PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 996, 16 August 1872, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY NEWS.

The following members voted on Mr Collins's motion for the reduction of the gold duty to 2s per oz.:— Axes, 31—Messrs Stafford, Shephard (Otago), Collins, Murray, Brown (Otago), Kenny, Seymour, Johnston, O'Conor, Bradshaw, Katene (Maori), Brown (Canterbury), Bryce, Swanson, Eichardsou, Parker, Wood, M'Grlashan, Eeid, Bunny, Sheehan, Steward, Kelly, Wakefield, White, Tribe, Bathgate, O'Nioll, Hunter, Bluett, M'Leod, Thomson, Pearce, Calder. Noes. 11 —Messrs Studholme, Shephard, Eteves, O'Rorke, Gisborne, Williamson, Ormond, M'Lean, Ycgel, Fox, Fitzherhert. Mr Vogel then stated that the Government would no longer oppose the reduction, but would either support a bill effecting it, if introduced by Mr Collins, or would themselves introduce it. Air Collins requested the Government to take charge of the measure. THE SUPEIIIXTBNnEXT OP NELSONS SIOXIOX. The following debate on Mr Curtis's motion, deprecating any hasty changes in the boundaries of existing provinces, is condensed from the Wellington ' Independent ' : Air Curtis in speaking to the motion said—His chief reason for desiring that hasty changes should not bo made was because the Government had on many occasions shown an inclination to interfere prejudically with the configuration of the province of Nelson. For the last four sessions the Government had made attempts in this direction. The first attempt made was to add to the province a piece of territory it did not require, and intimation of that desire was made known to the provincial authorities in the shape of a threat that if they did not agree to accept it they would have a portion of their province taken from them. Of course he disregarded that threat, but he found that the Government were determined to persist in carrying it out, for which object they were to have a bill for the " unification" of the West Coast Goldfields, whatever that meant. The term was an exceedingly vague one, so much so that the Government themselves did not know what was intended by if, or indeed

what they intended to do themselves in the matter. The inevitable result of such legislation would be to create uneasiness and uusettlement, and in doing that he believed it would carry out the wishes of the Premier, whose visit to the district seemed to be with that object, or at any rate that was the effect it left behind. Arguing from the experience of the past ho could not see what good such proposals effected. The separation of provinces or dismemberment was very undesirable. The separation of Marlborough from Nelson was a failure ; the separation of Southland was a failure; the separation of Hawke's Bay from Wellington was a failure ; and he thought the West Coast members themselves would agree that the separation of Westland from Canterbury was also a failure. He hoped hon. members would support the motion and affirm the principle upon which future legislation in this direction should be founded.

Mr Harrison considered the proposition contained in the motion so unobjectionable in itself that there could be no opposition to it; but it must be apparent to tho House that the motion was brought forward to anticipate a debate which was announced to come before the House at a future sitting. At the proper time he would be prepared to argue upon the whole matter, and to bring forward reasons which would convince the House of the necessity for the measure it was intended to introduce. He would now move the previous question. Mr Stafford differed with the hon. member that thj question was one brought on for the purpose of interfering with a particular debate. It affirmed a principle, unon which the Kou-e was entitled t5~ hear some expression of opinion from the Government. Mr Tribe and Mr Collins were in favor of the motion.

Mr Shepherd considered the motion of the hon. member for Nelson a very adroit method of defeating a proposal distasteful to him. His object was to alarm the Superintendents of other provinces, and so obtain their support in resisting the demands of the West Coast. No doubt it was not palatable to the Superintendent of Nelson that a portion of his territory should be cut off from him, but it must be considered that the interests of the "West Coast goldfields, and those of Nelson, were as widely separated as the poles, and the Ho-ise should not insist that they should be tied together against the wishes of the people, in whose interest the change was desired.

Mr "White did not like the hon. member's way of bringing forward this motion. All he had told the House was that the separation of Otago from Southland was a failure, that the separation of Hawke's Bay from Wellington was a failure, and when he came to the separation of Westland from Canterbury he also said that was a failure. He was happy to be in a position to give that statement an unqualified denial, and he appealed to Canterbury members to confirm bis opinion. The lion, gentleman, while dealing so liberally in the subject of failures, had altogether omitted to make any reference to that particular Government which had its habitation in Nelsc-n—a government which had done more to mar the institutions of the con.tr/ than any other that ever had existence in it. The change asked for iu tl e bill was one that had been recognised as necessary and desirable, almost from the time when the West Const goldfields were first discovered. Mr O'Conor could not bat admire the artfulness of the lion, member who introduced the motion, in applying his observatioi.s, not to his own district, which was the secret spring in the movement, but to the country as a whole. After combating the arguments employed in favor of the motion, the hon. member stated that the course taken by the Government in the bill they intended to introduce was forced upon them by the unanimous wish of all parts of the country. lie was aware that the Provincial Government of Nelson had a paid agent employed in obtaining signatures against the bill for amalgamating the districts of the West Coast, but lie thought the House would be able to place a proper value upon docum nts got up in such a manner. Mr Macandrow considered the proposition so self-evident that he felt bound to support it.

Mr Fox, in response to the challenge of the hem. member for Timaru, desired to inform the House that the Government had a very definite opinion on the matter, and he would state briefly the course the Government proposed. The hon. member's motion itself was divided in*o two parts, the first of whi :h he would, if the rules of the House would permit him to do so, state at once to be the silliest he had ever seen on the paper. What did it deal with? Nothing in particular. It reminded him of a schoolboy theme—one of those harmless trite assertions which amount to nothing greater than the commonest of truisms. He did not think the time of the House should bo occupied in discussing such selfevident propositions, and he would leave it to produce what effect it might upon the House. The part from which the hon. member hoped to gain no inconsiderable advantage, was the second part, but the hon member should have borne in mind that the fowler should not set his trap in siirht of tho bird. The hon. member knew very well that the question was one between the Superintendent of the province of Nelson and the wishes of the inhabitants of the go'.dfiolds. Ho knew very well that a bill was to be brought in which would interfere with portions of the province, over which he exercised some control, and he saw that the case against him was so strong that it was likely to be carried. What, then, does he do? He immediately endeavors to get the House to pass a motion to prevent any action being taken on the West Coast and he invites the assistance of tho members from Otago and Auckland, because, as he told them, they are iu imminent danger of being served the same way. But the member for Port Chalmers had carefully avoided the trap set for him, and he hoped to find him supporting the bill to he brought in by the Government

for the placing of the West Coast Goldfields on a much better footing than they Btand upon at presont. As vega rdod the agitation on the West Coast, he knew that he and his colleague, Mr Reeves, were going to get a sjreat blowing up from the hon. member who of course, gave his own reasons for it' He might be permitted to say that the real object of his visit to the West Coast w»g not, as had been stated by the hon. member for Parnell, to sketch the glaciers. It was this: that the members of the Government —and it applied to previous Governments a3 well—had always been in a state of mystification in regard to affairs affecting that part of the colony. They were eontinually being charged by members from the West Coast with not understanding the position of matters, and he determined that he would make himself acquainted with the necessities and requirements of the various districts by personal inspection. Having done so, he was ashamed now to think how great his ignorance was in reference to that part of the colony. Reference had been made to the agitation on the West Coast, and to his having fomented strife in the district, but from what he saw when ha arrived there it was too true that it needed no one to go there for the purpose of en« couraging a feeling of the kind. There was enough discontent and cause for it in the locality ; it needed no interference from without. The hon member then passed on to the motion before the House, and stated that there was no reason in the nature of things for a debate on abstract propositions such a3 the one before them, which laid it down that before they could deal with a portion of one province in the way the Government were about to do they must endorse a proposition referring to every province in the colony. They were not governing the country for the benefit of the Superintendent of Nelson or for \n province. There were other interests to be consulted; The Government had to see tWj •all parts of the colony were attended to, and that he understood to be the proper duties of Government. He should support the motion for the previews question, and he felt bound to say that if the motion were carried, it would not prevent the Govern, ment bringing forward the bill of which they had given notice. Mr Reid saw no reason why it should not be passed. It seemed to him that the mind of the Government was guided on all these subjects by the number of votes likely to be gained. He should support the mo- • tion. Mr Shepherd was of opinion that there mi a much deeper object in tho Premier's visit to the West Coast than the practice of that art in which he is so skilful. Whether there was or not its result had been that dissatisfaction and discontent has arisen in the mining districts, and a complete revulsion of the opinions of the people in regard to the Govern. ment in whose province the district is situate. Mr M'Gillivray supported the motion. Mr Curtis did not, in his previous remarks, say that the Premier went to the West Coast with the imention of creating dissatisfaction, but tbat certainly was the effect of his visit in some districts. He happened to be in the district at the same time as tho hon. gentleman, and at Charleston he addressed a meet. ing of 500 miners, convened at their own request, and at the conclusion a vote of thanks favorable to him (Mr Curtis) was passed. At Reefton, the head-quarters of the dissalis. tion, he received the same mark of confidence. The motion was then put and carried on division by -36 to 29.