OPENING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Southland Times, Issue 697, 17 July 1867, Page 3

OPENING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

.(From the "Wellington Independent" Extra.) Tuesday, Jttly 9th. Notwithstanding the inclemency of the _weather, not a few persons assembled to witness the ceremony of opening the second session of the fourth New Zealand Parliament, which took place at two o'clock this afternoon in the Legislative Chambers. Shortly before the appointed hour, the Hutt and Porirua Companies of Volunteers, sixty-six strong, under the command of Captain Taylor, headed by the "Hutt Band, formed the first of the Guard of Honor, and shortly afterwards, a party of twenty-four of the Royal Marines under Lieutenant Powell, formed up on either side of the entrance to the Government. Buildings. Although the rain fell in torrents a large crowd had by this time assembled, and were marshalled in order by a strong body of police who kept the ground. At the appointed hour His Excellency, accompanied by Captain Lyon, : R.N., Rev. Mr Thatcher, Private Secretary, Major Gray, A.D C, and several officers of the Charybdis, arrived. The guard presented arms, and His Excellency proceeded to the Council Chamber. The " faithful commons" having been sent for, soon assembled, and His Excellency delivered the following speech : — Honorable Legislative Councillors, Gentlemen of the House op Representatives, I am happy to meet you again in Parliament, and to recur to your assistance and advice. It has afforded me much satisfaction to have been able to give effect to the wish expressed by me at the close of the last session, to visit the southern portion of the Colony. I have thus had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with most of its leading towns and rising settlements, in all of which I have, as the Queen's representative, met with the most cordial reception. By the people of Auckland also, on the occasion of my recent, visit to that part of the country, I have been most warmly and loyally received. It has been a pleasing duty to me to report to the

Empitejhas Her Majesty more loyal spbJectsljhan the" inhabitants, of the districts through which I have" travelled. I could not but be gratified by the rapid progress which it was evident the Colony generally had made, while in the settlements which have sprung into existence .during the last few years in. the interior, and on the West Coast of the Middle Island, I was at once struck by their extent and im.--portance, and gratified by the presence, notwithstanding-the circumstances- under which they i^ere formed, of that regard for law and order which is the characteristic of ourraee. ; I can say with confidence, that security, for life and property, and respect "fo'r'the law, exist in as marked a degree in those recently- populated districts as in any part .of Her Majesty's dominions. " . 1 congratulate you on the re^establishment of peace generally throughout the North -Island, in no part of which do I anticipate :in future any systematic or .sustained hostility to the Queen's authority. " Tbe attitude of some Hau-hau fanatics who, in October last, threatened the town ■and settlement of,, Napier, was such as to cause, a temporary anxiety, but by thejudicious measures adopted by Mr M'Lean, and gallantly given effect to by Lieut- Colonel Whitinore and all classes of the inhabitants of the district, the offenders were severely punished, tranquility was speedily^ restored, and has not since been disturbed in that neighborhood. On the West Coast, also, the natives who had for years been hostile to the Queen's authority, met with a serious check at Pungarehu, from Lieut.-Colonel M'Donnell and the Colonial Forces under his command, since which time many of them have returned to their allegiance, and others have expressed their intention of doing so. The conduct of Her Majesty's Colonial Forces, .both European and native, on these and other occasions, deserves the highest praise. , During the recess I have made a journey, partly on foot, through the North Island, and have traversed Native Districts which it had, for some time past, been deemed unsafe to enter. I everywhere found the embers of -disaffection dying out, and I was received by the Maori population, even in districts recently in rebellion, in such a manner us to inspire confidence in the future peace of the country. . - A necessity having arisen for revising existing arrangements^ for the transmisj sion of mails between the Australasian Colonies and the Ttnii^JßliTigdom by wa* of Suez, it was deemed expedient that tb^ whole question of Ocean Postal Communication, so far as it affects these Colonies, should be discussed at a Conference of Representatives of the. several Australasian Governments, I accordingly accredited Representatives on the part of i this Colony to the Conference. The result of the deliberations- of that body will be laid before you, and will, I trust, meet with your approval! This result appears satisfactory, not only as providing for the establishment of an efficient and | comprehensive system of Postal Communication with all parts of the world, but also as demonstrating the great benefits which may be derived from cordial and united action on this and other subjects affecting these Colonies as a whole. ; The Act for the establishment of Post Office Savings Banks has been brought into operation during the past year, and the extent to which it has already been made use of warrants the belief that it will prove an important means of fostering industrious and provident habitß among the population at lai-ge. . ' . The complicated and unsatisfactory state of the accounts between the Imperial and Colonial Governments rendered imperative a careful examination of those accounts, with a view to their early and final settlement. I accordingly commissioned a member of my Government to conduct the inquiry on behalf, of the Colony, in conjunction with an officer duly appointed by the Imperial Government. The correspondence on this subject, and a report from the Colonial Commissioner, will shortly be submitted to you. Papers concerning the administration of the Otago Gold Fields will be laid before you. Gentlemen op the House of Repbesentatives — ■ . ' ■ Accounts of Revenue and Expenditure for the past year and Estimates for the ensuing year will be laid before you ; and I trust that you will be able to recognise in both, that careful regard for economy upon which, at this juncture, future prosperity of the Colony greatly depends. I recommend to your consideration a measure for the conversion of Provincial Loans into Colonial Stock, with a view to placing the securities of New Zealand on such a footing that they may be more advantageously dealt with than is at present possible, — and to maintaining and improving our credit in the money market, A very general belief in the necessity for some such measure has long been entertained, and. hag .recently

firmed by. the present position of many of the Provincial Loans. . . ;\" j A Bill will also be submitted to you for extending the benefits of the Colonial credit to enterprises -calculated to and extend the important industry of the, Goldfieldv by offering a •guarantee ! of interest on capital invested .(under proper restrictions and supervision} in procuring, supplies of water- for ■ -the '^operatioiis; ofgold mining. The very special character of the taxation and laws of;the c Goldfiej.ds justify arid fecjuire such provision for their interests. - J • j Honorable Gentlemen and Gentlemen,^ :<=: 3 ■:-.;; k. : : : t j _ : of Her Majesty's dominions" will probably be shortly visited byl]jlis' : Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh;'' I have at the earliest moment apprised you of the' probability of this, vj sit, as I am aware that you, and all Her Majesty's subjects in New Zealand, will desire; to. make the best possible preparations ■to testify to His Royal Highness the pride and pleasure with which they receive a Prince who has made so favorable an im/ pression in other parts of Her" Majesty's dominions, and to show, by their reception of "one of Her Majesty's sons, how. sincere and earnest is their attachment to that Sovereign who has established such lasting claims upon their gratitude and love. .... ' , In accordance with the intimation made to you when I last released you from yourduties, my Government have earnestly applied themselves to the preparation of a measure for the establishment of local self-government generally throughout the,, country. This measure will shortly be submitted to you. The growing demand from all parts of the country for the establishment of institutions so congenial to our race, and which have largely promoted its prosperity and. developed its habit of self-reliance, will secure for thisBill your earnest and careful consideration, and you wiil discharge an important service if you meet this demand in a justand comprehensive spirit, by providing the means whereby the public funds shall be equitably expended on works of. local improvement, under the management and in accordance with the wishes ;ofthose immediately interested in their construction. Measures of this character tend to diminish the expense of governing the country, to increase the efficiency 'of such government, to promote settlementby stimulating local energies, , to. extend' and maintain the rights of the" subject, and to train and encourage all classes of people in the performance of national duties. • ■ ; The large mining population on the West Coast Goldfields justifies an increased representation, in Parliament, of their interests :> a Bill to effect that object will consequently be introduced. The establishment of Friendly Societies in New Zealand has been productive |of great benefit to large classes of the community, and their daily increasing number and importance render it advisable to improve the existing law. A bill on this subject will accordingly be submitted to you. • . Several important Bills will also be brought under your, notice, with the object of consolidating and improving the Statute Law, and of otherwise providing for the growing requirements of the country, which looks to Parliament for such salutary measures as changing, circumstances demand. , , . j The repeated recommendations .of- the Judges of the Supreme Court, and the proved necessity of providing more effectively than at present for the custody of persons convicted of serious crimes and sentenced to long periods of imprisonment, demand attention. It is therefore my intention to appoint at an early date a Royal Commission to inquire and report on the best mode of instituting a General Penal Establishment for the colony, or such other means of meeting the necessity referred to as may suggest itself to them in the course of their inquiries. I submit to your wisdom the consideration of these various important subjects, and I pray that the blessing of God may' attend your deliberations, and may guide them to the promotion of the .welfare of this country.