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Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 251, 21 October 1881, Page 3

{Continued from Second Page.)

tfcu district as a separate constituency is blfttcd out, I hope for a long time to retain raj connexion with you as part of the enormcus district of which this division of the colony now forms a part. I will only touch efiortlj on the arguments I u?ed when spcakiojr against the Bill, a, Bill which, I am sure, will produce results of a very grave and disastrous character on oar representative institutions, and not only the Bill but the Unconstitutional and unparliamentary way in wbat it was paseed. When I think of the clomsy and ur.just system that has been adopted of making population the odlv basis of our representation; fancy tbsi basis being used in Great Britain wh>re, a« you will see by my figures aa reported in Bansird, tbat the latest eonstiiuen- ies average about 17,000 registered electors to each member an i the smaller ones fiom ?00 to 809, with the large Sbire C unties having on average of some 3000, I would then ask why should it be should be thought necessary to ignore such precedents as those which the Imperial Parliament in its wisdom finds it advisable to fallow. They do not disfranchise communities or oblige those who have little InUrest in common to work 'Ogpther, but it has been left toaNewZealanr Government supported bvnn i iterested and Selihh majority to carry on snch legislation, flow we struggled I n> c eot repeat, for you well know. I said they thouid have to carry me our, bur then I was thinking of fair fighting. I did not expect the enemy (speaking metaphorically) to use dynamite or such unfair and un*Eng!i*h weapons, or action which wa9 most un-English and unparliamentary. Talk of the cioture, the best thing we can do i» to adopt that eyateta, far better than being subject U the diemm of any one man who may be influenced by the party in power. "We are taught in the House that what a member says must be accepted as true, and the Speaker, the Premier, and the Chairman have said there was no agreement together to bring about that process of jumping on us, but it was, to say the least, singular that after the Premier trying in vain to pass resolutions in the Standing Orders Com^ mittee, (a committee appointed each session to prepare rules for the guidance of business) to restrain the obstructionists, and further that it should have been sufficiently well known in the town that something was going to be done, that the galleries were full to overflowing ; to say the least, it was a singular coincidence. We have been told that we should have tried more concilitaory means; I say most earnestly we did so. No, gentlemen, there was nothing for it but fighting, and I further say tbat if the rules of ordinary Parliamentary practice had been adhered to we should ha7e been successful to^ some extent. I never expected to retain all our Nelson members but to lose three out of six, is worse than UHfair, it is wicked. The result in the future ■will be (although I have told you in the papers that if re-elected I should oppose borrowing except under certain conditions I fear that will make little difference) that Canterbury and Otsgo will have the representation of the colony, will have the power to borrow if they like, and spend aa they like and we shall have the privilege of paying oar share of the interest. We may, if fortunate, get the crumbs which fall from their table; we are told they will be gen«ro«s, bat we have bad a notable instance of that in the p»3aing of the Bill. Taming from that subject to the other menares. There is the Railway Construction Bill, I do hot think it will produce aDy large results as I am cf opinion tbe cobceisiona are not sufficiently good to induce any company to construct any o f the lines scheduled, they baviag been all condemned aa not likely to pay, and I fear that should any chance to be ! taken np and be found, as is probable, not lo j pay, preisure will be brought to bear on tbe Government to get them to purchase^ and if there is any Jikeiihood of that it would be ehesper and better that tbe Government should build tbeth ib the first instance. The P«blic Revenues Bill ia a measure to ex'end tfee votes of the financial year for three months after the 31st cf March. When this Bill came on I with oihers opposed the granting supplies beyond the end of the financial year. We have done bo on one or two occasions, but in addition to the fact that X have seen no good result from the practice* oo this occasion there were other reasons against it. We were an expiring Parliament, the Ministry was really in a minority and we thought it best that the new Parliament sbouid be called together at an early date and they could then deal with the qaestion. However, the Government carried it by a small majority. Oar Nelson members were divided, Messrs Collins and Harsthouße voting with the Government, Messrs Gibbs, Pitt, Levestam, and Shephard voting against. This was rather a trial of Ministerial strength, and in my experience I was never so earnestly solicited to give a vote as t w«s by the Government party on tbat occasion. They would have been defeated by the ordinary party calcula'ions ; however, they managed to get through. I was gad of the chance of giving a decided vote against them before the close of the sessioD, not tbat it would have made any real difference, bat it would have 'been a alap on the face for them to go to tbe elections with. I said earlier that we bad passed a lot of trißing Bills, and dropped many that would bar? been useful — Amongst those we dropped was The Counties Act Suspension Bill to jrive the people the choice of working under the Road Board or Coonty system, as they pleased, just the thing you have been wishing for \ The Crown and Native Landa Ratiog and Road Construction Bills I bave described. ; they would bave suited this part cf the country admirably, indeed, all the fcountry forming the future electoral district, and would have given our lecal bodies some chance. The Land Act Amendment Bill, in which, by special promise to me, was to be inserted a clause to throw open for deferred payments land in the Aorere Valley Reserve, was alio dropped, the Minister for Lands in that matter treating me most shamefolly. The New Plymouth Harbor Commission BiH Was scarcely dropped, I should say thak was dodged out of the House, and by doing so rightly or wrongly without proper enquiry, this expenditure will continue— another " job " — and by their conduct Ministers lose SDOtber staunch supporter, Mr Wright. The Pensions Bill should have been passed. The *monnt of jobbery in connection with some of the granting of pensions showa the EeceeBity of abolishing the system. These are a few of those dropped. Now for those that were passed. We have reduced taxation, taken off some Customs duties and reduced the property tax, and the question should be considered are we in a position to do bo, are we paying our way ? lam sure we are not Oor revenue does not meet the expanditore, but it is a floe electioneprirg cry for the Government supporters — What good fellows these Ministers are to relieve the people of their burdens Yes, and leave to their successors tbe odium of placing additional hardens on the people, bat is it well to do so and borrow money to pay the ordinary expenses of ihe Governments ? We passed a BiH to restrict the influx of Chinese, another altering the Dog Registration Act, another to ensure the purity of elections, by which a candidate must hardly wiDk at an elector and must not spend any money, another to restrain garni g and lotteries, and to regulate the licensing of public houses. Now a few words on local matters. The Takaka tramway, I hope, now is ft fact. I take the whole credit to myself of bavinß obtained the extra thousand pounds which has been the means of floating tbe Company. I regret the work was r.ot done by the Road Board, so that the district might have had the profits. I have heard that it baa been said that it was not'me but Mr Pitt who got this grant. Let me just say to all wha may ha»e heard the ramor, write and ask Mr Pitt • he, I know, will do me j as', ice. Ask Mr Rochfort. Write and ask Mr Joseph Shephard, I say to those who may have spread the ramor s make these enquiries acd do me only simple jastice. I tried to get, according to letters from jour Coun»y Council and others, grants for certain bridges and roads (read a number of letters from the Public Works Department) I obtained a small grant for the Aorere harbour and to continue the roads to open up the lands in that valley for settlement. In conclusion I would say I hope the time is cot far distant when by a judicious arrangement of revenues for local bodies the Parliament will be relieved from the work and members be freed from the

unpleasantness of interviewing Ministers to get concessions for their district. I fear I bave tired you, but if there is any thing I have omitted I hope you will question me, and as this is most likely the last time 1 shall address you as member for Collingwood t would ask you to give me some idea aa to whether my conduct in the past has met with your approval.

Mr J. Reilly said : Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, the only part of Mr Gibbs' actions is our representative in the last session of Parliament that I disapprove of is voting for the many tyranical clauses contained in what the Government call the Corrupt Practices, and Gaming and Lotteries Bills, many of the clauses of which are too .unjust; and tyrannical to be passed by any Ministary under the British Crown. 1 contend that it is impossible to carry a legal and even a religious election without a dash of whiskey* The Gaming and Lotteries Bill is so unjust and tyrannical that it will soon kill itself By that absurd act a young man is liable for wimkingat his sweetheart on a rae cours°, bnt on the whole I am perfectly satisfied with Mr Gibbs' actions as our representative in the past. It cannot be denied, even by his enemies that he has worked hard and well and often successfully for the interest of our district. I have therefore much pleasure in proposing a vote of thanks and confidence in Mr Gibbs '

This was seconded by Mr J. Haldane, and* on a show of hands, was declared by the Chairman to be carried unanimously.