7

A.—l

His Excellency's Advisers are pleased ho know that His Excellency does not consider his personal position in this matter has in any way been detrimentally affected. In conclusion, they beg to submit that, notwithstanding the view held by His Excellency that his late Advisers should have resigned, the result has amply justified the course taken. The country has been spared a general election. The relative positions of the Governor and his Advisers on this most important question have been defined, and that without affecting the Governor's personal position; whilst at the same time the bond of union between the Mother-country and her self-governing colonies has been strengthened by the decision given by the Secretary of State. The Premier respectfully requests that a copy of this memorandum may be laid on the table of the House of Representatives and Legislative Council respectively, and that a copy be also sent to the Right Hon. the Secretary for State for the Colonies. R. J. Seddon.

Memobandum for His Excellency the Goveenoe. (No. 9.) Premier's Office, Wellington, 3rd July, 1893. The Premier acknowledges the receipt of His Excellency's memorandum of the 21st June, intimating that he had just received from the Colonial Office copies of the return, " New Zealand and the Colonies " (Upper House), printed on the 2nd May by order of the House of Commons. The memorandum observes that the return includes all the correspondence on the subject of the Legislative appointments of last session, except the subsidiary correspondence (as His Excellency terms it), which was afterwards sent Home and included in the papers laid before the House of Commons, numbered 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 11. It also contains the first despatch, which was written on the 2nd June, 1892, marked " Confidential," and therefore not laid before the General Assembly last session. It further intimates that neither the confidential despatch referred to —-the despatch of the 3rd December, 1892 —nor Lord Eicon's reply thereto of the 17th February, 1893, was seen by the late Premier. It also requests that the memorandum left by Lord Onslow for the information of His Excellency, and seen by the late Premier, should be included in the correspondence to be laid before both Houses. In compliance with His Excellency's wish, the despatches in question will be printed and laid before both Houses. The Premier again respectfully desires to point out the inconvenience that may be caused by the Governor delaying placing despatches before his Advisers. The Premier trusts that in future His Excellency will always take his Ministers into his entire confidence when communicating with the Secretary of State. The Premier would also very respectfully point out the necessity that arises for a complete record being kept of despatches which have been forwarded. Such a record would render it impossible for any inadvertence to occur in future such as that to which his attention has been called —namely, that of an important omission in paragraph 7 of His Excellency's despatch of the 3rd December, 1892 ; which despatch has been forwarded for the purpose of being printed. If the error had not been discovered by His Excellency, the despatch would have been published, and, on comparison with the original, the omission would have been apparent. The Premier requests that a copy of this memorandum may be laid on the table of the House of Representatives and Legislative Council respectively, and that a copy be also sent to the Sight Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies. R. J. Sbddon.

Memoeandum for His Excellency the Goveenoe. (No. 10.) • Premier's Office, Wellington, 3rd July, 1893. The Premier begs to reply to His Excellency's memorandum of the 22nd ultimo. This memorandum intimates that " His Excellency did not mention that Despatch No. 12, page 41, in the return alluded to in his memorandum of the 21st ultimo, and which he did not send to the Clerk of the Executive Council for publication, was omitted, because, in the telegram in which Lord Ripon informed him that he was about to lay the correspondence in question on the table of Parliament, he added that he intended to omit the despatch of the 16th August unless the Governor particularly wished it printed ; and His Excellency, having replied that he did not desire its publication, considering it of no importance, did not expect to see it in this return, and therefore did not send it to the Premier." The Premier would respectfully point out that in this, as in the other cases, necessity is shown for the usual course being followed, and that all despatches, unless those considered by His Excellency as strictly confidential, should be laid before Ministers or the Executive Council. It might have happened, had the House met a little earlier, that the despatches in question would have been published with important omissions therefrom, not shown by our parliamentary records. At the same time copies of the same despatches would have been correctly printed in the records of the House of Commons. The practice of submitting despatches to the Prime Minister has been invariably followed by His Excellency's predecessors. The despatches have always been open to the Prime Minister. The question was raised in 1873. The attached correspondence took place between the then Governor, Sir James Fergusson, and his Advisers, and the resolution which forms part of the papers was passed by both branches of the Legislature. The Premier would also respectfully draw His Excellency's attention to Nos. 186 and 188 of the Colonial Office Regulations, page 324, which clearly point out the course to be followed respecting despatches to and from the Secretary of State. The Premier respectfully requests that a copy of this memorandum may be laid on the cable of the House of Representatives and Legislative Council respectively, and that a copy be also sent to the Right Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies. R. J. Seddon.