PARLIAMENTARY

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XL, Issue 196, 10 August 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wellington, Wednesday. The House met at 2 30. to-day, when Mr Reader Wood took up the separation debate. He defended the chnrges made by Mr Jites asainct tbe Ministry as well iounded, and eaid they merited more serious treatment than the? had received. He ridiculed Mr Bowen's reply to Mr Wbitaker as something not worth consideration; it was like a feather floating in the air, which the sharpest sword could not touch. He emgratulated Ministers on having made up their minds to meet tbe argumen b of the Opposition instead of endeavoring to strangle the debate. He considered Sir George Grey's proposals were simple aud ttatcsmanlike. and provided for all possible causes of contention between North and Houth-, while the wretched Bills of the Mini-try were something any Government ought to be heartily ashamed of. They had been a_*d fot de aih ol their resolutions, but such arequest was foolish; there wns ample material in the resolutions up;n which to frame the bills to carry out all tho requisite details They ha 1 besn twitted as to what ba6is they placed the arrangement between Olago and Auckland upon; he could tell them it was not rapon popul uion or acres, but upon the me ma at the disposal of Aucklani and the North Idand. To show upon what buis the arrangement had been mado, be gave thete figures: —For the North Island— Cus'oms revenue, .£600,000; land land, £130,003; interest on colonial debt £190,00,0; provincial interest, £67,000, which bnog deducted from the other two items, left a balancs of £9i13,0G0, For the South Island— Customs revenu?, X96t,00p; laud fund, £799,000; total £1,760,000; interest on colonial dabt, £625,000; provincial interest, £150.000, which taken from the revenue, left a balance ot £994,900, The hon.

gentleman then touched upon tbe principal speeches ia opposition to the resolutions, and said that Auckland and Otago were for separation as one man. (Cries of "Hear, hear," and '« No, no.") The hon gentleman adduced a multitude of arguments i« favor of the resolutions, and commented in very severe terms upon the way the country had beeen misled by the Government. Ia 1873, when the question was rated intiteUppir flousa. Dr. Pollen Rai 1 tl_t things were going on all right, and that in IS7R, whea 13 J millions would be spent, they would have 750 miles of railways Now the result was, that over 18 millions were *pentand we had buc 550 miles of railways. Tlie hon. gentleman contended that tlie topography of the colony and the conflicting interests of tbe people all were against an'united colony. Mr Stafford followel in opposition to the resolutions, but ths first part of hia speech was taken up w;th replies to prrsonal re'ereaces ta his own political career by Mr Hislop and Mr iiodgkin«on. He considered Mr Whitaker's resoluiions a reality and a eolutiun of a great question that must force uself upon the people of New Z. aland yet, and if Mr Whit iker brought it forward next session, he would promise him a larger number of votes than he had the ottier day. Sir Geirge Grey's resolutions on the othe<- hand, were a sham, and would not stand tbe test of examination by anyone at all acquaint* d with the financial arrangements of the colony. Ha deprecated the geaeral attitude of the Otago members in ead eavoring to separate that part ot the colony from tbe reat of the colony. He ridiculed the statement of the member for Waikato as to the happiness oi the colony when governed as two province*, and cited circumstances to show that it was tho very revert e, and that it was the intense dissatisfaction then that led to the adoption of the present constitution. The hon. gentleman was interrupted by 5 30,

Thursday. Upon the House resuming at 7 30 last night, Mr Stafford contiuut-d to speak for an hour and a half. He did not agr.e with the member for Waikato that thero was such a necessity for an immediate change. Individually he was satisfied to fall back upon the Abolition Act of last session. He twitted Sir G. Grey with offering to spend money ia defence of the old provinces last year, while now be was anxious to destroy them. He would prefer absolute colonial 'separation 'to that proposed, as then each couatry could woric out its own deatiny. Under the present proposal, however, there must be an immeiiate difference over the Customs duties. Where were tho powers of each ia'and to begin, and where to end? There would be various differences between the two islands as to ocean postal services, and telegraphic communication with other co'oniea would be affected. Be3idej, they h%d not provided for all the financial difficulties as between one anil the other, neither was there any provision for the liabilities in the course of creation. The arrangement proposed would be nothing like sufficient to provide for immigration snd publio works, and harbjra especially. These aloue wouLl absorb the whoie of tbe imaginary ba'ances. How were they going to define the different powers between the two Legislative Assemblies? W/mt Auckland might consider absolute liberty would be considered slavery by Wellington, Marlborough, or the Wesc Coast. It wns very well t> ta „ of tha extravagince of the Ministry, but it was the demauds of the people that caused that extravagance. Whnt had they seen in the past but extravagance in the provinces. If Auckland was not so extravagant as the rest it was bee use she had not the money to be so with at the same time she had been notoriously guilty of great extravagance. Sho borrowed half a million for a railway between Ooehnnga and Mercer, which never was made. It was certain that under these proposals the large centres of population would dominate ovtr the country. One error in the past was ranking the laud fund arrangement of 1856 permanent, and another was that the Publie Works echeme had not made the lund fund part of that policy, and provided that the provinces should cease from that time. They had no right to interfere at all ihen unless there had been a great national interference that would have prevented the present discontent. He regardea himself more as a member for the colony than a Canterbury member, and considered that the Relations of one part of the colony with the other parts made them ?o closely associated, and so interdependent upon each other that any segregation must be regarded as a national calamity. Mr Stout supported the resolutions, and combated the \ rineipal arguments used by Mr t-tafford and others who hid opposed tbe reso';utio s. Things had come to such a pass that a change was absolutely necessary. It was impossible that thoy could put up any longer with a set of tmn at the head ofthe administration who had so systematically broken all their pledges. He wondered how anybody could support the present Premier, who retained power only by broken pledges, extravagant expendi ure, and promists that never had been and never would be fulfilled, or a Ministry guilty of the grossest extravagance and utter want of foreaight in administrative affairs. He assured the Ministry that the Otigo people would not put up with being ruled from Wellington. They came of a race tbat would noD brook eur_ a state of affairs.

Mr Rolleßfcon made a discriminatory speech as to the present position of sff.irs and the proposals of tha Opposition, and announced that, considering the wishes ot his constituents and the crude unsitistactory nnture of the proposals of the m< mbtr for the Thame?, he couid not support them. Though strongly io favor of Provincial Governments he thought it would be fidvisable, io order to allay the present dissatisfaction, that the offiee of Superintendent should be non-political. Mr Joyco, who followed, declared himself an ardent Provineiali3t,and said that though lie was one of thoso who were supporting Sir George Grey's resolutions he would have preferred seeing a motion for repealing the Abolition resolutions of last session. He did not wish the public works to be Hopped nor did he believe it possible to do so, and thought that they could be carried on twice as fir without danger to the public creditor, bo great were the resources of the colony.

'Ihe debate was adjournel on the motion of Mr Ballance at 12 35.