WASTE LAND BOARD.

Tuapeka Times, Volume V, Issue 252, 28 November 1872, Page 5

WASTE LAND BOARD.

At the meeting on 20th there were present the Chief Commissioner (in the chair), Messrs Allen, Duncan, Hughes, and Tolmie. The following business was transacted : — Licenses for sawmills were granted to Messrs Dutton and Stratford, M'Phee, JM'Pherson and Glen on the usual terms. The application of F. Eichardt to purtelrase a quarter of an acre in the rear of .sections 1, 2 and 3, block' 9, Queenstowntols refused, the land being a reserve. The Town Clerk of Queenstown wrote re.questing ihat the water flowing in One-Mile Creek be granted to and vested in the Corporation for a water supply for the town. It was stated that the Board did not possess 1 the power. The following applications /or agricultural leases were approved ; — P. Viagenfc, section S, block 19, bhotover ; H. Clark, sections 2 and 17, block 47, section 3, 4, 5, 13, and 14, . block 46, Tokomairiro ; J. G. Gardiner, sec--tions 26 and. 39, block. 4, Table Hill; A. G. Thomson, section 4, block 9; Shotover. The application of .Reynolds, and Co., per 'G-. F. Reid, for protection to prospect for Jignite in the Waipori district, was with•drawn. Mr G. P. Reid, for. Jbhn Reid, Merton, applied to purchase quarry reserve, section 76, block 2, Waikouaiti, to complete proj>erty. The land was ordered to be sold by auction as land of special value, at the upset •price of LI an acre,, Mr Reid, for John Perry, applied to purchase a piece of unsurveyed land outside the ■,ioyni of Tapanui. lief used. Messrs J. W. Robertson and Oo.'s application, for an annual license to occupy 75 acres or thereabouts of Kinloch tawnship for a ; paddock, was withdrawn. The same firm's •application for a jetty site at Kinloch was .granted oa the usual terms, 100 feet frontage being allowed, Mr Warden Pyke wrote re the complaint ■of C. R. Reddens solicitor, that John Fitzgerald was illegally in occupation of part of -the mmmg 'reserve, Tuapeka Flat, that some oi the statements were exaggeratedRanger Hughan reported on the bush -reserve, sec. 43; block 1, Warepa> applied for ■by Mr Street, which was ordered to be sold as land of special value, at LI an acre upsst price. The Ophir Progress Committee-applied for a cemetery reserve on the north side of the Manuherikia. The Board resolved to. request the Government to survey a site. -• - Mr Warden Robinson reported on the application of John. Creightou to purchase partof his residence area at Naseby, that there was no objection. The land was ordered to he sold as land of special value, at the usual upset price, with cost, of survey and' valuation added. Joha Utting applied for a. coal lease, Wendon district. Al4 years' lease was granted at Ls"a year; coal to be seld ji&-ift>t! more than Ids a tdhafthe.pit's mouth. -:.;,;,'. A good many consiimptivepeople goto live' in Minnesota, and we read that " Minnesota has more men running upon one lung thaa ;ujy other st»te."

POST-SESSIONAL UTTERANCES.'

Mr Steward, M.H.R. for Waitaki, ad- , dressed his constituents on the 15th November. We make the following extracts from his speech.: — THE CHANGi; OF GOVERNMENT. I claim during the session to have supported an honest party. People have differences of opinion with regard to parties down here, but I claim that those who are on .the Spot are in ,a better position to jn<ige than those Who reside at a distance of the motives which actuate those who fight for place and power- in the Assembly. The circulation, during the recess, of the statements to which I have referred brought about for the time a changed state of things. Instead of there being, as last year, an enormous majority in favor of the Fox- Vogel Ministry, when the vote of no-confidence was tabled by Mr Stafford this session, the Ministry were m the minority— a large number of their adherents, shaken no doubt by what, they had hoard during the recess, having renounced their allegiance, and Mr Stafford's motion being consequently carried by a,-majority of three. Now, I should tell, you how that majority of three was obtained. "You have heard it said, or have seen it in print, that the Government party owe their late victory to their having held forth bribes, in some shape or other, to members to vote for them. With regard to that I may say that I was in as good a position to know as any member of the House, and I distinctly say that as far^as j I know snch an assertion is utterly without foundation. But with regard to Mr Stafford's motion, the carrying of which, of course, involved the turning out of the Ministry, I shall presently ask you as intelligent men to judge whether there was or was not strong inducement, for certain members at an\ rate, to vote with the motion. The motion itself made an attack upon the Fox-Vogel j Government upon two or three grouuds i One ground was (to state it shortly) the wasteful expenditure of the loan ; another, that Ministers were too frequently absent from the seat of Government ; another (though not stated in terms in the resolution, yet a part of the attack), that there was upon the Government benches a member who was also a Superintendent of a Province. Ifc was argued, and I think rightly, as a matter of theory, that a Minister should not be at the same time a Superintendent of a Province— that as soon as he accepts the position of a Minister of the Crown he ought to resign his Superintendency. Now, let us see what Mr Stafford's party did when they carried their resolution — or, rather, to go back for a moment — what was the inducement which caused the majority of three — the two points are involved one with the other. When Mr Stafford went into power, he placed on the Government benches not one Superintendent, but three ; and these three neither resigned their Superintendencies, nor intended to do so, until they were absolutely sure of the safety of the Ministry, and, consequently, their thousand a year. As I have said, one of the grounds of attack by the Opposition was that there was a member of the Ministry still retaining the Superintendency of a Province ; but when the Ojjpoaition became the Ministerial party, they put in ihree Ministers who also retained their Superintendences. In accounting for Mr Stafford's majority of three, take .this into consideration. Ini mediately, Parliament had been dissolved (if Mr StafFordV^Vlinistry had remained in power), there would, have been three* Superintendencies to be battled for by members of the House, and I"could enumerate on my fingers five hon. .members who thought themselves safe for the Superintendency of Nelson or of Wellington or of Auckland. Three of these members voted for Mr Stafford on the ■first occasion, and he had a majority of thi'te. And there were one or two members on Mr Stafford!** side who (I wish to speak as guardedly- as possible) ought;, I think, not to 'have voted on the question at all. MR STAFFORD. Of -Mr Stafford as Premier, I say (and as a young politician I speak with diffidence), that my opinion is that Mr Stafford will never again resume the position he once held as a statesman in this Colony. Everything in nature has its waxing and waning, and Mr Stafford, who was at one time the leading mind in the Colony, and who will, no doubt, yet render it good service, has, nevertheless, lost that quality which makes the leader in in Parliament, or the general in the field, viz., that of coolness. He loses his temper. On one occasion during the late session he characterised his opponents upon the Government benches as "miserable wretches." Mr Stafford is s. gentleman, and, as a gentleman, apologised ; but although a statesman and a man whom the Colony could ill afford to spare, wants, I repeat, that coo ness of head necessary to one occupying the head of affairs, MR, VOGBT,. 1 now come to the bate noir of some people — Mr Vogel— with regard to whom I say honestly and distinctly that although at one time I had very little confidence in him. — (A voice : "Have you any now?") I have. I am free to own r that I believe there is not a more honest statesman in New Zealand, or in these Colonies— ("Oh ! oh ! oh ! laughter and uproar.) Each of you is free to exercise his own opinion, but you must grant me the right of holding mine. Ido not suppose that one out of twenty of the gentlemen preset has ever had the opportunity of judging .of Mr Yogel personally. Ido not suppose there are more than one in twenty who know him except .by newspaper report. I have had for two sessions the opportunity of studying him and watching him carefully, and I say honestly, and I dp not ,c<u.:e though every man in this room were against me, yet I say that I believe Mr Yogel to be a statesman, and an honest statesman ; and more, that he possesses more ability than any other man in New Zealand. (A voice : "You are no Judge. ") Admitted. Still I have an opinion, ,and I have stated it. I have, however, this other thing to say, viz , that I think him somewhat too sanguine— a little too anxious for ," progress." ■•;' me FD?:. Now I have to say a word or iwo x wijLu regard to Mr Pox's retirement from office. As to Mr Fox himself, it is doing that gentleman the merest modicum of justice to say that the impression which some people seem to entertain thatfhe has become antiquated — that he is lapsing into a sort of second childhood, through " water on the brain," is as utterly false as anything could possibly be. Mr Pox at this moment is quite as capable of taking a leading part in public affairs as any man in this Colony, and he deseryes great credit for championing a cause which, though treated by some people with ridicule, is atjU a noble cause — the very ridicule attaching to which has only spurred him on mJ to devote to it nis ft.tnaosf; energies. •Mr Pox, too, deserves the credffc'of .^disinterestedness, inasmuch as, for the safee of Imb party — the party of progress — the party whieb. will in the end, in my opinion, work out the «U&t£aies of this country -its iprosperity — he voluntarily gave up the position of Premier, which he could have still .held, ancLretired into the ranks. The posi- • of Premier, or of leader of a party, sre objects of honorable ambition to old statesmen,.and Jo .tjhrowthem up, and accept a subordinate position for the, sake, of the jtrittmph»6t principles shows a greatness of character to which-f ew can lay claim. 'OTAGO IN THE CABINET. ' We have now a Ministry in which for the first time the Middle .Island is equally repre.aented.with the North Island. It has been always a great point with pedplevin tho

South that in previous Ministries the preponderance has been on the side of the North Island, and to that, whether rightly or wronaly, the Middle Island people Inve traced to a certain ex ent the injustice which no doubt they have suffered. In this Ministry the Middle and North Islands are equally balanced ; and. whatever may be your opinion with regard to the personnel of the Ministry, it will, I thiuk, be difficult to point out any other two Otago members who should have been selected in preference to tb.fi two who have been chosen; indeed, Irthink if you go through the list of the nineteen Otago members, you will find that the selection made is the best that coul-i have been made. I may further add that when the Fox-Vogel Government was in power they would, I believe, at any time have added an Otago member to the Ministry, had the Otago members been able to agree as to who should be selected for the position. (Slight sensation.)