OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4147, 24 June 1892, Page 2

OPENING OF PARLIAMENT.

ZTtimewrtt.Speech

■'The. tbM' session of the twelfth New Zealand Parliament was.'bpehed with the usual'ceremony in "Wellings ton yesterday,, when HisExcellenoy the Governor was pleased to inakelhe following'speech-:--'' '; : '' ' ; Honorable Gentlemen of the Legy ialative Council and Gentlemen of the House of Bepresen'tatifes.—ls gives me'much pleasure to meet you in Parliament assembled so soon after my arrival in New Zealand. 1 have also to, express my pleasure at the wurra and loyal welcome given me as Her ..Majesty's, representative tyj the inhabitants of this city arid district.' I feel, convinced "t.bat this- is : but an earnest of the cordial feeling of loyalty. .to,pur Sovereign. entertained, by the whole people of the colony—a feeling which found expression in the wide* spread grief and 'sympathy'manifested some monthß since bn.'the'ocoasibri of 'the"'"sad and lamented death of Her Majesty's grandsen, tho Me of Clarence., ; It is my pleasant,jot at thiß, the commencement of my \ term of.office,.to be.able to congratulate yon upon the continued and sustained improvement in the ' ,: ■■-;', PUBLIC' FIifANOES AND PRIYME INDUS" , .TRIES. •: :''(' ; i of the Colony, New Zealand is.now in 1 a sounder, and; more prosperous state than 'at any .time '.during,'the last'thirteen..years.; I era happily able to stale, as my predecessor stated twelvemonths ago, that the provision made during last session for carrying 1 on the publio services has proved more than sufficient. The remarkable volume of our exports, still greatly in excesa of that of our imports, proves clearly that the Colony, posaoasß'a'both* thrower and'the will to steadily reduce its liabilities. ..The 1 relative increase of the imports, moreover,' may he considered evidence that this process' of 'reduction is now, sufficiently, far,, advanced to allow to the people of. thei Colony a wider' margin for expenditure, ' It is with pleasure that I'drawyour.atlehtibn to the fact that IhV :: '' ""'" ''■'"" : r

'■ EXPOKTS OF !?,Z. PRODUCE ; for the. financial jear show 'an aotual increase, despite the partial. failure bf : the wheat "harvest of ! 1891 and the comparatively low price of.our,staple; export,, wool. • On the occasion of jour meeting together last year your attention was especially invited to that, . ; .., ;•, i . . : ,,EXODUB OFrOPUUTION: ..,.:.j frotc this to the neighbouring colonies, which, after continuing for some years, had up .toithat moment shown no sign of abatement. lam glad, boweverj to db able to inform you that since the prorogation of your rHouses in September last,, the statistics of arrivals and departures show a-fair exoess of the _ former over the latter. •My Minister are of opinion thatthis improved state of affairs is dus.ia part at ,least:to the efforts madeby the ,'."... ' '•■''•' ■• 'SURKAU OF INDUSTRIES ■ . ,: :

to accelerate the circulation of labour through' the Colony, The obange is the moregratifying in view of the fact that the public works expenditure oi some of the Außlralian'oolonies has for years so enormously exceeded ourown, The disposal and settlement of

>t -. lUB'toSIE LANDS... of .'(he:. Crown has '.'gone". on apace during.jie 'lasttwelye'montbß.: .:The extraordinary- ; stream' of applications whioh ;has'; been; flowing; in'"from Speoiar ; Associations affo^dßih'tli^opinibao^my: ; odyißerß a further con'vinoing proof of the great i,and still increaaintf demand for land among bona.jidis intending settler's 1 on; the ■soil, -The returns'to be laid before you by; the Lands Department will, so my advisers think, prove that the the Colony is now ohiefly limited by but.three con-ditions-First, the amount of Crown Land still'available" for occupation: second,.the amount of money in hand for spending on ; third, the willingness.- of Parliament to amend and improve such parts of the Land lawa.raß-form;. in the opinion of my Ministers a hindrance rather than :a ; help\to rapid and genuine, settlement, The purchase of ■■■<" • ; !

'';',';"" ..^nativelandsV. ';. V. Las'been carried on-aa'apeedily as financial considerations Lave per* nutted, and the demeanour of the Native tribes at various conferences with members of tba Government has been marked by a satisfactory inclination for' fajr discussion/ '.The arrangement entered "in't'p with Ta\ybiao.;.tyi vjiioti ifo' Accepts a Government pension marks, I trust, a removal of the' last barrier to the peaoeful.development of ,that .portion of the North Island wbioh'hW for'a whole generation been more orlesa isolated by what has been'kabwu : as "The KiDgMovement." A departmenial re : arrapgDnient has.broken up the Native"Departme^; 1 distributing jls functions through the Departments .of apd jjnsticeV It Has. ho\ve'xer, heep considered very necessary not to leaye the Maori rape.to imagine that this means any lessened attention by the Government to their wants and interests, For this and other reasons it has been thought well to add to "the Exeoutivo Council a member o( the Native Wee in the manner provided for by statute. On meeting you last year, regret ,was expressed) by .my predecessor at the wntm'iied' and disoburaging deoline in the ! :; YELDOPOUB OOIDFIELBB. '"" ■• I have, therefore, tbe'greater plea6nfo in bein£ able to congratulate you upon the distinct improvement shown by the foinfrig roturns of'the financial year mil! ended,/ Jly'fjb»crnjlentla's recently been''inviy' ; to Bend''r'ep,resen'taUyesto'the'p'ropoHed' "" AUSTRALASIAN CONFERENCE to consider the further introdupjion of coloured .labour inlo lb Northern continental tnjt tho jnvita-

tiou baa not yet been accepted. ■.[';. Hon, Gontlemon of the Legislative CounciL-l deeply regret that your already diminished numbers;; have been still further reduced by the deaths of three much esteemed mem»' hers, by the resignation of a foarih,;; and by the temporary departure frjjjjji v the Oolonyof others of your number. Gentlemen of the House of Sepre-' ■'■■•. aentatives,—The estimates of revenue and. expenditure .will -belaid before you, The items of expenditure >havo. been framed .-with a. strict, regard to economy;^'Youj ; *ill-dottbtleßß be gratified to •learn, that informationcarefnlly gathered "points"' to -'the;' conclusion that : -impqrtaQt..reform iof maHo'.by-you last session will be carried into'effeot . without any lossto' the revenue whatever, r.; (l :, i; '- ;iV ., ~,X;. Hon Gentlemen bf the' Legislative Council and Gentlemen pflhe ;ffouse of' Representati >•<«,—Returns will be laid'beforetyou 'showing'th'B'resultsipf traffic in all branches of the railways. : : You. will be r 'asked V! to ""give 5 ! your' , attention .to.the questioiLof tpluture management Jif valuable : part ; of,.the National,property, .The prosecution Vof publio- 'works :*during has been marked by ope or,-two/'features oilling.for.Bjiepial flotice,.-:,.): The,; encouragement, Tot Associations of workmonouthe d$K

has: to ; results .equally).satisfactory to the State and the' workmen concerned. The same may be said'of the abolition of /'the system known -as "Bub-contraetiag,'!.''.,'' ',','.':'' '!';'' • '"■''•';".■■■->'. ' NBWBILISi :■ (,'li . be asked''again' tq'.cbnsider BUIb dealing with'the '.liand Laws, the acquisition of private lands for settlement in small blocks, and the rrelief' of "certain .hard-pressed tenants-of the CrjWriJ, iThe pectoral Bill as introducfcd jast.year wiliagain be laid before; you with one very noticeable addition. Tho juries Bill will this year contain further reforms, and you will be asked to pass a Bill amending the law.of Bankruptcy and another providing for the Payment of Members. ■' There are „aleo ready' for your consideration Bills dealing with the Civil Servants and - other.,employfo of the' State, several measures referring f to, Agriculture, : Bills for amending the law relating'.(o, insurance companies and policies, for dealing with unclaimed lands' and mawyis. for aiding the acquisition of JPfve land, for dealiugwith the NativaLand Court, with the West Coast Reserves, with. Technical Education', with the transfer of laud,,"with testamentary restrictions on property, as,well.as other Bills relating to matters of pub« lie interest. In the opinion of my advisers the time, has now, arrived for placing'on'the statute bbok-a measure providing for the establishment of Boards of Conciliation aad aCoUrt of Arbitration to cope with industrial disputes, Other measures designed to improve. :the condition; of ; ther wage earners and; workmen, of. : the oblpny will be laid before you. These matters I commend to your attention, assuring you of my-earnest wish to aid your labours in 'the interests of the colony,"ahd ; praying that your efforts, may with Goto blessing tend to the happiness and -well-being, of the people.of New Zealand.