COMMENTS ON THE SESSION.

Evening Star, Issue 3615, 23 September 1874, Page 2

COMMENTS ON THE SESSION.

MR REEVES AT LEESTON.

{Per Anglo-Tcl graph Agency )

September 23. Mr Reeves addressed his constituents of the Selwyn district last night. He spoke for over two hours, and gave a resume of his general conduct during the past two sessions of the Assembly. He had been called a tborprigh-paged supporter of Mr Vogel, but contetded that while be gave him general and generous support, he had' always acted as au independent member. In proof of this he pointed out that he opposed the Brogdtn cont-racts, and also the Government proposal to take land from the Provinces as security for payment of railways ; also the Government measure entitled “Provincial Loans Empowering Acts ;” and he referred to his action in respeot to immigration, in which he showed th e re was great mismanagement on the part of the Government.'* Hjs sqdd the support he had given to the Public Works policy he would give again, and only wished Mr Vogel had confined himself to carrying out that policy before introducing such large constitutional changes. Referring to the last session, he said the Ministers’ intersessional orations preceding it, the Governor’s speech, and Mr Vogel’s remarks in making ais financial statement distinctly laid down that the session was to be short, as no important measures woqld bp introduced. Yet a great'bonstitutional change Was promulgated. He believed the idea of the abolition of the Pro vine-.’s of the North Island had been suddenly adopted. The Forests Bill, which the Provincial party opposed, because they thought it was the thin end of the wedge towards the Colonial Government obtaining their landed estate, E reduced strong remarks from Mr Fitzerberf, which seemed to irritate Mr Vogel, who cautioned Mr Fitzlierbert not to be surprised if the defeat of tho Bill led to consequences the Provincial party did not contemplate; and yet Mr Vogel afterwards said all the assertions that had been mad’e about his having come down with the resolutions because Of-Irritation as connected With the Province of Wellington were very wide of the mark. 1 hurtly af er the Foftst Bi 1 debate it was rumored thht a Bill would be brought in to aopfish the A pnhern Provinces, but this was abandoned, and Mr Vegel said it would not be done, as after his Statement it might be called legislation by surprise ; and he said the Government .thought the change would be more acceptable if an expression of desire for it came from .the country. From that and other remarks from Mr Vogel to him (Mr Reeves) he thought that the Government would prefer waiting for au expression of public opinion, and therefore the Bill weuld not be brought down, 'but simply somp resolutions stating to the Ilouee it was the opinion of the Government that there should be a constitutional next session in the direction t>f abolition of the Northern Provinces; but the Government altered their mind again, aud brought dowu resolutions seeking a pledge from the House to abolish the Provinces of the North Island, and held out a threat of dissolution if they were not carried. At .a meeting ef the Provincial party which he (Mr Reeves) did not attend it was decided to ask him, as an independent member of the House, to propose the previous question, which, after consideration, he decided to do, but emphatically'denied it was with auy intention, as reported, of ousting the Government on that question. He said Mr O’Rqrke acted in a highly creditable manner in resigning, and that the resolutions were carried after a very inconclusive debate. Motions for appeal to the country, and for the Bill to be circulated two months befpre introduction, were lost, Mr Stafford opposing the latter notwithstanding that, when he was Premier, the Lw»l Government Bill was circulated gome I

months before introduced Mr Vogel had stated the compact of 1856 should be preserved intact, but the supporters of abolition were against it, and Mr Reader Wood had said Mr Vogel stated at a caucus that the preservation of the compact of 1856 was not an important part ef the whole, and further, said no uneasiness need be experienced regarding it by the supporters of the abolition resolutions. He pointed it out Mr Vogel had not denied this statement, bub merely said Mr Reader V ood was not quite correct. The ? onth Island should therefore receive with considerable doubt the original statement of the Government, to the effect that' they intend to stand or fall by their support of the compact of 1856. He (Mr Reeves) opposed theabolition resolutions becausehe considered the time most inopportune and in judicious when the Government were engaged carrying out an important policy still in "its infancy, because there had been no demand from tho people for such a change, and because he thought the Parliament was elected mainly to carry on tin public works and immigration schemes without reference to large con‘.titutioual changes. He considered it was not a Parliament to carry out such changes, because he thought that the Parliament was not in a frame of mind or temper to fairly, thoroughly, or honestly, consider so large a question, for it had shown more energy for debating whether to add LBO to members honorarium than in the collective debates on the financial, public works, and immigration stat-. meats. He also objected, because it was the most novel experiment ever heard of to alter the constitution of one half of the Colony while the other half was left undisturbed. New Zealand was proverbial for her system of double Government; but this change would make a treble government. He had studied the matter carefully, but, as yet, had only seen the beginning of the difficulties that would arise. Curiously enough the resolutions say the Northern Provinces shall be abolished, without referring to any other substitute for the present system of Government in the North Island. One of the tint effects ef abolition of these Provinces would be that all their Ordinances would cease to exist. The Assembly would then have to legislate far the North Island, and thus they would have the anomally of the Assembly elected from both parts of the Colony legislating and financing for two different constituents. Great difficulties would arise regarding finance, in fact it was impossible to over-rate them. The reasons which led to doing away with the county form of Government in Westland show this. He also opposed the resolutions because ns experimental change in the constitution of this kind should be made without a direct appeal prst being made to the constituencies. If the North Island Provinces were abolished, the abolition of those in the South’lsland would undoubtedly follow. ’ As a logical consequence, the land revenue would become the property of the Colony, and the Assembly would appropriate it as was thought best; and when it was remembered that there are seventy-eight members of the Assembly, it would be seeu that Canterbury and Otago wnnld have very little power as affecting these appropriations. It had been raid that Provincial institutions interfered with the prosecution of public works, but the Minister of Public Works, when questioned in the House, did not say so, and he (Mr Reeves), when Residsnt Minister, received the greatest assistance from the Provincial authorities; iu fact, so far from interfering, they did a great deal to assist in carrying out the Public Works policy. It had been said that the Provinces interfered with immigration, but Mr Vogel, as Minister of Immigration, had wisely denuded himself of his powers, and put them on Superintendents. Again, if not for the assistance of Provinces in 1 erecting houses, &c., most disastrous results " would - have accrued from the present large influx of immigrants. It had been further said that Pr winces impeded proper government of the Natives, but when he (Mr Reeves) asked Sir Donald M‘Lean in the House if he had not received very large assistance from the Provmcial Government, by which much bloodshed and disaster had been avoided. Sir Donald said “hear, hear.” The reason for the proposed change was entirely a financial one, but he thought if the Government had the pluck to say the Colony was engaged in large undertakings, borrowing large sums, and wanted larger security and larger area of revenue to work upon : if they would do this lu&teadj of driving at the land revenue in a variety of indirect ways, he believed a majority of the House would be ready to meet the requirements of the Government, and make such an apportionment of the land revenue as would meet their necessities, and the people would submit to it rather than to additional taxation. He was not an ultraProvnicialist, but Was able to take a 'dispktlsionate view of any question, and asserted that the proposed change was undesirable in every way, and that no such change should be attempted without previously being especially referred to the constituencies. Mr Reeves was frequently cheered during his speech, and on its conclusion a unanimous vote of confidence in him was passed.