POST – SESSIONAL SPEECHES.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 4199, 4 September 1874, Page 3

POST - SESSIONAL SPEECHES.

MB. BUCKIE, M.H.E., AT NELSON. , ♦ (By Electric Telegraph.) [from our special correspondent.] Nelson, Thursday. Mr. Lcckie, M.H.K., addressed six hundred of his constituents here last night. He said the Chairman had referred to his relations to the Premier. As regarded his commercial connection with that, gentleman, he could only explain that Mr, Vogel and himself were shareholders in the Southern Cross Newspaper Company ; beyond that .there "was their connection as old friends and as-respecting each as such ; and the contemptible accusations of subservience were not worth snap of a finger. . He knew that in the House, and throughout the Colony, there had bean very great diversity of opinion respecting the propriety of the abolition of the Provinces in the North Island. For many years, as those who knew him could testify, he had been a strong Provinoialist. Shortly after he came to Nelson, eleven and a-half years ago, the question of abolishing Provincial institutions came profhinently before him, and be, fresh from The old country, and knowing only the grand Parliament of England, City and Boiough ~ Councils, and County Commissioners, saw the “playing" at Parliament and was surprised, for it looked to him like a farce. No doubt, np to the present Provincial institutions had done great service in the. work of colonisation. (Hear.) The peculiarities of the country—its isolation and the distance existing between the -n/u3 centres of population—rendered Prof cial institutions very valuable, but at the ■game time there was a great deal of useless paraphernalia, and, as time went on, people began to see that the time was speedily coming when changes must take place. When he first addressed the electors the following paragraph occurred in his printed address, which showed, he fancied, that at that time he had been gradually changing Ms opinions, seeing the necessity for restricting Provincial institutions. The paragraph ran : the absence of any superior method of local self-government, I am in favor of a modified Provincial system by which the number of Provinces shall be reduced, the average cost lessened, and their real usefulness increased.” It was not expected this year, when the Parliament met, that such a victorious onslaught would be made on Provincial institutions. Wellington had unquestionably been for years the “sturdy beggar” of New Zealand. Its system of finance had been—-“ Get money by any means, but get it,” —and Mr, Fitzherbert, the Superintendent of Wellington, and Mr. Bunny, had taken care to get it on O'- ery possible occasion. He thought then it would be generally admitted, that the condition of the Provinces in the North Island was such as fully to warrant the large majority that greeted the resolutions brought down by the Premier. Respecting the Provinces of Nelson, Marlborough, and Westland, he said they were placed in such positions, that the sooner they were embodied in an Act that would abolish them, the better. (Loud applause.) Although that applause was, perhaps, not general throughout the room, lie took it that it was generally felt, not only in that room, but throughout the Province. (Applause.) W T kat was the position of the Superintendent of Nelson at that moment ? Mr. .Curtis had stated in the House that he had put his name to public documents from which he disagreed, as being in his opinion, not only not beneficial bnt detrimental to the Provinces. (Applause.) A#dhe (Mr. Luokie) been in'tbe 'Superinten.'dent’s position, be would have adopted an en-ti-elv different course. (Applause.) Before have sacrificed his opinion, when he believed his opinion right, and when, to acquiesce in the opinion of his Executive would have been detrimental to the Province, he would have said—“ Gentlemen ; you may go. That would have been the true way, and he would have willingly sacrificed his own position rather than that of the Province. (Loud applause.) That was the sound principle of constitutional government, and ho would tell them at once that, as far as ho was concerned, if his constituents were not satisfied with him they had only to say so, and he would retire from his position. Although his friend, the Chairman, had termed him a distinguished foreigner, he believed that he had served them as honestly as any man they could get, aud he, did not believe he had done anything to forfeit their good opinion. (A Voice : No applause.) For some time past, he was sorry to say, the progress of Nelson had been backward, and there did not seem to bo much vitality in the Province at that time. He must confess that the great drawback was the want of back country—tiie same law that made Otago and Canterbury. With respect to Westland, he could only say that it was a crying injustice that _ that Pro--rince should occupy the position it did. What was only a part and parcel of Canterbury a few years ago was now loaded with debt which Canterbury ought to have borne, and was now poor as a pauper, and, like Nelson, requiring additional aid from the Government, while Canterbury was rolling in riches and her exchequer was overflowing. It was said that durin" the current year she would expend £1,250,000, whilst Westland was starving Canterbury might bowl, and Otago might call out, but the day was coming when their revenues should be made Colonial revenues. If the land were preserved to the Colony at large, the great public works scheme, of which Mr. Vogel was the projector, would be the means of doing a great amount of good to the Colony. It seemed .to him that, considering the large amount of immigration which was going on in the Colony, diversity in the land laws, where capiital was seeking investment, was one of the worst things that a country like New Zealand could labor under. He believed his ' colleague, Mr- Curtis, had said the other day that it would be impossible to make one land law for the Colony, but he believed it was quite possible. They wanted also a proper Gaol Act, a proper Inspector of Lunatic Asylums, and a general police law, which should run through the whole Colony. These, he considered, could never succeed in being fully carried out except by the abolition of the Provinces. It was remarkable that out of the sixteen members who voted against the resolutions of the Premier for the abolition of Provinces in the North Island, there were very few totally disinterested. There were Messrs. Gillies, May, and Williamson, all Auckland men, and every one of them strong nnti-Provincialists. He believed they voted against the resolutions because these did not go far enough,*

He had had the honor of being burned m effigy in Auckland because he voted for the resolutions. The Premier, and Messrs. Wood, Creighton, and Bucldand, Were also burned in effigy at the same time, for the same reason. It struck him that he was rather lucky in being four hundred miles away, but he had no doubt that the time would come when the of Auckland would acknowledge, that burning them in effigy was rubbish, as it was an injustice. He had no doubt, that the three men whom he had previously named would have voted for the resolutions had they been for the abolition of the whole of the Provinces. Of the thirteen that remained, no fewer than eleven were either Superintendents, Provincial Secretaries, or members of Provincial Executives, aud drawing considerable salaries, and one was Speaker of the Provincial Council of Otago. One Nelson member (Mr. O’Couor) was a marked exception among members of Provincial Executives ; he voted in favor of the abolition of Provinces, knowing it was the death-knell of Provinces in the South Island. He would also give credit to Mr. O’Rorke for sacrificing his position for a principle in which he believed. Witli respect to the Forests Conservation Bill, Mr. Luckie said it was of the very greatest importance to a Colony like this, and he believed it was the forerunner of a conservation of timber for which future generations would thank the Government of the present day. Were they to allow their land fund to be squandered, to the detriment of their ability to meet the interest and debt of the future ? So long as that was allowed, so long would the immigration and public works policy be precarious as to its ultimate, results ; and he knew very well that the Provinces of the South Island, knowing that next year the South Island would go also, must gather their mantles around them and die, with what dignity they could assume. It was known by most members who had voted for the majority that the time would -soon come when all the Provinces would be abolished ; the policy of progress necessitated the substitution of complete Colonial interests for those which were hitherto Provincial. By the public works and immigration policy the Colony would practically supersede, by one grand system of colonisation, the diversified methods previously pm-sued by different Provinces. That policy necessarily led to the abolition of the Provinces, and he should be glad to hear that a large and influential meeting would express views similar to his. (Applause.) As he happened to be the first member who had addressed his constituents since this great question • had. arisen, he trusted that his action would be concurred in by the meeting. He asked for evidence of that concurrence. (Loud applause.) He condemned the vast amount of Provincial legislation, which, with the General Assembly Acts (which last session numbered 110 new Acts), made New Zealand the most Act-o£-Pariia-ment ridden Colony on the face of the earth. He alluded to the Road Boards and their success, and thought they could be made to supersede all the paraphernalia' of Provincial Councils. - Some- ol these undoubtedly required, remodelling, and be instanced the condition of the Waimate Road Board, in Otago, which, without collecting any rates from wealthy proprietors within its bounds, possessedaßank balance of £9O, while other Boards and Provinces were starving for lack of means. Referring to the immigration policy, its success, he thought, had been very remarkable, and the best evidence of that success was the pleasing disappointment which the denizens of so-called “ Sleepy Hollow ” experienced when there first arrrived some three hundred and fifty immigrants, as to whom there was so much fear lest work would not be found for them—a fear that had been quickly dispelled. Instances of this kind had occurred both South and'North. With respect to the addition to the honorarium of members, for which he had voted, and about which some people professed to make a cry, he said he had voted for it on principle, thinking payment of members a wise proceeding in a democratic country. He knew the vote would be carried without his vote, but preferred recording his vote frankly, according to his belief, to voting against it for the sake of making political capital amongst bis constituents, as one who had acted against it, while wishing all the time that their side would lose. (Laughter.) He contended that, but for such payment, the Government and the Legislature of the country would go into the hands of men merely wealthy who would make laws, and especially laws to suit their own ends and interests, as had been done many a time before. Mr. Luckie concluded by referring to various Acts passed during the session, and sat down amidst loud applause. A vote of confidence was passed unanimously.