Sir George Grey on Colonial Honors.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2784, 16 January 1878, Page 2

Sir George Grey on Colonial Honors.

From the report of Sir George Grey's speech at Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty Times we extract the following:—

I will now just address myself to one subject which I hare not spoken of recently anywhere else, and in regard to which a very serious question arises for your consideration. In the Constitution Act we are. told that we the people of .tfe.w Zealand are to ha?e the power of making all laws' necessary for our peace, order, and good Government. Well, these rights were conferred-'upon us by the British Parliament—by the Queen, the Lords and the Commons—and 1 have no doubt whatererjjthat when they conferred those rights they meant' us absolutely to exercise them. They could hare no other object, especially the Queen herself could hare had no other object than that her people here should be happy, contented, and prosperous, and should be deroted to the monarchy, under whose rule they hare had that attainment of prosperity afforded them. Well, the Secretary of State thinks he has a right to interfere in these things, for, gentlemen, I will tell you ;what I mean. The other day a circular was issued in which the Secretary of State directs that Judges who hare been a certain time on the Bench of New -Zealand, when they retire from office, are to hare rank and dignity conferred upon them in New Zealand—are to hare the title of Honorable, and to take precedence of all their fellow colonists—that title of honorable being available in New Zealand and nowhere else. The Secretary cf State then goes on, or his representative does, to say that the notification; that the Queen has been pleased to do this on the adrice of the Secretary of State, is to be published in our Gazette here, and we are to make ourselves the means of making known the establishment of this rank and dignity in the colony of New Zealand. Now the role, throughout the Empire is thii: That when any konor is given to any one of the> Queen's subjects for services performed— and undoubtedly men who do render services to their country should be distinguished in some way or other—but the rule is this, that the honor or dignity given, holds good throughout the whole British Empire—it does not belong to one colony, to England, or to any other place but the individual who has the distinction conferred upon him, whatever it may be* carries it with him wherever lie goes

through the British Empire, through all our Indian possession, through our North American possessions, through our South African possessions, through Australia, or New Zealand—wherever he goes he carries that distinction with him. The fact of that honor being given to him x is notified in the London Gazette, and ia made known throughout the world, io that everybody knows whether the distinction has been justly conferred, or whether it is not an act of favoritism. That is the tort of check put upon Minis* ters. You arc not to suppose that the Queen docs these things herself; the acts on the advice given to her, and has nothing to do but to assent to the advice so given. Again, the Emperor of Germany, when Baron Miiller distinguished himself in Victoria, he makes him a baronet, and when he enters Germany, lie enters it as a man of rank and of distinction. Now, 1 my own opinion is, that if you allow such a thing to be done as that an honor or title is to be conferred which is only to carry weight, or to b« used at all, within the limit of New Zealaud, it is to say that we are something inferior to the rest of Her Majesty* subjects. I say give us the same honor as the Queen's subjects have everywhere else, or else leave us alone—don't meddle with us at all. I contend that no Secretary, of State ought to have the power of interfering with our domestic affairs ia that way. (Cheers.) Th**! add further, that to say that we are only^to hare s«ch titles conferred as may be used in New Zealand, is to say that we are to be separated ' from the Empire-—is to make us a state iv ourselves, it is not making us a part of the Empire. However, I say that they have no right to interfere with our Gaiette, and. what right has the Secretary of State to order myself and my colleagues to publish certain things in our New Zealand Gaiette ? If I were,.to send something to be published in the London Gazette they would laugh at me; what right have they to publish in our Gazette something which is degrading to ourselves? I do not wish to publish in the New Zealand Gazette the statement that titles conferred on us in New Zealand cannot be borne anywhere else. It is no part of my duty to do that. At the present moment you will see that we are Jhe servants of the people of New Zealand; that we hold power upon the express condition that we attend to their interests, and that we do nothing which may in jure their position in the Empire, and no one outside the colony has the right to give us any directions at all. (Cheers.) The Queen herself could not do so. All the powers that the Queen possesses are reserved in the Constitution Act, and Her Majesty exercises these entirely irrespective of thii Government. But if your Ministers here are to be directed from home to register what I may call an edict to determine what rank and what kind of society is to be set up in this country without your consent at all being asked in the matter, then I say that the gentleman at the head of affairs should not hold office' for an hour. He ought to tell you* " X won't do what I am ordered to do from home in that way % I will render implicit obedience to lawful commands, but any command that is unlawful I won't obey at all, and especially when I think it contrary to the public interest." I mention this as a proof of one of those kind of laws which will really creep in unless you take into your own hands the power of exercising a voice upon every matter of importance that it brought forward. I need not have told you of this; I might have put it into the Gazette without a word of notice, and the chances are that no one would have read it and no one would ever have thought of it, but twenty years from the present time you would have said, " What a rafcal the Premier of that day was P You see he did not say a single word about iti being done.- 1 (Laughter); That is the sort of thing that must inevitably take place if you do not take care that your public men are compelled to do everything openly and publicly, and that you have a voice and can restrain them from doing what is wrong, or that you hare the power of punishing them if they do what is wrong without consulting you, by taking care that i they arcL turned out of office. I mean turning them out of office with opprobrium. :