GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3112, 25 June 1892, Page 2

GENERAL ASSEMBLY.

♦— LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL. THURSDAY. The third session of the eleventh ?»*•'»■ ment of New Zealand whs opened at 2.30 p.m. to-day by Hie Excellency the Governor. Fifteen members of the Council attended in their Beats, and in response to a summons from Hie Excellency, forty-four members of the Lower House, headed by the Speaker, appeared. Hie Excelllency wore the uniform of of Post-Captain, and wae attended by his two A.D.C.'a and the Foreign Consuls. the governor's spbeoh. The following ie His Excellency's Speech :— Honourable Gentlemen of thk LkoislaTIVE CODNCIL AND GbNTLEMBN OK THB HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,— It gives me much pleasure to meet you in Parliament assembled so eoon after my arrival in New Zealand- I have also to express my pleasure at the warm and loyal welcome given me as Her Majesty s Representative by the inhabitants of the city and districts. I feel confident that this is but an earnest of the cordial feeling of loyalty to our Sovereign entertained by the whole people of the colony, a feeling which found expression in the widespread grief and sympathy manifested some months since on the occasion of the ead and lamented death of Her Majesty's grandson, the Duke of Clarence. It is my pleasant lot at ttm— the commencement of my term of office—to be able to congratulate yon upon the continued and sustained improvement in the public finances and private industries of the colony. New Zealand is now in a sounder and more prosperous state than at any time during the past 13 years. I am happily able to etate, as my predecessor stated twelve mouths ago, that the provision made during the past session for carrying on the public service has proved more than sufficient. The remarkable volume of our exports-still greatly in excess of that of our imports—proves clearly that tne colony possesses both the power and the will to steadily reduce its liabilities. Ihe relative increase of the imports, moreover, may be considered evidence that this process of reduction is now suthciently far advanced to allow the people of the colony a wider margin for expenditure. It is with pleasure that I draw you attention to the fact that the exports of New Zealand produce for the financial year shows an actual increase, despite the partial failure of the wheat harvest of 1891, and the comparatively low prices of our staple export-wool. On the occasion of your meeting together last year your attention was especially invited to the exodua of population from this to the neighbouring colonies, which, after continuing for some yeaw, had up to that moment shown no sign of abatement. I am glad, however, to be able to inform vou that since the prorogation of your House in September last the statistics of arrivals and departures show a larße excess of the former over the latter. Inw improved state of affairs is due, in part at leaet, to the efforts made by the Bureau of Industry to accelerate the circulation of labour through the colony. T h u e o . han K? » the more gratifying in view of the fast that the public works expenditure of some ot tne Australian colonies has for years so enormously exceeded our own. The disposal and settlement of the waste lands of the Crown has gone on apace during the last twelve months. The extraordinary stream of applications which has been flowing in from special settlement associations affords in the opinion of my advisers a further convincing proof of the great and still increasing demand for land among bona fide intending settlers on the soil. The returns to be laid before yon by the Land Department will, so my advisers think, prove that the rate of settlement in the colony is now chiefly limited by but three conditions :--first, the the amount of Crown lands still available for occupation ; second, the amount of money In hand for spending on surveys ; third, the willingness of Parliament to amend and improve such parts of the land law as form in the opinion of my Ministers it hindrance rather than a help to rapid and genuine settlement. The purchase of native lands has been carried on as speedily as financial considerations have permitted, and the demeanour of the native tribes at various conferences with members of the Government, has been marked by a satis-

factory inclinatioo for fair discussion. The arrangement entered into with Tawhiao, by which ha accepts a pension, marks, 1 trust, a removal of the lasb barrier to the peaceful development of that portion of the North Island which has tor a whole generation been more or 1633 isolated by what has been known J. he King movement." A Departmental re-ar-rangement has broken up the Native Department distributing its functions through the Departments of Land and Justice. It has, however, been considered very necessary not to leave the Maori race to imagine that this means any lessened attention by the Government to their wants and interests and for this and other reasons it has been thought well to add to the Executive Council a member of the native race in the manner provided for by statute. On meeting you last year regret was expressed by my predecessor at the continued and discouraging decline in the yield of our goldfields. I have, therefore, the greater pleasure in being able to congratulate you upon the distinct improvement shown by the mining returns of the financial year just ended. My (government has recently been invited to send representatives to the proposed Australian Conference to consider the further introduction of coloured labour into the northern colonies, but the invitation has nots been accepted.

Hon. Gentlemen of the Legislative Council, , I deeply regret that your already dimished numbers have been still further reduced by the deaths of three esteemed members, by tho resignation of a fourth, and by the temporary departure from the colony of others of your number. Gentlemen of the House of Representatives,— , .. The estimate of revenue and expenditure will be laid before you. The estimates of expenditure have been framed with strict regard to economy. You will doubtless be gratified to learn that the information carefully gathered points to tho conclusion that the important reform of tho direct taxation made by you last session will be carried into effect without any loss to the revenue whatever. Hon. Gentlemen or the Legislative Council and Gentlemen of the House ok Representatives,— Returns will be laid before you showing the results of traffic on all branches of the railways. You will bo asked to give your attention to [ho question of the future management of this large and valuable part of the national property. The prosecution of public works during the last year has been marked with one or two features calling for special attention. The encouragement of associations of workmen on the co-operative system has led to results equally satisfactory to the State and workmen concerned. The same may be said of the abolition of the system known as subcontracting." You will be asked again to consider a Bill dealing with the land laws, the acquisition of private lands for settlement in small blocks, and for the relief of certain hard-pressed toniiuts of ths Crown, The Electoral Bill, as introduced last year, will again be laid before you with one very noticeable addition. The Juries Bill will this year contain certain further reforms, and you will bo asked to pass a Bill amending the law of bankruptcy, and another providing for tho payment of members. There are also ready for your consideration Bills dealing with civil servants and other employees of the State, severil measures relating to agriculture, Bills for amending lawß relating to insurance companies and policies, for dealing with uuclaitned laud and moneys, for aiding the acquisition of native lands, for dealing with the Native Land Court, with the West Coast reserves, with technical education, with tho transfer of land, with testamentary restriction on propetty, as well as other Bills relating to matters of public interests. In the opinion of my advisers the time has now arrived for placing on the statute book a measure proTiding for the establishment of Boards of Conciliation and a Cuurc of Arbitration to cope with industrial disputes. Other measures desigued to improve the condition of the wage earners and workmen of the colony will be laid before you. This matter I commend to your attention assuring you of my earnest wish to aid your labours injthe interests of the Colony, and praying that your offorts may, with God's blessing, be to the happiness and well-being of the people of New Zealand.

the following day that Mr Baillie bo Chairmnn of Committees for the session. Mr Barnicoat gave notice to move the Addreas in-Riulv to-morrow. Tho Council at five minutes to throe p. in., adjourned till next day.

HOUSE OF REPRESENT AT ITES. | THURSDAY. The House met at twenty-five minutes past two p.m. A messagH was received from the Legislative Council requiring the attend unco of members to hear the Governor's Speech. Messrs McLean, Allen, and Sandford members for Wellington, Bruce, and Christchurch respectively, then took the oaths and their seats, Mr Hutchison asked for leavo to present a petition from the Hon. John Bryce, asking the House to reconsider the resolution passed last session, and that justice might bo done him, to which end he requested | that he should be heard at the Bar }f the Honse. Mr Ballance said this motion was somewhat of a surprtuo, and as members had not yet arrired, he suggested that notice of motion should be Riven for a future day. Mr Hutchison gave notice for next day. Mr McGuira Rave notice to move on Tuesday, that the motion passed last session respecting the Hon. J. Bryce, the late member for Waikato, be expunged from the journals of tho House. Mr McLean gave notice ti move next day the Address-io-Reply to the Governor's speech. Mr Ballancq said he should like to state that if the debate on the Address-in-Reply were finished next day, he should bring down his Financial Statement on Tuesday. Mr Rolleston acked tho Premier whether it was correct that the Ministry had, on two occasions, tendered important advice to the Gorernor, which advice had not been accepted, and if the report were correct, what course the Government proposed to take in the matter ? Mr Bolhnce said the hon. gentlemen should give notice of a question of that kind. Mr Rolleston agreed to give notice, but regretted that Ministers were not prepared to give an answer to the question at once. Mr Ballance said it was customary, when an important question of this nature was about to be a?ked, for some communication to be made to Ministers with respect to it. Mr Rolleston said he should have given notice in the usual way, but he had fully expected that Ministers would have made some statement with respect to the matter he had referred to. • The House rose at ten minutes to four p.m.

FRIDAY. The House met at 2,30 p.m. The Speaker read a letter from the general manager of the Wellington-Mana-watu Railway, to the effect that members' railway passes would be available over that line during the session. Replying to Mr Maguire, Mr Ballance said that the Government had some correspbndence on the subject of giving relief to settlers within the New Plymouth Hnrbour R'ttine District, and the matter would retire full consideration. Replying to Mr Rolleston, whether the rumour that Ministers have on two occasions during the recess tendered important advice to the Crown affecting the present constitution of the Upper House, and that this advice has not been accepted, is correct; if so, will the Premier state for the information of the House the courst} Ministers have taken, and what they propose to do under the circumstances? Mr Ballance said it was correct that the Governor had. boon advised during the recess to make these additions to the Legislative Council, as in the opinion of the Government they were necessnry to enable the Council more effectually to discharge its functions, and to render it more in harmony with opinion, but that advice was not accepted by the Governor. In reply to the second portion of the question, he said the Government had conveyed to His Excellency that not less than twelve members would place the Council in a state of efficiency. As to the course which Ministers intended to take under the circumstances, that would depend on the progress of legislation. A number of Bills were introduced. Mr McLean moved the Address-in-Reply to the Governor's Speech. Mr Sandford seconded the Address-in Reply, and after a long discussion, the debate was adjourned on the Motion of Mr Guinness, and the House rose at 10.15 p.m.