The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 1881.

Thames Star, Volume XII, Issue 3926, 29 July 1881, Page 2

The Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, JULY 29, 1881.

The result of the debate upon Mr Ormond's no-confidence amendment will be found in another columu. That the Government secured a majority of four votes will not surprise our readers, for such a majority was anticipated. The motion of Major Atkinson, however, in moving that the bill (the Crown and Native Lands Bill) be discussed in committee in fourteen days' time, plainly shows that the Ministry perceive that the advice of friends and foes will have to be taken, and the measure greatly modified before it meets with the support of the majority of the House. It is at best a very humiliating position for a Ministry to be compelled to take back the principal measure introduced by them this session, and modify it at the demand of the Opposition, and to conciliate their own friends. Probably a long debate will now ensue on Sir George Grey's local selfgovernment proposals, and that the House, unable to accept the suggestions of.the Government, may be driven to adopt those submitted by a private member. Of course every means will be taken by the Goverment and its friends to prevent such a result, which would be tantamount to a vote of want of confidence, and equal the greatest compliment that could be paid a member of the Opposition. Yet, whatever may be the result of Sir George Grey's scheme as a whole, some of his suggestions must meet the approval of men influenced with a desire to legislate in the direction of doing the greatest good to the greatest number. In his speech while introducing his bill, and which we issued as a supplement, Sir George Grey says:—"Then I come to another point, and this is the keystone of the arch I am endeavoring to build up. There are two great classes of landowners in this country —the Native population and the people of New Zealand at large. The Natives have been ignorant, unthrifty, and unable to take care of themselves, and so they have been greatly pillaged in every direc tion, and may be greatly pillaged still, and it is our business to try to save them. Then the other class of landowners are the entire population of New Zealand. They have known nothing of their rights. They are people collected from almost every part of the earth, separated by long distances from one another, knowing nothing of the land laws of the country. They have been wholly ignorant of their rights. It has been a new subject to them which required much thought —they were as unable as the Natives to take care of themselves—and I say they have been pillaged just as much as the Natives have been. la the position of these two classes of great land owners there has been really no difference, and I ask now that the Bouse will redress past legislation by legislation of a new and different kind—a system of great advantage, which, while it will secure right for the future, will, at the same time, atone for the past. Let the House see that this is done—that the Government is empowered to grant great endowments to every one of these local bodies—endowments which cannot be sold, but only leased for a certain number years, and lei the rents of these endowments be esti. mated so that ultimately they may provide for every want of the population, and do away almost entirely with rates and taxes. For as a district becomes richer as land becomes more valuable—in fact } as population increases and as the desire to get farms spread, so will the rents of these farms from generation to generation increase in amount, and everything that can poasibly be desired may be affected by means of these rents. No part of these rents should be allowed to go out of the immediate district in which they are raised. Let them be re-invested to the advantage of the population at large. Road 3, bridges, parks, museums, public libraries, refuges for the destitute, charitable iuatitutious of every kind may be supported, and a happy and thriving people may bless the House that it has taken a step in that direction, showing an example to the rest of the world and fulfilling the aspirations of millions of men in every Country of the world at the present moment, who are yearning and longing to see the first step taken in a direction of this kind. Sir, it will cost us nothing. In Ireland they ask ten millions to attempt to do a thing of that kind upon a bad system. It will cost nothing to begin it here. Here, if the House wills it, to-morrow a commencement may be made in the establishment of that most righteous plan." Few men will be found who will not say the ideas in the above extract are not worthy of consideration, and when we know that the scheme is practical, and can without great inconvenience to the country be adopted,

we cannot help saying that those members of the House who will refuse to discuss such suggestions, because enunciated by Sir George Grey, will be unworthy the position they hold, and unfaithful to the trust reposed in them.

The Thames Rifle Rangers passed last night a most satisfactory inspection at the hands of Major Withers. Ciplain Douglas and all his officers were present, and over 60 men in the ranks. The corps were, after inspection, exercised in battalion drill by the Mgor and officers, and executed all the movements with great precision. The Married Women's Property Protection Bill passed its third reading in the Legislative Council by a majority of 14 to 11. The people of Taranaki, not content with a harbour at New Plymouth, which is likely to cost the colony £1,000,000, now want a harbour at Waitara, but very properly Mr Waterhouße, in the Legislative Council, moved that the Waitara Harbour and Loan Bill be thrown out, as there would be no security for the bondholders. The bridge in Baillie street, swept away by the flood, has been replaced by a much more substantial structure than that destroyed. It is anticipated that to-morrow evening the water will be running through the County race, all the damages by the flood having been required. Mv Heakn writes to us emphatically denying thut the case, himself and others v. Greenvil'e, has been entered upon through spite, I He states his living and othara' depend upon i their own exertions, and in this matter what is fair alone is wanted, and no outside inn lence will be allowed to interfere with the working of the tribute. Mb Wm. Cabpenteb advertises for sale by public auction, a number a very valuable properties. The Shortland Wesleyan Suuday Sohoo* will hold special services in the schoolroom on Sunday next. Revs. R. Laishley and W. J. Watkin will preach special sermons. D. R. Geilion & Co. hold a sale to-morrow of hams, bacon, &c, from the Upper Thames, and a collection of fruit trees, &c. The feud between the Education Boird and the Grafton Roal School Commitee, Auckland, ov^r the appointment ef Mis 9 White, pupil teacher, as an assistant teacher in the district Bchool, witbout the committee's consent, has entered upon a new phase. The committee ignoring the new teacher, obtained the legal opinions of Mtssi's Heeketh and Richmond, who replied that the Board's action was unlawful. Mr R. Laishley, Chairman of the School Committee, will probobly now move for an injunction to restrain the appointee from teaching in the school. This trouble is probably owing to the Committee having a lawyer for a Chairman. When Archbishop Croke returned to Thurles, County Tipparary, after delivering a series of speeches on the land question, which the Opposition journals assert would have led to his arrest if he had b^en other than a Catholic Bishop, he was met two miles from town by a band of musicians and 3000 peoplo, with flags and banners, bearing patriotic Irish inscriptious. The people were with difficulty restrained from taking the horses from the carriage and drawing it themselves.

It was stated in the House, that Government wonld take steps to prevent the Chinese on goldfields without miner's rights, as provided by the Miues Act, 1877.