AN ANGRY DEBATE.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 10058, 27 July 1895, Page 4

AN ANGRY DEBATE.

One of the stormiest debates of the reasion took plica to diy over the Imprest Supply Bill, No. 2, and it occupied the whole-afternoon. The occasion, of conrsß, afforded' the Opposition another opportunity of- xttifi-g to the aclion ol the Government wiih respect to the returns ft«ked for by v.rloiia members. Mr Mltchelsqu lln Captain Ru«eU*a absenoe) made a vigorous protest agains?. She way the Opposition were being treitcd in this respeot, and speaking with considerable warmth, 'be said there was co jastlfieition whatever for the Government refusing to lay retnros oa the tab'e, whlchi accordlDff ts law, Bbould be famished wllhia 30 days of the meeting of Parliament, Daring the course of the dlecnssion the Premier stated that the Auditor-General had uot oettified to certain returns, and that was the reason they had not) been furnished. He wanted the House to clearly understand, the finances of the colony (laughter) bat he did not object to the Opposition adopting tactics which were qolte pardonable io the opponents of the Government. Mr Ward, also repeatedly defended his action, and said that he should lay every possible return on the table on. Tuesday next. Dr. Newman, Mr "Buchanan, Sir Robert Stout, and other members also took part in the dlsousslon. Sir JRobart said that the Premier had' made a most: Important statement, that the Auditor General had. not yet certified to the Public Accounts of thd year. Mr Seddon dented than he said anything of the kind, and said he only stated that the Auditor General had not certified to the acconnts before the 30 days had expired. The Minister for Lands later on made a hitter attack on the Anditor-Genera), and be warmly declared amidst cries of "Oh! oh!" and Ministerial cheers that Mlnisieiß were surrounded by spies in the Government buildings, in whoaa they cootd place no confidence. Mr Muchelaou s-iU Mr ' M'Keizie waß not justified in making toch a statement, nud be resented the Ministers' assertion that be at any xate was iv the habit of receiving any iofar* ■nation from the civil servants. He (Mr . Mitobelson) repeated that ever siacs the | present Government took offics they had : persistency and repeatedly refased to give the House the information which It was entitled to by law. Mr Ball took strong exception to the Minister for Lands' attack- on the Auditor-General, and said - that the name of James Edward Flizger&ld was justly honored all over the colony. He regretted indeed to hear the Minister for Lands ref <r to that gent eman »s a ." Bpy." (Mr M'Ker zle here stated thet he did not particularly refer to the Auditor-General in bis allusion tn gplef I Mr Bell went on to say that the AuditorGeneral should be treated in the same way as a Judge of the Supreme Conrb, arid not subjected to attacksof this nature. Mr M'Kenzle again rose, and speaking In load passionate tones, said that the Auditor-General had on one occasion written a letter about him which no genbleman wonld write, but he (the Minister) had put it dowD to the .drivelling ot an old man. Cries of "Shame! shame 1" here arose from tht> Opposition benches, and the Minister for Lands was compelled by the chairman to withdraw the offensive epithet. The discussion still continued, dnrlog wblch Mr G. J. Smith, the member for ChrUtchnrch, expressed astonishment! at the Government not removing the Auditor-General from office after tha statement by the Minister for Lwids. (Members: "They can't.") " They could do it by a resolu- -, tion ot b)th Houses," said Mr Smith, who went on to condemn the action of the Government in refusing information to \ tbe House and justifying conduct of that kind by constant reference to tbe doiucs of past Governments. He said tbey had nothing to do with previons Ministries What the 30 new member i In the Howe did want to see, was thas the present Government should obey tbe low. The Premier then "wenb for" the member , for Christohnrch, who be said was to be regarded now as a bitter opponent of the Government. He (Mr Seddo- ) admitted that he had for many years a. high opinion of the Andltor General, bub he had changed that opinion lately, as he considered the Andltor General did not treat the Government quite f-tlrly in small matters, Mr Smith retorted on the j Premier that tbe reison he voted against the' Government was bioanse they disobeyed the law, bat ot any rate he voted openly agalßst them, and did not, like some others, support Ministers nominally I whilst secretly speaking ogiinat them. As to the Premier's remark that he (Mr Smith) was a bitter opponent of tbe Government, he really did not know whether that was meant as a compliment or not, but - waa quite willing to retire into private life when his constituents were tired of him. By this time it was close on the dinner adjournment, and the debate showed signs of being further prolonged. Mr Watd at length Intimated that the Council was waiting to pass the Imprest Supply Bill, whem members gave way, and tbe bill to pay tbe civil . servants' salaries was put through all Us stages in about five minutes.