PARLIAMENTARY.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XL, Issue 197, 11 August 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE OF KEPRESENTATIYES. WKiiisaxos, Thursday. The House met at 2 30. this afternoon. Mr O'Korke ag'xed if the Government intended to enlarge the boundaries of the Kaitikati block*, fo as to admit oi the introduction of further bona fide eettlera; or whether they intended to establish similar special settlements in othe portions of Auckland province. M-jor Atkins jn said tha Government did not intend to enlarge the boundaries of the Katikati settlement, and they were not going to give away any more valuable land in any part of the colony, as settlement coald be pro moted as rapidly by charging a proper price; nor did the Government propose to establish any lurther special settlements. Mr Bailance took up the debate on Sir George Grey 'a resolutions and f poke eloquently against ib.3iu. No matter wh*c interpretation was plucel upou them, they were intended as a visitation for imputed Bias of the Government; but if there bad been noaladmiuiafcation, a vote of waut of coufldenca would have been. the proper course. He deprecated those implied threata of an appeal to arms made by Mesara Grey, Bees, and Siout, if the reeohitioos were not carried. He went at considerable length into financila details to disprove the charges made by Messrs Keea aad Stout, to Bhew that each disigreed with the other, and (hat both were glaringly wrong, and said nothing was wrong aoout the Financial Statement or public accounts. He thought the member for iParnell ought to have known better than to support the wild assertions of Mr Bees, The hon gentleman argued that the Government proposals interfered in. no way with the compact of IBb6, which he considered sacred, and he would be alarmed at the ultimate fate of the coustry if solemn contracts of that kind were to be violated. The member for Auckland Bast was unfortunate in quoting from his pamphlet, because his figures proved the very reverse of what he intended, for he endeavored to prove the depression of the colony, and he only shewed an increased expending power on the part of the population. The hon. gentleman quoted, freely from statistics to shew the relative superiority of New Zealand as compared with other Australasian colonies in regard to its resources and the welfare of its inhabitants. He went into the indebtedness of the colony, aud compared its position in 1870 with its position now; and considering the increased value of property all over the colony, with the improved condition of: tha people, he asked the House whether the ex'ra burden of £385,000 annually was anything so very griavous, The hon. gentleman defended the Upper House and the representation of the colony, and adduced a number of arguments to shew why the resolutions should be oppoeed. MrDe Laotour, who followed, Bpoke up till 5.30 in support of the resolutions. He denied that the House represented the true feelings of the people, or that the Ministry represented the House. Not one of them had any right to sit on the Mio/steral benches. Individually and as a Government they had broken the most solemn pledg.-s He admitted thtt not a man in the House had more ability than the Premier to serve the colony but he bad grossly deceive 1 !. Even now, if he would be true to its interests, and di-BOciate himself from his present colleagues aud surroundings, he for one would htiirtily support him. tie considered th»t the immense exptnditure the Government hid control of nad demoralised the House and the country. The hon. gentleman argued at length that abolition hid not been demanded by the people; that only 1 i members pledged to abolition hud been returned at the last elections, and these were men who had peculiar and strong claims upon the gratitude of their constiteeneie-t. He pointed oat how certain goliifieids members could not be independent who were bound hand and foot to the Government solely thnugh Government expenditure, and instinct d the roetrbor for Totara, bought by the Mikonui water-race, and the members for Grey Valley, who ware also promised local works. While admitting that the dismemberment oC the colony wou'd be a calamity, he did not believe the resolutions would have that effect, or vrera intended to have. Friday. On the H use resuming at? 30, Mr Murray Aynsley opposed the resolution*. He favored separation in 1862 wh"n the colony had no debt but thought it was not desirable now. If proKrtß3 were desire 1 unity must be retained. Mr Macandrew eaid if the resolutions were not carried, the colony woull want £200,000 yeaily /rcm Otago, and that waß more to them than the unity of the colony; cany the resolutions and they would have the bulk of their own t) spend as they liked. Twenty-two 3 cars ago a Select. Committee said it was impossible to unravel the accounts of the colony, and every year the difficulty became great3r. All thay could make out now was that last year there was £363,000 excess of expenditure over revenue. Only ihree courses were open: — increased taxation; putting their hands in the pocketa of Otago and Canterbury; or retrenchment. The Government wanted to do the second bat he wanted the third and that could be secured by the resolutions. The Government had no idea of curtailing extravagance, and fresh departments were continually created in connection, with forests, prisons, lunatic asylums, &c. It was the parable of the prodigal son reversed; fie parent was spending tha inheritance of his nine sons, pn i it w*a high time they stopped the extravagance of the old gentleman. At present the General Assembly cost £35,000 yearly, probibly to he doubled when the business of Provincial Councils was taken over. The Provincial Council of Otago cost £3.800 a year including alt expenses, so if there were time Executives and three Councia in the colony they would not cost more than £9000 each, and ia all would not cost half as much the present Legislature. By adopting the resolutions new life vigor would be imparted throughout the colony. The Provincial Government in Otago fostered district government rather than replied it. The colony would not be ripe for the County system for years to corne, nor had it been asked for. ile should have preferred seeing two governments for each Island and balieved it would come to that. The resolutions, however, were in that direction. Otago was now paying £90,000 yearly as interest on money b irrowed for obstructing works in country dietricts out of which £45,000 was spent on the goldfields The proclivities of ttio Otago legislature had always been, to decentralise. They were first to set the example of giving tivo pounds to one for public works; they promoted private enterprise, subsidised steamers and manufactures, and introduced salmon. Had they waste-d the ! r means Ike the General Legislature he would not ehed a tear to see them sink into the sea of abolition. Mr Montgomery thought the resolutions inopportune, and that the House should have gone on with the resolutions of Government, and its feeling could have been estimated l>y the treatment they received. He deemed the explanation of the member for the Waikato unsatisfactory. The real administrative bjdy of the colony should be a central legislature but he depricated any infringement of the' pomp ict or any interference with (,Jie Land Fund, of the districts, and said that though Government were not taking the Land fund openly they were doing bo insidiously. At present he desired to see the colony united so long as each Island enjoyed its owa Land Fund. The other speakers were Messrs Lumsden, Fisher, Karaitfaua, aad Tole lor the resolu- {

, . ~ ■ . tion% and Meeare Mandera, T&witf, and Gibbs ia opposition. Mr Sterens moved the adjournment of the | debate at 12 25, when the House adjourned.