OPENING OF PARLIAMENT THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH. [BY TELEGRAPH.—PRESS' ASSOCIATION.]

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1860, 7 June 1884, Page 2

OPENING OF PARLIAMENT

THE GOVERNOR'S SPEECH. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS' ASSOCIATION.]

Wellington,. Thursday. HOX. 'GeSTLEMK* OF THE LtGISLATIVE Assembly,, and Gentlemen of the HoUhE OF REPRESENTATIVES. 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 Queen, through the. sudden death, of H.R.H. the Duke- of Albany. Sincere sympathy: has been felt by, the whole British people with our beloved Sovereign in her bereavement, and the high character, noble aims, and beneficent pursuits of the Prince, which have endeared him to all amongst whom he had lived and worked, have caused his loss to be regarded as a national calamity. ,1 di i not delay in assui ingherMajesty of the deep sympathy which was felt by the .people of New Zealand in her severe affliction. When I first met the Assembly after my assumption ot the Government, I expressed the satisfaction I had experienced in making myself acquainted with the people and the resources of the colony, so fir as I had then been able to visit different distiicts dm ing the k&t year. I have made a inoie extended viait thiough many p-irta of the inland, and the manner in which I have been welcomed in all the places v isited lias been most corlial and gratifying. The impressions I had already funned of the great capabilities and prospects of the countiy have been much stiengthened by all that I have lately seen. The depics&ion which lias been felt dining the past jear in many pait-> of the world has been intensified in New Zealand by the unseasonable weather which prevailed in some distiicts at harvest tune, but this dcpiession has ic illy resulted from external causes, the chief amongst wbiJi being the leduced value of the staple products of the countiy, wool and wheat. I tmsfc, however, that a lenewalof piosperity^ may with confidence be anticipated. There can be no doubt that inui cased population and a more \aiied use of the soil would result in a large development of the vast i csonrccs of the colony. Already new industries are spiingmg up with regaul to which there is cveiy reason to hope that the genial climate and the gicat felicity of New Zealand will enable the colony to compete successfully with other countnesin the maikehs of the woild. I have the iullest confidtnee that with a cessation of the causes that have led to tempoiary depression theie will come a levnal ot tiade and increasing actively in all local industries. My advisers have not hesitated steadily to piosecute the woik of colonisation by assisting to intioduce a class of immigrants acceptable to existing settlers, and nominated by them. They have also furtheied the same work by disposing of the Ci own lands in such a manner as. will, it is believed, piomote their .occupation by settlers who are able to aid in increasing the productive power of the country. The plan of ottering a portion of the Crown lands for occupation on a system of perpetual lease has met with eolisidei able success This icsult will be accepted with satisfaction geneially, tor the plan afforda to the industiious sutler all the peimanency and secmity of fiechold tenuie while it loaves his capita) available for unpioviii'cnts and foi stocking his Kind. You will be asked to extend the opeiation ot this plan to other parts of the colony besides its proclaimed goldfields. You will be glad to find, fiom aietnin which will bo presented to you, that, (lining the past year, theie has been a consideiable increase in the aiea of land taken up subject to icsidential conditions, and that Notwithstanding the difficulty under which the agiicultural classes have been labouring, their engagements with the Ctown have been met on the whole with creditable promptitude. A proposal for dealing with pastoral lands in small areas will also be submitted to you. It ia a matter for congratulation that while settlement within the colony has been progressing, increased facilities for the disposal of its products in the Home market are being offered thiough the establishment by private enterprise of direct steam communication with Great Britain. A matter of special interest connected with the establishment the diiect steam sei v iceand general growth of colonial industiies is the fact that the gieat and uipidly increasing consumption of coal is being met by the increased productiveness of the mines within the colony. The annual impoi ration of coal has remained almost stationary for the last tour yeais. On the goldfields much interest has been shown by the mineis during the year in introducing machinery and opening quartz mines, as well as in the application ot new methods to the successful woiking of deep alluvial mines. The yield of gold from quart/ shows an increase over previous years, and although the total productions of the colony during the year has not been equal to that of former 'yeais, there is satisfactory ground for believing that the aveiage annual yields will in futuie be maintained. The policy which has been pursued for sonic years in dealing with the native inhabitants of the colony is daily producing more ftiendly lelations between the two races, and this satisfactory result is, I am assured, visible iv almost every native district. Explorations for railway purposes, and surveys for the ascertainment of title over large aieas of the North Island, hitherto but little known to Europeans, have been carried on with such slight interruptions as to show that the resolution until lately maintained by some of the tiibes no longer exists or is desired by them. The progress which is being made in the determination of the tribal boundaries in the North Island ivill shortly leave little to be done beyond the work of sub-dividing and individualising the native tenure. The time has arrived when a very material change in the mode of dealing with' native lands is called for iv the interest alike of the Maori and European population. A bill will accoidingly 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 which were anticipated by the disposal of that policy, but that on the other hand direct dealing for Maori land by ''Europeans has been open to objections of a very marked chaiacter., The good of the colony, not' less than the interest of the natives, requires a complete change, and a bill will be submitted to you .by whioli it will be proposed to permit the disposal of native landboly through the land boards of the cbTon/,"rir~By "direct sale to_ tbe~~Crown.* Papers relating^to ttuuKOuk pf_.tne West Coast Commission will be laid before you, together with a final report on the subject from ,the commission. Sir Wm. Fox has for several years devoted himself with' great care and attention and discretion Jto the fulfilment of the duties of that office, and the colony lias good reason to be satisfied with the'inanrieiun which fte has ■ completed the , work entrusted to him. " „_

Gentlemen; of th« House OF/RBp»Kf

tilre far/bfa current year, will Jue^laidy^ I fdre yon very shortly* v The lessened in- \ come from the principal industries of the c6iu^ y; ,ha3,kd,to.,gr^ter tog^-of living .iriibhg the people, amF during' tHe past financial year , the receipts from some of the principal sources, of revenue Lave boniefitiently 'fallen/ abort ,of jtfre amount "they were estimated to yield. Tina reduction "in'tKe colonial* revenue calla for greater. economy and diminished ; expenditure in the public service.

Hon. Gentlemen of the' Legislative Council, and Gkstlemev of the House or Repee!*bnt,ativ£H. ' -,\ When I had the pleasure of meeting you at the.opening of last sessiojva discussion w,n£ [proceeding;* r b."et\ve,en nn^ Government an 3 tlie Governments of tneAustralian colonies respecting' the concerted action to induce* the Imperial* Government to establish Britjsh rule .or protection over certain islands of the Pacific. I then informed you that I had telegraphed to ; 6he Secretary of State, expressing my full conciurence in the desirableness of the proposed action. -It was before the etttf of the session announced to Parliament that it was.determiued to hold a convention to consider the ques- * tion of confederation and'annexation,'a^d^that it would be attended by repre-j, 3entative3 of New Zealand. I readily consented to accredit the Premier and the hon. Sir Fiederick Whitaker, his predecessor in oflice, to attend the Convention on behalf of this colony. The meeting took place at Sydney, during the months of November and, December last, and afforded an opportunity for the discussion of several matters affecting intercolonial interests. The report of the Convention will be at once presented to yon. Papers will also he laid before you relating to confederation and annexation, and to the action taken and proposed to be taken by the French Government with regard to the transpor-f tation of com icts and relapsed criminals to these seas. You will be invited to consider certain resolutions of the Convention, especially those concerning the convict question, and also to consider a draft bill has ing for its object the establishment of a Federal Council. The provisions oi this bill in no way affect the - powers of the several colonies respecting tlip control oi their own affairs, but it is deemed to hi of great importaiice that/ thcie should be a body having authority to act in matters affecting the Australasian colonies, as to which individual colonies won' d be powei less or incapable of more than weak or dilatory action. Any action taken fiom time to time by the Imperial Government will be greatly facilitated by the cx ; stence of a body representing United Australasia with which they might confer on matters concerning thej iclations between his part of the empire. and foreign countiies. Returns will be l.ud before you, from which you will learn tluit there was, dnriug the year, a large . increase in the traffic on the railways, indicating a considerable growth in the industiies of the colony ; but it was foupd dm ing the last few months that, notwithstanding this increase, there would be a deficiency in the actual receipts as compaied with the estimates which were submitted to you last session. Large expenditure had also become indispensable, not only for providing necessary appliances, but also for affording increased facilities to those nsing the line 3. In these circumstances the Government decided to exercise poweis given and return to that tariff" which, without beaiing unfairly upon any class had formerly been in force, rather than allow the expense of carriage upon the railways to fall on the gcneial taxation of the country. Careful surveys have been made of different routes proposed* tortlie main ti unk railway through the North Island. Reports as to these, showing their rcspectii c means and the character of the country ti i\er&ed by each, will be Liid before you in ac^oi dance with the terms of the " Noith Wand M lin Trunk Raihviy Loan Act." Your appi oval will lie asked for that loutu which isshow n to offoi upon ths whole the greatest adv antagos. A bi'l w ill be introduced hiving fcr its ob]t*ct to estiblish the Civil Sen ic3 on a nr>rc satisfactory basis. Ky its pro\ isiou« it w ill be bought to give to the oltieers of the service a confidence in their status as defined by legislation, w Inch cannot but be beneficial to them and to the public they serve. At the same time a guarantee will lie given as to the leward of merit, that promotion will be open in .ill departments of the service to those v\ ho prov ctliemsulvesemcient. Amongst other measures submitted . for your considciation will be a bill to provide for thp cairiage of pa ret 1* by post, a bill to amend the Regulation of Elections Act, a bill to alter the constitution of certain city electorates, a bill to consolidate and amend the law rehting to the qualification and registration of votes ; to provide for the issue of electors' lisjlits ; a bill to amend the law n latins to the property of mairivd women ; a bill to facilitate the alienation of land. Ido not doubt that the circumstances of Hie colony and tlu> piovisions of the measures bio"nht bcfoie you will receive your most careful and earnest consiilciation, and I trust that your decisions nny, by God's blessii.se, tend to the happiness and well-being of the people of New Zealand.