WELLINGTON.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 1789, 11 September 1866, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

[from a correspondent.] Saturday, September 8. Since the Treasurer's statement on Wednesday evening matters political have remained. to all outward appearance, in statu quo. Thursday was devoted entirely to current business; and on Friday, when two o'clock came, there was not a quorum of members present, and the House was counted out. But underneath the surface the current runs strong; and perhaps I can give you no better indication of its strength and direction tlnn by reporting a little incident which happened at the "count out." Major Richardson was in his place on the Government benches, and Mr, Cracroft Wilson occupied his own usual seat not far away. When the fact of there being no House was made apparent, the latter gentleman rose iu indignation. He declared that the Government had done this thing, had kept membersaway in order to postpone the consideration of the stamp duty question. They had, he alleged, bought over two provinces; but these were not enough, and they wanted time to buy another. Now you must understand that Mr. Cracroft Wilson is a firm opponent of stamp duties, as a pestilent injury to the people; aud last year he merely consented that the injury should be done in order to oblige Mr. Weld. He will not abate his public spirit or his personal independence for any other man or Government; and the proposal which he supported last year he resists when repeated this year, with all his strength. As to the buyingof provinces, I assume that Wellington is one of them, and that the purchase has beeu of some general kind, for no particular transaction is rumoured about. The other must be Auckland, concerning whose members a rumour has been going about—darkly hinted at in a former letter of mine—that, if the Government will secure them against spoliation by Hawke's Bay they will vote for Government with the utmost faithfulness on every question thereafter. Mr. Wilson's reproaches were too much for the gallant member of the Ministry who sat opposite. Major Richardson rose iu wrath, protested against everything in general and all tilings in parlictilar and denounced the imputations of his distinguished friend as unjust, ungenerous and unwarrantable. I never knew a Government so captious, or protest so much against any charge which was not to some extent true; and therefore I am afraid 1 must say that the " count-out " was not entirely unexpected by them. Of this at least I am sure that the Opposition had nothing to do with it, for their interest was to bring on the discussion without delay. The little narrative will serve to show how far the disaffection from the Weld policy of selftaxation, as a part of telf-reliance, lias spread; and I do not hesitate to say that not only Mr. Cracroft Wilson, but three-fourths of those who voted with him last year, will now vote against stamps if the Gorernment do not make it a Ministerial question. Doubtless they will go out on a defeat if the counter resolution be directed to the abstract propriety of the proposed tax; but if it be put merely as a question between the tax and a grant of so much less money to the provinces, the Government will probably not consider their own policy interfered with, and will leave the provinces to settle the account in the way which best suits them. There can be no doubt that the Northern provinces will suffer if they do not get their full expected share of the revenue; and they will submit to be taxed for the purpose. But there is as little doubt that the Southern provinces can do with a little less Customs revenue, and would be much injured by the imposition of the tax. The South, being in a majority, has the alternative before it of either injuring itself for the sake of the North, or tyrannising over the North for the sake of the South. In other words, the same rule cannot be applied to the advantage of both, which is a tolerably well marked sign that the days of financial separation are approaching near.

Mr. Alfred Cox has presented a petition signed by 200 electors of Timaru and Gladstone praying that their district may be constituted a county with certain privileges independent of the province of Canterbury. Mr. Cox has had this petition,with him from the beginning of the session and only now produced it, in order to give weight to the consideration of a huge Bill called the "District Boards" Bill. This measure contains no less than 316 clauses and its effect is to provide a ponderous machinery for dividing any province into districts, and furnishing them with certain ponderous forms of procedure, The Bill has been introduced by Mr. Vogel, who attempted to get a second reading on Thursday night. But the House was so unmistakeably bewildered by the mere size of the mass of print pushed down before it that the moverjplmost apologised for his boldness, and conserfte I to name a long day for resuming the question. The Goldfields Consolidation Bill with upwards of a hundred clauses passed through committee on Thursday. It was this which took up the chief part of the day and evening and prevented the financial discussion, for which the 110u c e is rather impatient, from coming on. When the Bill seemed at an end, two or three more hours were consumed by the active and ingenious but somewhat wrong-headed Mr. Vogel, who quite unexpectedly proposed a new clause which nobody understood but which everybody believed on that very account must be excessively mischievous. The discussion was prolonged and the clause was withdrawn, and the time and the labour consumed went for nothing.

The bill for exempting Volunteers from serving on juries has passed through every danger in the Lower House to a third reading. But the exemption is restricted bo as not to apply to coroners' juries or grand

juries. Ido not know how it may fare in the Legislative Council. Mr. Whitaker closed the business on Thursday evening by raising a subject quite new to the House. He wishes to bring in a bill "to declare the power of the Supreme Court to enforce and give effect to decisions of tribunals established by religious bodies." It is said that the bill originated with the Bishop and Synod of Auckland. I don't think it has any chance of passing. As soon as copies are printed I will send down one for your information ana that of the religious authorities and others interested in the matter in Canterbury. As I have already told you, Friday was a dies noii. The House will meet again on Monday, when some fun may be expected, whichever way the voting may go. The Rakaia, this month's boat for Panama, has come down from Sydney in five days and five hours—a capital passage. She is in beautiful order and trim, and will carry a full average number of passengers. Captain Vine Hall, who lias been General Manager of the Company in these seas for five years, goes home by this opportunity, to take up in England another branch of the same service.

The following is the text of an amendment which was placed on the Supplementary Order Paper of the House of Representatives for Monday, the 10th day of September 1866 Mr. Crosbie Ward to move in Committee of Ways and Means, by way of amendment—1. That, regard being had to the existing burdens on the people of this colony, it is not advisable to impose any additional taxation which can be avoided. 2. That, in the opinion of this committee, the present financial condition of the colony does not warrant a resort to extraordinary taxation in order to provide for the necessary expenditure of the General and Provincial Governments. 3. That, in the opinion of this committee, direct taxation in any form must operate more or less injuriously on the future of the colony, and under no circumstances ought to be adopted, except for the purpose of relieving undue pressure from existing methods of collecting revenue. 4. That, accordingly, until such a revised tariff of Customs Duties as (he Legislature may in this session think fit to adopt shall have been for a sufficient period in operation, it is inexpedient to make good the supply to Her Majesty by means of Stamp Duties.