HIS EXCELLENCY INTERVIEWED. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2014, 29 September 1892, Page 18

HIS EXCELLENCY INTERVIEWED. (From Our Own Correspondent.)

Wellington, September 26.

The cable message from the Secretary of State to his Excellency Lord Glasgow advising him to accept the advice of Ministers in regard to the Legislative Council appointments wag the theme of general couversatiQß in" the lobbies to-day. Various, reports '^vere current as to the exact- -terms of the cablegram. One of these reports was that it consisted of the words, "Accept Ministers' advice unreservedly^" On* that assumption general comment took tho shape of grave apprehension for the stability of the existing constitutional relations between the two Houses of the Legislature, inasmuch as the Ministry, it was claimed, might at any time swamp the Upper House with their nominees, and carry, without appeal to the country, any measures which had the temporary support of the Lower House. Iv order to set doubts at rest I souglit an interview with his Excellency the Governor this evening. Lord Glasgow courteously expressed his willingness to give any information that could with propriety be made public. He stated that the cablegram which had , -arrived from Lord Ripon late last night, and the substance of which bad been communicated to Ministers this morning, was a confidential one between the Secretary of State and his Excellency. He therefore did not think that he would be justified, iv showing the message or in publishing its exact words. He assured me, however, that suoh portion of it as he did communicate contained nothing of any public interest at all. The gist of the message was that his Excellency was advised to accept the advice of his Ministers in tho particular case submitted.

I explained to Lord Glasgow that rumours had placed three different constructions on the message. First, that it embodied entirely fresh iustrucitious to the Governor ; second, that it was a fresh interpretation of existing instructions ; and third, that it was simply in ,tne naturo of advice. Which of these views, I asked, was the correct one ? His Excellency replied that the communication was entirely in the form of advice ; that in regard to the specific circumstances the Secretary of State had advised him to act upon the advice of his Ministers.

I then asked if this advice were limited strictly to the present case in point, or whether he had been advised to accept unreservedly the advice of his Ministers. If so, would not that , involve his acceding in future to any application his Ministers might make. The reply was that the cablegram did not contain the words "unreservedly." "The advice," said his Excellency, "relates entirely to the specific case referred to Lord Ripon, and dees not necessarily guide any future action of the Governor, who is left entirely free to deal with any case as it may arise." I quoted the hypothetical case of any future Government requiring an excessive number of Councillors to be appointed, and asked whether the Governor would regard the terms of Lord Ripon's message as directing him to accede to such a demand.

Lord Glasgow's reply was emphatically in tne negative. The message was simply advice as to the specific case submitted to the Secretary of State. Of course the cablegram is necessarily brief and concise, and it is in the dispatches— -which will probably be received from Lord Ripon in five or six weeks— that the constitutional bearings of the question will be discussed and explained. In reply to a question whether I would be correct to represent his Excellency as a party with the Government in the reference to the Secretary of State, Lord Glasgow said that strictly speaking the reference was made by his Ministers, who had expressed a wish that the case should be submitted to Lord Ripon. He had consented to the reference Home, and had sent the memoranda with a dispatch written by himself. To that extent he was a party to it. I mentioned a rumour which had prevailed that it was possible that his Excellency would accept such a decision of the Marquis of Ripon advising him to accept the recommendations of his Ministry as an expression of disapproval or want of confidence, and would deem it due to himself consequently to resign. The reply was that there was not the slightest foundation for such a report. On the contrary, Lord Glasgow accepted- the message merely as advice, and was glad to have it as relieving him of a certain degree of responsibility, which had now bevn accepted by the Home authorities.