THE PREMIER AT AUCKLAND.

Globe, Volume VIII, Issue 1085, 20 December 1877, Page 3

THE PREMIER AT AUCKLAND.

[By Telegraph.] Auckland, December 19. Sir George Grey’s reception this afternoon was most enthusiastic. Two triumphal arches were erected in Queen street, and the shipping and public buildings were gaily decorated with flags and evergreens. The Hinemoa arrived at 4 p.m., and Sir George Grey landed at half-past four, accompanied by Mr J. C. Brown, M.H.R., and several personal friends from Kawau, Sir George Grey was received on the wharf by Mr Boylan, chairman of the Harbour Board, and members of the Board, with a short address, to which he replied. The wharf was thronged with people, who cheered lustily. At the entrance to Queen street a platform was erected, on which the Mayor and members of the corporation, members of the Assembly, and of the reception committee awaited Sir George Grey. Here the Mayor read an address, to which Sir George Grey in a few earnest words, reserving, as he said, fuller expression until later. A carriage drawn by six grey horses, with three postilions in scarlet, then drew up to the platform, and Sir George Grey entered, with Messrs Brown and Mitchell, and drove through the street, preceded by the Mayor and followed in procession by carriages containing members of the corporation, of public bodies, members of the Assembly, and others. Bands played "See the Conquering Hero comes,” all along the route, which comprised Queen street, Grey street, Symonds street, Shortland street, Queen street, Victoria street, and Albert street to the Star Hotel. There was a great_ crowd, rendering the progress very slow. It is computed that quite twelve thousand people turned out. The volunteers were not present in uniform. The police had hard work to keep tho enthusiasm within due bounds, but the crowd was generally good humored. At the theatre the ceremony began at eight o’clock. The dress circle was reserved for ladies and gentlemen with ladies. The address presented contained reference to last year’s reception at the same place and contrasted circumstances. It proceeded: —“We offer you, in the capacity of leader of the people, our respectful congratulations on the progress made in establishing the great principles you have so unflinchingly maintained. We feel that vigilance and earnestness are still necessary to secure permanently the fruits of victory. We rest in confident assurance that you will not cease your great and self-sacrificing labors until our new political institutions are so moulded as to secure for the people of New Zealand equal rights, and the certainty that the control of their own revenue shall not pass from their hands into those of any particular class or classes, to the exclusion and injury of the rest. This, as we understand it, is the primary object you have in view. There are appreciable difficulties yet to be overcome, but we have no doubt whatever of your final success. We have witnessed with contempt the efforts made to dishearten you by personal attacks and impediments of all kinds from pursuing the noble course you have marked out. We assure you that you have our heartiest sympathy, and that you will receive our faithful loyal support, for we hold it fortunate that at so grave a crisis the colony has the services of a leader whose disinterestedness, ability, love of right, and wide sympathies with all classes no man can venture to gainsay. We pray the Almighty may preserve you in health and strength to comSlete work so well begun, and that the founations of the- liberties and rights of the people of New Zealand may be so .firmly laid a( w iH enable them to resist the attacks of all enemies now and for ever.” The following is a portion of the Mayor’s address presented to Sir George Grey : « gi r> —The Mayor, Councillors, and citizens of Auckland, recognising the great services which you have rendered to the colony, and especially to the North Island of New Zealand, by effecting the removal of a grievous injustice in relation to the appropriation of revenues arising from the Crown lands, have felt that we should be neglectful of our duty if your return from arduous Parliamentary labors were not marked by a public manifestation of tbe approval with which your policy is regarded in this large and populous district of the colony. During a long and eminent career, closely associated with all tho vicissitudes of this prosperous and loyal section o I her Majesty’s dominions, you have received many marks of esteem from the people of Auckland. We believe, however, that never before was there a more widely diffused desire among all classes of citizens to unite in honoring a colonial statesman or high official of tho Crown. We trust that you will be long spared to carry out the means which are demanded by the present circumstances of the colony, and that you will reap a reward commensurate with your patriotic sacrifice.” Te Where was amongst the Natives who took part in the welcome.

The meeting at the Theatre was densely crowded, and hundreds could not gain admittance. About eighty of the principal citizens and members of the Assembly occupied the platform. Mr J. M. Shera was voted to the chair, and introduced the subject of the gathering. He was confident there were few residents in Auckland who would not rejoice that at the present crisis a disinterested man like Sir George Grey was at the head of affairs. He then read an address, _ Mr Edward Isaacs moved the adoption of the address, and Mr J. L. Wilson, proprietor of the “Herald,” seconded it. On being put from the chair, the address was carried unanimously, with great cheering, which was taken up by the people outside. Mr Shera then signed the address on behalf of the meeting. Sir George Grey, on being introduced, was received with tremendous cheering. The whole assemblage rose, and hats and handkerchiefs were waved for several minutes. When silence was restored Mr Shera read an address. At the words “V/e have witnessed vith contempt,” and “tfo one will gainsay,”

and at the conclusion, the cheers were renewed.

Sir G. Grey, replying, thanked them sincerely for the address. He could assure them that he and his colleagues had been encouraged by knowing that they had the entire support of the people of Auckland. As long as they had health and strength the people of Auckland might rely that their efforts would never be relaxed, and he might add that no doubt they would be successful if the people remained faithful. In conclusion, he thanked them again for the demonstration. Ho regarded himself as a representative man, who stood forward to receive, on behalf of his colleagues, the honors of the day. [Cheers.] Having replied to the address, Sir George proceeded to address the assemblage on public affairs. He first alluded to the debt he owed to City West for making him their representative. Although he was no longer their member, he felt it was owing to their kindness that he now represented all classes in the community. What their friends longed for was to forward the interest of the community at large, and, with the confidence of the people, they would succeed in doing great good. The first thing wanted was fair representation, so that all all classes might exercise due inlluence in public affairs, so that all might be trained to be able to do service in the State, and if necessary sacrifice their own interest for the public good. At present there was no fair representation in any degree apportioned to the population of the district, which showed the greatest disparity of representation, where those who had been most identified with a particular party. Then the franchise was not fairly apportioned. Counties had large subsidies which were raised from the whole population per head. Taxation so raised ought to be spent in some manner that all ought to have a voice as to how it was spent. Counties were broken up into ridings, and the law made it possible that many men had no vote at all. Many also had one vote only, while others has as many as forty-five votes, so that the former were swamped. [Shame.] It was said that property should be represented, but large properties had been obtained by unfair influences, and had been increased in value by railways and public works, which were paid for by the people of the colony. Having now therefore given this property its value they had to submit to one man swamping them with forty-five votes. Both himself and his colleagues were determined to remedy that system—to make the voting power equal. They considered that every man resident for a certain time in a district was entitled to vote as much as the man with property. Life was much, human affection was much, and should be represented. If that primary object could be attained —if matters were arranged so that elections could be conducted properly and quietly—they thought people would be afterwards able to keep their advantages. Then taxation could be made fair, every man paying to the State according to the advantages derived from it. The evils of absentees would not be felt. [Cheers.] No man could come from England and live here drawing a large income from English property without paying to that Government, and ho had supporters who believed that the people were willing to follow this example, and make property pay in due proportion to the State. In this they fully expected to have the support of the people. He and his colleagues also believed that there had been no fair distribution of the public lands of the colony. They believed that every one in the colony should have an equal chance of getting land. They were all aware that not only had there been unfair distribution, but that while some provinces were rolling in wealth derived from the sale of public lands, others were starving or languishing in penury. They knew it had been said that if any one tried to alter he would perhaps be puzzled, but he could tell them, that members feared a dissolution, and knew that they would have justice, and if they as bad servants went back to their masters with a bad character they would not have been admitted to their former places. [Laughter.] He did not think their masters were such fools as their members took them for. They were not likely to be blinded by one favorable vote at the end of two long sessions. [Cheers and laughter.] These were practical points of statesmanship. He had now to allude to some points of higher statecraft. [Laughter.] They had all heard of the secrets of statecraft. He wanted to see all this done away with. He believed in all being known to the people, and having everything fully discussed by the Press and by the public. Not that all were capable of judging. Some took curious views, some selfish views, some partial views ; but altogether the conclusion arrived at by the mass was generally right, and if a statesman had the pluck to follow this he would generally be successful. Public taste was better cultivated in great cities than in the country, and he had chosen to go into higher subjects in Auckland. They were aware that there were Governors in the colonies. An idea had become prominent that the Crown must be supported. At home it was the established church and the House of Peers. Here they had the squatters, and these were the Governor’s supporters. [Laughter, j They filled the place of the great landed aristocracy. If this idea was to prevail where would they all be landed ? [A voice—" In the Piako swamp,” and immense laughter.] In Englandjthe poor had no aspirations, such as we had in the colony, and he could well understand that a statesman would hardly dare to open a new track, but here what interest had the Crown ? If the plan now in vogue were upheld, of allying the Crown with squatters and the Upper House, and to endeavor to obtain advantages for them hateful to the people at large, then the people would rise and create a form of Government chosen by themselves. [Cheers.] Anyone who placed the Crown in that position must be an enemy to the best interests of the Empire. [Cheers.] The only way to prevent that was to create a real responsible system of government, io compel a Governor to take the advice of advisers—[immense cheering]—to make those advisers the real Governor of the colony. These advisers, knowing their advice was to be followed, would be very careful not to give advice that would bring upon themselves the odium of those who could easily turn them from their position. For instance, let them imagine the feeling of himself and his comrades that day. Did they think they would easily throw away such love? On the contrary, they would dare everything to maintain it. The Governor should be like the Crown in England, without power except to carry out the advice of constitutional advisers. Then it would be in the power of the people to reward or punish their representatives—to offer them demonstrations like that of to-day or punish them by making them slink through the streets like criminals.

[Cries of “Billy Rowe.”] They should be ruled as the people whom they ruled. He had tried since his arrival at Kawau to work out some instances of how, if they had things all open and above board, they would have enjoyed advantages such as he was afraid they would never enjoy. In years gone by, he had made up his mind that Auckland was destined to bo Empress of the Southern Seas. Her position was better than any other. When he was Governor of Hew Caledonia and the Royalty Islands, he had received offers from Fiji, Samoa, and other islands to be taken into the colony of Hew Zealand. It seemed to him that a great federal nation of the Pacific Islands could have been perfected, with a government resembling the late Provincial system. They would have sent out their own lieutenant-governor, and had a magnificent opening for the young, who were nearly all splendid sailors. This scheme was spoilt by the opening of the Crimean war, and the ceding of Hew Caledonia and the Loyalty Islands to France. Things had turned out exactly as he had anticipated. The slave trade had sprung up, and England had been obliged to take what island she could under very disadvantageous circumstances. Had the people at the time known of these negotiations, the popular voice would have forced the Imperial Government to accede to them. In 1858, when the mutiny broke out in India, the natives of Taranaki wrote to him asking to be allowed to raise a regiment of a thousand men to go and fight the Sepoys. This was while he was at the Cape, but the letters were sent to him by Governor Brown. The natives made an unfortunate condition that he should bo colonel of the regiment. This irritated his office, and he rejected the proposal. He wrote and told the Colonial Office that it was no good expecting all these men to stay at home and try and confine themselves to agriculture. If they wanted to fight the Indians it was clear they would have to fight some body, and if they could not fight our enemies, they would fight us. Some time afterwards, when the home authorities had been angry with him through defeating the scheme to endow Canterbury with four millions for Bishoprics, they reproached him as a barbarian for proposing to send savages to fight our enemies. After this the War Office sent to him asking him to raise a regiment of Kaffirs for India, and when he reminded them of former proposals they were more angry with him than ever. In this they saw a case in which if things had been open public opinion would have sent those men to India. Another instance he might refer to was his recent attempt to get a dissolution. The Governor was of opinion that the power of dissolution of Parliament was a weapon given to defend himself. [Laughter.] He should like to know what there was the Governor wanted to defend himself from. At present a Minister’s power was very limited, but it ought not to be, for if it were extended their sense of responsibility would prevent them abusing it. They could see no reason why statesmen here should not have the same power as statesmen at home. They must insist upon this point—namely, to have everything in the Government perfectly open. They must keep their representatives continually before them. It was the duty of all representatives to come before their constituents, and it was also the duty of the Premier to go through all parts of the colony. Ho had spoken to them as a representative of all Hew Zealand, as an old friend who owed them much and was endeavoring in his old age to repay them, and who, if he could do anything to benefit them, would only be too happy to do it. Messrs J. 0. Brown, Reader Wood, Rees, Dr, Wallis, O’Rorke, Swanson, Tole, and Dignan spoke eulogistically of Sir George Grey as leader, and the proceedings concluded.