Address-in-Reply.

Manawatu Herald, 29 June 1899, Page 2

Address-in -Reply.

Mr J. Stevens (Manawatu) moved the Address in-R j ply at the evening sitting. He regretted, he said, that the authorities had not taken prompt steps to prevent the great loss of life which has occurred at Samoa, through, ha believed, a raisunder standing. He was in favour of New Zealand being placed in a position of defence, but hoped the Government would not spend more than was absolutely necessary, and that the colony would not be put to the expense of maintaining a permau ent army thinking that the volunteer movement should be fostered in every way. He was strongly in favour of pushing on with the North leland 1 Main Trunk railway, which was one of the most important works that could be done and that the branch lines should be completed in good time after the main lines had been carried out. The North Island railshould be by the shortest possib' / route; the line from Stratford would come afterwards; but if any dfVHtion was made from the route laid down by Parliament a great mistake would be made. He advocafc d a loan for the completion of the North Island railway and Midland railway which would, he balieved, result in no loss to the colony, and which would, on the other hand, greatly conduce to the prosperity of the colony. Mr Stevens went on to point out that Government must consider aB to bringing about a reciprocal tariff between New Zealand and the federated colonie3 of Australia. He hoped in future legislation, everything would be done

to induce the native to become part and parcel of the colonists of New Z .aland, and he urged that until a native could become as personally independent as a European, and the state of comnvini-m broken down it would be phy-ic*l!y impossible for him ever to a ;-iuiilate himself with the white population of the colony. ■•s to the Old Age Pensions Act, he thought twenty years residence^ should be sufficient to qualify for the p-nsion. H.* defend j d iue land administration of the colony, and said ho wa3 satisfied that all the settlers required was good roads to ' give them access to their sections, and he hoped the Government would also vigorously pursue the present land for settlemeafc policy. He give figures showing the great progress made by the colony during the paatfl^ ten years, and said the progress was an outcome of the corruption of which the Opposition had made so much. He hoped, however, they woul i long continue to progress in the same way. (Hear, hear.) Mr Miller, in seconding the Addresß-in-Reply, referred to the^ general prosperity of the colony, and pointed out some necessary amend* ments in the mining regulations. The public would be muoh better satisfied with a Royal Commission, and not a Committee of the House, to inquire into the Marine Soandal. He did not believe that shipping and marine examinations would be properly conducted until a Marine Board was appointed. With regard to land for settlement, he believed in the Government continuing to purchase private estates. Id time these estates would cost ten times the amount for which they could be bought at present, and the back country would be settled later on. Ha was in favour of borrowing half a million to push on the Main Trunk lines of railway. He contended that Accident Insurance and Work* m n's Bills should be re introduced, and that the Conciliation Act should be amended in the direction of giving greater power to the Board. He asked what the Government in* tended to do about the Press Association. It was a huge monopoly and in a case at Dunedin £900 was asked to join. He concluded by congratulating the Government on the success of the general policy.