PARLIAMENTARY.

Patea Mail, Volume II, Issue 141, 16 August 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. Wellington,. August 12. Upon the House resuming at 7.30 last night, Mr Stevens took up the debate on the Separation resolutions, saying that they were not brought forward so completely as by Mr Whitaker in 1866. At one time he favored separation, but a different kind to that shadowed in the present resolutions. He strongly reprobated the practice of saying that Parliament was defective as a representative body. It represented the colony very well in whatever way they liked to look at it. While prepared to deal with the general policy of finance of the colony from an independent point of view, he could not look upon these resolutions as in any way connected with the conduct of the Ministers. The hon. gentleman then proceeded to consider the scheme embodied in the resolutions, from a financial point of view, and went on to show that the scheme proposed by Sir George Grey would be most injurious to the credit of the colony. Touching upon the land revenue, he would not agree to see that interfered with ; but while he maintained the right of Canterbury to what she had enjoyed for 20 years, he was colonial enough in his feelings to vote for enabling Auckland to maintain an effective Government if she was able to do so herself. He submitted to the House an imaginary financial statement as to the cost of governing the South Island in case Sir George Grey’s resolutions were carried, and though he professed to have taken the Provincial estimates, these calculations

showed that the government machinery of the Island could not be maintained in good working order under a million and a half per annum, which Would compel them to'make cOirtmon stock of the land fund or' impaste' additional taxation. The Canterbury people-werb prepared to give a share of what they had;; but they were not going to give everything to galvanise into life the corpse of provincialism. He must oppose separation, whether he looked at it it from a selfish of sentimental point of View. ■ . ;4 ' Mr Donald Reid supported the fesolu-;. tions in a long speech, in the course of which he criticised unfavorably many detail fcrf the Government policy, and argtled td shoW that, acccording to his ; estimates, Which Were much m'ore moderate than those of Mr Stevens, he Would bo prepared to shoW that the Government of the two islands, including the Federal Government, could be carried on a great deal cheaper than the overgrown system at Wellington. He denied that the resolutions meant a want of confidence. The Ministry. wore probably as good administrators as any set of men irf the House, but it was not to them lie objected so much as to their system. Any other Ministry under the Same regime would be as objectionable, and if the resolutions were not carried 1 •' would not assist t 0 turn! them out of office; but he warned them that they must Hot hope to force their proposals upon 1 , the people without creating feelings of discontent that would not easily be allayed.The hon. gentleman Went at considerable length into the proposals of the Government to Show that they were not only mi-V desired by the people at large, but were' utterly unsuited to the wishes and requirements of the people, and that under them it would he imposssible to localise; tlie land fund, _ * Mr Mo'ofhotfse opposed the resolutions,and defended the Government from the accusations of incompetency and extravagance made against them—especially the Premier and the Native Minister; and maintained that, from his experience of the liberal and imposing Style in Which 1 the' Provincial Government was carried on in' Otago and Canterbury, it would he quite' impossible to canyon the three Governments proposed as economically and effij ciently as their present legislature was, To him the only object iri view appeared to be to harass the Government.Mr Larnach supported the resolutions on' the ground that the work of the Govern--ment was unnecessarily extravagant, and that substantial economy could be atttained under Sir George Grey’s proposals, though he did not blame the Government so much* for that as the House, He denied thatthe change would necessarily injure the - credit of the colony. Captain RUssell opposed the resolutions;and deprecated the extraordinary personal rancour displayed against individual Min-; isters in the debate by certain, members ox the Opposition. Mr Wakefield moved the adjournment of the debate, and the House adjourned at--12.45 a.m. until Tuesday afternoon. August 15. The House met at 2.30 p.m. Mr Rees gave’ notice he Would move',that the appointment of Agent-General be made without consulting the House. Sir George Grey gave notice that he; wouldmove, when- the Counties Bill, and Financial Arrangements Bill came up, that they be read a second time that day six months. .... I reply to Mr Stout,- Major Atkinson' said that the Government did not consider that the Surveyor-General of the Colony; should have the appointment of Chief i Commissioner of Waste Lands for Otago;and,that they would accept his resignation. In reply id Mr Murray,- Mr Richardson 1 stated the contract for Brunner BridgeWits' £6’630," of which £4985; had been* paid, and the result of the.accident was a loss of £ISOO. Inquiry into the mutter’ was still going onThe adjourned Scpi&Mion debate was'continued. Nahe supported the resolutions; and wondered howit was any southern members 1 opposed them. If the nine provinces were bad, surely 39 little provinces miM bea great deal worse, and therefore only two , would reduce the evil altogether. Mr Sharp, considered this a most inopportune time to raise such a question; and to carry such resolutions' would seriously injure the credit of the Colony. He was astonished to hear tlfe members whodeplored centralism, yet ask the Houhe to* set up tWo’ centralising Governments. He' could not understand how the Nsrth Island 1 was going to get along with its own resources as a separate government, when it found such difficulty in doing so while having the South to assist it. He deplored? Separation as destructive to the welfare" and greatness of the Colony, and financial separation could only lead to completeseparation. Mr Sharpe considered, that the larger’ provinces' prteyed upon' the smaller., ones. He did not entirely approve of tlie Counties Bill. Its lines were too hard and fast, What the Government should do, would be to have some elastic measure so as to enable the people to avail themselves of the machinery of the Counties Bill, if they' felt inclined. By that means they would enable different districts of Colony to fall’ into counties in a natural and easy way.Mr Williams, opposed the resolutions. Being an out district member he had more, faith in the General Government promises l than in Provincialism.

Mr Rowe opposed the resolutions. He' wanted to see a united Colony grow up.He thought financial position of tn'e Colony so bad that nothing short of retrenchment' would save it, and he believed an immensesaving would be effected in the estimates' without impairing efficiency in the slightest.This would ha especially the case with the' Native Department. The Hotfse rose at 5.30.