PARLIAMENTARY. House of Representatives. THE SEPARATION DEBATE

Waikato Times, Issue 660, 12 August 1876, Page 2

PARLIAMENTARY. House of Representatives. THE SEPARATION DEBATE

Wednesday evening sitting. Mr Reader YVoj<l fcjok up the Seuai.v tion debute. He deiended tho clmrgea made by Mr Bees against the tfinistrj, as well foundcJ, and meriting more bitiouj treitment limn 'hoy recnred. lie ndiculeii tbe Hon Air Bowon's reply to Mr Wlutaker us something not wonk considoration. It »as like a feather floating in tho air which the sharpest sword could not touch de congratulated Ministers on having marie U|i ti.eir minds to meet tne arguments of iki Oppositio i insteid ot eudeavouriiig to strangJe tho d bale lie considered ton- George Giey'» _propo.

sab simple, states nan-likr, and prondirg for all the possible causes of the con'ention bat ween fch.' North and Smith, while this wretched bills of the Ministry were pomptliiog any Government ought to be heiitily ashamed of. They had been asked for detai.s of thdir resolutions, bub . swell a r-quesfc whs foo iah. There was " ample material in tin resolutions upon wnich to fni'ne bil'i to cirry out all tue requ site detuila. T buy had be a u twitted as to on what basis they placed the arrangement babireon Otaijo and Auckland, but he could tell them, it wx. not upon population or ucr*s, but upon th© me ins at the dLpo»al of AucUmd and theNorrh Isl-uil. Th ir share must be uiidL-r thx £200,000. To sh .w upon what basis the arrangements h id been made, ho ga»e the following fi^mos : — For the North lsiand — Cu-to-os Revenue, £600,0000; Land Fund, £liOO0>; interest on the Uo'oniil Debt, £19^001) ; Provincial inteie-t, £67,0.10; which being deducted from ihn oin-r t.vo items, le t a balance of £473,00 u. For tilt South Isltna — Oujroms Revenue, £961.000; L»nd Fund, £799 000 -tosal, £1,760,000; interest on th» Co onial Debt, £625 000; Provincial interest, £150,000; which tik«n from Uiererenuß left a baiunce of £991,00!). l'lie hon geatlem in tlit-n touclie I upiii tlie principal speeches in opposition to the resDlutionH, &*d s*ii \ukland and Olago wore for Separatio i as one man. (Cnej of ' Hear, heur,' <md 'No, no.') The bon. gentleman adduced a multitude of arguments in fivuur of tho ros lu'ions, and commented in ver» severe ter.n3 upjn the way ttie country had be n m slei bj the Gnernuient. In 187 i, wh-n the question »m raised ia the Upper Hout«, I)r Po'lsn soi I things wero going on all right, and th*t in 1870 whet £13 500,0j0 would bo spent, they would have 750 mile* of r ilway. N.jvt the result wa* that over £18,000 000 were spent, and we had but 550 mil-s of railw.iy The hou gentleman con ended that tho progress of the cjlonr and the couflic mi^ mteroitj of the people till wore aguitdt a uniled colony. Mr Staff>rd followed in opposition to the ro olutuns ; but the flrw jjfcri, of hit speeoh was tak^n up wrtfcv>««plie» to pirsonil r-iferouees to hi« own piliicil lif.> ov VlrHi-lop-indDr Hodgicm^on. He comidoreil ilr Whitaki-r's resolutions a reality, rind u solution of a great question th.it must 'orce its.-ll upw (he p.-op c of Nc* Zoaland yet, and if Mr Wlntaker brought it forward next session ha would pr^in 83 him a larger number of v..te» than he had the other duy. Sir Gear^o Grey'a resolu ions, on the othar huid, were a sham, nnd would not ctand tiie test of explanation by anyo ie ut aila acqiuintccl .vit'i thu finanoi narrdiige.uents of the colony. Ho depreuhted the .eiieral iictittidd ot the Ot;ioo ine.nbers in en laivoni ni^ to scu u\ite tliat p irt of the colony from the re3t of the colony. He ridiculed the stileuippt of th) ho.i number for the V\"aikat ) a<t to the huppmess of the colonj when govemoit as two province*, and citea o.rourainiDC-s to show that it was the \ very rews« i , and fliai it was the inteust dissatufact;i'>n then that Yd to the iidoptioti of the present Con*titutioi The hon {^ent oman wus intarrupt-^d br thn arrival of the hour of ajjournment, 5.30 p.m.