WELLINGTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 1033, 16 September 1871, Page 4

WELLINGTON.

(from ol t r own co-respondent.) September 4th. Although the House has now sat for three weeks, tho real business of this session has not been commenced, and, for all that has been clone, members might as well have been at home as in Wellington, I never before saw so much time wasted, or a House the members of which were so honestly anxious to get to work. But to I every appeal to the Government to afford some employment, the answer is always the same, that ZNLv Vogel's absence rendered it impossible to prepare matters before, and that there has not been time to prepare them since his return. In fact, Mr Yogel is the Ministry. His colleagues were afraid to commit themselves to anything until they knew what Mr Vogel would think of it, and since his return he has been rather dissatisfied with the way things were managed while he A\ r a3 absent, and has not condescended to enlighten them as to what he intends to do in the future. In the absence of any employment from the Government, members have been thrown on their own resources, and have had to tax their ingenuity to the utmost to devise motions which would afford room for discussion without trenching on the domains of nuance or policy. Every question which could remotely even effect the question of finance has, at the request of the Government, been postponed until the Treasurer has made his statement. This is the case in regard to Mr O'Neill's motion in favour of the reduction of the gold duty, and the reduction of the charge for miners' rights, Mr Murray's motion for the abolition of newspaper postage, and a number of other similar motions. The utter helplessness of the Ministry without Mr Yogel, naturally suggests some speculation as to what would have happened had anything occurred to detain Mr Vogel another month. Tho Ministry would certainly have been obliged to acknowledge their weakness and prorogue Parliament, but it is questionable whether they would have got an imprest supply or not. Fervent indeed, must have been the prayers of Messrs Fox and Co., that the Nevada might arrive safely, and that no accident might intervene to prevent Mr Yogel's return by her. I almost wonder they had the courage to call the Assembly together at all until he had returned.

The Premier, in moving the second reading of the Education Bill, made a very excellent and telling speech. Mr Fox is quite at home when speaking on social subjects, and he handled this rather delicate one in a most judicious m inner, being repeatedly and heartily cheered. Mr Curtis followed in a very plain, practical speech, in which he intimated the direction of the various amendments he intended to move in Committee, and said that if other members would

follow the same course when speaking on the second reading, members would have time to make up their minds, and a great deal of time would be saved in passing the Bill through Committee. Most of Mr Curtis's suggestions are taken from the Nelson Act, which, if we may judge by the favour with which it is regarded by Nelson people after an experience of some years in its working, must be as nearly as possible a perfect Education Act. After Mr Curtis came a new West Coast member, Mr Tribe, who objected to the complicated, cumbrous, and probably expensive machinery of the Bill ; and also to its making provision for the establishment of high class schools, his idea being that all the State should do was to provide the means for elementary instruction. This idea did not seem to meet with much sympathy. Mr Tribe was followed by Mr Bathgate, who made a most excellent speech, showing a perfect acquaintance with his subject. Of the Bill generally he spoke in terms of hi cell p^dse, but he most warmly objected to the Aided Schools clauses as being a great blot, and calculated to introduce the denominational system. One of his many points was, that these Aided Schools would not be established where there were no other schools, but would be placed side by side with the Government schools, thus making two weak schools instead of one strong one. For a purely national system Mr Bathgate most strongly contended, and stated that although his sympathies were in favour of the Scriptures being read in schools he would rather yield that point than see anything like denominationalism introduced. He eulogised the Otago system, and on behalf of the Otago people protested against the system they had hitherto directed all their efforts to avoid being thrust upon them. Mr Bathgate was loudly cheered. After he sat dow n, there was a long pause ; and as no one seemed willing to speak, the Speaker left the chair for a quarter of an hour. At the expiration of this adjournment, Mr Steward was the only member who could be found willing to speak, and he made a short speech which was well put together, and warm in its approval of the Bill generally. He, however, backed up Mr Bathgate in his advocacy of a purely secular system, and also advocated the military training of all the youth attending the public schools. After this the debate was adjourned till Tuesday, on the motion of Mr Harrison. Ido not think that the debate will be a very long one, or a very interesting one now. To the principle of the Bill generally, there seems no opposition, and the only question really raised by the second reading — whether a Colonial Education Act is required — seems to be universally conceded. In Committee, however, there will be a great number of amendments in details moved, and there is every prospect of fierce battles, and many divisions under some of the points. The Aided Schools clause will, I fancy, be altogether excised, and if anything is inserted in their place, it will be some such provision as that contained in the Nelson Act, allowing the establishment of what are termed separate schools.

The debate on Mr Collins's motion for entering on the journals the Treasurer's evasive and unsatisfactory answer to a question abotvt the mis-application of the sum of £50,000 was rather a bitter one, and very damaging to the Government. Mr Vogel's fierce attack on the Controller was also extremely injudicious, for Mr Fitzgerald has many friends in the House, and the attack made on him will raise others. As Mr Gillies put it, despite Mr Vogel's assertions about the control being a farce, the system is sufficient with an honest Government which, having drawn money for a specific purpose, thinks itself bound in honour to apply that money to the purpose for which it was drawn. With a Government oblivious to its obligations in this direction, however, the control is not sufficient. One great blunder was made by Mr Vogel in this debate, and was promptly seized on by Mr Reid. Mr Vogel stated that on seeing a proof copy of the Controller'sreportandbalance-sheet, in which that officer drew attention to the fact that a balance of £50,000 belonging to the trust-fund was represented by Treasury Bills which should have been paid in October last, and for the payment of which he had issued the required money from the Consolidated Fund, he (Mr Vogel) conceiving that the statement was a reflection on the Government, refused to lay the report on the table of the House until he consulted his colleagues about it. Mr Reid on this pointed out that if it had not been for the Controller, the House would have been left in ignorance of the whole transaction, and that j the Government had actually discussed the propriety of suppressing the report of the Controller, who was an officer of the House, and not of the Government. He suggested that it would be desirable if for the future the Controller should report direct to the House, and not through the Government , of the day. When the Financial Statement

is made, all those little matters will again be raked up for discussion.

Mr Reid's questions about Mr Ca,leutt*a letter to the Evening Star regarding the Clutha Railway, also elicited some admis-i sions calculated to do the Government a good deal of harm. In connection with this matter, I may mention that Mr Ingles, the new member for Cheviot, and who has not yet spoken, has placed the following question on the Order Paper :—: — "Mr Ingles to ask the Commissioner of Telegraphs, Whether the telegraph wires were xised without payment by Mr Macandrew, during his late election for the Superintundency ; also during the election of members of the House of Representatives in the Province of Otago f 1 Some curiosity is felt as to how the Government will take Mr Stafford's motion for a Committee of Enquiry into the Telegraph Department. After the stand which they took in regard to the motion of Mr Collins for a return of persons using the wire without charge, when they made the question a Ministerial one, declaring that if the House could not trust them to manage the telegraph, they were not fit to occupy the Government benches, it is difficult to see how they can, with any good grace, assent to the motion now brought forward by the leader of the Opposition, And if they do not assenc to it they will undoubtedly be beaten, even if they stake their existence on the result of the division. The feeling of dissatisfaction and doubt on the subject of the management of this department is very general in the House. The persistent evasions of the Ministers when asked questions, and their evident unwillingness to have the subject ventilated, have caused a suspicion even in the mmds of those best affected towards the Government. Mr Bathgate has given notice of a motion for the appointment of a Select Committee to consider and report on the Law of Insolvency ; with power to call for per sons and papers, and to confer with any committee appointed by the Legislative Council. Committee to consist of Mr E. Richardson, Mr Brandon, Mr Peacock, Mr Buekland, Mr Curtis, Mr Gillies, Mr Haughton, Mr Webster, Mr Swanson, and the Mover. It is, I think, very doubtful whether any new Bankruptcy Act will get through this session.