POST-SESSIONAL SPEECHES. MR MONK AT DEVONPORT. Auckland, November 30.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 425, 4 December 1889, Page 5

POST-SESSIONAL SPEECHES. MR MONK AT DEVONPORT. Auckland, November 30.

One by one our Auckland members of the House of Representatives are bakingcoufage unto themselves and laying their views on the proceedings of last session before their constituents. Mr ' Lawry was the tirsb at Obahuhu to set the ball rolling, and ' last evening in the Devonporb Hall, Mr Monk, member for Waitemata, gave it another turn. Mr Monk was one of the great apostles of retrenchment during the last two sessions, and his views on the results of the last must be of general interest. There was only a moderate attendance in the hall. Mr Malcolm Niccol (Mayor of Devonport) was voted to the chair. He introduced Mr Monk by saying that he could speak from personal knowledge of the active manner in which Mr Monk had discharged his duties in the House, and of his painstaking interest in the welfare of the country. MvMoiik said that perhaps Mr Niccol had been too flattering in his introduction, but he had done hia best. He felt very doubi^nl as to what to say. If people were as t- tkoE politics as he himself sometimes wat, uti did nob wonder at the small attendance. He had had plenty of advice as to what he should say. Some said, " Don't be dolotous, Monk; speak of something bright —speak of tederation, that is the subject of the day." He advised them to keep clear of federation — they did not want it. In New Zealand we want matters less centralised and more local power. We want less taxation, bub £300,000 had been added to our burdens, and money was recklessly wasted. What we wanted to know was how we could reiieve ourselves from these burdens. He did nob approve of Captain Russell's inclusion in the Ministry, for he thought it was a reward for his speeches on bhe property tax, and he thought that tax one of the worst any country could have, and inimical to the best interests of New Zealand. People often asked, " Why did you nob press bhis piece of extravagance or bhab bo a vobe ?" bub people did nob know Parliamenb. He was only one out of a large number. Nearly all had some selfish motive, and the interests of the counbry were less bhoughb of bhan personal interests. He could give an instance near home in the case of the Devonporb Cemebery, which by a mere inadvertence had nob had bhe necessary qualificabions for a cemetery, and ib seemed quibe reasonable bhab an Acb should be passed bo remedy thab inadverbence ; bub an Auckland member had done his besb bo prevenb bhab necessary acb and apebition had been sen b against ib, making misstabemcnbs and wrongly signed. Now, if in such a matter they found the interests of a district sacrificed for no apparent reason, what might they expect in other instances ? He thoughb economy was bhe question of the day. He was bold in Wellington bhat he would nob dare in Devonporb to speak against military expendibure because of Forb Caubley, bub he did dare to do so. He would have every boy and man in New Zealand made able to defend his country, bub he objected to the waste of money now so prevalent. He believed in good torpedo corps and in good marksmen, and he would have our boys and men educabed to be good marksmen by bhe encouragement of prizes, ebc. If they were such ib would be of little use to land a military force in New Zealand for an attack on bhe country. Why were vobes bo reduce expenditure nearly always lost ? Because the object of most members was to burn oub bhe Government bo geb in themselves ; and the feeling was nob for economy. Bub he bhought bhe preserib Ministry the besb possible. Ab the same time, he was a dissatisfied suppjrber of the Governmenb, for it did nob come up to his expectations. He was disgusted and dismayed afc many of the actions of the Government. When Mr Moss's mption came up, it was hard to know how to vote, for Mr Ballance had declared in favour of the properby bax. The amendment should have been withdrawn when bho mover saw how mabbers really stood. The division on ib was no test of bhe feeling of the House. Many of the members who voted on Mr Moss's side believed in the bax. He believed that bhe existence of the Governmenb depended on his vobe, and he felb bhat if the presenb Government were burned oub bhey would geb a worse and less scrupulous one. (Voice: *' Could nob you burn Ballance oub 1 ") Thab was always a mabber

of extreme difficulty, for when a Government got in, it could keep its position by all sorts of means. Both parties promised every kind of concession. However, he was inclined from his experience o believe in adherence 1 to principle, even i t had results'not foreseen. When there was an attempt to go back to 95 members the people in Auckland were altogether misled. It was not a question of reducing the percentage in cities. No, it was an attempt to get a majority in favour of going back to the old number of members. He believed in forcing men to adhere to their pledges. If there had been a proper honourable business feeling in the House, the Government must have been kept to reduction of expenditure. When Government had asked for money for this, and money for that, the members should have said, had they adhered to their election pledges, " No, we have not the money ;" but they forgot those pledgee. No doubt his fellow members could see faults in himself, but speaking coolly he could not help feeling disappointed at the divisions. The first discussion of importance was between the Government and Speaker over the control of the Parliamentary estimates. There was a pretext of protection from the arbitrary power of the Government, but the question waa between extravagance and economy. He envied no man's wealth or position,, but in this case it waa giving to those used to extravagance the power of supplying themselves. Other instances he felt disappointed over, where the " skinflint committee " and others, including a portion of the pross, whom he might call midges, and who forgot the noble purposes for which they ought to write, and cared nothing for the honour of their mission of guiding the country — forgot all but personal interest. It was a hard and disagreeable task to ask for national thrift and self-denial when all the traditions of Parliament wereagainsb it ; and when public opinion wa3 forgotten in that Parliament sent down to effect economy and work towards public bh'rift. He cared for the approval of his constituents, but if that approval were to be obtained by neglect to speak and act the truth, he would rather be without it. There should be no relaxation in rigid economy till there was a true improvement in the state of the colony— and | an improvement not gained by imposing fresh burdens on the people. He spoke at length on this matter because he and his friends had been mis-represented by that portion of the press to which he had already referred. He now passed to a pleasant subject — the young Isew Zealand party. He should like to have seen more young New Zealanders present that evening. All in respect to his country was dear to him, and should be dear to every New Zealander. From childhood he had drunk in the beauty and the sweetness of the land, its native flowers and birds. It was a pleasure to him to say that there was a growing party in the House, actuated by a love and attachment to their country, in their efforts to form that young New Zealand party. He did not, perhaps, approve of everything some of that new party did, for they sometimes forgot their noble purpose. They were, however, trying to stamp b*ut the belief that the way to get out of trouble was to get into more debt ; they objected to new harbour loans ; they believed that Sir J. Coode's visit was a national calamity. They were determined to prevent the attempt to throw on the GeneralGovernmenttheburdensalready incurred for such harbours. Another point was to keep a more careful supervision over public trust funds. They wished to act more with regard to the permanent welfare of the country. This was a domestic policy and recommended itself to all. But there were mistakes to be deplored. A young New Zealander was instrumental in getting the Me Andrew vote and a volunteer spree at Dunedin, while other people had to scant their table to pay their taxes. Then the Premier had bagged two of them, and their individuality was lost. Another of the party was ever ready to bolster up Civil servants in sentiments subversive of democracy, because Civil servants abounded in his district. Why was no Civil Servants' Act passed this session ? Echo answered "Why?" But these members had good points in the main. He hoped to see them all vote more from principle than from interest. It was hard to get away from the trammels of tradition, which made constituents think that the best member meant thebest pillager of the Public Treasury. The young "New Zealand party were conscioua of their faults, and of the necessity for reform ; and he hoped that they might rouse throughout New Zealand a thorough lovo for the country, and earnest patriotic spirit. He offered his tribute that night to this new shrine of national feeling being built up by that party. He hoped that every child gi'owing up in the country would have roused in them the love for their country and the desire to enrich it with the treasures of mind and feeling in even a greater degree than any other country had ever been enriched. Mr Monk went on in a most eloquent manner to describe those feelings which must actuate the youth of New Zealand, and the grounds which they had for those patriotic feelings. They should aim for this spirit, for it was the spirit that was going to bring reform. But patriotic feeling was wanting, and it was the greatest want in the House. Acts of Parliament were not going to do all this good. But he wished the standard of national feeling to be high. They wanted not Acts of Parliament, but a right political spirit, No doubt, all were proud of being in a British colony and of being the descendants of those who had done great deeds. But from those who in herited much, much was to be expected. They should not forget the past, but they should not forget to act well in the future. His Excellency the Governor in an address to the girls of Wellington College lately, had, no doubt in very good part, expressed the hope that some day they would visit " their English home." It was nonsense to talk in that way to the children of New Zealand. Was it likely they were going to forget the sweet affections, the home ties, and the lovo of country engendered by their beautiful New Zealand 1 They wei*e moro likely in days to come, to be bantering their mothers on the Old-World ideas, which could not see the advantages of female suftrage ; or amongst other interesting topics be discussing with -young fellows the necessity for having an elective Governor for New Zealand, or for wider electoral districts. This brought him to the question of female suffrage. He was a thorough believer in the right of women to have a voice in the government of their country. Mr Monk went on afr some length to give his views on this question, and stated that there were a large number even in the present Parliament who believed in this measure. It might bo a fad just now, but it was becoming a principled- He again referred to the need for a patriotic sentiment in New Zealand, and to the influence of women in fostering that sentiment. We had plenty of business to attend to in our own country, and he did not believe in agitators from other parts coming to waste our time, and take the thoughts of our young men off the interests of their

wn country. He could keep there for days speaking of that country — its resources, its beauties, and its future. There was no need for despair, but there was need for earnest thought and earnest work. Mr Monk concluded amidst applause. Mr O'Meagher asked Mr Monk if he thought a young New Zealander should in all oases and at all times preserve his love of country? Mr Monk: "Yes." Mr O'Meagher then asked if he thought a young New Zealander was justified in going to the farthest corners of the globe to do his country good, or, being away from his country, he should still do all in his power to serve her and her people ? Mr Monk : •• Most certainly." Mr O'Meagher : " Then why do you call chose men agitators who came to New Zealand to help their country ?" Mr Monk replied that we had quite enough in New Zealand to occupy us without interfering in other people's affairs. Several other questions were asked and answered, and on* the motion of Mr 0. Mays, seconded by Mr O'Meagher, a vote of thanks was passed to Mr Monk by accla- ■ mabion.