THE AWARUA SEAT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2274, 30 September 1897, Page 30

THE AWARUA SEAT.

The one topic of engrossing interest continues to be the position of the Hon J. G. Ward in regard to taking his seat in the House. With a view of deciding what should be done in the matter a Government c&ucas was held this morning, and lasted from 11 till after 1 ■p.m. Thirty-seven members of the party were present, and five others were accounted for. JUr Ward was amongst those present at the commencement if tbe proceedings, but he did not stay long, and was, for rnoßt of the 'time the caucus was sitting, in the long lobby ciattiDg with members. Mr Ward, in addressing the caucus, staled that all ha desired w*s to ba sworn in and take bis seat iv the House and make an explanation. He would not exercise ih ; s rights and privileges as a member until he ;b>d obtained bis discharge from bankruptcy. iXbie, however, did not at all fall in with the view* of the party. The Premier, as usual, was the principal speaker at the caucus, and Mr John M'Ketzie made an explanation regarding bis Invercargill visit, and denied the accuracy of tbe report of his speech, wherein h was stated that the Government intended taking Mr Ward again into the Cabinet. After Mr Ward had departed, the members of the Left Wing preeeut led off an attack against Mr Ward's inking his Beat iv the House, aud this gave courage to some other member* of the party to chip in. They would not hear of the proposal that Mr Ward should make a statement in tho Hout e till the natter was settled, and it was plainly atated that if this course were pursued, or if Mr Ward were, allowed to vote, the Government could not expect them to follow the Premier into the lobby, and there would be a risk of defeat. The Premier, therefore, resolved to iake the initiative in the House, and it was decided that, while no obstacle should be put in the way of the member for Awarua Caking the oath, the Premier should, at the earliest opportunity, give notice of a committee representing both sides of the House to decido us to Mr Ward's eligibility to sit and rote. Subsequently the Premier had an interview with Captain Ruisell, aud this course of notion

t?u decided upon.

When the House met, immediately after .prnjerc, the Premier rote in his place and inti..inatcd that he intended later on to give notice of a motion for the purpose ot setting tip a Committee of Privilege. He felt that in such a question the conduct of the House.w*» beyond party. In respect to Mr Ward's taking the oath no objection could be talttn, but as far as taking part in the proceeding* that could be left till the committee had reported, for Mr Ward intended to place himself eutitely in the hands of theHou«e. This plan was, he thought, the proper iolution of'a rather difficult and -delicate question. Captain Russell said he agreed that this was the bet>t course out of an extremely unpleasant position. In the abort conversation he had had with the Premier before lunch, he understood that; the Premier 'would move for this committee, but in now ■peaking on the subject the Premier had sa : d notbiug about Me Ward's taking his eeat in the meantime. The question he (Captain Russell) had raised was one of privilege as lo whether the hon. gentleman had a right to come there. What he had urged to the Premier was thtt the committee must be moved for before Mr Ward was allowed to couih there to take tbe oath, and he understood the Premier had agreed with him in that. Mr Seddon replied that he would like to meet his hero, friend, and he had no desire to fence the question. They bad nothing offioial before them, and they had no right whatever to take exception to the member for Awarua taking tbe oath. With this the discussion dropped. Subsequently Mr Ward, who was in the Haute, And bad been a listener to the remarks of the .Premier and Captain Russell, went up to the Speaker's chair, accompanied" by Mr Morrison (Caversham), and was sworn in. Speaker administered the oath in a voice that was inaudible, except to thoea in the immediate vicinity, and Mr Ward repented it in an equally iuaudible tone. The Speaker then ehook hands with Mr Ward, aud thu latter resumed his feat i« silence, there being not a sign of applause. When Mr Ward had taken his seat he was warmly grasped bj tbe hand fictt by Mr Morrison and then by Mr Hogg, who were sitting on either side of him on one of the back Ministerial benches. There is some little difference of opinion as to the fiual outcome of the matter now. In view of Mr John M'Ktnzie's luvercargill utterances the action decided upon is regtird>d as a climb down for the Government, and after this mornlug's caucus it is recognised thnt mony who ■would prtviously have supported Mr Ward have somewhat changed their attitude, and that if the matter now goes to the House freed from party considerations the issue will ba against tli ft ex-Colonial Treasurer.

It transpires that Mr Ward, during the course of bis speech in the caucus to-day, expressed his -willingness to stand out of active politics for cix mouths, by which time he hoped that his financial difficulties would be over. By this he uieaut that he thouid be allowed to cake his ■eat, but that he would not exercise the privileges of a member for six months. The party, however, would not listen to this proposal.

THE FIRST SKIRMISH OF THE SESSION.

Mr Lewis this afternoon asked the qusstion, of which he had giveD notice, regarding the valuation of and advances on lands lately occupied by Isabella Banks Aldred (of Auckland) and the late James Mackintosh (of Clifden, Invercargill), The particulars of advances made by tbe Advances to Settlers and the estimated value of the .Bfccurities have already appeared in the Bankruptcy Gizette. Mr Lewis, however, failed to jjefc a satisfactory answer from the Minister for liandi, who fenced the question by stating that Jie would not be a party to private affairs being dragged on to the floor of the House, and he wished to lay it down as a rule now, thus early In the session, not to answer these questions. She hon. gentleman, he said, was endeavouring to bring about a state of affairs that would be intolerable to certain members of his own constituency—(cries of " Order ! ")— who were doing business with the Lending Board. He might, however, tell the hon. gentleman that jene of these properties had been sold for £100 more than it had been valued wA in the Bankruptcy Gazette.— (Mr Lewis :' " I'm glad to hear it;") Mr M'Keuzie said tha colouj would not

lose 6'l on either of the transactions referred to. Hs warned hon. members not to optn these flood gates, and not to drag in private affairs. An hon. member remarked, " That's in the Gazette," and Mr Lewis said .'• It* public already." There the matter ended for the time bsing ; but later on, after the questions had beeu asked, Mr Lewis rose and moved the adjournment of the House at a protest against the reply he received from the Minister, who, b.e ■aid, hdd practically refused to answer the questions hs had put for reasons which would, no doubt, suggest themselves to those who needed an answer., He pointed out that private affairs wore not at all' involved iv h's question, aud that the Micisterhad evaded the issue. All he wanted to know was by whom the valuations in question were made, how much money h«d been advanced upon the valuations of these valuers, and whether the officials in question wera still in the employ of the Government. Ho had as much right to know the nimes of the valuers as the head of thin department, and the public had a right to know. Mr M'Kenzio replied on the lines of his former answer, and refused to give the information asktd for. Messrs Carson, Pirani, and Kelly followed, and condemned the attitude taken up by the Minister. Mr Kelly eftid lie was familiar with the late Mr Mackintosh's property, and he was convinced that eventually there would be a lots upon it. It wa* now in tho hands of the latre Mr Mackintosh's sou, but though the latter would no doubt do his best he would not be able to make it pay. Mr Seddon said a second mortgage h«d been taken on the property by a very attute man. Mr Kelly said he knew all about that. Mr Seddon and Mr Richardson rose at the same time, half an. hour before the adjournment, and tho former deemed it necessary to talk oat time, leaving only about three miijutes*for anyone to follow him. Captain Russell, however, stopped iuto the breach, refrrting to the appointment of a valuer in tbe North Itlaod, upon whose bankruptcy Judge Kettle had nsade such *evere strictures. This appointment, it will be remembered, was first exposed in the Times soon after it was made. C.ptain Rustell now referred to it as being a crying scandal throughout the whole of tho North Island. It was, in fact, ons of th.» greatest scandals that had ever taken place in New Zealand which had been perpetrated by the Minister for L*uds in the ab<enca of his colleague in England, Ha also stated that if questions put properly by a member on hifl side of the House were to be treated in such a manner by the Minister for Lands they could take his word for it thtt the same kind of proceedings tint had been taken by the Opposition that afternoon would bs' repeated on future occasions. The Opposition had no intention of being bullied any mote. — (Hear, hear.) They were strong enough now, and they would nob have answers like that. They had been bullied and bullied for some years past, but now they were strong enough to resent 6uch treatment. — (Applause). Mr M'Koozie said in that case it would give him great pleasure to retort. Thus ended the first skirmish of the session. Captain Russell had spoken with no uncertain sound, and it is evident that the Opposition mean fight. In this first brush they made a decided score, and pinned tho Government in such a way that lnunt have been most uncomfortable for them. Howerer, we have nob by a long' way hoard the latfc of these questions of advances to settlers and the appointment of certain valuers.