PARLIAMENTARY.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 156, 13 June 1884, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY.

[Per Press Association.] Legislative Council. Thursday, June 12. Address-in-Reply. Mr. Richmond moved the adoption of the formal Address-in-Reply to the Governor’s speech which had been prepared by the committee. He thought the question of perpetual leasing should be decided by the country. The country was in need of rest in regard to finance and borrowing, and the evils in connection with Native lauds required serious consideration. He refrained from speaking at length on several debateable subjects in consequence of what had taken place in the House of Representatives. Sir George Whitmore highly eulogised the Governor for the way in which he went about the country and looked into every matter brought before him. He thought in consequence of the political crisis all reference to debateable subjects in the Address should be omitted. As to the depression, we were suffering from over expenditure of money borrowed both in our private and public capacity. There had been great over-impor-tation and over-speculation in the past, but the Government made no proposal to alter the policy of borrowing largely. He thought the Property Tax should be repealed, as it checked the growth of industries, and would have an Income Tax. He was in favor of immigration. It had had no lowering effect on wages, which were higher now than ever, particularly for country labor. Perpetual leasing was a fad of Mr. Rolleston’s, on which the country would presently decide. Constantly to be changing the tenure and land law did immense harm to the colony. He generally approved of Mr. Bryce’s Native policy, but was absolutely opposed to federation. In the matter of the grain tariff the Government had committed an enormous blunder in ever reducing it. An improved local government was a most urgent matter, as representatives were daily becoming more and more delegates to grab money from the colonial exchequer. The county system had broken down, as had the roads and bridges scheme. There were a great many too small local bodies. There ought to be larger bodies, who should be entrusted with the administration of education, and a number of other matters besides roads and bridges. He moved the omission of all but the purely formal parts of the Address. He advocated that the land-tax proceeds should be used by local governing bodies. Mr. Oliver defended the action and policy of the Government, which he said was suffering politically not from its profligacy but from its economical virtues. He compared the finance of the Grey Government with that of the present Government, to the advantage of the latter. He opposed the amendment, as it would look like showing party feeling by the Council, which it always strove to avoid. Replying to a remark by Sir G. Whitmore as to the term continuous Government, Mr. Oliver compared the manner in which members had left their colleagues in the present Government with the way in which a member of the Grey Government parted from the Premier, Mr. McLean. He said the great cause of the present depression was want of confidence in ourselves and overaccumulation of population in towns. At five o’clock the debate was adjourned, and the Council.

House of Representatives. Thursday, June 12. Address-in-Reply. The House last night resumed the debate on the Address-in-Reply. Major Atkinson said he was not surprised at the Opposition snatching a victory last night, when after years of toil they found they had a temporary majority. They were afraid to wait a couple of days for fear of losing it. The Government did not intend anything derogatory to Mr. Steward when saying they would prefer the motion to have come from a man of Sir George Grey’s standing. He denied that any sufficient indictment had been preferred against the Government on their policy. He hoped to see his National Insurance Scheme become law unless someone else had a scheme to abolish pauperism. The present Government had conducted the administration well, and had produced a great many valuable measures. They had nothing to be ashamed of, and the charges now made against them were trumpery. He really had had nothing to reply to or defend. He reviewed the position of the Colony when he took office in 1879, and compared it with the present, especially as to their credit in London. He spoke long and warmly in favor of the Colony federating with Australia, and the unfortunate position we should occupy if excluded from federation. There was no united Opposition, although there was a majority against the Government. The Government had lost votes by their action in raising the railway tariff in Canterbury, and stopping Native land speculation. They had done their duty to the country in these matters, regardless of the loss of support. The votes thus lost, however, were only temporarily with the Opposition, and would not support either Grey or Montgomery. If they now went to the country he was convinced, with the support of those gentlemen, they would come back with a majority. Sir George Grey would have a few more follows, and Mr. Montgomery a few less, that would be all. If the Government went out of office, they would do so proud of the record of the work they had done while in power. Sir George Grey said it was quite unconstitutional for Ministers to retain their seats for an hour after last night’s vote. The Premier was treating a great crisis with unbecoming levity. He charged them in the name of the outraged people of the colony with having robbed the people of their lands, and given them to their friends; with having squandered public money to add value to lands so given; with filling Government offices with their friends, with supporting a libellous paper from the public funds, and giving public money improperly to a favorite bank —these and other charges he made against them now. The majority had at last risen against them. He had made no terms or offer to those with whom he was now acting. There was no compact that any one should take office till after a dissolution. All he wanted was an appeal to the people so that lae right shoulders and the miseries of the people should be relieved. New Zealand was already federated to the Empire and should join no other federation. He denied that Native matters were in a more satisfactory state now than when Major Atkinson took office. There was discontent everywhere, the administration of land was corrupt, and great injustice had been done in regard to the kauri gum fields. Everywhere there was tyranny and maladministration, and without delay they must bring the Ministry from those benches. Mr. Bryce said the Address-in-Reply had not yet been carried. When it was, and presented, Ministers would ask the House for a short adjournment, to consider their position. They were acting quite constitutionally, and would do so to Jhe end. Mr. Sutton asked leave to withdraw his amendment, but it was refused on the voices, and rejected on a division of G 7 to 7. Mr. O’Callaghan briefly defended himself from the charge of having ratted from the Government. He explained a variety of reasons why he could no longer support them. Messrs. Tawhai and Seddon also briefly explained their reasons for voting against the Government. Dr. Newman’s motion, that an Address-in-Reply be prepared, was then agreed to, and Messrs. Steward, DeLautour, O'Callaghan, and Levistam, were appointed a committee to prepare the Address. On their bringing the report, the Address was adopted, and the House rose at 12.35.