MR STAFFORD ON PROVINCIALISM.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume IX, Issue 301, 5 September 1874, Page 4

M R STAFFORD ON PROVINCIALISM.

We take l from the N. Z. Times the

following report of Mr Stafford's speech on Mr Ijityberbert's resolutions: — Mr Stafford -said he had very great i in seconding the amendpoent of the hon. gentleman at the head of the Government. He said so because he looked upon it aa a step in the 'right direction. It was in the direction in which his sympathies and feelings bad been for many years. The hon. gentleman was perfectly corrocj. in stating HSMMWJ^V?. 1 ! waa n o. new one to him CMr Stafiord.) It was in the direction wh|sh he__and many friends Fho. still sat in that Hoase had long Jj_bpi_*d. -.Oifißee .brought face to face with the pablio of New Zealand. This was hot the: beginning cf a very hard fight that would have to be fought .Wore the, question was finally decided. The hon. member for tbe Hutt had spoken wi tbu commendable brevity; but had disappointed him both in what he midland: what ho did not say. He had 'exp'ecj^-from 'his friend a larger exposition and defence of tbe line he was •now taking, which U the hon. gentle-t-taii. wbdld allow him to say so, was largely inconsistent with the view and -principles he had advocated in past '- Thia hon. gentleman had founded •"-__!_./ remarks entirely upon the of a diesoMion of tbe Huee before theijuest.on was finally settled. The. hon: gentleman at the head of the Govern_nep t had very carefully adduced reasons ~ td ' show that there was no Titality in that argument. Bnt, if they i»d ito oobfine themselves to what had occurred in this country, he wonld .remind his hon. friend (Mr Filzherbert) fif some some very important qnestions <j_rrtp_ use. his ; phrase — quite as revolutionary^that now proposed, to which t tafej 1 . ar _? c ) y been : a P arl 7« He woolp 'remind bio . that without, previous mcc timatidn to the .conntry, ip 1864, tbe r hon. gentleman io the important position P\ '^1-Shi^l Treasurer advocated the removal" of 'the" seat' l of Government, and the removal of 10,000 of Her -Majesty's troops at a time of war, without my prdvioos' intimation. Aud so determined was the hon. gentleman ft#A^_W° rl 9."f7 should be given of expressing an opinion on the subject that be . absolutely used the most stringent forms of the House — more Stringent then than now — and refused to alio* .him (Mr Stafford) and others protest against that actioD, by presenting Ihem from opening their mo whs on v the_ subject by insisting upon the question being immediately pnt, and 'without debate. Oa the same principle in past years was he to he found advo--rcating the very important step of taking .Canterbury the County of .S e %p4v ! aud 80018 time afterwards m supporting the establishment of the Ximaru and Gladstone Board of Works. . -These-acts were jast as decisive, and in the same direction which the hon. gentleman, at the head of the Govern- * Went 3 now wanted the House to take -.(^.'.-Md cries of "No") Well, if the ..flW^W 1 of revenues, the endowment of local districts with ' local and giving tbem tbe management of their affairs wen. not in the same direction as the events to which he had just alluded, he was not able to discover the proper meaning of words. The hon. gentleman had £ always grrto good advice in a direci?^n£* r *ft eted J* 68 *. 0 * questions t&MWi® apd the subject now being _So far. back as. 1863, nine years ago, the hon. gentleman's foresight and sagacity-led him to predict what .wodld bi- the fate of provinces Jotbat .got .into the position of some of the provinces at the present time— a position which they were not only now in, bat had been for some time past. He recollected tbe hon, gentleman, then a colleague of his, making a speech, bEhy&t. ? ( a!l otner «. would be the best and moat carefully weighed i T!f rii J Ca "y«Dg the greatest meant the Financial State"nient, in which he was referring to the W?& o ™}°?M OBitioa of ?oma°of the! »*>•- the fact: that one of the- |fe_test duties and mdst arduous J£S?$ 9 T reßßure> of the day bad was • iocdnside^how to dole out.sa.aries so oSIqVC O0 * 016 thoße - provinces to conexist. In that budget speech of the honourable gentleman was a remarkable, passage,, that when a province was -unable to carry on its functions, it shonld b e declared functue officio. It had been tbe habit to speak ot^he Provinces as if they were inhereDjly a, form of government peculiar y viable; but for bis part he ahiolutely denied that the Question ot local self-government necessarily de« pended on a Provincial Conncil. ( tf ear ) He refaßed,te,b_}lieve it. Nay, more, b ldF° IJ.1 J. , _ «? W h ? r » N say that he conscientiously, believed ihat iv gome £(i!WfW* PfO'toces the existence «of Koperidjendt-nis or Provincial Councils*l_W__bdc. in the w_.y*_f fel selfgovernment. They became central governments instead of diffbsing local --seff-goverament throughout Cl .he co.hT ' ! ?^_n 88 BWare What *& iUVrliouS aspect%r measure had iu c; not being nniversal, and speaking for himself, he said fearlessly that he would have preferred; that the Honse should have been .-(a_*ed to consider a meaaure of universa appl^tion. He did not pretend to' 2^ . - for a ' "Pment this was to bo ~J? 'J | l W88 ° D b^ the beginning of the end, hut f 9 r bis part he did not care how soon that end came, and what hawasininore, he believed the country .fcwduld la*geljf lißspond, and aay They • W?&^& l t~&!>*& "hut wished it

went a great deal farther.' Why, rilany of the minority voted against it because it was not a universal measure. What would .be the position of the minority, what would be its chances of cohesion if after a short time it should be proposed to go the whole length and make the change an universal one ? The Premier bad nothing to fear if he went to the country to-morrow. Tbat there would be a great J fight in some of the capital towns of the Provinces he was ready to believe ; there was a large bread and butter interest in the question, which would die very bard indeed, and the. sooner they recognised the work they, would ..have to encounter the better. He was not going to take the country by surprise, so far as he was concerned. ;Tf /the North Island waj at present invidiously placed by its exceptional treatment, it might take the consolation tp its heart that soon' its Southern neighbors, would be in .the same position. After referring to his being found on the opposite, side to the member for the Hutt, the hon gentleman' stlid , he ( ' felt " bound io support a proposition that ran all-fours with what he had advocated for many years. He was prepared to march with anybody, aocT against . anybody, no matter how old a- political friend. Before this question was . settled, we should Bee very considerable separations of those who bad been acting in accord and cohesion on the part of others who hitherto had not been in accord.. He .mated whatever might be the result there would be no personal asperity, but that they should take Buch action as public duty required. We were approachiog thoae days of difficulty when the bes! men of the country would require to do their best to c_irry. it through its difficulties. If they did not consent to do so God help the country.