OPENING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Southland Times, Issue 698, 19 July 1867, Page 1

OPENING OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

(From the "Wellington Independent" ; . Extra.) Tuesday, July 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 1 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 Cottncilloes, Gentlemen of the House of 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 Coloiiy. I have thus had the pleasure of becoming acquainted with most of its ieading 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 Secretary of State that in no part of the "Empire has Her Majesty more loyal subjects than 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 ini^ portance, and gratified by the presence, notwithstanding the circumstances under which they were formed, of that regard for law and order which is the characteristic of our race. I can say with confidence that security for life and property, , and respect for the law, exist in as marked a degree in those recently populated districts as in any part of Her Majesty's dominions. I congratulate you on the re-establish-ment 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. The 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 the judicious measures adopted by Mr M'Lean, and gallantly given effect to by Lieut- Colonel "Whitmore 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, anjd 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 every.; where found the Members of disaffeiettipxi; <3ying ouj^ an<l ; l was received by ; the

cently in rebeffltfi^m such a manner as to inspire confidence in the future peace of the country. A necessity having arisen for revising existing arrangements for the transmission of mails between the Australasian Colonies and the United Kingdom by wa; of Suez, it was deemed expedient that to* 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 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 habits among the population at large. 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 ray 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 Repbe- '; 1 SENTATiVES— ... ...''/ 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, q.he 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 sueh .' a f ooting 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 has recently increased. Such necessity is amply confirmed by the present position of many of the Provincial Loans. A Bill will also be submitted to you for extending the benefits of the Colonial credit to enterprises calculated to foster and extend the important industry of the Goldfields, by offering a guarantee of interest on capital invested (under proper restrictions and supervision) in procuring supplies of water for the operations of gold mining. The very special character of the taxation and laws of the Goldfields justify and require such provision for their interests. Honorable Gentlemen and Gentlemen, — ■.■■'.' . ■ ■ : ■■■ This part of Her Majesty's dominions will probably be shortly visited by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh. I have at the earliest moment apprised you 1 of the probability of this visit, 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 impression 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 X last released you from your duties, my Government have earnestly applied, themselves to the preparation, %i a measure for the establishment of local .{wlf-goveroment generally throughout ih%

submitted to you. The growing demand j fromvall parts of the country for the es- j tablishment of institutions so congenial to our race, and which have largely promoted its prosperity and developed its habit. of self-reliance, will secure for this Bill your earnest and careful consideration, and you will discharge an important service if you meet this demand in a just and 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 of those 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 settlement by 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. - ; ' "" \ 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 in#de 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. :