OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1553, 11 June 1885, Page 3

OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

SECOND EDITION at 5 p.m.

(By Telegraph.) p Wellington, To-day. D i Parliament war opened this afternoon. tc The following ia the GOVERNOR'S SPEECH. Hoa. Onraxmcur of tkb . Legislative □ : Council and Gentlemen of the House S or Kepebsehtaxives,— q I hare much pleasure in again b, taring reoonne your aesiatance in t j, Parliament assembled. The depression g j ; was prevalent throughout the colony di when- yon met last year shows signs of aa passing away in many parts. Notwith- jj. the low prices of wool and wheat satisfactory evidence is apparent of re- j e , sewed enterprise, and of confidence in m the future progress of the oolony. The w ] loyal disposition of the Maoris, and the va . readiness they -have displayed in aiding c .. Hie construction of the North Trunk th Bailway most be exceedingly gratifying to yon. My Ministers desire in dealing with the. natives to treat them with justice and Cl| consideration, whilst at the same time the j a , law is maintained. Throughout the native f Q territory there are signs that the attitude an of the Maoris is not only pesceful, but friendly. Tribes and Hspus, hitherto 0 f aloof from Europeans, have „ Q shown an earnest desire to co-operate heartily with the Government. My advisers are of opinion that in order to avoid mis under* tending in future it Is most Important that a better mode of with Native lands should be de- ' Vised. To accomplish this in a manner sei just to the Maori owners and beneficial to ca the colony.thoy propose to submit to you ' a Bill to regulate the sale and other disposition of lands belonging to the natives. The construction of the North Island . trunk railw»y, which was happily .inaugurated near Kibikibi in April last, hi wannot fail to have a moat beneficial effect Ott the relations between the European I • and native races, and as provision ia made I W for settlement along the line, the North I co Island will doubtless make great strides in I bu pprmnnant agricultural settlement. My I A Ministers have proceeded cautiously but I , effectively with the prosecution of other I m pabllo works. They hope that at no die-1« tent date the railway between Wellington J and Napier will be finished. Rapid! progress is being made in the construction I £ S the Otago Central railway, which I[ h when complied will open up the interior j te pi.;... of that provincial district. No I b time was lest in making an agreement j f a ander the East and West Coast and Nel-1 aon Bailway Act. My Ministers are in I w ’ hopes (*»■* in socordance with its provi-1 hi gums Nelson and the West Coast will be- « fore long be connected with the East J Coast of the Middle Island, and that a I vast araa of land which, from its nature I requires a railway to develops |it, will be-1 B eome available for useful purposes. The 1 „ main to theoolony from opening these j linos of communication with the West I p Coast, my Ministers consider will be of j tl importance, whilst the utilisa- j « tem of the land of "which the colony I n will retain alternate blocks most I u prove of great service. Yon will be « •eked to consider whether the effective J working of the railways opened for traffic J ooaldnot be improved by the constitution J of Po«r«ls of Commissioners, to whom 1 c ' would be entrusted the general manage- t f sent of the railways. In order to enable j . you to deal with this subject my Ministea will submits Bill for your considora- . turn. In accordance witlr the authorities I - bv Parliament in 1882, and by yon I - of L 1,000,000 and - - 1A,600,000 have been rawed and oeeodingly satisfactory pnees obtained. Paper# on the subject will be laid before yon. The Industrial Exhibition in Wellington «D 1 shortly be opened, and my advisers I • balfeve that through it an impetus will be «hr«« to manufacturing enterprise throughout theoolony. You will be askedtu authorise the representation of the colony at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, to be held in London next .veer; a great opportunity will thus be afforded of making known throughout the world the vast resources and natural ad. I vantages of this oolony. Considerable attention bee been given r to the promot-1 '■ £q£ of agricultural settlement The! gpedal settlements formed under the re- I, - gnlations lately gazetted promise to be a J * iiiCJWr Application! far exceeding I area at present available by law have I i bLn received by the Land* Department. 1 fcr of the legislative Conn- j mk%'- idl hae often been discussed; a hill deal-1 l p l fhe subject by limiting the appfe ISohMante \o a term of years will be wßttSjihteitted for your consideration. I -oy in Hoot* of Baras- I revenue and expenditure j been framed with 1 believe that the »I»mi there should be some of and proposals j

lin a state of defence. With this object I considerable expense has been incurred, I to which yon will, nodoubt, readily assent. I The main ports are being put in a state I to resist an attack, and it will be proposed I to you to sanction further expenditure, to I render the defence of the colony still more I complete. You wiil be invited to express I your views on the question both of naval I end land defences. There has been I throughout the colony a desire to improve j the system of local government. My I Ministers consider that any reform atI tempted should interfere as little as posI sible with existing constitutions as long as the object sought can be obtained. They have prepared for your consideration various Bills making provision for granting local bodies larger powers with a more | assured local finance, thus enabling them to perform their important functions without continually referring to the Central Government or to Parliament for aid and assistance. The attention of my Ministers has been mnch directed to the development of the great mineral wealth of the colony. The interest and enthusiasm awakened in the miners by the lectures recently delivered on chemistry and minerology, and their desire for the permanent establishment of schools of mines demonstrate the confi-

dence these enterprising settlers have in their pursuits. You will bn asked to give farther facilities to the mining industry. There are other industries which (require your careful attention. The forests of the colony, if properly cultivated, would not only give full employment to many colonists, but their value would be (greatly enhanced. Much valuable timber is now being uselessly destroyed, and it will be for yon to consider whether for, economic as well as climatic reasons, greater efforts should not be made to conserve and ntilise the forest lands of the Crown. A Bill on the subject has been prepared, and will be submitted to you. The fish* arise, though known to be valuable, have hitherto received very little notice. Proposals to found fishing settlements and to aid in the development of fishing industries will be laid before yon, and I have no doubt they will receive your careful consideration. The relations of New I Zealand to the Australian c denies and the South Sea Islands have occupied the I attention of Ministers during the recess. My Ministers considered it their duty to oppose the Federal Council Bill in the shape it had been brought before the Imperial Parliament, until you could have an opportunity of expressing your views on the subject. The mail service to the South Sea Islands, which you authorised, will, it is hoped, strengthen the commercial relation and increase the trade between them and New Zealand Correspondence with the Right Hon. the Secretary of State for the Colonies with the Premiers of Australian Colonies and with the King of Samoa will be laid before yon. Dispensing aid to the poor and sick has proved, especially since the abolition of the provinces, a difficult task. My Ministers think that snob aid cannot be effectually administered by a central Government, but should be locally controlled A Bill with this object will be submitted to yon. I commend to your careful consideration Bills which will be brought before yon for various purposes, amongst others one for consolidating the land laws, for limiting the liability of insurance company’s oi-arsholdnni, for codifying the criminal law, far omaolidating the various Municipal. corporations Acte, the Native land laws, and the Land Transfer Acta, and for establishing a system of parcel post and for the issue of postal notes. 1 earnestly hope that, with the blessing of God, yon may be enabled to discharge your onerous duties with good effect.