Tuesday, May 4th.

Tuapeka Times, Volume II, Issue 65, 8 May 1869, Page 2

Tuesday, May 4th.

STATEMENT AND KESIGiVATION OF THE • SOVJJKNMENTV ' ' -" "«■ Mr. VOGEL- stated^ that, owing to the limited nature of 'the' <ti&ussion l evoked by the Address, the Governrtient hSd not had an opportunity ofj making- anj earlier explanation. He arguedLthat as the Government had carried on ithe p^blio business dnring the recess, it "was its duty to give the House an opportunity of criticising its acts while it was in a position to defend itself. He alluded to the recent reqigoaiibns?, and passed a high eulogiuui oh Messrs. Duncan and Burns. Mr. Macdermid's conduct he treated with contempt. Mr. Yogel continued : f '-fjow the remarks made, it seems to be pretty well understood that I am about to resign office on I account of private engagemquts-r-engage-r nients which "will rake me Ttway' from -the province altogether. Since I have held ..office, I have done ao at- great personal sacrifice — personal sacrifice which, instead of being ...apjjreciated^.haa beei? . m.§| by made* in '"ho sparing 'way. Accusations have been m.-ule insidjythe House and out of i*,~th*t I hawKeld office merely for my own personj^purjPose^joidjadvantages. 7 Mj[ fr^Jpnds, fiow"ever*, Ure' aware' thai 1 held'office ata'grteat sacrifice to myself ; and I may say that I believe it will always be found, in Otage,

to be. tho.casej- -that .members ..wilLJiold. bffice at great sacrifice. lam not able to eoiititoue tbi&^e that saeir&ce anjjr lo^gfo and i£ is* necessary; 'frdm^priTate-con-siderations, that I should resign. After having held office for two years and a half, I now resign it voluntarily." He . stated his belief that Could nevir havj turned the s Government out had ttie Government determined to fight them " longer. He reviewed his official career, stating that he had received an amount of virulent and unmitigated abuse he would be sorry to see hiis worst enemy subjected to. He piocefded : "During the last two years and six months, I_ venture to say th^tMfiovernmenffia've had a very difficult task/ They inherited the scale of expenditure initiated by their predecesosrs, without inheriting means such as- their -predecessors enjoyed, J'took office at a tJime when, out of the verylarge loan '"which the province had iucurred, only some £20,000 was left ; and since that time, although the Council had twice authorised a fresh loan* no loan, has been allowed to the province.".. ;Notwith T . standing this, £26;000 of indebtedness had been -paid offi and 'this without; as had been alleged, an excessive use of the Land Revenue. This was shown by statistics,* the -amounts derived from, land revenue, irrespective of pastoral assessment being as follows :— ln the year 1862, £20,000 ; in 1868, £38,000 jin 1864, £161,000 ; ( in" 1865, £109,000; in 1866/ £100,000 ; and during the last two years the amounts were £113,000 and £87,000, ~ respectively. The acreage disposed of being— ln 1862, 75,000 acres ;in 1863, 20,000 acres ? in 1864, ]20,0tf0iicres';-iii 1865, 100,00j), acres, ; -in,, 1866; 87,000 acres ; in 1867, 123,000 acres ; in 1868, 96,000 acres. He next referred to what the Government hai done in the way of subsidising road boards, -charitable institutions, municipalities, and schools, and demanded thatcredit should be given for such measures. The thanks of the country were due to the Government, he thought, for preventing the assumption of the ccntroi of the- goldfields by the General Government, and the consequent disintegration of the province. " I will now refer to the question of the pastoral rents.. y?e leave, to our successors an enormous revenuel Last year the revenue derived from this source was £50, 000, and this, in the course of a fe\*f years, is likely to increase by 50 per cent., if not more. To go into the whole history of that transaction would' take up too much time to relate. The history of this tranaction is rather .curious I opposed most strenuously the Larid Bill, that allowed the runholders to obtain a> new lease.. By a strange coincidence,' l, who opposed the Act, happened to be in office when the. critical time came for giving effect to it| We felt that it would be impossible to fly in the face., of _t s hat Bill ; we determined not to-be a -party to" holders of short-dated leases, but that all, or none, should come in. I think that the House and the country i should not be unmindful' of the fact Ahat, by that action, this enormous revenue came in quite suddenly- motfe than 'could' be hoped for, and plhcod the province in a position to deal, with th.3 land qitestion — f r a position of power — a discretion, which I fancy few hon. members fully appreciate. It is not the *case thiiij the Government has shown any favouritism to runholders. It has adopted an attitude of honesty. It has, on one hand," refused to receive* largely increased rents, and to prosecute indiscriminately on the the other< The Provincial Government in the AVasle Lauds-Act liave enormous power. They have the power to deal uu justly with holders of pastoral leases, and any Government, that yields itself quietly to all applications for policy purposes will be unworthy^ j>t,.its position.. - . The. .land agency is" a very profitable- business in the province. I trust, however, tbat' whatever .Government there may be in power in Otago, they will resist anjnstice', and will hold that the pastoral lessees of the Crown have just as much right to their consideration as other persons scattered throughout the country, no matter how loudly these -'persons may' assert their' claims and how judiciously silent others may he. The considerations which are involved in the laud question are , very large,and, Sir, it is folly to 'suppose; that the province will gain either immediately or in the long run by recklessly lending itself to any,- movements which, are, not founded strictly upon justice and truth. \. tliink that the opposition which 1 »r*ued to tHe Land Bill has been : boVne out, because I feel that- the'ntdfe'l .haVe; had an opportunity; of examining the t , working of the Bill, the more I' am con-, vinced that it is too late to make it suitable for the requirements- of the province. A land system for such a province as this should be one made:of cast iron, in which the Goverpinejit have little .discretion, and so plain that he who runs may read ; one in %liich "there could be little * favour f she"wri on the'rtrie hkndj or injustice 'dn the other," in' 'carrying it out. &ndl: think that ; th.e[ day is not far<disiant when what. l and others have urged- will, be remembered, and when the people in the prbvincefwill rWerf to a «yatem c of Free Selection. I may also say that 1 th'e r very men "who ' a~dvoe*ated T land '-being thrown, into hundreds'.and sold at 10a.- ah | acre, were the first ip 'abuse the: government for carrying it out. I opposed, the adoption of the 10th * clause, , as I~corisidered it a breach of 'fafth with tKose who purchased land." \Mfr: J Vogel c- concluded by expressing his conviction that the Government were far, too • ajccessible,'by ; |u>v noiihcing that Mr. Duncan . had been sent 'for by the Superintendbnt, WWitd t by indulging in a little chaff in to the supposed disappointment, of members of, the opposition, specially commiserating the member for the.Clutha. He. moVjed the adjournment of the, house ip * Thursday, 6th inst. ' ' : " J MR. DUNCAN seconded.- '>' :.- T^he,Hous« accordingly adjourned^ -^

Walejjft'iliat Mr. ifcuJeyjcSecwfcary to the Switzers Road Comiuitfeft, got** to Danadintaidif.it^^uj^^f.iih^Goyeroiiwat-in^ attovme&>y&l*en a^fe£]^oaU*<^^l«4d pufethe rtreef in such repair as it ougfijf to W for* > a9VsUicitig business traffic.