GOVERNOR'S SPEECH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1703, 5 June 1884, Page 2

GOVERNOR'S SPEECH.

Honorable Gentlemen of tiie Legislative Council, and Gentlemen ' of the House of Representa-

tives, I have much pleasure in again meeting you in Parliament assembled.

Since the close of the last"session a great affliction has fallen upon Her Most Gracious Majesty the through the sudden dea th of His .Royal Higness the Duke of Albany. Sincere sympathy has been felt by; the' whole British people with our beloved Sover-

eign;in her bereavement;, find the high character, noble aims, and benificent pursuits of the Prince, which had endeared him to all among, whom he had lived and worked, hdve caused his loss to be regatded as a National calamity. I did not delay in assuring Her Majesty of tjie deep sympathy which was felt by the people of New Zealand in her severe affliction.

When I first met the Assembly after my assumption of the Government, ! expressed . the . satisfaction. I had experienced in making myself acquainted with the peoole and the resources of the colony, so far as I had then been able to visitdiflerent districts, During the last year I have made a more extended tour through many parts of both Islands, and the manner in which I hav« been welcomed in all the places I have visited has been most cordial and. gratifying. The impressions I had ; already formed of the great capabilities and prospects of the country have bean much strengthened by all that I have lately seen,

: The depression which has been felt during the past year in many parts of the world has been intensified in New Zealand by the unseasonable weather which prevailed in some districts at harvest time, but this depression has largely resulted from external causes; the chjef amongst them being the reduced.values of the staple products of : the country—wool and wheat. I trust, however, that a renewal of prosperity may, with confidence, be anticipated. There can be no doubt that increased population und the more varied use of the soil would result in a large development of the vast national resources of the colony. Already new industries are springing up with regard to which there' is every reason to hope that the genial climate and the great fertility of New Zealand will enablo the colony to compete successfully with other countiie's in the markets of the world;

Having the fullest confidence that with a cessation of the causes that have led to temporary depression there will come a revival of trade, and an increasing activity in all local industries my advisers have not hesitated steadily to prosecute the work of colonization by assisting to introduca a class of immigrants aoceptable to existing settlors " and nominanted by them. They have also furthered the same work by disposing of the Crown lands in such a manner as will it is believed promote their occupation by settlers who are able to aid in increasing the productive power of the country, The plan of offering a proportion of the Crown Lands for occupation on a system of perpetual lease lias met with considerable success. This result will be accepted with satisfaction generally, foi* the plan affords to the industrious settler all the permanency and security of freehold tenure, while it leaves his capital available for improvements, and for stocking his land. You will be asked to extend the operation of this plan to other parts of the colony besides its proclaimed gold field. ■ You will be glad to find from a return which will be presented to you that''during the past year there has "been' a considerable increase in the area of land taken up subject to residential conditions, and that notwithstanding the difficulty under which the agricnltuaal classes have been labouring, their engagements with the Crown have been met on the whole with credible promptitude. A proposal for dealing with pastoral land in small areas will also be submitted to you. It is a matter for congratulation that while settlement within the colony Ins been, progressing, increased facilities for the disposal of its propuct in the Home market are being afforded through the establishment, by private enterprise, of direct steam communication with Great Britain,

: Of special interest connected with the establishment of direct steam service, and the general growth of colonial industries is the fact that the great and rapidly increasing consumption of coal is being met by increased productiveness of tbe mines within the colony, the annual importation ot coal having remained almost stationary for the last two years. On the gold Gelds much enterprise has been shown by the miners during the year in introducing machinery, and opening quartz mines as well as in the application of new methods to the successful working of deep alluvial deposits, The yield ot gold from quartz shows an increase over previous years, and although the total production for the colony during the past year has not been equal to tlwt of former years there is satisfactory grounds for believing that tbe average annual yield will in future bo maintained. The policy which has heen pursued for some years in dealing with the native inhabitants of the colony. i 3 daily producing more friendly • relations between the two races,'and this satisfactory result is, I am assured, visible in altnost every native district, Explorations for railway purposes, and for surveys, for ascertainment of title over a largo areas of the North Island, hitherto but little known to Europeans, have been carried on with such slight interruptions as to show that the isolation, until lately maintained by some of the tribes no longer exists or is desired, by them.

The progress which is being made in determining tribal boundaries in the North J?laiid will shortly leave little to be done beyond the work of sub-divid-in<T and individualizing the Native tenure. : Tho'time lias arrived when a very: material change in the mode of dealing with Native Lands is called for in the interests alike of the Maori and the European population. A bill will accordingly be laid before you to regulate the sale or other disposal of land belonging to aboriginal natives. Experience has proved that the abandonment of the exclusive right of. purchase by the crown has not produced the beneficial results whicli were anticipated by the promoters of that policy, but on the other hand; direot dealing for Maori land by Europeans has been open to objections of a very grave character. Tho good of tho colony not less than the interests of the Natives, requires a completechange,. and>'< Bill will.be submitted to you by which it

will be , proposed only to- permit the: disposal of the Native lands through the Land Boards of the colony or by direct sale to the Crown. Papers relating to the work of the West Coast Commission 1 will be laid before you, together with a final report on the subject from the Commissioner. Sir William Fox has for several years devoted bimselfj with |great care, attention, and discretion, to the fulfilment of the dnties of that office, and the colony has, good reason to be satisfied with the manner in which he has completed the work entrusted to him. : Gentlemen op the House oe Representatives.—

The estimates of revenue and expenditure for the current: year will be laid before you very shortly. The lessened income from the principal' industries .of the country has led to greater frugality of living among the people, and during the.past financial year the receipts from some of tlio principal sources of .revenue have consequently fallen short of the amounts they were estimated to yield. Tliisi reduction in the Colonial rovenuo calls for greater economy and diminished expenditure in the Public Service, " Honourable gentlemen of the Legislative Council and gentlemen of the House of Representatives,—When i,.',r had the pleasure of meeting you'at l the opening' of last session, discussion was proceeding between my Government and the Governments of -Australia respecting concerted action to induce the Imperial Parliament to establish British rule and protection over certain islands of the Pacific. I then informed you that I had telegraphed to the Secretary of State, expressing my full concurrence in the desirableness of the proposed action. It was announced to Parliament 'before the end of the session that it was determined to hold a convention to consider the questions of confederation and annexation, ond that it would be attended by representatives of New Zealand, • [Left speaking.]