WELLINGTON.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 542, 14 August 1869, Page 2

WELLINGTON.

(FKOSI OUtt OWN COKKESPONDENT.) August 6. The House is in full fight over what are almost facitiously called M'Lean's resolutions. You may remember what they were. Two in number, they plainly set forth the ministers opinion ; that in the present state of the Colony, all that could be done to save us from annihilation was to get Imperial troops, and, that for this purpose it would be necessary to send homo two commissioners to state our case. Such briefly, was the substance of these two resolutions, but now they have assumed a different aspect. By the permission of the House they were " slightly altered " —disinterested individuals might think they had been corrected, revised, and enlarged—and now stand as follows: — "1. That having regard to the very threatening aspect of affairs in t'<e North Island, and to the exhausted state of the Colonial finances, it is beyond the strength of the Colony, left to its own resources, to supply with Colonial troops sufficient garrisons for the protection of life and property, and at the same time to provide an adequate moveable force to resist the formidable organised bands which continuallymake raids into the outlying settled districts, devastating the country, torturing and murdering without distinction of age or sex, the peaceful inhabitants of both races, and which some time even threaten the safety of some of the principal towns of the North Island. " 2. That the countenance and protection of the Imperial Government afforded by the presence of a small body of Imperial troops are even more important than the physical strength thereby given. "3. That under these circumstances a final appeal should be made to the mother country for the assistance of Imperial troops, the Colony undertaking, on its part, to provide an efficient constabulary force. "I. That this House undertakes to make provision for such contribution as may bo arranged with the Imperial Government, towards the cost of maintaining such Imperial troops. "5. That such arrangement should be made for 15 0 men for five years. " G. That the Government take steps to give effect to these resolutions by sending commissioners to England to make the necessary representations to the Imperial Government. "7. That the Commissioners, be armed with full powers and discretion, to obtain the opinion of the best military authorties as to the advisability of employing Ghoorkas, or any other body of disciplined men, and to bo guided by such opinion in their representation to the Imperial Government." On these, as you have already learned hy telegraph, Mr Stafford has moved an amendment as follows : To omit all the words after'the ; word "that" and insert the following in lieu thereof:—"this House will not sanction the expenditure of Colonial funds in the payment of Imperial troops beyond such a sum as may be required for one regiment, to be stationed as garrisons at such centres of population as the Governor may appoint, with a view to the moral effect which, in the opinion of this House, the presence of a small body of Imperial troops produces on the Native population, both loyal and disaffected ; and that a Select Committee be appointed to prepare a humble Address t Her Majesty embodying the conditions on which Her Majesty should be requested to station such regiment in New Zealand "

But, last night, before the House went iuto Committee on these, there was a nice little " row " which, Mr Cracroft Wilson said he had not seen equalled during the ten years he had sat in the House. Mr Stafford moved for certain returns explanatory of a part of the Financial Statement referring to the alleged unauthorised expenditure of the late Government. He argued that, by the Colonial Treasurer's new system, the intereston loans for two years bad been brought to charge, and innde to appear as the expenditure of one year. This was at length admitted by Mr Vogel. Mr Stevens complained that either the sum of £170,000 or of £195,000 had been improperly charged as unauthoi'ised expenditures, and he blamed the Treasurer for either a gigantic bluuder, or a deliberate mis-statement, for political purposes. In reply, Mr Bell told him he had made a speech which his positiun in the House did not justify ; and Mr Fox sneered at him as a man who arrogantly assumed a position in the House as a financier, for which he was incapable, and that the House was beginning to find him out. It this way the various members made courteous allusions to each others qualities and abilities, till at length, Mr Stafford replying, the motion was agreed to. The debate on the resolutions was resumed by Mr Hall who spoke for three hours. He showed that the resolutions havirg been altered from their original form in everything except the two Commissioners; the Ministry had been already beaten on them, and self-reliance had triumphed. He opposed tho employment of even one regiment, and argued that a regular military force was unfit for our fighting. He dwelt on the many disadvantages and few advantages of our remaining connected with Great Britain; and of the danger we should be in, in the event of a war with a naval power. He regretted that the House had passed, under a feeling of panic quite unjustified by the news from the "Waikato, the resolution for the retention of the 18 th regiment. Mr Yogel then rose and replied to Mr Hall at some length. In the course of his remarks he said the colonial troops were comparatively

useless. At this, loud cries of " Shame, Shame," resounded all round the House, and Mr Stafford called out "It is false." Mr Bell moved that the words be taken down, and Mr Stafford seconded it, and a regular hubbub took place. Members appealed to the Chairman to keep order, but he acknowledged his inability to do so unless seconded by the Committee. Eventually, Mr Bell withdrew his motion and Mr Vogel proceeded, with many interruptions, to show that Mr Stafford's professions of desire to retain the 18th were not genuine, and that if he again obtained power ho would defeat the wish of the House. Mr Stafford rose to defend himself against Mr Vogel's charges of insincerity, and retaliated on the Ministry by saying he was surprised to see Mr Bell on the Government benches when that gentleman had announced himself as opposed to the employment of Imperial troops. Mr Bell jumped up and denied ever having done so, when cries of " oh, oh," were heard, and another pretty little squabble followed. When it subsided Mr Stafford said that the Government resolutions on the paper were not the production of the Government, but had been drawn up by Mr "Wbittaker who, some time ago, had shown them to him., and asked him to move them as an amendment to the Government resolutions. The only part of them really emanating from the Government was the one lino about the Ghoorkas, and the Commissioner clause. The resolutions were such as he could not advocate. He had told Mr Wbittaker so. As to the Commissioners, he did not believe that the House would ever consent to two men being sent home to bind the Colony to anything they liked, and for any time. The House would also like to be told who the Commissioners would bo. Mr Bell said that the Government had adopted Mr AVhittaker's resolutions, but were not aware they had been offered to Mr Stafford. They understood, however, that they had been seen and approved of by Mr Stafford. He hud never opposed the proposal to retain a regiment in New Zealand, but before he joined the Ministry he had disapproved of the proposal to obtain another regiment and a New Zealand one. Some one or two unimportant speeches followed, and the debate was then adjourned till to-night. Altogether I do not think I can remember a more disorderly and noisy meeting of the House than last night. As regards the result of the debate I can scarcely give an opinion. The Opposition is decidedly hopeful, and it is mentioned that Mr Stafford's amendment is an attempt on the part of the Ministers to withdraw their resolutions, they having counted noses, nnd found themselves in a minority. I suppose a few more days will decide matters. The Bazaar in aid of the-funds of the Convent in connection with the Catholic Church here, which I told you in my last letter was about to be held, has been a great success. I cannot say how much money has been made, but the Odd-fellows' Hall, where it was held, was crowded on the three days—Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday—the stalls were gradually cleared, and at the wind-up, namely a dance to which the admission charged was half-a-crown, was as crowded an affair as I have seen for some time.

_ There is an amount of sharp practise going on in Wellington now (I think it just barely escapes deserving tho name of swindling) in the sale of tluckland mining shares, which is causing many of our citizens to burn their fingers pretty severely. A few days ago on the arrival of a steamer from Auckland, reports were carefully circulated that in sundry claims gold had been struck. The market was carefully rigged, and as a great favor shares in certain claims were purchased at only an advance of 50 per cent, on previous quotations. Subsequent advices have shown that instead of having advanced 50 per cent, they had really fallen more than that. For instance Eureka shares were quoted aud charged at £5, while £3 is the market price in Auckland. Magenta shares quoted at 10s in Auckland, are unblushin<jly offered here at 70s. In fact the claims may bo mythical altogether it only needs a name, and a quotation to make gulls swallow the bait and buy the scrip. August 7. The House continued last evening the debate on Mr M'Lean's resolutions. Mr Tancred proposed that both the resolutions and Mr Stafford's amendment be withdrawn, and the following accepted • " That a resolution having been passed by this House requesting General Chute to allow the 18th Regiment to remain in tho colony until an answer can be received from the Imperial Government to proposals about to be made by the colony, it is expedient that action should be taken to obtain from the Imperial Government the retention of one regiment in the Colony upon such terms a3 may be agreed to by the Imperial authorities." This, however, the House would not agree to, and the debate continued with_ scarcely less warmth than on the previous evening, nearly every member taking part in it. Mr J. C. Richmond made a capital speech of considerable length, as also did Mr Fitzherbert. Many of the members desired an adjournment of the debate, but Ministers would not listen to this! At length the first resolution moved by the Defence Minister was put and

Mr Stafford's amendment to it; the division being taken on the question " That the words proposed to be omitted stand part of the clause " : Axes, 31.—Messrs Armstrong, Baigent, Bell, (teller), Birch, Burns, Cargill, Creighton, Dignan, Driver, Farnall, Fox, Graham, IT. S. Harrison, Heaphy, Howorth, Kelly, Macaudrow, Macfarlane, Main, M'Lean (teller), Mete Kingi, O'Neill, Ormond, Peacock, Reynolds, Studholtne, Tareha, Taylor, Ydgel, Williamson, Wilson. Noes, 27—Messrs Ball, Barff, Bradshaw, Bunny, Clark, Curtis, Fitzherbert, Gallagher, Hall (teller), liaukinson, W. H. Harrison, Haultain, Kenny, Kerr,- Ludlam, Monro, Muuro, Patterson, Richmond, Russeil ; Staft'ord (teller), Stevens, Swan, Tancred, Travers, Wells, and Wbod. Paiks—For—Messrs Featherston. Rich, Collins, Brandon, Parker, Borlase, Farmer, O'Rorke. Against— Messrs Edwards, Haughton, Eyes, Potts, Mervyn, Jollie, Brown, Koilestou. The resolution was therefore carried. This majority of only four (two of whom certainly are Maoris) is looked upon as a real defeat, when the altered resolutions are considered. Tt is worthy of notice that Mr Fox had a majority of 1L when he defeated the late Ministry. At the last division he had only six, and now he only can count 4, two or three of them being Maoris.