LAST NIGHT'S SITTING.

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1432, 6 September 1881, Page 2

LAST NIGHT'S SITTING.

The House resumed at 7.30. Mr Tairoa continued the debate, and Mr Reeves followed. Sir George Grey complained of having, when speaking on Friday, been ruled out of order when alluding to the consequence which mifht result from the concentration of political power in a few governing families. He held the bill should be intituled not a Representation Bill, but one to further limit the electoral rights of ibe people of New Zealand. Full freedom of speech was not accorded him to speak aa a statesman should. He would,, however, proceed to speak fully and openly, and he hoped he would be permitted now to do so. New Zealand was, he believed, in a more desperate condition on the land question, than even Ireland. The people had been plundered by chicanery and the imputation of political power. The Premier had certainly stolen his clothes often enough, but this bill was not his garment. He explained the difference between this bill and the one he had drafted. He had never offered unfair opposition to the bill ; even the' very flight before the cotip d'etat he and Mr Macandrew had been engaged in drawing/ up a compromise, 'which he believed would have been accepted, that the towns should not be divided, that no additional power should be given to property, and. that the case of Nelson should.

be submitted to the House in a separate clause. When the action of Friday night was taken, however, he flaw all hope of a peaceful settlement at an end, and determined to have nothing more to do with men capable of Buck conduct. He was not at all jealous of the increased representation to the Middle Island. He wanted representation for all the colonyaccording to population. . The Maoris in the North Island should, he thought, be taken into account. He would not even insist of this if equal voting power was secured to every elector in the colony. He spoke at length on the acquisition of large landed estates in this colony. He would suffer anything to undo the wrongs already perpetrated and likely to be perprtrated by this bill. The state of land matters in New Zealand was more alarming than Ireland. In the latter country there were 135 persons holding over J 0,000 acres, and in New Zealand, 250 persons; 90 holding 20, 000 acres in Ireland, and Jt 18 persons in New Zealand; 14 person* l>n^ over 50,000 acres in Ireland, and jn th"fcs cplony 36 persons ; in Ireland three persons held over 100,000 acres, and in New Zealand there were seven. That was the state of things as between Ireland and this country. In New Zealand these large properties were acquired by first the gridironing system, and second, what was called the pre-emptive right. The modus operand i followed in both cases was described, after which the speaker went on to say that nothing more unfair could possibly be conceived. Under the pre-emptive system 350,000 acres was alienated, and as it allowed the selectors ten years to complete their right. The colony was robbed by that means of the interest on their 350,000 acres, or, as a money consideration, £430,000. It was against such wrongs as this that he lifted up his voice, and he would continue to do so even although he went through New Zealand hooted by every man m the colony. Was it remarkable that the colony should be trusted in the hands of men of men of the class indicated above ? That was the question they were brought face to face with. These were dangerous truths, and it was in view ot that fact that the Premier sought to shut their mouths. He had also endeavoured to bribe others by granting them increased voting power. If thN design succeeded he could forsee suffering humanity amongst a few wealthy men, perhaps not living here at all, but spending their ill got gains in another country. Forseeing all that, he would not, he could not remain silent. How was this state of affairs to be got right if si bill of this kind passed, which gave the man who had committed the first wrong eight or nine votes as a reward for that very wrong doing. The time would come when these tilings would be understood, and understood with bitterness in New Zealand, The enormous area of 11,000,000 acres in New Zealand had been divided amongst 1632 persons. These were the men who were steadily fighting on to ride over them and make them serfs of the lowest grade. It was against such a doom as this they had striven. Leave this bill as it was and it meant the power of sending a majority of that class ; it meant the whole control of all the offices as well as of the lands ; in short, it meant means for securing greater power than it yet had. Not only would it be the means of inflicting further injury, but it would be the means of validating past wrongs, as witness the Validation Acts passed by this very Government and its predecessors. He told them then that he would resist every step of this bill, though he stood solitary and alone. Mr Saunders said they had heard that kind of declaration night after night, despite the fact that those who uttered it knew that it was wholly groundless. The bill which was now denounced was in i eabty, as had been shown, the bill of his ((xrey's) own Cabinet. They had also been told that he dissented from it. It was remarkable, however, that that dissent had not taken the form ot resignation on his part. That of itself was a most significant fact. There was no great danger to be apprehended from propei ty. The tjranny was to be apprehended from the opposite class — the "ne'er-do-well " unemployed, and others who never did anything worthy of the respect or consideration of the country. He was proceeding to say that there was no reason for any honest man to be unemployed in this colony, when his remarks were interrupted by howling and hooting from the public gallery. The Speaker said if any interruption took place there he would cause the gallery to be cleared at once. Mr Turnbull said he would call attention to strangers being present. The Speaker said he had sufficient authority, and would exercise it if necessary. Mr Saundeis then proceeded, protesting against the efforts to set class against class. (Left sitting.)