Evening Sitting.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3888, 15 June 1881, Page 2

Evening Sitting.

The House resumed at 7.30. ■'■ '•; ■■■'& ' ADDBBBB-INBKPLY. Mr Collins moved the reply to speech, which was the echo of it. He thought the whole colony had reason'for OoSgi^ijbulaJ tion at the statements made in the speech, especially the successful retrenchment., which' had been effected without impairing - the efficiency of the public service, arid the rate the railways were progressing. Railways must be pushed on, androad^ in j j the districts hitherto neglected, such as his own. Our native relations were most r satisfactory. He praised Dr Hectorfpt the position the colony had taken at the Melbourne Exhibition, and urged- the.i : necessity for considering the questioQ of . local government. , -.. ■h-.^uf H■ v „ Mr Fulton seconded the addres^upay.O itig a high compliment to' Mrßryce'i native administration, aad exprisiing Ilia :l pleasure at the release of the Mabii ' prisoners, who had committed no crime. He agreed with Mr Colling that tte powers given to companies to oon?truct railways would require careful eaiSideW- ! tion to prevent companies acquiring too great a political power. '= ■ f>- '■ r > • Sir G. Grey considered the polioy laid down, in the speech unsatisfactory, and inadequate to the requirements of*.the] country. The GoTerument took! cWdit * which thejr were in no *ay entitled ,tb for ■' the returning prosperity! 'IP rr any thing had inspired hope it wartsiich Liberal measures as the Triennial Parliaments, and as to the native affairs, had justice ':' been done it would not'hate been the Maoris who should have been imprisoned), ,--. There was no cause for jpyat '- the Waimate .Plains,.as .th'fe'""^^^'^^^.^,^ cured was spent on the Taranaki Hijlr^' if ,. Works to enrich Major Atkinson ana hi*' friends by adding enormously to the value of their properties.. He, had no faith in the liberal land legislation from men with such antecedents a# r the present ■ - Ministers. He denied that a'ny'Tealfjr f large retrenchment had been effeot(ej4, ;'a:nd, „.; said that instead of the revenue meeting _.' the expenditure, there was nearly.-a deficiency of £256,000. He ridiculed, the proposal of abolishing the-Jaw of entail* and ; argued strongly in favor of fat Land Tax instead of an iniquitous Property Tax. He was determiaed flea should have their rights in this matltr, and the taxation ahould.h* placed dttth*' right shoulders. He condemned the tea percent, reduction. The justifieati&6f hoping that God's blessing -#wfl4'Ab!eo' r> r our institutions stable, he hoped by God"» blessing to see oar institutions whwt!' were detestable and abominable, orer- """'' turned. Nothing was said in thet speech about local Government. If Vp one else did so, he would bring in a B\Vl to unite in group* of three or four ct>' an ties in certain districts, with powers B i m ilar to those the provinces used to p'njoy. This woold giv« real self.(Jo T ernment, and restriei* khe ' Assembly to its proper functions. Still he tnought one chamber sufficient, bat if a ' aecoufl was required it should be electoral, plural Toting should be abolished. He objected to the speech for what'it' con- '•' tamed and for what it omitted. Mr Wakefield though Sir George Grey s speech inspired not from above but »«>m below. It contained no ' new thoughts, threw no light on the questions , at issue, but simply raised np the old quarrels, repeated the statements long^, ago disproved, and gave a very undjup- f , , able personal tone to the debate* { v ' amusing to find Sir George Gr^y speaking. , as if he were the leader of a partyvor.r. I still possessed of the power be had We*,, < deprived of for abusing. After orttieiaißt> • < and replying to a number of Jftrot qmoI; Grey s assertions, he admitted tbg*MMgg.r ■■ of the Government's native policy, although tt the time he had disieatt4;

■trongly/rbmjipjßie^ of it. He, howerer, condemned, the long retention of the Maori prisoners. He held that the GoTeroment mvst proceed with the construction of the main lines of railway boldly and at once. Local Gorernment had been strangely omitted in the speech. It was a most urgent question, and the present time* the most opportune for its consideration. He hoped Sir George Grey would not bring in a bill, because his doing so would retard the reform. Bat if the Government did not do it, he hoped some on else would take the question up in a' practical manner. The promises made on abolition bad not been fulfilled, and the subsidy system was vicious. What was wanted was a decent realisation of Government. At present eTery thing was contraband, and the members in that House hid to scramble for the public money. He earnestly urged the Gorern»eftt to take the question up. Dr Wallis characterised the speech of the Governor as the lowest, dullest, and most barren ever listened to, and more remarkable for its omissions than its contents. Colonel Trimble replied to Sir George Gfty's personal attack on Taranaki^re birbor works. He showed by tracing the whole history of the scheme that it had been opposed by the majority of the country settlers, and he had himself done •11 he «onld against it until the mischief was done* in great part, by Sir George Grey's Gowi»«nent, and the scheme ntself proved practically try Sir John Coode. He then briefly referred to several points in the speech and.said that Sir George Grey's remarks about the entail were tbgfee of » good Tory and not of a Liberal. ' Kr^Bunny moved the adjournment of Ifcef 4eb»»e Vhich was carried on a diviof 99 to 16. The House rose at 11.55. .