THE ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 84, 31 July 1878, Page 2

THE ESSENCE OF PARLIAMENT.

[FEO3I OTJE O^N COEEESPqNpENT.J , ■Weli^noton, Saturday. The third Session of the Sixth Parliament of New Zealand was opened jester* day with great eclat. The Artillery corps fired the usuaf salute, while the Rifles, accompanied by their band, formed, a guarJt of honor to his Excellency, who left Government House exactly" at half -post two* On arrival at the Council Chambers, a uaes sage was despatched' to procure the prei-'hee of the members of the H-mae of Representatives, when his ExceUency read tha; Speech, and . immediately took his leave. A notable feature was' the .absence of; Sir George Grey, who was prevented from, attondance by illness. There were but half of the members, or about forty present, amongst whom were, Messrs Barton, Cutten, Moss, Hobbs, George, and Turnbull^ who interviewed the Speaker for the first/ time. Of the half-dozetii however, Mr Barton was the only one who addressed the House, making some inquiry from the Native Minister with regard to his Bill. It is understood that Mr Seymour George, M.H.R: for Hokitika, will move the address m reply to the Governor's Speech, and that Mr Hobb9, the member, for Franklin, will second it. ' . \ . . Since the last Session of Parliament, 1 two of the seats occupied- by Lords have become , vacant, one by death and the other "by foi> feiture — the. first by the death of the Hon. W. B. Rhodes, and the other by the absence without leave for two. Sessions of the Hon. John Taylor, of Auckland. To fill up the vacancies, Mr Patrick Alphonsb Buckley, of Wollingt on, and Mr Thomas Henderson, of Auckland, have been called to the Upper : House. In addition, however, the number of the Lords have been furthersuppiemehted ? by the nomination of Mr John Martin, of • Wellington, and Mr Thomas Hunter Rey- . nolds, of Otago. At the first sitting yeaterduy, Messrs Martin and Buckley were the only ones who put m an appearance, the former being introduced by Colonel Whitmore and the Hon. John Johnston, and the latter by Colonel Whitmore and the Hon. J. N. Wilson. After having subscribed to. the usual oaths, the new peers took their

seal 8. , The following is the Speech delivered by his Excellency : — Ho* OH v bus Legislative ComvoiT.LOBS and Gentlemen of tiie House of Representatives : — It affords me much pleasure again to have recourse to your advice ami assistance ; and I confidently anticipate that .your deliberations will tend to promote the prosperity and good government of the colony. Since the last Session I have been uniformly received by the colonists with the utmost loyalty and cordiality, as the Queen's representative, wherever I have been able to Tisit ;' and it has been with the greatest gratification that I have observed the marked progress m material prosperity which is every where taking place, and which testifies so manifestly to the industry of the people of this country. : t congrotulalejou on the fact that peaceful relations have at last been established with the Waiknto and Ngatimaniapoto tribes. Complying with the pressing and frequently-received invitiationß of the^leading chiefs of those tribes, the Premier and the Native Minister visited them on several ' occasions m ~ their own districts, and met them also at the Waitara. Papers" on this Bubject.will be laid before you. They will show that the long period of serious difficulties with the Native race may reasonably - be considered to be approaching a termination/ There isnow a fair prospect that, before long, European enterprise and settlement will be welcomed by those great 'tribes* and that ,th ey will gladly avail themselves " of the advanfageswhich roads, railways, arid, telegraphs ,will bring to their magnificent territory, by which its value,] and consequently the wealth and happiness of that portion of the Native race so long .estranged., from us, must be largely increased, j ■'• In consequence of the disposition thus recenJJL^-jnanifested on the part of these ■■^/mMP, you -will be asked to consider the of extending the North Island jßnfc railway from Auckland to Taranaki. /It is probable that (blocks of land of great "value will be acquired upon reasonable terms along the line.' While negotiations ■with these tribes have been progressing, the interests "of those that have long been loyal to us have not been neglected, and many of the principal Native settlements have during the Recess, been visited by the Premier or Kative Minister. Several long-pending questions, out of which more or less illfeling has arisen, have been finally and satisfactorily settled. The question of the purvey and settlement of the- west coast of this Island has been firmly taken m hand. One large block has been surveyed, and will shortly be opened for sale ; and the immediate survey of the Waimate Plains has been ordered. Whilst - the utmost conV. sideration for the former Native -owners will be shown m dealing with these lands, a large extent of valuable country will be available for sale, and settlement. My Advisers hare found the position of the Government Native land purchases to be very unsatisfactory ; and,' but fpr the legislation of last Session, which enabled the Government temporarily .to protect lands under negotiation by the Crown, many blocks upon which large srims of public money have been spent would have passed into the bands of private speculators. This is the question with which yon will be called upon to deal ; and information sufficient, it is hoped, to enable you to conserve the interests of the colony m this respect, will be afforded you. Measures for simplifying the procedure m investigations of title to Native lands, as well as their alienation, will be submitted i to '.you.. Tho jprinpiples of the measures liave been discussed with many sections of the Native people; and it is believed that the effect of them will be to place upon an equal footing all the Queen's Subjects who may desire to purchase Native lands. The threatening ■ aspect "of European affairs caused the Imperial Government to •assemble m London a committee of scientific officers to consider the question of colonial harbor defence. Those officers made recommendations for the defence of the chief harbors of New Zealand; and the substance . of those recommendations was telegraphed 11 to me by the Secretary of State, for the purpose of ascertaining whether the colony would carry them, out. On the advice of my Ministers, I have replied that New Zealand accepts the duty; and the necessary armament will shortly arrive in"the colony. Papers on this subject will be submitted to youi. Measures have been prepared, and will be brought before you, dealing .will electoral reform j which, it is hoped, will tend to place the franchise, and the method of elect-; . / ing members of tho House of" Representatives, upon a satisfactory basis. .. Gentlemen of the House op Repbese:ntatiyes,—' Tlio Estimates which will be laid before - you have been prepared so as to promote i economy and. effective [administration m the several departments. ; You will find that there is a large increase of revenue, which, indicates the prosperity of the colony ; and its progress is rendered more certain by a marked exof the port tgade. » issue of the loan author- "^ tijH^^tttession is a further proof of the t-— rfpnu^PJß^rtained m other countries of tho stability 'of our financial position, and of the peneral prosperity and peace which prevail m New Zealand. Authority has been given to the agent, under the Consolidated Stock Act, to convert New Zealand securities of a miscellaneous character into long-dnted debentures bearing a uniform rate of interest. Measures will be introduced to. place the taxation of the colony on a more equitable basis, apportioning the public burdens according to "the capacity to bear them ; and •the- tariff will be submitted to revision, ' lending to relieve commerce of some re-, ■ striclions which rettfrd its growth. - " ;: Honobabxe Legislative Cottncillohs, 'and Gentlemen of the House of •Representatives, — The Government have found that, m order to carry out any real administrative ■. reform, there must be an amalgamation of f offices, -as well as a simplification m their ' - L administration. Tin's has been- specially felt m the Department of Justice. To \ effect a saving of departmental expenditure, .' and at the same time to increase the efficiency of the Rrlminiotration of justice, ■P Bill extending the jurisdicl ion of the in.-. • ferior Courts has been prepared, and will soon be,l»iid before you. My Ministers have endeavored by this Bill to simplify the .^proceedings m the locnl Courts. Steps have also been taken to obtain a sithplifieatioivof the Supreme Court procedure ; and the Gmnnnerit hope that the benefits obtained m 6t her^ countries from, umending the procedure of the higher Courts of .Judicature will be secured for this colony. A report will be laid before you showing the effect, so far, oftheEdiicaiion Act passed last Session. The time which has elapsed since its passing has been too short to allow a fair estimate of its working to bo arrived at, but the Government do not believe that any material amendments are at present .expedient. The question of higher education deserves most en refill, consideration ; but, as a preliminary thereto, it. is ne-".-Cswary- that, the mode t»f "wort ing' and the "effects of existing institutions should be as-

certained. It is intended, therefore, to appoint a Royal Commission to inquire into and report, upon the operations of the New Zealand University, and ils relations to the secondary school of the colony. The re•port of this committee will, if lu'frisla'.ion be necessary, enable Parliament to deal effectively witli the subject next Session. Arrangements have been entered into with the Government of New South Wales for modification's" m the San Francisco mail service contract, and as to coming within the terms of the Postal Union. In conjunction with New South Wales, the Government have also negotiated with Colonel Glover, the representative of the; Eastern Extension Australasian and China Telegraph Company, for reduplication of 'the cable from Port Darwin to London, and for a reduction of the tariff on the New Zealand cable. The present state of the negotiations will be laid before you. The goldfields, of the colony are still prosperous, and there can be no doubt that there are 'yet numerous t»nd extensive auriferous deposits that only require population and enterprise for their development. :'■'-. . You will, I have no doubt, join with me iri the hope that the" proposal to establish direct steam communication between New • Zealand and the Kingdom may prove successful. The results of the gradual extension of the railway system have been such as to justify the colony m undertaking its largo indebtedness for the^rosecution of those -public works. It is gratifying 16 find that the District Railways Act of last Session is being taken advantagejof, andj.that the faith of the people of New Zealand m rail-way-extension is being fshown by many important lines m different parts of the i colony.. This spirit of self-reliance, my Ministers think, should "be fostered ; and yoii will be asked to make some slight, amendments, with the view of offering facilities which experience has shown to be desirable. During the Recess various changes have been introduced into tho management of the Public Works and[;Railwny Departmentchanges which I venture to hope may prove beneficial to the public service. I commend to your serf- u< consideration the various, measures and subjects that may be brought before you for your advice, and I pray that the Spirit of* Divine Wisdom may bo order your i deliberations, that peace and happiness may be promoted throughout the length and breadth of the colony.

-The- following was the principal business transacted m the Legislative Council : — A message was received from the Lower House forwarding the Native Lands Bill, and on the motion of Colonel Whifvnore it was read a first time, and after the Standing Orders. had been suspended, it was moved a second time by the same member. In e.vplaining the nature of the Bill, the Colonial Secretary said that the . necessity for the Act arose from the fact that under the Act of 1873 witnesses could not be compelled to give eyidence. Inquiries were now being made into certain loosely conducted transnetions m Native lands, and persons who could give evidence were availing themselves of the Act of 1873, and_ would not give evidence without first levying black mail, and thus prevented justice being done. If this Bill were passed, they would be compelled to give evidence ; and the Bill was brought m because the Government, considered it advisable to have the evidence. He might mention that m the cases before the Court now sitting at tho Thames the Government had interests to the extent of £50,000" or £60,000 at stake, and the Court was adjourning from day to day until power to summon witnesses could be obtained. The Bill conceded what the Nalives sadly wanted — the right of appearing by counsel or agent, a right which had existed prior to 18/3. After an objection from the Hon. Sir F. D. Bell, with regard to agents, as well as counsel, being allowed to appear, the Bill was read a second time and passed through all its stages. \ "Before the adjournment, the Colonial Secretary informed the Council that matters were so forward that the Treasurer, did tho forms of the House permit, might make his Financial Statement on Tuesday. -

On the return of the members of tho House of Representatives from the Council, the following was the order of business pursued :— Swearing mof new members ; petition presented, by Mr Seaton, the member for Caversham, from Mrs Oaks, relative to some land ; the tabling of several notices of motion ; the appointment of the usual sessional and other committees ; notice of the introduction of N new Bills; and the the presentation of papers. THE NATIVE LAND ACT AMENDMENT. ' Leave was granted to the Native Minister to introduce the above measure, and m doing so, 'the, Hon. Mr Sheehan said : Sir, I am desirous of stating to the House the reasons why I move that the Bill do pass through all its stages to-day. The Bill is of a very urgent character. Under the Native Lands Act of 1873 the Native Lands Court-had no power to summon witnesses to give evidence. At the Tha.mes, where the Court is now sitting, witnesses, are required, but under the Act I have just cited the Court has no power to order their attendance to give evidenct. Some witnesses — both to the signatures to the deed of sale and the payment of money to the Naf ives— -have declined to attend the Court at the Thames unless I pay them a large sum of money by way- of blackmail. In consequence of their refusal to attend, ;the Court has been postponed from day to day. The acquisition ~of several large an important blocks of land, and the payment of some £50,000, are involved, and unless this Bjll is passed ro compel the attendance of witnesses, the land; will not be .passed through the Court for some months to. come. This is the reason why I propose that presently the Bill should be allowed to pass through all its stages to-day. The Hon. Major .Atkinson said that although the proposal of the Government was ah exceptional" one, it was not unreasonable ; and as he considered the Native Minister had made out a case, he approved of the Bill passing through all its stages. The Bill was then read a second time ; after which, the House resolved itself into committee,, with MrO'Rorke m the chair, the Bill finally passing through all its stages.