WELLINGTON.

Otago Witness, Issue 1188, 5 September 1874, Page 8

WELLINGTON.

(PROM OUJR, OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

August 27 th. The great debate, after four tedious days' talking, collapsed suddenly and ignominiously. There was no spirit or life in the debate ; none of the old fire which used to distinguish, important debates in the House some years ago. The contrast between it and the debate on Crosbie Ward's Separation resolutions, or between it and the debate on Mr Stafford's Local Government Bill, or Mr Fox's Want of Confidence resolutions, was very marked. On several occasions the debate was very near falling through, owing to the disinclination of the members to speak. Perhaps of all the speeches Mr Macandrew's was the best and the most earnest. Mr Fitzherberb was expected to make a good speech, extending over an indefinite number of hours, but he spared the House, although not. willingly. He was coquetting with Mr Stafford, having apparently an insuperable objection to speaking before Mr Stafford, and as that geutleman had apparently an equal objection to be followed by Mr Fitzherbert, neither of them spoke, aud when the division bell suddenly rang both of them were probably sorry that they had missed the chance. No one had expected such a majority as there was, and the suddenness of the division excluded rive or six members, most of them being members who, if they had voted at all, Mould have given their voices with the Opposition. Messrs O'Rorke, Harrison, and White, were in this position, arriving too late to get in. . Mr Wales was also too late, but would have voted with the Government had he been there. He made this explanation next day, and was about to give the rea&ous which would have induced him to give his vote for the resolu' tions, when he was pulled up by the Speaker, who said a member might say how be would have voted, but might not give reasons. Mr Pearce was in the House, but would not vote. He disapproved of the resolutions, but being a weak-minded man, much under the influence of Mr Vogel, he could not pluck up courage to vote against the resolutions, and so walked out. Mr Walter Johnston was not in the House, but would not, I think, have voted if he had been, as he was in much the same position as Mr Pearce. Mr Yon der Hyde was in the House, but abstained from voting, as he was in rather an anomalous position, a Committee being sitting to decide the validity of his election. He has explained to his constituents that had he voted at all it would have bein against the Government. As you are aware, he has been unseated as having been unnaturalised when elected. He is, however, sure to be returned again, and is likely to make a very useful member.

Great as the Government majority was, it did not end the matter, for next day it became known that Mr Fitzherbert intended to renew the discussion in a different form. At firsb people thought he was simply actuated by a desire \o deliver the speech he had prepared, and probably he did intend to do &o ; but the design was abandoned, and at a meeting of the party it was arranged that he should speak briefly and avoid all irritating matter. Ifc was a pity that tho same prudence was not shown in wording the .resolution, for anything more injudiciously worded I never saw. It was absolutely impossible that a single member who had voted with the majority at the previous division- could vote for a resolution which misinterpreted and misrepresented the result then arrived at, Tho preamble about bureaucratic government was alone sufficient to seal the fate of the resolution. Had Mr Fitzherbert contented himself with simply bringing down a resolution that a dissolution was desirable before any change in the Constitution was made, he would have succeeded much better, and would at auy rate have avoided playing into the hauds of his opponent, and allowing himself to be checkmated, as he undoubtedly wa3, by Mr Vogel on this occasion. The latter's amendment was very cleverly worded, and he seized the opportunity to make a very long speech, which was a very great improvement on the speech he made in bringing forward the original resolutions. Mr Stafford made an excellent speech, but one which showed how very slight was the bond between him and Mr Vogel. In fact, Mr Stafford made it very cleaily understood that he was simply using Mr Vogel for his own convenience, aud as a means to clear the pathway for his own return to power. I can not imagine less satisfactory support than that received by Mr Vogel from Mr Stafford, and he did not seem to ac all like it. After Mr Stafford came Mr Fitzherberr, who now had a legitimate opportmnty of delivering his speech, and he did ao, hut it did not produce much effect. Then. Mr Fox got up and made a long rigmarole oration, and here, according to arrangement, the debate was to have ended. At a Government caucus on the Saturday ifc was arranged that only Messrs Stafford, Vogel, and Fox should speak on that side. Mr T. L. Shepherd objected, and Siiid he would speak, and was told that if he did his party would walk out of the House, Nevertheless, he persevered, and when he rose there was a rush out, and ere he had gone, far, attention vvas called to the state of the House, and the bell rung. Of course a quorum was easily made, but no sooner did Mr Shepherd attempt to proceed than another rußh out took place, and some rather uncomplimentary terms — amongst others, "donkey" — were applied to the members, and especially to Mr J. 0, Brown. The member fur Dunstim could not force the House fen hour him, but he got mopifc of lua Bi.erch into Haneaid, and the Government hiive probably io&t his vote iv the subsequent divisions he refraimd from voting at nil. aud ip, hod unudturaily, raiher bore at the treatment he has experienced. The Council, as is usuai with it at this period of tho aesbion, has been asserting its position by the wholesale rejection of measures passed by the other House, Amongst these, the most noticeable are the Railways Bill and tho Nelson Water Works Loan Bill, both of which were rejected on the ground that they authorised a double borrowing on a single security, the works having been originally constructed by the local authorities on borrowed money, and other parties wow wishing to buy them with money aJeo $o pe J?prjW£4> What etejw tho QqypiQ'

ment will take in reference to the Railways Bill Ido not know. If the old relations existed still between Messrs Macandrew and Vogel, I have no doubt that the latter would, evea. at this period of the session, endeavour to get the Eailways Bill through, so as to authorise the purchase from your Province of the Bluff and Wiuton line, but as matters are now Mr Vogel is not likely to put himself out of his way to oblige Mr Macandrew. The Council also was rather uudecidcel about the advances to Provinces Bill, Mr Campbell moving its rejection. Had this motion been carried there would have been a nice row, and the session would have been indefinitely prolonged, for Mr Vogel would have been almost; forced to at once proceed' with the Abolition of the Provinces of this Island, and to have inincluded Nelson and Westland in the measure. However, the Bill managed to squeeze through. Mr Waterhouse also opposed the Immigration and Public Works Bill in a very able speech, one which is well worthy of being read and carefully considered. The Licensing Bill has been a good deal altered in its passage through the Council, and Mr Vogel has with slight modifications not yet agreed to by the Council, intimated his willingness to accept the amendments. One of the moot points is whether barmaids' hours shall be from 10 to 10 or from 11 to 11. Another is whether for this year only power shall not be given to hear applications for new licenses in December next. The Council by two divisions lias refused to allow licenses to be issued quarterly, and insists that they shall only be granted at an annual court. Mr Vogel wants an exception this year as the annual meeting is so far off, and the law was in such a very unsatisfactory condition at the last annual meeting. The members of the Opposition have some scheme afoot for the foundation of a New Z a aland Constitutional Association, and have held a meeting, and, it is said, subscribed liberally for the purpose. What the programme or principles of the Association may be, I ha, . r e not the slightest idea ; but I fancy the main object aimed at — almost the only one on which there is any unanimity of opinion amongst the members — is to get Mr Vogel out of office. Ifc will be quite useless for any association in this island to attempt to bolster up Provincialism as a system. It is no doubt admirably administered here by our ]:>resent Superintendent and Executive, but the system itself has few friends. It is to the manner rather than to the matter of Mr Vogel's resolutions that objection is taken People do not believe in great constitutional questions being taken up hastily, and determined without consideration. Even those who like not Provincialism wint to know what Mr Vogel proposes to substitute for it before they agree to its abolition. Above all, exception is taken to the proposal being a partial one. The North Island will not submit to being experimented on. If a constitutional change is to be made, it will insist on its being a thorough change, ex tending to the Colony. The North will not abandon its Provincial Institutions, and give up its Land Fund to the Colony, unless the South does the same. The almost unanimous feeling throughout this Island is, I believe : Abolish the whole of the Provinces as soon as machinery to supply their place can be devised, and let the Laud Fund be at ouce made Colonial revenue. No North Island candidate will have the least chance at the next election unless he adopt 3 this ticket. Mr Vogel has raised a feeling which he will find difficult; to satisfy, and impossible to allay.

On Friday night the members of the two Houses, or rather some of them — for several have declined to join — are to entertain the Governor at a farewell banquet, which will take place in the Chamber of the House of Representatives. Beyond this I do not think that there will be any demonstration of regret at His Excellency's resignation. He is by no means popular, and somo recent affairs have not added to his popularity. In the firßt place, it transpired thab he had visited the Opera several times without paying for his seats. The excuse put forward was that he wanted a bill sent in, but this was manifestly an excuse only, for Sending in a bill is a thing never before heard of under the circumstances. After some not very creditable correspondence had taken place, His Excellency paid up to the extent of £5 without a bill being sent in. Again, he has recently taken h. very active part in a movement for building a new Church of England at Te Aro. He attended all the meetings and made long speeches, inculcating the duty of subscribing liberally, saying that if £200 could be raised to give Alice May, an opera singer, a set of diamonds, how very easy it should be to raise money for the Church. Under the circumstances above stated, but not then made public, this allusion was scarcely in good taste. He on several occasions said ha would head the subscription-li&t, and those who did not know Sir James expected something handsome ; those who did know him, shook their heads. The other day at a meeting the subscription-list was produced, iiud His Excellency headed it with £25. The blauk faces of the Committee when they saw the sum were very amusing. They had expected at least £100 alter all the fuss, and had he given £250 it would not have been very much. As it is, His Excellency's heading the list haa thrown a damper over the whole affair, and I am doubtful if the money to build with will be raised at ail. Members of the Church of England are rathar ashamed of their subscription-list, for the Presbyterians are just building a church in the same parish, and Mr Waring Taylor headed the list with £300, followed by Mr Turnbull with £200, and Mr John Martin with £100, besides an enormous number of subscriptions, all for larger amounts than the one so ostentatiously given by the Governor.

There was something like a row in the Houao last nighr, when the Speaker so far forgot himself as to declare that Mr Murray's motion, that pastoral tenants of the Crown should not be called to the Legislative Council, was impertinent. Mr Fox also used soino strong language in regard to it, and so did other members. Ultimately the motion was withdrawn, but, in principle, Mr Murray was quite right, and a strong feeling is growing upon the question.

August 28th.

Tho prorogation was confidently anticipated «»shpjr tkw #ftewa<?ou or to-mprrojy

morning, but at the last moment had to be postponed until Monday, in consequence of the Governor taking it into his head to refuse to assent to any Bill until three copies of it, printed on parchment, are formally laid before him. It has always hitherto been the custom for the Governor simply to initial and assent to the copy of the Bill signed by the Speaker and Chairman of Committees of the last House in which it Dassed, and then to sign the parchment record copies subsequently. Sir James Fergusson, however, will have all things done in due order, and it will be as much aa the officers of the House and the printers can do to get p.ll the parchment copies printed even by Monday. There will be a very poor attendance of members at the ceremony when it does take place, for nearly all of them go away to-day or to-mo v row. His Excellency will thus be enabled to deliver his last prorogation speech to an audience more select than numerous.

The law of primogeniture is no longer the law of the land, and hereafter landed property will, in cases of intestacy, descend much in the same way that personal property does. Mr Waterhouse's Real Estate Descent Bill was really prepared by a Committee of the Council, and a good deal of legal evidence was taken, the result being that a Bill satisfactory to the lawyers, but slightly involved and unintelligible to the lay mind, has passed both Houses.

Tho idea of a Royal Commission in the Ward- Chapman case did not meet with much favour. The Council absolutely, and on a division, refused to assent to the recommendation of the Ooniuuttee; and iv the Lower House, Mr Vogel moved as an amendment that the evidence be referred to the Government to take such steps as they might deem desirable. This was unanimously agreed to. Mr Vogel said he was by no means satisfied that tho telegrams had not leaked out from the department, while Mr J. L. Gillies, as a member of the Committee, expressed himeelf quite satisfied with Mr Macassey's explanation. Mr Vogel seemed to think that the Government would have a much better chance of finding out; anything more than either the Committee or a Royal Commission would.

The rejection of the Railway Bill caused some little stir ; and yesterday the Government brought down a fresh Railway Bill, exactly similar to the previous one, except that the clauses authorising the purchase of Otago and Canterbury lines were omitted. Mr Reid, Mr Macandrew, Mr Gillies, and in fact all the Otago members, very strong'y objected to Otago being thus coolly thrown over. Some wanted the Government to send the Bill up again in its original form, and, if necessary, prolong the session for a month to fight it out with the Council. Mr Reid urged that the House should pass a resolution undertaking to indemnify the Government in going on with the purchase and paying the money without the authority of an Act. All dwelt strongly on the difficulty the Province would experience if it did not get the money to carry on its branch railways. Mr Vogel of course was profuse in expressions of sympathy, but positively refused to act on any indemnity resolutions, and said he could not endanger ttie rest of the Bill even for the sake of Ocago. I think he rather enjoyed seeing Mr Macandrew in a fix. Ultimately he pro • mi&ed to bring down a separate Bill to authorise the payment of £60,000 to Otago in February next, the money to be taken as the first instalment on account of the purchase of the Bluff railway, should that purchase be hereafter authorised ; and if not, the money to be considered as a loan on similar terms as the advances to other Provinces. With this the Otago members had to bo content, and Mr Vogel's generosity is not likely to coat him anything, for it is almost absolutely certain that the Legislative Council will treat this Bill as they treated all the Provincial Loan Bills, or little pig*, last session. They will certainly reject it, and Otago will get nothing, at which probably the Government will chuckle. It was urged in the Lower House, that unless the money was obtained large blocks of land would have to be forced into the market. This, so far from being regarded as a calamity by the Council, will be looked on as an extra inducement not to pass the Bill, as forced sales of large blocks is exactly what Mr Campbell and his party in the Council wihh to see brought about. There is very little doubt that if tho Government really wished to assist Otago in this matter it could do so, as parties were so equally balanced in the Council. If Mr Vogel and Mr Macandrew were on their old terms, the former would, have found a way of getting the money for the latter.