(Howard, June 9th.)

Otago Witness, Issue 919, 10 July 1869, Page 17

(Howard, June 9th.)

MR M 'LEAN'S AGENCY.

! Mr Ormond desired to occupy but a very short time in moving the resolution standing in his name ; and he doeirod, also, to avoid saying anything now whioh would invite discussion or reply. Hia object in moving for these papers was to place fully before honourablo members all tho circumstances connected with Mr M'Loan's agency on the East Coast. It wa« known by honourable fraombera that papors on the s\ibjeot had alroady been laid upon tho table by the Government — papers which woro supposed to set forth tho circumstances attendant upon Mr M 'Loan's removal from that agenoy. Ho (Mr Ormond) would simply say, as a reason for his motion, that those papers were very inoomplotc — that they wore incomplete even in relation to the particular case upon whioh tho Government foundod its action for the removal of Mr M'Loan. Ono of tho most important telegrams from Mr M'Lean, in roferenco to that action, did not appear amongst tho papors as laid upon tho table. He felt justified in saying that tho whole oato aa to Mr M'Loan's agency, and tho circumstances attendant upon it, together with the real history of what led to his removal from it, oould not bo understood by tho House, nor could Mr M'Loan'a claims to have that publicity whioh his caso roquirod bo mot, unless vory much further and detailed information wao given to tho Houao. When nuoh information had been supplied, Mr M 'Loan's friends would tako an opportunity of asking tho Houso to review tho oiroumstancos under whioh that gentleman had been dealt with as he had boen doa't with by the Government. Mr M'Lean might well claim, from his past services during a long publlo career, to havo.tho utmost publicity given to the circumstances under which bis sorvico* were so summarily dispensed with, in a manner whioh must bo allowed on all sides to have convey«d a severe reproof— as severe reproof and ©on-

demuation as it was possible for the Govern* ment to pass upon any officer holding a position under them. It might further be said that that reproof and condemnation wfcre conveyed in a manner Which was at any rate unusual, even in the case of the most subordinate oflicers; for Mr M'Lean received the information that his services were dispensed with in the particular mode in which the Government thought proper to take their action, simply through a paragraph in a local newsjapir, and that intelligence came to him days before any official information on the subject of his removal was communicated to him. No opportunity was afforded to Mr M'Lean — as he (Mr Ormond) believed would have been usual in the exercise of ordinary official courtesy — • and whioh was due to 31101, to have withdrawn from the position he occupied. Those were, very briefly stated, the grounds on which Mr M'Lean and his friends desired to have publicity given to the whole of the circumstances connected with his agency. Mr M'Lean thought, and his friends thought, that he had a fair claim upon the House and upon the colony to have all the circumstances ot his case reviewed both by the House and the colony ; and that review was what waa really sought. He (Mr Ormond) confessed that the papers for which he aßked would certainly be of some length, but be did not know how otherwise he could ask for tho necessary papers than by asking for the whole correspondence ; and it was certainly not his intention to ask for a direotion of the House that there should be printed a mass of papers, a great many of which would have no bearing whatever upon the case. He had prepared a list of those papers which appeared to him to bear more or lesa upon the general question of the action of the Government in connection with Mr M 'Lean's agenoy ; and what he proposed was to hand that list to the Government as a list of the papers which Mr M'Lean and his friends on his part, desired should be published. If that list was found to be in any way incomplete, or if there were others which the Government desired to add, he Bhould be glad to see them added. The en. deavour of himself and those who acted with him in this matter had been not to omit anything whioh told upon tho Government side or upon the side of Mr M'Lean.

Motion made, and question proposed, '•That the whole correspondence relating to Mr M'Lean'd agenoy upon tho East Coast be printed and laid upon tho table of the House." —{Mr Ormond.)

Mr Staff >ri> said that the Government would most willingly lay before the House any papers which could afford information as co Mr M 'Lean's agency, or their action in relation to it. He confessed that he had not understood the motion of the honourable member for (Jlive wben he first saw it upon the papor, because, as far as he was aware, every document connected with the removal of Mr M'Lean from his agenoy had already been laid upon the table. It was not until he had heard tho explanation now given by tbo honourable member that he understood that what the honourable member for Cliva meant was the whole of the correspondence tiotween Mr M'Lean, as agent, and the Government—that was to say. the ordinary correspondence which took place between the Government and one of its officers acting at a distance from the seat of Government. Any portion of that correspondence whioh the honourable member could indicate^ or anything that bore upon the subject, the Government would bo most happy to Bupply. He gathered from the speech of the honourable member for Clivc that that gentleman missed from tha papers already on the table *n important telesram from Mr M'Lean. While he (Mr Stafford) was not prepared to dispute the accuraoy of tho honourable member, fc& must cay that he was not aware what telegram was referred to as missing. He himself selected the papers whioh had been laid on the table, and ho most decided y thought that ho had seleoted all that bore upon the question. He certainly was not aware that any tolegram relating to the cauao of Mr M 'Lean's removal had been omitted ; but he would repeat that if there had bean an omisBion, and the honourable member would indionto the telegram to whioh ho referred, it should be at onoo added to the papors on the table Tho honourable gentleman had prefaced his remarks by saying that he did not wish to import, on the present occasion, any ' controversial matter, and, as a whole, thehon. ! gentleman had kept to that Wish ; but at the same time, tho honourable gentleman had— not improperly, as bearing upon the case, it must bo admitted — made assertions whioh it was incumbent on the Government at onoe to meot. He expressly referred to what the honourablo gentleman had laid as to tho mannor of Mr M'Loan's removal. That was a fair matter of opinion and oon* trovtrsy ; and ho was happy to have this early opportunity afforded to him of removing tho impression whioh, very erroneously, had got into circulation, that there was studied disoourteay on the part of the Government in the manner of Mr M'Lean's removal Whatever differences of opinion mi«ht, unfortuuatcly and painfully, have oxutcd, he trotted that tho House would ! civo tho Government owdit for a recognition of what was due to one of it* ofßoers, holding tho important position which Mr M'Lean had held, and still held, in tho oolony. to prevont tbo possibility of thoir boiog guilty of My. thing like studied discourtesy, even if, unintentionally, they hadbwn guilty of sny diicourtcsyatall. I there was discourtesy --and bo must admit that, in fact, the notion taken was capable of being so inter, pretei-itwas entirely beyond tho control and contrary to the intention of tho Govern.

mehfc. The facts were those :— The Government had, for four or five days, come to an unmißfcakeable decision that therw was such , a painful conflict of opinion between themI selves and Mr M'Lean, ad thoir agent, as to the action to betaken -with regard, to an important section of the Natives, and as bearing upoa the whole question of the position of the Natives to the Government — not to the present Government ; not to any persons ; but to the Government of the Colony as exerc'Ked in Her Majesty's name — th.it they ccu'd not see their way to continue Mr M'Lean, with toy benefit to the public service, in the position of a General Government Agent. They came to that decision with very gre> t pain and very great reluctance. But, with two evils beforo them, thp Government believed that the lessor evil was, that those who were absolutely an I alone responsible to the country for the conduct of the war. should bo absolutely unfettered in so far as related to any external influence that mit'lit be brought to bear by any person holding a position such as that which Mr M'Lean occupied as an Agent of the Government. But the Government delayed making known the decision to which they had come ; it was withheld for four days, certain y, and he thought he was not exceeding the limit of fact when he said that it was withheld for six da> s. They expressly delayed making that deoision known out of consideration for Mr M'Lean, because there happened to c no opportunity of communioatiug with Mr M'Leac The " Ahuriri" — not a Government stpamer, not a boat subsidized, or in any way under the control of the Government — was advertised to leave for Napier, first on the 19fch March, ami finally on the 20fch. Tor tho mail by that steamer a letter was writton to Mr M'Lean. It formed p&rtof the correspondence already on the table ; and he thought it would be found that its date was the 18th. It happened— there was no arrangement or intention on the part of the Government in the matter — that a Gazette was to be brought out on the same day, and he Bent to the Gazette a notice of the action which the Government had taken as to Mr M'Lean. He did that because of what had taken place on a previous occasion, when Mr M'Lean said that he had ceased to be Government agent, although, up to the time when the honourable gentleman himself made that statement in the House, the Government were not at all aware that h<i supposed himself bo to have ceased to be their agent. The Government felt, therefore, that there must be no mistake on this occasion as to the position of one who acted with pueh large powers, and who might implicate the Government thereby in many ways. Therefore it was that he (Mr Stafford) instructed that the notice should be inserted in the Gazette, believing, as he had a rieht to believe, that before the removal could be made known, Mr M'Lean would have rece ved the official communication that had been direoted to him. But it so happened that, after the letter had been posted, it occurred — not upon consultation with the Government, and wholly without their knowledge— that the Ahuriri did not sail on the first day for which it had been advertised that mails for her would be made up. The issuo of the Gazette, however, made public the notification of Mr M 'Loan's removal ; and one of those numerous correspondents who existed in connection with public journals in New Zealand, seeing this important piece of information in the G izotte. telegraphed it to Napier. It thus reached Napier, not days, as the honourable member for Clive had said — for the time of tho delivery of the letter and the dato of the telegram could be proved — but eomo thirty hours before the official letter was placed in Mr M 'Lean's hands. That euoh had. boon the result was, ho thought he had shown, certainly not one which tho Government desired, and not one which they could have avoided. If he had been in any way made aware that the Ahuriri was not to sail as announced, he would not have sent to tho printer, uutil the next Gazette, the notice which was published as he bad stated. Ho trusted that ho had placed clearly before the House that there was no intention of any discourtesy, much leas of studied discourtesy, to Mr M'Lean on the pnrt of the Govornmont in the manner of Mr M'Lean's removal. With the belief which the Govornmont most conscientiously ' entertained, that Mr M Loan and themselves could not pull togother, they felt that it was thoir absolute duty to intimate that fact to him • and that, with a viow to the intort'Bts of all parties concerned, aa well as to tho publio sorvico. it would have boon d'scroditftblo to tho Government had they taken any othor courao than that which they took. Ho would only repeat that any papers connected with tho matter which had not already boon produced, bnt whioh Mr M 'Lean thought it wai for tho good of the publio service should be produced, would be laid on tho table without tho least objection on the part of the Govornmont. Mr Dhxon Bii.t. regrettod to havo heard tho atatomont whioh the honourable gentleman at tho hend of the Government had jutt mado, booauao ho was in very groat hop«s that tho Govomraont would have availed thcmsolvoe of tho earlictt opportunity of making a statement which would not merely have been s&tufftotory to the personal friends of Mr M'Lean, but whioh would havo given aomo iatuf notion to theoountry generally, m to the mannor in whioh tho Government had exorcised their undoubted right of removing Mr M'Lean from tho position whioh ho hold. Whether tho oouree taken by tho Governmoot was deairable or otherwise, ho wm not going to say ; nor wm ho going to qn««

tion the perfeot right of the Government *• diapause with the;services tf Mr Vl*Leßn ; and witn respect; to the oirquu stinces;, under, "which those servioea had beon. dispenses with, he for nae.tlesired to express no judg' ment'at all. He did not know that hon members would I c called upon to exercise any judgment or give any opinion on the matter, I before the Government had an opportunity of mailing an explanation to the House. The explanation which the honourable gentleman had just given, seemed) to him to be very unfortunate, because, according to his own showing, nothing would have ! been easier than for the Government to i awe availed ' themselves of • the telegraphic communication which they had- at their command, and informed Mr M'Lean of his dismissal, instead of leaving it to the charge of those to whom the honourable jjetitlemnn harl referred, ot conveying the information to that gentleman.

. Mr Rtaffokd : We did not know that the telegram had been sent.

Mr Dillon" Bell was nob referring to that, or that tho Government had any knowledge of the telegraphic communication having been sent by others. What he considered as the unfortunate part of the explanation was that tho honourable member at; the head of the Government had not been able to sond thetelemraphiccommunicationimmediatoly to Mr M'Lean. Surely if any one was entitled to the earliest intimation that could possibly be Riven, it was Mr MTean himself; and if thoro existed any means by which that information could have been conveyed by any other channel than the Post Omen and an unsubsidized steamer, surely the Government should have availed themselves of those means. The Government might suroly have availed themselves of the speoily means of communication open to every man, in courtesy to a gentleman who had undoubtedly rendered great service to the country, informing him of whatever might be the crime which had justified his removal in the present instance. It was not in reference to the feelings of Mr ML^an that he (Mr Dillon Bell) addressed himself, or that he expressed the regret that he did, but because there did exist, at the time, a very strong feeling of pjvin throughout tho country, he believed, at the removnl from the public service of a man like Mr M'Lean, wishout any reason being given by the Government for adopting that course The country was watching with the deepest interest tho course of events, and had its attention and interest particularly excited with respect to events on the East Coast. For his own part, looking as he did to the great amount of confidence which had been reposed in Mr M'Lean, and to the fact that there had been a renewed connection between tho Government and Mr M'Lean, who had the control of affairs on the East Coast entrusted to him since last session— rejoicing as he did on that account, that there had been that connection established again between the Government and Mr M'Lenn, he looked upon it as a very unfortunate thins? for the country that the Government should have allowed the country to bo informed of the sudden removal of Mr M'Lean from an office of such a confidential character and of such great importance, without any intimation being given to him, or tho slightest iutimation of the cause ; and that ho should be dismissed under such circumstances could not bo considered a« otherwise than disgraco fill. Ho (Mr Dillon Pell) hnd had a grent deal to «1o with Government matters, and he must say that ho did not remember any instance m which any officer of any standing, holding an office of any importance, had been over removed in bucli a mannor, unless the step was justified by criminality in his conduct, as was done in the present case by a short notice in the Gazette, which informed tho country of tho removal of Mr M'Lean. Ho must again «<• press his regret that the explanation of tiio honourable gentloman was unsntisf tctory, by reason of no effort having been mnd» mi the part of the Govornmont to inform Mr M'Lenn t>y telegraph of his removal in any othor way than by the curt notice of tho fact published in the Gazette — ft man who wns universally trusted and esteemed, nnd whoso service* were hold to have boon so viiluablo to tho country— that » intro courteous way had not boon taken of intimating to him tho fact of his suddon removal from the public service. Mr Ormond, iv reply, onid ho had not dosired to make any furtburobaorvationsthan he had dono whon bringing forward tho motion. Tho Hon. tho Colonial Secretary had, however, stated that, in tho preparation of tho details before tho llouso, onto had been taken to publish all that bore especially upon tho subject. There was ono telegram, having particular roforct oo to the immediate cause upon which Ministora had withdrawn tho agency from Mr M'Lean, viz., the case of Routta, whioh bad not > oon published, and which showed how vory incotnplottt tho papers laid on tho tablo were. It did not appear in tho published papora, and ho would read it to tho Hou*o :— "Napier, 10th March, 1809. — I havoroceived no reply to telegram of thin morning. Ropnta prewing for reply, and throwing himBolf on mo for advice . I oould not in tho pro* sent atato of tho Boat Coast tind it consistent with my vi«w of my publio doty to odviio hit going to Woat Coaat, and havo told him ao. — Donald M'Lkan. "To Hon. Defence Miniator." Every ono would admit that to bo a very important paper bearing upon tho onto, ana that paper had boon ontirely left out of tho oorrespondonoo. Ho oould not avoid saying that tho explanation givim by tho Hon. tho Colonial Secretary, that ho had hoen actuated by every deciro to avoid discourtesy to Mr M'Uan, although it would be ro.

ceived in .the spirit in whioh it was given, yet 1 that thejoourso pursued by Ministers at at the time, bore , no, ' t evidonoeVt«o£;<. -such: feelings being entertained' towards „t hat honourable member. In the first" 'place, as tho honourable member for Mataura had said, nothing could have been easier than for the Government to have intimated to Mr M'Lean, through the telegraph, that they were' about to act towards him in the j manner they had don*. ' He would repeat j that it was due to Mr M'Lean to have given him an opportunity of resigning his connection with the Government. It might not have'been days before the receipt of the official dismissal that Mr M'Lean had become aware through the press of such action, but at any rate it was known and current at Napier before he received official intimation thereof, that he had ceased to be the Agent of the Government, arid the report was founded on information said to have been extracted from the Government Gazette, although the Government were then, and had been before and afterwards, in communication with him. So thoroughly was that the case that there was in the correspondence ho would now hand to the Government, telegrams which had passed between Mr M'Lean and the Hon. the Defence Minister after the time the former was gazetted out of office. As regards the alleged discourtesy of the mode of dismissal, he (Mr Ormond) did not recollect whether the letter to Mr M'Lean, intimating the withdrawal of the agency from him, had been published or not. f ! here was one statement in that letter alone, if nothing else had been stated regardins; it, which was a full and sufficient cause why Mr M'Lean and his friends should have the matter made public— why it was hia duty and their duty to have the case made as pub"io as poasible — supposing the facts of the case had been as the honourable the Colonial Secretary had stated— that there were unfortunate difference* between Mr M'Lean and the Government, which, for the good o£ the public service, rendered it no longer desirable thas that connection should exist between him and the Government — if thai; had simply been the case, and if the Government had intimated it to him, Mr M'Lean. would have had no cause to have brought the question before the House, nor would his friends have any necessity for doing so ; but in the letter which informed Mr M'Lean that his services were dispensed with, the following remarks occurred :—: — " The part your Honour has thought fit to take, notwithstanding the earnest and repeated remonstrances of the Government, in advising the chief Ropata Wahawaha and a party of Natives who hnd joined the Armed Constabulary, to break their engagement after they had been sworn in, and had actually sailed in the colonial steamer St. Kilda, to join the force under Colonel Whitmore, is, however, so vicious an example in itself, and exhibits such an irrecom ilable difference between yourself and the Government us to the import of such terms as assistance and co-operation, and to tho proper mode of dealing with the Maori population, that the Government are compelled to cancel Mr Richmond's memorandum of the 12fch October last, and to withdraw the authority you have hitherto held as their agent." He would state that the words in which the withdrawal of the agency was conveyed would be found to be, when tho corves pondence was before tho House, entirely unjustifiable, and not according to fact — thivt no such action had been taken by Mr M'Lean as was intimated in that letter. Considering the notion of the Government from that point of view, nothing remained for Mr M'Lean or his friends than to tak« tho course which hod been adopted. Ho would follow the course suggested by thi hoti. the Colonial Secretary, and hund the papers depirod to be published to the Government. Tarro woro somo papers of which thov had copies, but had not considered tht'mselvcs justified in publishing without reference to Ministers — they were telegrams which had passed between Ministers, and which had been sent through Mr M'Lean. They considered those telegrams to have a very marerial bearing upon tho whole coso, as would bo seen when they were laul upon tho table, and therefore desired their publication. Ho might nny that although th« crvso of Ropata was nominally the termination of tho communications between Mr M'Lean and tho Govornmont, that matters h»d been tending to that end for a vory long timo boforo that poriocL Tho papers no had reforrod to they had copies of, but they did not consider it right, without the consent of tho Government, to mako them publio, seeing that they were, ho supposed, tho property of tho Government. Ho would hand tho p&pers he had selected for publication to tho honourablo gentlemen : so far as ho know thoy contained tho whole caso on both sides, bearing npon tho withdrawal of Mr M'Lean's agency. Motion agreed to.