ELECTION OF A MEMBER FOR THE CITY WEST.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume III, Issue 261, 3 April 1875, Page 2

ELECTION OF A MEMBER FOR THE CITY WEST.

(Abridged from the A. Z. Herald of the 29th.) On Saturday the nomination of a member of the House of Representatives, to occupy the seat vacant by the death of John Williamson, Esq., was held in the large room of the Young Men’s Christian Association. Mr. Alexander Black, in proposing Sir George Grey, said : He had been in New Zealand for over thirty years, and there was never a time when its difficulties were greater or its downfall as a colony so menaced. He felt that the re-accession to public life of Sir George Grey was a most hopeful circumstance for the colony. He was acquainted with public life, when the ship of the state needed a skilful hand to guide her. Mr. W. C. Wilson seconded the nomination. Sir George Grey said : I succeed a remarkable man, and a good man, whose death I shall always deplore : a man whom I admired whilst living, and whose memory I shall always reverence. He appeared to me, as he grew in experience of public life, to grow in prudence and wisdom, and I firmly believe, that if 1 had him to help me in the present crisis, and his counsel to rely upon, I should have great support, which I want now in having lost him. There is one subject which really seems to require some observations from me. Amongst other things, I observe it is said that I have done wrong instir'rmg up Provincial jealousies. When I saw this I could not help thinking of the fable of the lamb and the wolf drinking at the same stream, the wolf at the higher part of the stream and the lam b below, and the wolf says to the lamb “ What do you mean by muddying the water,” and yet, the wolf was drinking at . the higher part of the stream, the intention of the wolf simply being to quarrel with the lamb. Now, it is the wolf who has stirred up the question of Provincialism Good Heavens 1 They come to us and say, “ Oue set of provinces are going to take away all the representative institutions from the people of Auckland,” and I am to hold my tongue, and raise no Provincial jealousies. On that subject I presume what they really mean is this : That I explained to the electors of the Province the right they possess under the Constitution Act, with regard to the places where the General Assembly is to be held. These rights are not only their own but were given for all time in New Zealand. What harm did I do in telling people what were their just rights? I hold this question of where the Assembly sits to be a mere matter of nonsense. Wellington must be a great city in spite of everything which may be done. It has a magnificent harbour, the only harbour of any extent for a long distance to the east or west, and when the railways are completed in that most fertile district—and the question whether the Governor is to reside there, and the Assembly to meet there, is a mere matter of non sense so far as regards the welfareof the place is concerned. It is the same way with regard to Auckland. What is it to us ? If the people of Auckland had taken up the suggestion 1 warmly supported when the Assembly left this place. If Auckland had then separated from the eolony and afterwards federated with Wellington upon its own terms, it would have had a. Government quite equal in importance to any that assembles at Wellington. It nearly approaches the province of Victoria in size, the sheep of the province of Auckland are amongst the very best in the world. It is declared that the wool that comes from this province and part of the province of Taranaki is the best wool in the market at home. In Victoria there are enormous districts of bad land which will carry no English grasses or sustain anything, whereas there is no land in Auckland that is not capable of carrying a population, and an immense one in many cases. We remember that when the people in Australia chose to split up into separate colonies, what an uproar New South Wales kicked up ; but the people at home did not allow the wishes of the people to be trampled upon by a more powerful rival, and the same could be done here at any time if necessity should arise. In June 1852, a Constitution Act was passed conferring certain rights and privileges upon the people of New Zea-

land, and since that time no one has explained to them what those privileges were. We do not hold those privileges for ourselves alone. You and I hold them for future generations. That is our position, and if I come forward into public life as one of your representatives, I am to tell you about rights you have not had explained to you for more than twentythree years. I will not hold my tongue upon such a subject for anybody. (Loud applause.) And what is more, I hope none of you will hold your tongues, and that you will see that the men yon return as your representatives will be like me, and not hold, their tongues either. (Cheers.) I see nothing myself so very admirable in the present system of those who have the governing under the plan which now exists. To them it may be a delightful thing to see a sort of procession march down to the House of Assembly, and the mock imitation of what goes on in Great Britain produced there, which Dickens said when he went out to Nova Scotia put him in mind of sitting at home watching the proceedings of Parliament and looking through the wrong end of the telescope. 1 have heard it remarked by a great many clever men that, “ after all, Auckland is a petty place ; you cannot compare it with Melbourne or any place of that kind: it has no great public library, no magnificent buildings, no memories, and no associations that attach people to it.” Welfcperhaps it is not like Melbourne in this respect. But I say that it has memories which all would do well to ponder over and cherish—it has associations which recall the honor of sacrifices made, and of valiant service rendered. I say that the Auckland people have memorable associations. Great memories cling all about them. I ask them now, that they shall not, in the forthcoming struggle, in any respect fall behind those who preceded them. (Cheers.) Let those memories and associations cling to them still. Let the prediction be impossible for those who said that Auckland should be trampled out as a province. But let us understand and let them know that through such associations as these, Auckland is the province whence those measures came which secured the liberty of all New Zealand for the future. (Cheers.) But let us not only say that but act it out. See that your representatatives are kept up to this point. (Cheers.) And if I do not do my duty, elect somebod}' else. There is one other subject to which I would allude. Since I have been iu office I have been able to look into the financial condition of this province, and I will tell you what I have found —that a large sum of money has been most unjustly withheld from us. (Hear.) I say it is wroug that a distant authority should withhold from us that which we are entitled to, and expend themselves by means of irresponsible agents what we would be entitled to spend for our own benefit. A sum of £60,000 was voted to be expended to north of the Waitemata, which has been misapplied by distant and irresponsible authority. I ask you, is it right that a Minister, a Premier of the Colony, abandoning his duty here, should take a person elected by no constituency, with responsibility to no single individual in the colony of New Zealand, and through him expend the money to which the people of this province are entitled ; I am now unanimously returned by a constituency of nearly 14,000 people, and if I should not be thought worthy to spend the sums that are voted by Parliament, is it right that a single individual, who is unknown to us, who is no representative of the colony or province, or of anybody, may at his own caprice do as he pleases with those moneys and give us no account of them? (Loud cheers). That is one of the things that I say must be altered. The Government apparently can do nothing without Mr. Vogel. That is a plausible reason put forward for delay. But must we be dependent on people at a distance who are incapable of conducting the business of the country until Mr. Vogel comes back ? Are we to wait with anything like reasonable hope for funds which are put under the control of individuals of that kind ? (Cheers.) Must all our interests be sacrificed because we cannot meet the Assembly ? Let the funds due to Auckland be instantly given to her. If that is done, then, iu six weeks or two months I guarantee that Auckland will be iu full career towards a high prosperity, exercising that influence over the councils and on the destiny of the colony which, by its population, by its suffering, and, I will say, by its intellect, it ought to exercise. These are things that I wish to see attended to first. If any great number of the electors conceive that I am at any time acting adversely to their interests then I shall have no wish to hold the office you have this day conferred upon me a day longer, or even an hour longer than I shall be able to render service. Sir George sat down amid loud cheering.