SPEECH BY PREMIER.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIII, Issue 1812, 19 July 1906, Page 4

SPEECH BY PREMIER.

The Premior choso a small room, but a select assembly on Monday morning, says the Post, for the delivery of a fighting speech. His predecessor occasionally had a habit of going far from the busy haunts of men when ho desired to make statements that would bo published throughout the colony, and Mr HaliJones had followed suit. Ho was at a gathering of shipmasters to do honor to Mr Frank Bullen, and, in reply to the toast of Parliament, foreshadowed the policy of tho Government in inn*

pressive clear-cut diction. “ We will go as nearly as possible on the lines set down,” ho said, after eulogising tho work of tho late Mr Seddon. “ Nothing will be done to injure industry and trade.” Then he

explained the significance of an export trade of £10,000,000 from a population of 900,000. “Wo have got to continue that work of development,” lie said, “ on the same lines of progress that have been in force for the last few years.” He mentioned that this gave him an opportunity to rofor to the Legislative Council. For some time, ho explained, there had been a controversy with regard to that Chamber —whether it should be mended or ended. His own view was to have in connection with the Upper House at least a Revisory Committee, consisting of 12 to 30 members, with simply the powers of a revisory body, but he recognised that the colony was not lute prepared for the arrangement. Still, ho did not think that, in view of what had been occurring, the time had arrived to consider the question of what was to be done to amend the Legislative Council. When he had first entered politics ono plank of hi 3 platform was that the Council should be elected by the House of Representatives. After giving another proposal a good deal of thought—the suggestion that the Council should bo returned by electorates similar to those for the Lower House, hut larger—he had come to the conclusion that tho simplest plan, and he believed tho best, was election by the House of Representatives. In view of what had occurred, it had not beon considered advisable to make any reappointments, and an opportunity would ho afforded to the House, that would most next month, to consider the question before appointments were made.

“ The colony as a whole is very prosperous,” the Promior resumed, “ more prosperous than ever it was.” .He was delighted to find that the quarterly returns for the period ended J une 3,0 showed as great an increase (if not greater) as any previous quarter. He quoted figures and said that they showed that the work done by the late Prime Minister had borne good fruit. His successor’s duty was to stand shoulder to ahoulder, and continue that work, and so bring New Zealand to that position which all desired to see it occupy—the first in the British Dominions. This was a young country, and the ideal was to remo'/o all disabilities and grievances.” oWe w’ll do nothing extreme,” exclaimed the premier, “ Our finance is sound, and we are going to keop it sound. Our trado is progressing, and wo are going to take steps to make it increaso.” Ho remarked that Australia was sending a good deal of produce to Japan and (Singapore, while New Zealand despatched practically nothing. But this was to be changed with the extension of trade to the Bast, the reopening of the South African market, and the connection with Vancouver, in addition to the existing markets. It was hoped with the opening of new lands for settlement that there would be an increase of industries here, and New Zealand would have a greater future than any other place in the British possessions.