OPENING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 6, Issue 295, 7 August 1865, Page 1

OPENING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

•j [Fjota the Daily Southern Cross, August I.] The fifth session of the Parliament of New Zealeand was opened on the 26th ult. at Wellington, by his Excellency the Governor, who delivered the usual address. A very brief perusal of it will, we think, convince an unprejudiced mind that its general tone with respect to native affairs is not warranted by theofacts. It is of course out of the question that we should expect that it would be otherwise. It is a very necessary preliminary to parting with the troops to convince the representatives of the people that there is no necessity for their presence here, and that “the partial establishment of peace, and the suppression of the insurrection in several of the disturbed districts ” has been accomplished. However necessary this preliminary may be, we suspect that the conviction will be slow in forcing itself upon the minds of the people generally, for it is well known that the re ellion is yet very far from being suppressed, unless we accept that pleasant theory of his Excellency that the occupation of the Wereroa Pa will speedily bring about that result. But, notwithstanding the minute details which are given in the Governor’s despatch, with respect to the occupation of that pa, w r e cannot but conceive it possible that many more Wereroa Pas will rise before the astonished gaze of his Excellency, and when the “ moral support,” which it appears assisted him so much on this occasion, will not be forthcoming. It is a painful, but, at the same time, an instructive commentary on his Excellency’s speech to receive intelligence, the same day, that a British officer and two of his men had been slain at Taranaki while on a reconnoitring expedition. “ I am,” says his Excellency, “able in the meantime to congratulate you on the improved state of the settlement of Taranaki, and on the immediate prospect of its ceasing to be a source of weakness to New Zealand.” It certainly has been a source of weakness, but where any recent evidence of “ the improved state of the settlement” has been found it is hard to imagine. Certainly, the slaughter of Captain Close and two of his men is no proof of it. It would appear by the speech that there was some ground for the report that it was contemplated to give parliamentary representation to the native race. It is his Excellency’s intention to invite certain native chiefs to meet him at Wellington, and a bill is to be laid before Parliament to enable his Excellency to appoint from among these chiefs a commission to derise the best means for carrying out the object in view. This seems to be a roundabout way of going about the matter, but we presume it is strictly constitutional. The Parliament is to asked be to pass a bill to enable the Governor to appoint a commission, out of certain Maori nobles, who shall report to, and advise somebody, up n the best means of obtaining the representation of their race. But apart from the construction of this paragraph of the address, we may state that there is a very prevalent impression that the natives will nut thank the Government for this interposition in their behalf, and that some, if not all of those who may he selected as representatives, would rather be digging gum or occupying themselves with other more profitable employment, than sitting as dummies in the Supreme Legislature of the colony. In the next paragraph of the address there is a very remarkable and clever attempt at evasion in reference to his Excellency’s sanction of Ministers’ Taranaki and Wanganui campaign. His Excellency desires to show that his sanction of that was only “ pending the decision of the Home. Government”—that, in fact, on these terms he gave his permission to the Government to commence a campaign on the West Coast, which, if carried out, to produce any useful results would have necessitated a largely augmented force, and, when once begun, should not have been stopped until the complete subjugation of the country. Whether this explanation of hts Excellency may have been brought about by the tenor of “the most recent despatches,” which he states' he has received from her

Majesty’s Secretary of State for the Colonies, it is not for us to say; but it is probable that there is some connection between them. His Excellency, of course, lias not failed to give the capture of the Wereroa Pd a prominent place in bis address; nor, in alluding to the assistance given by Brigadier-General Waddy, C. 8., and Colonel Trevor, to say that they were precluded by their orders from taking any active part in the operations. As it will be seen by a copy of a letter from the gallant General, which will he found elsewhere, his Excellency the Governor has built a house, of cards, which, on being touched, has fallen to the ground. General Cameron denying having given any such orders as those alluded to. As it regards the other portions of the address, it is unnecessary for us to say that, after what has recently transpired. we were prepared for the immediate withdrawal of five regiments, and for which his Excellency will at once issue orders. This is doubtless in compliance with Mr Cardwell’s despatch alluded to as having been read at the opening of the Assembly. In financial matters the only novelties are the proposal to raise an additional revenue by stamp duties “ to provide for the burthens pressing on the colony,” and the modification to some extent of the present distribution of the ordinary revenue between the General Government and the provinces. As it regards stamp duties it is not likely that they will be very palatable, however necessary they may be, in consequence of the increased expenditure, of a Wellington Government and the acceptance of an expensive contract for the Panama service; and as it regards a modification of the distribution of the ordinary revenue, there can, we should think, be but one opinion, that that modification ought to operate very much in favour of this province. The readjustment of the representation of the colony, although one of the last subjects alluded to, is also of great importance, and deserves to occupy the most serious attention of the Legislature. Representation is the basis of legislation; and as regards this province, compared with some of the other provinces, there is no room to doubt that justice has not been done to it.