MR. WEBB ON CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 89, 14 April 1875, Page 4

MR. WEBB ON CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES.

Mr. H. R. Webb addressed tbe electors of Lyttelton at length on the evening of the 31st of March. His speech was mainly a recapitulation of the history of last session. He, however, made the following remarks :— The Bill to be introduced next session was one which would give the people a greater interest in their respective districts. The outlying districts districts in Canterbury were pretty well satisfied with things as they now stood, but in the North Island the outlying districts were all dissatisfied. They complained that the reveuue was expended around the large centres of population, and the district of Rangitikei was loud in its complaints over this matter. There were also districts in Otago which were complaining that they did not receive a fair proportion of the expenditure. He did not know what the exact form of the new Bill would be, but he presumed it would be something after the style of the Timaru and Gladstone Board of Works Bill. Iu the sister colonies provincial institutions did not exist, and yet tbey got on very well. It was eaid that those colonies had not so many ports, but this was not the case. There were a great many important ports in the colony of New South Wales, for instance, and in the harbor of Sydney itself there was nearly as much done in one day as there was at all the ports of New Zealand in a month. Therefore this argument against the establishment of

a central form of government for New Zealand did not hold good. The Provincial Council of Canterbury had already taken into consideration the question of simplifying the form of Provincial Government, and resolutions on the subject were brought forward by the Hon. Mr Buckley in session 1872, ond carried. These resolutions were forwarded to the General Assembly, but did not receive the support of the hon. member for Avon (Mr Rolleston), and did not come before the House. The question of surveys had also come under the consideration of the Provincial Council, and it was clear to him that it would be much better to have the surveys conducted from a centre. Tbe police, too, would also be better managed from a centre instead of their being, as now, under the control of the provincial authorities. So far as he was concerned, ho would only vote for a Bill which would be in accordance with the resolution passed duriug tho last session of the General Assembly, but at the same time he would hold trims-df perfectly free to vote for the application of the measuro to all parts of tho colony, if he saw that all parts of the colony would derive a benefit from such a kind of legislation. He would oppose it, however, if the land fund of Canterbury were interfered with, or if they did not obtain control over their local affairs. He wished it to be clearly understood that he would oppose aoy attempt that might be made to take the land fund from Canterbury. (Hear, hear, and cheers.)