POST-SESSIONAL UTTERANCES

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4980, 9 March 1877, Page 6

POST-SESSIONAL UTTERANCES

THE WELLINGTON CITY MEMBERS. Messrs. Pearce and Hunter addressed their .-..u-titucnts at,the Odd Fellows’ Hall on Fri- ■ lav evening. The attendance of electors was !:irVe % On'the stage, in addition to the two r.tr members, there wore—Messrs. Turnbull, G. Crawford, Travers, and Dransfield, At a. few,minutes past.B o’clock, Mr. Phauce came forward and said Gentlemen,—On the last occasion , that . Mr. Hunter and I had the honor of addressing you, Mr. George Crawford ■was good enough to take the chair, and he has to-night kindly consented to do so. 1 will, therefore move.that Mr, Crawford be invited to take the chair. The meeting expressing general approval, Mr.. Ckawfokd took the chair, and having read the advertisement calling the meeting, and, requesting ■ for the two gentlemen who were about to address the meeting an attentive hearing, he called upon Mr. Edward Pearce. Mr. P sauce : Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, —Although, my speech to you this evening ■will be to some extent of a post-sessional character, I regret to say that it must also take the form of a farewell address. I propose in the first place briefly to review some of the proceedings of Parliament during the last session. I shall afterwards make some observations on the results of the legislation of the last six or seven years, and shall afterwards ask you to permit me to make a few remarks of a personal nature. The session of 1876 commenced on the 15th of June, and the prorogation did not take place till the 31st of October. The debates during that period occupied no less than four thick volumes of Hansard, and it was no wonder that they did. The House sat on an average ten hours _ a day ; it considered and disposed of an immense number of .motions on all sorts of subjects, and passed no less' than 100 different new Acts. The session unquestionably was a,most tedious one. Much time was wasted, not on party but in discussing motions _ casting imputations on Ministers, and dealing with such questions as that of the famous Piako Swamp. Notwithstanding all that, however, the' session was far from being one barren of results. Not only was it an important session, having regard to the measures that were introduced and disposed of, but it was a session -that will be long remembered as the ’ one that put an end to the provincial. form, of government. The struggle of provincialism has at last closed, and I' venture to say that a large majority of the people of New Zealand are of opinion that Parliament acted wisely in deciding as it did, (Hear, hear). The abolition of the provincial form of government does not necessarily mean the adoption of a centralising policy ; on the contrary, it means rather the creation o real local self governing bodies. Anti-provincialists ars not at , all events necessarily centralists; they are men who heartily desire the unity of the colony ; they desire that the colony should be a united one, with one common Legislature. That has been achieved, and I think before long there will hardly be a man in the colony that would desire to go back to the old state of things. Indeed, I think men will wonder how we managed to exist so long as we'did under that form of government. I was very, much struck the other day with an article I read in a journal published in the South, in,which it was pointed out thatthe most aiirual failures in joint stock enterprises were those started on a provincial basis, • whilst, on the other- hand,, those that were colonial in their nature were eminently successful. Now, if that is true* of commercial enterprises, the truth holds -* good with far greater force in matters affecting the national life of the colony. Permit me just to refer here to the Counties Bilk Much has been written and much bog been ■ said in criticism of that measure, and I am not prepared to say that it is in any sense a perfect Act. On the contrary, I believe that experience will show that it" largely; i requires amendment. But it was essentially a tentative and an experimental measure, and it was properly made so. Of one thing, however, we ought to be all glad, and that io that you find men, and good men too, ready to take upon themselves the duties implied in taking a seat on the County Boards :. and-not only are they willing to do so, but in.many cases seats are eagerly sought after, and contested elections are the order of the day. It is quite true that in some districts they have availed themselves of the permissive clauses, of i the Act, and decided not to bring it.* into - full operation at 'once. But I believe,in those districts they have only done so that .they may derive the benefit of the experience of others. It is one of those' cases' where yon have to be content to build up little by little—in short, the-thing must grow. -If I should attempt to epitomise even a tenth part of the proceedings of last session, I should run the risk • of wearying you. I cannot possibly.- deal with the debates on the landfund, on- the Public Accounts, on loans, on financial arrangements and rating, on the Local Elections Bill, or Municipal Corporations Bill, and other subjects. I shall Only touch upon few therefore. 'The first subject that I .' named is one of very great importance and of very great interest, I refer to. the land fund.* Ido hot mean by the land fund the administration of Our waste lands,‘or the disposal of the public estate: I mean the distribution of the revenues derived from the land. : That subject was. constantly being brought up last session in an indirect manner, ambit was also in a very direct way brought under notice by Mr. Whitaker, who aaked the House to decide whether or not what ia known as the Compact of 1856 should continue in force. In a. very able speech he treated the whole subject on a motion to this effect —“That the financial position’of the colony requites a revision of the laws by which tiie revenues of the waste lands of the Crown ace what he wanted was this: that the’land fund should be made part of the Consolidated Revenue, and be voted annually-by 'Parliament. (Hear, hear.) Now, there will probably be very few men who will be prepared t<? »ay that the Compact of 1856 was a wise arrangement, and fewer still will deny that it has proved to be a mast unequal bargain as between the North and South Islands^''At the House felt that the proppsaUqf Mr,,w|dtakerwerehotonly; inexpedient almost amounted to a Whatever may be said of the Conipaht flif 1856 itself and of the legisivhich gave legal effect to that compact, it is the fact that at the time the’House discussed the proposals of the Government for the abolition of provincialism, it was arranged, that, whenever abolition should take effect the land fund should be locally expended. I- therefore hold , this opinion, and in doing so, hold* it in common witball the members representing the province •C 'Wellington—that' it would be not only impolitic,l but unjust, to support the party at the back of'Mr. Whitaker. ’ Much of the time of the House waS usefully employed in discussing add S potting into shape such Bills , as the Eatijig Bill,, Local Elections Bill, and Municipal Corporations Act. They are all useful incaaureN and T believe that the Municipal Corporations Act is a better Act than has ever,’, before been on the statute book, on this -subject. It is now the policy of the iidme,'country, and I think it ought to be the policy ’ of the colonies, to give as large powers as' possible to municipal bodies, a»id throw upon -them a large, amount of responsibility. In short, the Grqyernment should say —au’d’l believe in effect they do say—we eh all take charge of such works as the construction of railways and telegraphs, attend to the administration of justice; we shall also make necessary postal arrangements, and adruiniifer the waste lands, and such like; but the rest we leave to the local governing bodies. I believe it is the true policy, and the policy the Government seem now to be in favor, Speaking of the Municipal Corporations 1 Act, it may be Convenient here to refer to -a. purely local measure, but one of very great importance to Wellington, and one whicii I think all take some interest in ; and that is ,the Wellington Loans Consolidation Act. J think our civic authorities acted very wisely in desiring to have that measure passed, and I assure you it gave me very great satisfaction to have charge ofthat Bill, andto he able to carry it successfully through both Houses

of Parliament; 'You are probably all aware that the city has had from time to time power to borrow Smalt sums for various purposes. ...It was first of all authorised to issue debentures: to the amount of £20,000 to pay for the Queen’s Wharf and the bonded warehouses, &c.; also, £,31,006't0 purchase the Reclaimed Land; and a sum of £50,000, under two Acts, for the purpose of constructing waterworks for the city; and it was further authorised, as long 'ago a5i.1873,- to* raise a sum of £60,000 for the;, drainage .of the city. It was found,, however, inconvenient to have so many Acts for cognate purposes ; and it was thought bettor, inasmuch as further borrowing powers were desired, to consolidate the previous Acts into one, and make the total sum into the amount of £200,000, the Acts previously* passed havingonly given borrowing power to the extent of £151,000. The city is therefore in the position now to borrow money on much more favorable terms than 'before, and also has ample means to carry out the objects for whieh the 'loans have been incurred. The Act enables the Corporation to levy a rate for the purpose of paying the interest on loans, but I believe that by prudent administration the levying of that rate will never be needed. I will explain what I mean. The wharf, of course, as you all know,-produces a revenue by tolls amply sufficient to pay not only the interest on the purchase money and on the cost of extending the wharf, but also to keep it in a thorough state of repair, and improve the accommodation. For the rest, the rents of the reclaimed land and the money they are authorised to borrow on the security of rates for water, and also for drainage, will be sufficient to'meet all the wants of the Corporation in the way of, interest charged in connection with this new Act. * Some of you,. no doubt, are aware that although' the-' Bill that we are now discussing authorised the raising of a sum of £31,000 to provide for the amount due on the reclaimed land, there. really. was not a sum of £31,000 still due.; But there was a sum of nearly £IO,OOO accumulated in the hands of the General Government, so that when the £31,000 is paid that amount will be at the disposal of the Corporation for appropriation. This item,;as you* all; know, has lately become famous in connection with what I may call the City Hall agitation. Now, perhaps I. am touching upon tender ground—or at all events debateable—in * referring to this matter, at all. But I wish--to say that I hope the citizens of Wellington will always foster and carefully guard, and be proud of their municipal institutions. I hope the day is not very, far distant when they will have a hall for the Use of the. inhabitants of which the city may be proud. Nothing strikes a visitor to Europe more, when he visits the towns and cities both in England and on. the Continent, than the evidence of the very great importance which our - forefathers attached.* to, municipal buildings; and, I hope we, shall follow their good example. No town or city* of comparatively moderate dimensions is copsiderod complete until it ‘has a really good,. City .Hall —not only for the use of the Corporation, .but for the inhabitants .(generally for*.various; pur--1 poses. But when we do' this, I hope the build-, ing erected .will be one ..worthy of "the future destiny of this city, and ,1, hope, the building will be such that we shall not:require in a few years to have anotherT-rtHat . It will be built of ,some permanent material, either stone, brick, , or concrete., ■ I must ’ ask yon to pardon me making ; this : .diversion, * but the subject, as I said : when, introducing it, seemed to have a connection with that upon which I was speaking at the time.; But to resume. During the passage; of i the Consolidation Bill through the Legislative Council, a clause was introduced which • provided * that the whole of the revenues of the wharf should be applied only to the payment.of the interest on the money borrowed for Repurchase, exten-: aion, and maintenance. The effect of that clause was this : it... took a considerable sum of money from the ■ disposal ,* .of the. Corporation—that is to * say;, there was a large revenue from the wharf which the Corporation has hitherto, been in the position to apply toiordinary municipal purposes. I confess that I was * at'.the time very, angry'with the Legislative. Council in consequence of this. I felt that they were interfering,with the financial arrangements - of . the. Corporation, and were in a sense committing an act of confiscation. However, they werp very, firm, and notwithstanding that a conference between the House of Representatives and the Legislative Council on the subject was held, they would not ’ <rive way, and .said we must either accept the clause or npt .haveithe Bill. * We therefore accepted the Bill as.amended,. ~I feel bound to say now that 1.. thinkthe Council was right in its action; and I will state why. I - think so. The fact is that the harbor, and the. facility it affords for trade and inter-communication between the various provinces]of New Zealand, will be thd making of Wellington, and the fewer the restrictions andthe freer .thejport is made,; the better it will be for;the people here. The effect of the clause introduced into the Bill by the Legislative rCouncff .Is- distinctly,,ia that direction ; and I* must also • say this with regal’d to the-Legislative Council, that althoughit has often done! acts which we * have thought , both arbitrary and wrongheaded, and notwith-. standing that they have been much grumbled at,; yet- I think we have reason . to be very thankful for the -course they have taken as a rule. I cannot call to mind a single instance in .which they-have-reversed the; decision, of .the House,.- of (Representatives that any harm has come of their action, -and! in many cases I know that.it has been productive of; good results. I do hope; ! therefore,that the colonists of New Zealand will hesitate before altering the “constitution of the Upper, House. I think they would do well to maintain it as a nominated chamber ; because, if made an elective chamber, it would desire to have equal powers with the of Re-, presentatives, and they would in consequence be constantly running the risks of dead-locks. During the past five years-we have witnessed several changes in the Ministry, and we have also had to deplore the loss by death of several of our leading public men; By. The death of Dr. Feathers ton and Sir Donald McLean the colony has lost; two - of its most distinguished mefa—men who have ddne good service tb the colony, and, whose memory will be held in grateful remembrance. • The prominent part they have'taken in the conduct of public affairs from the very first days, of-this country,, and the intimate manner in which' their names have been associated' andconnected with the history of the colony, makes it difficult for us, to realise that they are really.gone. Another death, more recently, has removed from us a man who has also made his mark in the colony. I refer to the death of Sir 'David Munro, bur late Speaker. He has passed away. We can ill afford to lose such men. But with reference to the changes in the Ministry caused by the resignations of Sir Julius Vogel and Mr. Ridhardson—of Sir Julius Vogel’s career I do not propose to speak at any length, but I ..will , say this ; I believe him to be and tp have been a most thoroughly earnest man—a true politician, and one who most sincerely had the best interests of the colony at heart. (Cheers.) As to Mr. Richardson, I will but say no man ever yielded up to public service more cheerfully health, and time, and private interests. (Cheers.) But I think we have reason to be thankful that we have been so fortunate as to secure in the place of Mr. Richardson a man like' Mr. Ormond—a man who loves work, a man jealous of the public purse, and who will keep expenditure within as narrow bounds as it is possible to keep it—a man than whom no one can be more sincere, in a desire to serve the public interest. We have had another accession to the Ministry, Mr. Reid—a most able man. He is well qualified to fill the high office he now holds, and I shall be much mistaken if he does not soon occupy a leading position in the foremost rank of loading politicians as a tried and trusted man. (Uheers.) Now to take a glance at the more distant past. The past five or six years have been unquestionably years of progress, of progressive prosperity, and I may say parenthetically in no partof New Zealand has that progress been more marked than in Wellington. Let us just look at a few figures. In 1871, the Consolidated Revenue was not much above £900,000; in 1876, it realised £1,700,000 —from these suras of course are excluded the land revenue. Take again the im-

ports. In 1871, our imports only amounted to ; a little over £4,000,000 ; last year they reached £B,ooo,ooo.rein the case of exports the progress has not been ad marked. That is due mainly to-the falling off -in the returns from the goldfields, which has been very considerable. . In 1871, the exports were large, amounting to £5,000,000 ; and for the present year they will not probably exceed £5,000,000 to: £6,000,000. With respect to ■ population, the increase has been very large, about 50 per cent. In 1871 the population was only some 267,000, it now is about 400,000. I maybe told that all this progress * is due to the fact that we have borrowed large sums of; money ; indeed, that ■ we have incurred a . debt out of all proportion to our population. I deny at the outset that population has any very important bearing upon the question as to, the* ability of a country to bear the charge ibf-i a national debt. The question really is,- has-the--money that we have borrowed been expended oh reproductive works, or has it been wasted or used only in aid of ordinary revenue in defraying current expenses of the colony. According to the latest return of our indebtedness, it amounted to £19,500,000, but from that there is to be deducted something like £1,250,000 accrued sinking fund, leaving our total actual indebted-. ness ,at £18,250,000 on whicji the annual charge is in round numbers £1,000,000, of which £BOO,OOO is chargable on the Consolidated Revenue, and £200,000 on the land fund. Of that debt nearly £11,000,000 has been raised and spent within the last six years. It has been spent in this way:£6,000,000 of it has gone in expenditure on railways, about £1,000,000 has been spent in immigration, and another £1,000,000 has been spent under the Act called the Defence and Other Purposes Loan Act, and the remainder has been spent in the construction of roads in the North Island, in the purchase of waste lands, and in the construction of water races and similar undertakings. Let us; look at what we have got for the £6,000,000 spent in railways. At present we have, approximately, 600 miles in working order, and upwards of 300 miles in course of construction ; and if yon refer to the Estimates submitted by the Ministry during the last, session,' yon will find it was anticipated thit during the current year £455,000 would be' received from the railways open, as agamst a working expenditure of £320,000, leaving a margin of about £120,000, or nearly .2 per cent, on the amount borrowed, to’ go. towards, the reduction of the charge for in-" terest. I conceive that if their estimate be at alii realised, it will be a most satisfactory state of Things to find ourselves in so' early. in our career in railway construction, because.l wjll beg you to bear in mind that the expenditure of '£6,000,000 covers the cost of some of the railways not yet finished. I may say, in con-' nection with this matter, that not a penny ■ of "■ borrowed money has been spent in i aid of revenue. On the contrary, the .Consolidated Revenue ' has had to bear a charge for interest on. the loans during the time the railways were in course of construction. That money might fairly have been charged to th'? cost of construction, but sp jealous has the Government been of being supposed to use borrowed money for ordinary purposes that interest has always,been paid out of Consolidated Revenue. But further, until this year.one half of the stamp duty-re-ceipts Has been transferred from the Consolidated Revenue to the Public \yorks account, so that instead of Ibans being used in aid of revenue, revenue has used in aid of .loans ; cer.tainly loans .have hot been used in aid of revenue,'as has been sometimes said in-disparage-ment of the colony. Some of you may have read an article in the London Economist on this subject. The article was on the whole very, fair and temperate in discussing the financial position of New Zealand. It admitted the enormous increase in the Consolidated Revenue from .Customs and from other sources ; in ‘ fact, ’the increase seemed to startle, the 'writer, and he tried to account for it in ' this way. , He said ; —“ Yes, it - is all Very well ; it is true you have an increase, bnt it is not of natural growth, it is the effect of something like £2,000,000 or £3,000,000, ; a year of borrowed money having .been expended in the colony' for the last two or three years.” There the writer- was at fault. It is quite true that something upwards of £2,000,000 per year has been spent; but it has not all been spent in the colony ; a great portion of this has been spent out of the colony in the, purchase.of rails and rolling stock and the promotion of, immigration. I imagine that if' you could tot up the sums of borrowed money that have been spent, within the colony, you would find the total amount surprisingly, small, because after all the mere earthworks of a railway are of trifling cost compared with the cost of material imported; and that cannot be charged as an aid to the Customs revenue. Otherwise the article in the Economist is fp-ir. At the present moment there are very few questions to agitate the public mind. I fancy the truth is that people are waiting to see what are the financial and other results of abolition. For ■ myself I' : have ‘' no great fCar of any • serious depression in consequence; of retrenchment - in the expenditure on public works. The public works certainly must continue, although perhaps .not on the same scale as they have gone 'em for florae years. I believe that economy in is'a necessity; and I think Major "AtkinsOn, our Premier, deserves great credit for the'manner in 'which he is facing this'difficulty. ' There is no doubt, about it, our prosperity: depends upon ■ the management of our finances, and we must take care to make our income and expenditure meet. But I have very' considerable laith in the resources' of this colony.' *, We. have, a magnifioeht'climate and a most prodnctive'soil. It is onby necessary to look at what occurred down South to justify this high' opinion of our resources. The telegrams a few days ago recounted what damage had been done to the crops and how seriously the yield would be affected ; yet; we find that the yield forthe colony will be from 30 to -40 bushels per, acre, nearer 40 than 30, while in a neighboring colony the yield will, not bo above-5 bushels per acre. I think this shows what , a fine climate we have; but beyorid these .natural advantages, I think we are to pe congratulated on having in New Zealand i'a population ( that is industrious and : frugal. In (this connection I may give, my opinion' of bur rulers,- J. believe our. politicians are straightforward men,; and honestly desire to serye the best interests of the country. You* may take my word that.this is' the case. We hear sometimes that men-in the House-are selfish, and wish to serve their own ends ; but I have had some experience, and I think I am correct in saying bur legislators. are not selfish or influenced by selfish' motives. There may be 'some subjects upon which I have not' touched ; but I can only say that if any one desires information on any point' I shall' be ready to give it 1 it questions are submitted to me.; Now, in conclusion, as most’of , yon are; aware, I am about to leave the colony for a short visit to the old country, I'propdso to leave here next week, and hope to return to theicolony before the end of the,year; therefore, my absence will be, possibly, only of (some nine or ten ' months’ duration. It is, however, impossible for me to be, here during any portion of the next session of Parliament, and under these circumstances I feel it my duty to place my resignation as your representative in the hands of the Speaker, and that I shall do next week, before I leave. It is with no small regret that I take this course; but I feel that you returned me to represent you here, and not sixteen thousand miles away. For although, as [ have said, there are no very important questions at present agitating the public mind, yet in a young country political q uestions arise so quickly there is no saying what a single session may bring forth. I should not, therefore, feel justified in leaving the place before placing my seat at your disposal. Bidding you farewell, as I now do, I have to acknowledge my obligations to you for the 1 consideration and favor yon have shown me for so many years. You will. I know,* find a more able and more capable man to represent yon, and one quite as well qualified to serve you ; but while my services have been light I yield to no man in a hearty desire for the° welfare of the people of Wellington. (Cheers.) It may he that I shall never again enterpublic life; but I hope when I return to the colony T may be permitted as a private citizen to enjoy some of that favor and goodwill you

have granted to me as a public man. (Cheers.) The Chairman asked whether any of the electors had -any questions to put to ..Jjtr. Pearce, and, as there was no, response, he called ! upon , Mr. Hunter to . address the meeting. . ■ ■ , ! Mr. Hdnter said—Mr. .Chairman and Gentlemen, —But for the reason, which; Mr. Pearce has given you it is possible that he and I would . have addressed. yon. at ■. an. earlier period.. - We have been in the habit of. appear- ; ing before the electors soon after the session finished, and we would have done so on this occasion but that Mr. Pearce’s movements were somewhat uncertain. , He had partly made up his mind to resign his seat and go Home, but felt that circumtances might arise which would have caused him to alter his determination, and therefore we have delayed meeting you' until how. I may .remark that we, , the Wellington members, have always been as it were under the eye and .observation; of the electors, and from the way in which we have; been received by you, we feel that you recognise that we have, to the best of our abilities, discharged ,dur duties as your representatives. It Is a source of great regret to, me that Mr. Pearce- is about to leave Wellington and resign his: seat. He and I, came forward, together, and'were elected by you on two separate occasions, and I can say that we have been of one mind.throughout our political career as members for the city of Wellington. I shall deeply regret the loss of the services of a gentleman who- has .been. - bo, useful, to; the citizens of Wellington as Mr. Pearcehas been. He has, ! can conscientiously say, bein a most zealous member, and has acquired a position' in the House which was of great service to the citizens of Wellington. I can only, hope that at some future time the citizens of Wellington and the people of NewZealand will have the benefit of his services in the House of .Representatives, .-either as ‘ a member for his old constituency or, some other. I have one , or two words,to .say with respect to the contest which it is clear is approaching. I shall stand in a somewhat peculiar position, because whichever - gentlejnah the electors; of, the • city of Wellington think proper to return will be I my colleague, • apd it will be,.my duty to the best of my ability to act in concert with him in carrying, out that:which I believe to behest for the interest of the.city.,;.Therefore I think it will be becoming in • me op -such an. occasion as this to act in a neutral position. ; I have frequently been asked what I, intended to i do, and my answer has always been that I shall hold a perfectly neutral position. Of course I, am speaking now merely as a private individual ; but I wish to say that it is; most important, in the interests of. the.people of Wellington, that their representatives should act a s much as possible in,: unity. I repeat that it is very = important that the -representatives- of. any district should be: of one (, mind, 'and act.. in , concert. Their- usefulness and; their ; power to serve the ■- district - they ■ represent, ■ and the colony) very materially depend upon that. If . you happen to have ten representatives, as Wellington has at present, and five-of these gentlemen vote one' way and five another, or six! one way and four,'another, they will have very little, if any, influence. Mr. ’ Pearce has givjen-you a very ‘clear : arid distinct account of what took place during the last session of Parliament, and, as .I foUow ! after him, you.will readily understand - that -there are'not 1 very many subjects, ~0n... which.. I, could . speak, without taking up your time unnecessarily. As! Mr. Pearce’ has said, the last-session . was a remarkable one in several particulars. Ini many cases the discussions- were by no means pleasing or agreeable. - Mr. Pearce ! has the advantage of me, inasmuch as he can speak unreservedly, qs he is mot going to sit in the House next session ; but I will say that some members were in the -habit of. bringing on-! discussions last session which,..were very distasteful ’ ~to 1 me.The first ’of these was a personal attack. on his Excellency the Governor. Atteriipts, were - made . to induce the people ‘ to .believe that it would be better to have, an elected Governor. I do not think that such a thing would be an I think we should haye men who' ■ can be perfectly'independent. 1 1 have given this opinion before, and I state it again. If vve had a Governor who, was elected by the people, we should have aimilar'scenes to those which have recently taken place in the United .States. The ;next attack was made on;the authorities at the Colonial Office, and it was made on the ground that they did not interpose ,to prevent the carrying into effect the wishes of the people of New Zealand as expressed by their representatives in Parliament in the matter of the aboli- 1 tion of proVinoialisni: .The Government, who' were imfavor of abolition,;had a majority; and the! minority who were against it had, as.is always .the case, to-giye -way to the majority. Parliament decided ! that provincialism should cease,’rand’ becailse -the ■ Colonial Office would not interpose against a majority of thc( members ’of Parliament/it ’ 'was * censured; - We are now more independent than we -used, to be, but it does not follow! that we should forget the.parent who was so kind to us in the beginning, or the lives that have been lost, and . the money that has been spent on us. I say, therefore, that it is the duty of your represen- , tktives to endeavor to work in harmony with thoke who are appointed by the Queen to administer, the, affairs of this .colonv. , The Colo--hiat Office Has interfered'.with'ps as little as possible. .Then, the. members of the. Govern- 1 ; ment ‘Tvere u most .unjustly but systematically' attacked. ’ They ' were "aoctjaed ‘ of being Corrupt —• in '.fact, corruption ” ' was thei word . which was most, frequently, 'used in' the ' House in /relation' to. the Government. But - select' committees, were appointed, ‘and'’enquiries kll the, charges of corruption were scattered' to the' winds, and there, wis, nothing brought to light which wbnld impeach the character of any gentleman Holding office as. a Minister of thejCrown. And thenylast but not. least, the character of the people of New Zealand was attacked. It was said that they would resist the authority of the Queen ; but ’;! 1 say tbat there was nocausefofany such! statement; iaadithe best proof of it is the ' very'! quiet way in .Which - the (changes Have: been! made i and tret; ceivediihyitheopedplejii tNeither.lh .the(North, norj in. the Soiith hasLthe're been anyidemonstration . by.-’thev.pbopleil’shdwing othatuithey wiajied 'to resist- the!Queen's fauthorityviandit6‘ take I the Jaw ’iintpn their soWriohands.-.wj Mr..; Pearce has already spoken about the Counties' Acii aiidi the-'Wellirigtohi Corporation Loans Bill) therefore I shall say nothing about- these . matters. It' is, ihoiVever, a source of great satisfaction • to iknow/that the Counties Bilj is working,- I“wiH not- say as -harmoniously •as could be desired, but as-well as could be expected. It is clear that there is a desire to ’make it work, and that) is- all 'that could be exppcted. Amongst the Bills introduced last session was the. Wellington Harbor- Board Bill, which, in common . with a'Vnumb'er of other Bilik of a similar character,'-'y/aa . rejected , on Recount of' the borrowlng.powers . it contained. I. may say,,' however, !■that if the same : extent of borrowing, powers were givdn to . the Corporation,itis. possible an ’equal amount-. of good , coiild be done. The Government supported this Harbor ‘Bqaird Bill, and put it before, the. House-in conjunction with the' questiori'as to whether, it, v/aslnot necessary for,the welfare of Welling-' ton that there should , be increased wharf accommodation, and whether it could not be best accomplished by establishing ..a Harbor Board. Fortunately, a Bill was passed empowering the Corporation to borrow for the purpose of enlarging the present wharf accommodation. I am not sure that £19,000 will be anything like enough for the purpose/ but next year we may be abla to- obtain sufficient to do the work 'thoroughly. * There'is one thing that strikes’ me,‘ I do hot think it' is good policy for us Wellington men to - attempt to get too' much ; we ought to be satisfied, with the progress we are 1 making! T. think that Wellington ' has c no- reason 1 to complain. I won’t say more than that ; hut I think our policy should be a “waiting policy,”- We are making rapid progress every year. Our imports and our exports are increasing, and we should be satisfied, and take things as they are. Mr. Pearce has referred to a decrease in the gold yield. No doubt this is to be regretted ; but I think it is attributable to the fact that we are en-

joying good times—by that T mean that men can make money more easily than by digging, for gold. If wages were not so, . high • I think the yield of. gold would be greater.. At: any rate we must remember that the yield of wool has increased largely. By a price .current lately received from London „ I see that the exports of wool from NewZealand within the last four years have increased upwards of 60' per cent. At the present time two or three sheep .are supposed to be enough to put on one acre of land; but I know that the country can be made to carry ten times that number to. the acre. -In Australia the (production of wool has been pushed to the utmost of its limit, and there has been no material increase during the last few years; but it is altogether different in New Zealand. Mr. (Pearce drew attention to' the consti; tution of the present Government, and I feel bound to agree with the remarks he made. It is right, perhaps, that I, as your representative, should saytbat I consider it will.be my duty to give that Gouernment my support. Looking at tbe constitution of tbe House — the men who am in it, and I think it would be , a somewhat difficult matter to get better men -—I do not approve of frequent changes in Government ; I believe the present Government to .be honest and straightforward, that'they have the Best interests of the colony at heart; and so far as I can . see at present, I believe they are likely to administer the affairs of the colony, as well, if not better, than any set of men who might take their, place. That is my opinion,'- and, as your representative, I think ,it is right to ; state it, Mr! Pearce said that four volumes of Hansard had been filled with the speeches of members last session. Well, for my part, I can say that I do not speak very often ; but what irritated me most in , connection with the speeches of last session were the systematic attempts made to damage, the credit of the colony. We were told before Sir Julius Vogel went to England that it would be impossible for him or any other person to raise 1 another loan/ Well, he went to’England, and before he had been’there many weeks he; got, on advantageous terms, four millions of money. Then there -were , a number of small loans,, amounting in the ,aggregate to about two millions, and it was neces-' sary to, float them. It was'said by the .opponents of the. Government that the icolony would not get money, but before the .session was ended the money had been raised. Recently, we have had transactions of ,ah equally satisfactory nature! A member of . the Government lately went’ to a neighboring colony and borrowed £500,000 on favorable terms,! and no sooner had he returned to Wellington than he had ah offer of £1,000,000 oh equally favorable terms. I regard it as .indispensable for the! (proper carrying out of the .Public Works scheme that - we . shall have ,to .borrow more money. But nobody can say that the money, is not spent on reproductive works. Take the Masterton railway, for, instance. Even now it is found ,-thei receipts on the portion made are much greater than the expenditure, and when it is extended.; theire is ho doubt that the receipts will increase proportionately. We must borrow money, to complete (the, railways, and (when, .that .is ac- ; conjrplishfed the receipts .will not. only pay the interest due. on, the money borrowed Jor. the, construction. of railways, but will ..also . poptribute! something towards the revenue. Now about the 'question ...-.of additional taxation. I - do,! not! think there will ;be any necessity, if the affairs of the -colony are! administered -propgrly, to impose additional taxation. I, am averse to anything of the sort: - What we want is to introduce.two classes—thej laboring class ,and the: capitalists. .1 am convinced that unless , they cornel 'simultaneously neither, will prosper.-- . We, should never do. anything which will have- the! effect .’ of preventing the . progress of.jthe colony.. At Home , just now money is a drug in the market,,,and continental securities; are,-not’ looked, upon with favor. , We can iborrow moAey at cheap rates, and we should do.it. I believe. pur revenue will- continue to. iu- : crease, and it will be the duty of; the Government to borrow in proportion/to the inci-ease of the,, income of the colony.' -We shopld not, of course, borrow more money than ! we can afford to pay the interest upon. If bur income is increased by £50,000; a year' we would be justified in borrowing' £1,000,000, and we should spend the money in ‘pushing lon our railways. Mr. Pearce referred to the death of an old and esteemed friend of my own, Sir Donald McLean. I- cordially endorse all that he said regarding; that gentleman. I have seen with regret printed aocu- , satibns against that gentleman, which I know of my own knowledge to be utterly unfounded. No man more faithfully discharged his duty as a 1 Minister and as a settler in New Zealand than Sir Donald McLean. He was one of , those who, like myself, believed in the “peace” policy. He believed that peace was . .the’ salvation of -New Zealand /that it would , -tend to develop the,resources of r thbicolony ;> •and! he gave the whole ■: strength of his .great, mind to carry, the! peace policy but. Libit: many other great' men, he -died in the; execution 0f.,, his ; duty—he:, literally sacrificed himself for the,‘good of the colony; He wivs engaged in numerous !andi important negotiations,- and he made *up ': his, mind i that: whatever ..was,,.the;;,iresult- he., would remain .in ,harness; and do. his duty: to 'New. Zealand. , I am sure the Colony: will ultimately acknowledge its debt tb ’him*! and he.will be 'regarded .as a ; great (benefactor! to New Zea-c land—as; a man who did -hia.utmost to further the interests, of the-colony, .and- ohe.tb whomwe as colonista-are under the~greatest ’obligations. . (Applause.);! Another! gehtleman .-haa’ retired from.publio life in New Zealand;, and I mdt say ,a few.wordsjwithcregarditq him.,: I. •refer to Sir Julius'Vbgel.. I have always been one of those who. supported him, and I can say ’ that he also’ is a man; jWho b as suffered in' the, service of bis i-.ooustryui i .There is no doubt whatever that both- hia, mind ’and body were taxed - beyond. -the ’ ordinary - endurance ;.- but he j felt -he had entered ; upon ;ai<ischeme which he was bound to see carried ont. ;/,Consequently he-remained in office,as long- as ’he possibly-could.. I regret that he. was forced te .leave,the colony ; but I .to be one of tlie I Wellington. settlers • who - welcomed . shim !whe!n he returned,to.theicolony; from England;' andjbade him, a friendly farewell whenihes-left it.! ! 1,-consider that we . are under a great .obligation to , him for ~ having brought the colony ,to its present high , state of prosperity. J J ave . npt.much more to say. ■ I ithank’ you very,.' heartily- for -the . attention: with whi :h .you. hayelistened; to ..me.' .'.As I said • before! Mr.rßearcs,;and.,mySelf■ stand’in sorae-wh.-vt different .positions; ,He jhaa ’ acted in.a . way! which I think :wiU!plaoe him still higher in the . estiiqatipn of , the ’electors. . He will in a ; few.,days ceasei to), be one'.of-your repesentatiycS;’, ’ I, shall still haVo the honor of jbaing your representative, and. I believe I fmjoy your confidence. ’As X have, already said, .the i representatives of - the (City qf'Wellington are constantly. under, the eyes of, the people, and as far as' I know my actions as your, repreaentative have, met with your approval. I have to the best tof myability; given my consideration to the measures which' were brought before. Parliament. ’ I supported the Ministry that -was; in office at the time; you last elected me. I’shall continue ;to do so’ if 1 am; spared to;be in my place in the’House next session/ I have ’ again to thank'you for the ’kind attention you have accorded to me this j evening, and for the many evidences of favor ,1. have received at your hands. Mr: Dbansb-ield did not, think it.right to part! from ;Mr. Pearce without saying:a kind word to him. , Mi-. Dransfield, after ,an eulogium to Mr. Pearce, proposed a voto of i thanks to him and Mr. Hunter, and expressed. a - wish that they should soon have 1 the former back , amongst them. Mr. Ei W. Mills seconded, and the motion was carried unanimously,; with three cheers. , • Messrs. Pearob and. Hunter, haying -re-; turned thanks, the - : proceedings terminated with' a vote of thanks to the chairman. ‘