steps to that effect. Mr. Garleton seconded the motion, and appealed to both Government and House not to let Mr. Busby's injudicious conduct prejudice their judgment on the merits of his case. , Mr. Fox then got up arid declared that until Mr. Busby retracted his threatening and abusing letters, and fully and frankly apologised for the abuse he had heaped on members of that House, the Government would not countenance any motion regarding his case, which was brought forward by that gentleman's friends. A long wearisome debate ensued on this threadbare subject, and lasted until the dinner hour. When the House met in the evening it went at once to the Orders of the Day, and after the County of Westland Act Amendment Bill had been passed and sent to the Council, the House went into committee to consider an address to his Excellency the Governor, praying him to submit for appropriation such sum as he may deem to be necessary for the purpose of making advances by way of loan to the Patea and Waitotara settlers, to enable them to re-occupy their farms; such advances to be secured by a mortgage on the property of those settlers who may avail themselves of the privilege. This motion Mr. Kelly moved in one of the soundest,. most, fpractical, sensible, and logical speeches heard in the House this session. In admirably chosen terms he pointed out the immense advantages of re-settling the districts in question; the energetic and almost heroic character and conduct of the settlers themselves; the justness of their claim, not for compensation, but for assistance in rebuilding their houses; the immense benefit which the Colony would derive from their doing so, and the little risk of any ultimate loss by the scheme he had proposed. Mr. Kelly was justly complimented on both his speech and his proposal by Messrs. Fox, Stafford,M'Lean; Richmond, Travers, Bell, Creighton, Major Brown and several others. = They aU spoke most favorably of the proposal, declaring it to be the dawn of a bright,era in our history, and a much better proposal than compensation, as the settlers could accept it without any feeling of obligation, and the Colony would in the end lose nothing by it. The nature of the Patea country was expatiated upon in glowing terms by the Premier. Mr. Stafford , spoke in highly eulogistic terms of the conduct of the settlers, especially of the energy, determination, hopefulness, and shrewdness of Mr. Middleoias, who, it seemed, was the authdr of the scheme, then before the House. Mr. Stafford also suggested that if the! scheme answered iv this case, it might, as had been done at home, be extended to settled districts, in assistance to drain swamps, and other similar works. Mr. Travers and Mr. Richmond suggested that the repayment might be arranged on a system like that of building societies if the payment of interest gradually extinguishing the principal; but being very light for the first few years. Mr. Fox declared that the Government was fully determined not to let any of the rebel natives return to settle in the district; and Mr. M'Lean said that arrangements had been made with Ropata, and a large body of Ngatiporous, to settle in the district and act as a defensive force. This was done with the full concurrence of that chief and of the settlers. The resolution seemed to meet the wishes of every one, and not a single word of objection was said regarding it—a thing almost unprecedented in the House. After it was agreed to, the Busby case again cropped up, in the shape of Mr. Busby's own bill and the bill promoted by the Auckland provincial authorities. These measures occupied the House for a long time, the first being discharged from the paper, and the second read a second time, aifter a long debate. The remainder of the business was unimportant, but it detained the House until an early hour in the morning-