TELEGRAPHIC.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1691, 21 May 1884, Page 2

TELEGRAPHIC.

/Ji;: . ■ ..(UNITED PRESS ASSOCIATION.

) Patea, Tuesday, ..iljA fire broke out last night in a furniture hjuse occupied byLundbergandOo. The 6(6 was got under and all the stock was removed, but a quantity of pattern tools aid, work were destroyed! The. case Mas'looked upon with such suspicion that tie police arrested Lundberg. > The iisuranco wus J-600 on stock in the Colonial. Insurance on the - building, jvhich belongs to* Anderson, of Wangauui, isunlmown. Lundberg .wub brought up this morning and remanded; "■'

I Auckland, May 18. 1 The Hon Major Atkinson addressed a public meeting of ciiizenß.to*night' in the Theatre Royal; the Mayor (Mr W. R. Waddell) presided. •• There was a crowded attendance, and among those present were the Hon. E Miichelson, Sir F, "W'hitaker, and several members of Upper and Lower Houses of the Assembly, and a large number of leading citizens. Tha member's of tho Trades and. Labor Council were present on the platform by invitation of the Premier. On making his appearance Major Atkinson was received with, cheersHe said it was 31 years since he landed in Auckland for.the first, time, and-he-had. noticed vast changes owing to the colony being settled from several, centres. He had come to Auckland to ascertain what public opinion was there, as it was" desirable that their public men'should address the people on all great public rations, and it was for the .public togivoi a careful consideration to the policies laid; before them, Referring to finance, he said the country was thoroughly sound, and was better able to bear its burden? than before the borrowing policy initiitcd in 1870. The railway controversy in. the. south showed the difficulties (if party Government. When some meuib.ers of a, party said they could no. longer support tho Government on thi'siijpt'er,'ilmiigh agreeing with their general policy, the so-called leader of Opposition, Mr'Muntgomery, thought ho 'saw an opening to' eject the. Government. But' he '.was a i leader only in name. They know well that the only possible leader of tbeiOpposition in the Assembly was their representative for City East, Sir G. Grey'. Mr Montgomery proposed insular separation, but that apart from being impracticable would beruiuoua to both. With separation the construction of the North Trunk Railway would be impossible. Tho Minister for Public Works had examined the several routes, and the ; Government would he prepared to make proposals at tli'o approaching session with the object oi ' pushing through the North'lsland trunk line. It was necessary to-deal withithe native lands which would be improved by the construction of the-trunk, railway", otherwise these lands would fall into; the hands of speculators: The Government intended to put an end : to. tho purchase or lease of native lands, by private parties.: Natives would be allowed to dispose of it through the various' Crown Lattcl. Boards if-necessary. Natives, i'woulfl' have-seats on such boards, !(jnd : thO"' ; Crown would -have'-'the. right. ,io ; purchase such lands"'when ' desirable.' At present, when Natives sold blocks of land,.the money had:all gone. The Go* vernment now proposed that a large' majority of a tribe should decide as:,to : - selling their land, but that Natives 1 should: only receive a sniall portion of the proceedsiii cash abd'the rest inannuities. The present' proceedings in connection with; the purchase of Native lands were a disgrace .to :ciyiltsation, and. private parties .were' reaping •■ a reward which properly belonged to the State.'' 'The P(efpier..thenreterred-.to thequestipfj^f: federation, of colored labor, and'ofo? protectorate over certain of the South Sea Islands in order to further the development .of our colonial trade. With regard to'ibe I obritinuanoeof the San Francisco 'ti'njf service, he said that he understood therS' was great uneasiness in Auckland. The American Government had refused to pay anything towards the Bervice'as yet, artct" the Home Government now intended to' send letters not specially addressed via the San Francisco route hut by the fitst opportunity. New South Wales had arranged with Victoria, under certain conditions, to send' letters alternately by the Orient and by the P, and 0. lines'. If these new arrangements resulted in New South Wales withdrawing from the San Francisco servico, it would involve fan increased cost to New Zoaland. Wj(h Regard to.the direct service with a Bubsidy ,;bf £20,000 a year, he might say that tile service cost very little at preseht,'but 'aft increased cost was a matter of very grave consideration. , Notwithstanding its coßt, however, they should strain everjr'-.neryo. to maintain the service, and he woukUe very sorry to see it fall.through.. With regard to theprospeotsbf the next session .he was not. going to, prophesy. ■ He- ■ would be a wise man whrj could' do bo, but this much he would say: If members would not go on with: business, the ; country would be put to the expense of two Beeaionß in the year instead of, One, - He hoped the Assembly would seeita •' way in a short; session to : aocompliah the : necessary business, of .the, country, and, ■■ thus ayoid the.expense which would be- ' otherwise inevitable." The'.eleotio'nß could : '' takeplaoo earlier in tUe year, ti'M '.

no Kreat loss ot tiufo would"be;irieiirrfed': in; ascertaining .-.(hi. feolinga of : oh¥ Country, on 'the';, quest 1 %tire]yjn-tho hauda of;.tbe;!HoUße,lbt(tj ihe thouwfit'it right id! : make]Bh'c)jfn:,'fo'tbS! "dii" 'the subjeot, and" as-ParlftinMwas, only two years old, he hoped the : '. Hous e; would 'Bee the wisdom of not puttin£'the coimtry totho expense of two sessions' in. onlyenr/^ desirodto ■vefer. Jo, and that was. the one -of national insurance.' 'lt wbb a'mistake j to think that the were hostileto the friendly'socielies,. On thereon; 'trary, the Government desired:toUoster these.socielies. He had' received'tlie* proposals of the Auoldand friendly sociolies; and he thought them on the whole very' 'reasonable, and the Government would, he believed, seo'.tuetf-jvay to c'om": ply wiih.most of. them.'. :K ; was desiref by his scheme of national insurahoe ;to "render pauperism an imposjibiljiy in' the'.; colony. Major Atkinson'.^referred to the question ■■ of, iminigr'a'tfp"p arid,. the necessity of keeping upVsj'eady.stream of people of the right sort to settle on the landsof the colony in order ; to establish-' local.industries, As to the question" of protection and .free -trade,;it- would, he remarked, con\e in time, but he wojild. not rofor to it now. He then ; BRoke'on the question of Civil Service retrenchment and reorganisation-and the'. bxten\ sion of the franchise lb.women, .The Premier, in conclusion,.'.thanked .the audience for the fair and-.pai'inn't Rearing, extended to him, There! had been; a' little badinage and pleasantry- by' w.sj of interruption, .but he ;did., 'not 'think the, worse af'them for thai.' ThsPr'emier sat down amidst, prolonged applause,"-In ,reply.to questions,. the ; 'Premiei:Said'thaV as soon as the Assembly agreed;upon the •route for tha -.North'lsland triirjk line r ' jhe Government would b'e preparecNo;; proceed at once-to raise 'thaimillion l'oahforits construction. Ho-:-was -doubtful: if it would he advisable t'6 make the Waste Lands Boards elective, He was favorable to altering the Licensing Act so as to give •every adult in a district, male and female, the right of voting for 'the election-:of members of a Licensing Committee. * He was not in favor of a member of: the. Assembly going baoktorhis constituents on accepting'office.' Tliii would jonly leadi to useless expense. .If "they insisted on perpetual olections only rich men in.the EEintse..'.'.;•; i