MEMBERS OUT OF PARLIAMENT.

Evening Star, Issue 3640, 22 October 1874, Page 2

MEMBERS OUT OF PARLIAMENT.

Mr Wales, M.H. K., addressed his constituents at the Temperance Hall last eveuin,. The attendance was small, about seventy pe.'sms being pres nt. ani the Mayor presided. r: ■ > AND INTRODUCTORY. Mr Walhh would have mec the electors earlur, but that he had arranged to address them conjointly with Ml Reynolds;' who, however, would not be able to return South much b; fore Christmas, ami therefore lie had thought ic advisable to. meet th' ra at once. Although there had been a geueraf desire that the past session should be a short occ, several important m;.sines were intro •duoed—eighty-seven became law, and fortyseven referred to local matters. It was impossible to give them proper attention, aud he thought as many as possible should bo. distributed amongst members before the session • ■ . . THE UPPER HOUSE. He complained- of the ohs ructiveness of the Upper House, as evid u-cd by their opposition to the.Otago Laud and Works Bills, The Council had been properly charged with obstructiveness, and, though 'he would nut line'to see it abolished. Some amendments were necessary. The Dunedin Waterworks cost the Province some LIT,OOO more than.they would have had it not be- n for the action of the Council in altering the Corporation debentures from fifty to thirty ye rs. Various suggestions had been made for the alteration ef the Council, but nothing less than an. unanimous! appeal to the Home Government would have the desired effectFS.EE TBADE V. PROTECTION. : !

Free traders might look upon the Excise Ditties Act as a victory over, protectionists but he did not think that this was-really the case. He did not hold f ice 'trad'e views on this question, but was rather more in favor of protection than free trade. It was altogethjer wrong, and the height of folly for a y6ung country to import manufactured articles along ‘with the manufacturing element —the boie and muscle—while they had the raw material at their bands almost going 10 waste. It would be much wiser so to equalise the tariff that the competition might be fair between Colon tally manufacture ar ; ticler and the imported article. "« ; f course ho miiht be met with awkward nuestious as to how the Government of the country was to be carried on if the revenue of the country were reduced. But he woull say, raise revenue for the purposes of Governthent by direct taxation. They would then have fewer complaints about the want, of interest displayed ny the people of the Colony in political matters. borrowing. ‘ He was hot one of those who were opposed altogether to borrowing, while the borrowing was confined within safe limits ; bub he began to think, that they were getting near to the limp of safety, and some pressure should be put on the break to prevent them from going down hill too rapidly. When the interest and sinking fund had to be provided for by he itfy taxation, and without any adequate retnrn.it was time to stop,'at alii events until the population had so far in-, creased that the burden might be more easily; borne. * KO MORE NOMINATED IMMIGRANTS. _ When, he was conies ting the representation of Dunedin, he ■ ave express on to his objection to the immigration agpncy system then in operation. Ho was still opposed to that system, because he did not believe that the metb,od of paying agents per head was a healthy mode of ■ procuring immigrants. He had expressed himself in favor of free nomifaated immigration, but he confessed he had modified his view's on that point. Owing to the class of immigrants that had been coming to these shores, he did not think it advisable to continue that system. Seeing that New Zealand had now become so well known at Home he thou, ht they should be able to procure a better class of iinnrgrants.- The best certificate as to character that an intending immigrant could shpw was the fact that he had been able to s ive say L 5 from his earnings to contribute to wards his passage money to the Colony,

THB LICENSING ACT contained some very wholesome previsions. He wa&not in favor of the prohibition of the use of alcoholic liquors, but be was not one of. those who joined in the cry that you cannot make people sober by Act of Parliament. He maintained that it was the duty of Parliament and Government to encourage sobriety, not by merely having a force parading the streets to take overladen drinkers to the lo k-up, but by imposing restraints in such a way as would encourage sobriety and discourage drunkenness. Public opinion should be directed if possible to the point of looking down upon drunken ness as a disgraceful weakness. ' Instead of parading drunkards before the public, ss was the case at present, the police should take the drunkards they found in the streets carefully home, and hide them from the public gaze, which would be a more effective punishment than a 40s tine.

STATE FORESTS, REPRESENTATION, AND PAV

MENT OF ME.MBEU3. Ho was iu favor of the State Forests Bill. It was very wrong that their forests should be destroy'd without any provision being made for the future. Timber was of slow growth, and unless an attempt was now made to establish new forests, the country would be left by-and-bye entirely destitute of timber, axceot in the inacce iole mountain ranges. The Qualification of Electors Bill, which provided for manhood suffrage, was .withdrawn, owing to the strong opposition manifested towards it: but a promise was made, which he hoped would be kept, that the Bill would be again in reduced. The re presentation at present, and especially of Dunedin, was most unfair. . The citizens should petition for two additional members, which would give them what was only faT namely, a representative for every 5,000 inhabitants.—(Applause.) Closely connected with this subject was the question of the payment of members. In a young country like this they could never get fair and inde- . pendent representation,, unless they paid men for devoting the large amount of time, and attention necessary to the proper discharge of Parliamentary duties. He could speak impartially, as he was perfectly independent of any remuneration that might be given to members. ABOLITION OF PROVINCES. He had been blamed lor nut being present at the division on the abolition of North Island Provinces resolutions, but could satisfactorily explain that fact. The division had taken place quite unexpectedly, and was on his way - to the House when inf rmed that the division had taken place. Bsfore that, he had informed the Superintendent that he was in favor of the resolutions. .Even when the State Forests Bill was under discussion he had pointed out the evils arising from the conflict of authority between the General and Provincial Governments, The folly of having two kinds of Legislatures was evident from the fact that large numbers of Ordinances passed by the Provincial Councils had to be reconsidered by the General Assembly, owing to doubts as to? their validity. Again; would anyone affirm that necessary-to have two Legislatures for 300,000 people ? Whoever might be in favor Provincial administration, he did not think anyone was really in favor of the existence of Provincial legislation. All the «peechea op the resolutidn admitted tbas

some change was necessary, «nd tha eventually the abolition of the Province* muse come about, the: only, question being, as to the time and, manner of doing it. It was urged that this propositi, endangered the Middle Inland |aiid*e venUe, bat he did htit think *the Middle'lsland land revenue -could be rendered m T® secure thsn it was at present, even by Act of Parliament He locked upon the compact of 1856 am a bargain entered into by the* Legislate e of the Colony after mature deliberation, and he did not see "bow they coHldrocede from it: It had been said that Mr Vogel was not,in earnest in reference to this point, but' he refused to i believe that He did not think that a man | in his position would give such decide! ■ utterances on this point, and then draw back from them afterwards. The Laud Fund was I not in danger. He did not see why the abo- ; litlm of the Provinces should not be extended to the whole Colony, and if his views were not iu accordance with those of the electors, they should get some'one else to represent ] them. One Government would do* for the whole Colony. If the Road Boards in the various ProVinoes r were properly endowed, they would go on as well as by meeting every year, with all the paraphernalia of the Home i ountry in thetr Provincial Councils.

'ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS., There was no doubt that the educational institutions would eventually pass over to the General Government, and he therefore recommended that they should be placed Under a non-political Board afonce. ' HtThad voted more frequently against than for the -Government last session Mrs Howard was to, .blame, for the shipment of undesirable emigrants to Qtago. tdie, like. Me* sm Birch and Seaton, was appointed by the Government under pressure. Mr Vogel was not yet entitled to a pension,' but hei fully 'deserved one. - Mia Howard’s former letters caused him to throw some doubt abobfc the latter one, which he did not take for gospel. He had never heard heir called "that wotnjan Howard.” He had no doubt that Mrs Howard went to places where she could induce large numbers to emigrate, so'as to secure the 10s a head. If the agents bad proceeded to the country districts,- they Would have obtained more desirable immigrants. He did not presume to''suggest bhy alteration in the constitution of the Upper Hhuse. He would support the abolition of the Southern Provinces if their Land Fupd were made secure, and he would vote.for a . resolution to the effect that Crown tenants should not have a seat in the Upper House. The Southern Land Fund would be equally safe if Mr Vogel were to die and another person with opposite views took office. Mr Grant’s proposition of a vote of thanks to Mr Wales, and an expression by the meet,mg of its condemnation of the Government policy of railways am free immigration; was met by an amendment by Mr 0. R. ChaFman, simply thanking Mr Wales for bis address, which was carried.