SIR JULIUS VOGEL'S ADDRESS.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 698, 14 September 1876, Page 4

SIR JULIUS VOGEL'S ADDRESS.

The following copy of Sir Julius Vogel's address to his constituents has been telegraphed to the Timaru Herald:—

« To the electors of the Wanganui district. Gentlemen—ln announcing to you that 1 have resigned my seat as one of your representatives, I desire to explain the reasons which have led to it. I have already assured you of my gratification at nndiDg, on my arrival in Australia from England, that you had in my absence done me the honor of electing me. On my return to Wellington I resumed, at the request of my colleagues, the Premiership, which I held previously. I did not disguise from my colleagues my opinion that the state of my health and the attention I owed to my private affairs would not allow me to continue at the head of the Government for a lengthened period during the present session. Nothing has occurred to make me change that opinion. On the contrary, I have found that my health has suffered very much from the necessary labor. On the occurrence of a vacancy in the Agent-Generalship, an impression obtained, not from any action of mine, that it was likely I would receive the appointment. I may explain that it would not have been inconsistent with precedent that the Government should have continued in office, and on my retirement have nominated me to the position. Such a course would not, however, have been agreeable tome, and when the question came to be generally mooted whether or not there was likely to be a change in the Government at the end of the session, I felt that, irrespective of the Agent-Generalship, it was impossible I could assure the House that I would be able to continue to hold office for any length of time. Under these circumstances it was strongly represented to the Government that the House was entitled to be brought face to face with the Ministry, which would have the responsibility of administering the laws as well as of conducting them. It was forcibly argued that it was not fair to the Houbo or to their future Government that the business of the session should be conducted by an Executive that might probably cease to hold office as soon as the session was ended. These were the circumstances and the reasons that led me to tender his Excellency my resignation, leaving the Government to take its own course as to the appointment of an Agent-General. I also being left free to take such course as I might consider desirable. After consultation with many members of the party, I recommended his Excellency to send for Major AtkinBon, as the gentleman most likely to be acceptable to the party as a whole, as the future Premier. You are aware that Major Atkinson accepted the duty of and has formed a Government. Tbat Government has since offered to me the AgentGeneralship, and has expressed the opinion that it is desirable I should lose no time in assuming the duties of the office. When I announced to the House the resignation of the Government, I did not deem that it would be necessary for me to resign my seat before the end of this session, but it has been cogently pointed out that to continue to sit in the House with an implied appointment before me would be inconsistent with the spirit of the letter of Parliamentary law, and it is with great regret (and until within the last few days unexpectedly) I find it necessary to resign my seat. I hope you will believe that I can be of service to the colony, and it is this that induces me to accept the appointment, Much has been said concerning my retirement during the session, but I am unable to see how I could have adopted any other course. You must not suppose that the contingent appointment as Agent-General solely led to the result. I could not, under any circumstances, see my way to continue in office, and with the prospect of a change in the Ministry, it seemed to me that the House had a right to demand that the change should be made at as early a date as possible. Before arriving at the conclusion to resign, I anxiously considered whether my so doing would be inconsistent with the interest of the colony, and of the party with which I wai identified. The conclusion to which I came was that it was not unfair I should leave to others the completion of the work of the session. Apart from my convictions that in my present state of health that work was too onerous for me, I have been made to feel throughout the session that a few members were personally so strongly opposed to me, as to make it difficult to carry on the business of the House with that decorum which has hitherto characterised the proceedings of the New Zealand Legislature. Members of a Government who have been very long in office have necessarily to contend with a great deal of opposition partly personal in its character and partly cumulative, and resulting from past political conflict. I do not complain, but it is dae to myself to say that ray feeling has been that the services I have rendered or endeavored to render to New Zealand give me the right to consider that I was not called upon day by day to reply to personal attacks. During the years I have been in office great changes in the colony have taken place, largely in consequence of the policy of immigration and public works with which my name has been identified. That policy the country has heartily adopted, and the benefit of it has been almost unanimously admitted. I cannot allow that the fact of my having introduced the policy makes it necessary that I should continue in office when the state of my health has rendered it undesirable I should do so ; nor can I suppose that that policy, which has become the policy of the country, cannot be satisfactorily worked out by others. A very large question, apart from that of immigration and public works, has from the force of circumstances, obtruded itself upon the attention of the country. Indeed the abolition question for the time being occupies most attention. With thai. question I am so far identified that I fire<t proposed it when I became convinced that it was a necessity from which the country could not escape with advantage to itself, and I have been no less zealouß than others in endeavoring to give it effect, but I am not more closely identified with the policy of abolition than are many other prominent public men and whilst I felt it my duty as long as I was able to support and to promote it, I see no reason to doubt that it will be effectively completed without further assistance from me. I say this much not in defence, but in explanation, for I feel there are in New Zealand thousands upon thousands of persons who would be glad to constitute themselves my defenders, bo as not to lewe me a talk the performance of. which

would savor of egotism. I truthfully appeal to the people of New Zealand for their ver- J diet whether I have not done my utmost to be of service to the country. To yourselves, gentlemen, I owe a debt of gratitude inasmuch as during my absence, and without personal acquaintance, you did me the honor of choosiDg me as one of your representatives. I very greatly regret that I am not able to hold the position for a longer time, but it may be that, in future years, I shall hi able again to take part in the public affairs of the colony, and should that be so, I know of no constituency to whose approbation I should with greater pleasure submit myself. I cannot conclude without expressing my conviction that there is not a country possessing greater elements of prosperity than New Zealand. Its climate is not only agreeable but most serviceable for industrial purposes ; its resources are enormous, and its people are willing to take, and capable of taking, advantage of the natural features in their favor. It is regarded by the outside world as a country possessing eminent attraction. Without expense to the Government a very considerable immigration is going on, and a very large amount of capital voluntarily finds its way here. There may be periods of depressian, and I have yet to learn that there is any country so favored as to escape them ; but that New Zealand must steadily progress seems to me beyond doubt, and the impetus which it has received by which it has been enabled to do in some years that which, without the colonising efforts which have been put forth, would have required many more years to effect, has placed it in a position to show alike how capable it is of progression, and to invite from its people equal efforts in the future. Through you, gentlemen, I can speak to the colony at large, and I venture to express the hope that active efforts in colonisation will never be allowed to cease until New Zealand has been made, as it is eventually destined to become, the home of some millions of people.—l am, &c, Julius Vogel."

An Important Case.—The following is the " New Zealand Jurist's " report of the case of Green v Hargreaves :—" Timaiu— Ward, D.J., 12th July, 1876. Stamp Act, 1875, sec 63, sub-sec 2—Bill of Exchange— Order for Payment of Money out of Particular Fund—Green v Hargreaves. Action torecover £2OO, balance due on an order for the payment of money. It appeared at the hearing that one Alves, having entered into a building contract with defendant, on the performance of which, in accordance with its terms, a sum of £4OO would have accrued to him, gave the plaintiff an order upon the defendant, authorising the latter to pay the money to plaintiff. The defendant did not sign any acceptance upon the order itself, but, by a telegram and letter, agreed to protect it to the extent of any monies which might accrue due to Alves on the completion of the contract. The order was in the following form :—' Timaru, 13th March, 1876. E. A. Hargreaves, Esq—Please pay Mr H. Green or order the sum of four hundred pounds on account of contract for Beßidencp, &c, at Timaru. Mr Green's receipt will be sufficient discharge for the same. 13-3-76. Stamp one penny. John Alves' White, for plaintiff, proposed to put in the order; whereupon A. Perry, for the defendant, objected. The order was an order for the payment of a sum of money out of a particular fund, within the meaning of sub sec (2) of sec 53 of the Stamp Duties Act, 1875, and was therefore a bill of exchange payable on demand within the meaning of that Act, and required to be stamped as provided by sec 47, and sub-sec (2) of sec 55. But the bill now tendered in evidence was neither stamped with an impressed stamp, as required by sec 47, nor stamped with an adhesive stamp by the person to whom it was presented for payment, as provided by sub-sec (2) of sec 55. And as sec 58 prevented it from being stamped after execution in any other manner, it was inadmissable in evidence and void. White submitted that the instrument was not a bill of exchange within the meaning of the Act. It was an incomplete instrument, and was therefore only evidence of a contract of novation. There was no acceptance written upon it, and it could not in any way be said to be a complete bill of exchange. Ward, D. J.—The instrument is a bill of exchange, payaVe on demand, within the meaning of the Act. Sec 53 expressly provides that these documents shall be deemed such bills of exchange, and the onlv method provided by the Act for stamping them with adhesive stamps was that provided by subsec (2) of sec 65, which had not been adopted in the present case. As th" plaintiff could not succeed in this action without the order, he must either be nonsuited or there must be a judgment for the defendant. White then elected to take a nonsuit."