SIR JOHN HALL AT LEESTON.

Press, Volume XLV, Issue 7169, 3 October 1888, Page 2

SIR JOHN HALL AT LEESTON.

Sir John Hall, M.H.R. for Selwyn, addressed his constituents at the Town Hall, Leeston, on Sept. 25th. There was a very good attendance considering the bad weather.

The Chairman of the Ellesmere Road Board, Mr M. Jones, occupied the chair.

The Chairman, in introducing Sir John Hall, said that they had been invited to meet Sir John that evening to hear him give an account of his stewardship. He felt sure that he need not ask the meeting to give Sir John Hall a quiet and impartial hearing, as they in Leeston always gave this to their public men. At the proper stage of the meeting there would be an opportunity for asking questions, when he had no doubt Sir John Hall would be prepared to answer any that might be askedHe now introduced Sir John HalL (Applause.)

Sir J. Hall, who was received witq applause on rising, said he had first to thank them for having attended in such numbers, considering the inclemency of the weather. Secondly, he had to say that he owed his constituents some explanation for not having addressed them, as had been his usual custom, during the last recess. The fact was it was a very short one, and it had been so recently preceded by three months of political speech making that he thought the electors would share his own wish for a little political rest. On consulting his friends he found this to be the case, and therefore had made an exception to what now was his general rule. He had nowasked them to meet him earlier than usual during the recess because he would be absent from the colony for a few months, and he might not be able to address them at a later period. He had no other object in view that evening than to give his constituents an account of his stewardship. He would address them on the events of the last session and not go into Speculation as to the future. THE MISSION OF THE NEW PARLIAMENT. The work of the new Parliament which was elected about this time last year, the mission which the electors entrusted to it, was the adjustment of the finances of the colony, which were in. an exceedingly unsatisfactory condition. The decision of the electors was that the finances were to be readj us ted, first, by every possible retrenchment and economy in toe public service, and only after that by additional taxation. The Government placed in office by the new Parliament entered upon its duties with this in view. When the Colonial Treasurer placed before the House the actual state of the finances of the colony it appeared that for the year in which they took office, when the accounts came to be investigated, there was a gap between the ordinary revenue and ordinary expenditure of no less a sum than £329,800. This was in addition to a large deficit of no less a sum than £59,400 on the land fund account. The Colonial Treasurer having made full enquiry into the possibilities of the case, told the House that he believed he would be able to make a reduction in the public expenditure for the ensuing financial year of no lees than £300 000. This he (Sir J. Hall) thought mast he admitted as a large sum, eepe-

dally when it was known that the reduction vras to be made without touching salaries of £150 per year and under. This was no light undertaking when they were told that salaries of this amount absorbed two-thirds of the total sum paid in salaries, or. in other words, that 45C>38,000 w»i pftifl tO pcrsonfil receiving *150 and less, ami only iJ3i55.700 was paid in salaried over Jfc:ioO_ uf course the saving could not be altogether or even mainly on salaries, but where officers could be spared they were abolished, and many services which it was thought right under the present circumstances to dispense with were also abolished. The result of the efforts of the , Government were presented to the House this year when the Financial Statement was made. The Treasurer had to admit an error of JBcWG regarding public buikliugs, and Parliament had a proposed saving in education of £30,000. This reduced the promised savings to jtiMi.lXW. He was, however, able to show that the Government had saved £23H,U00 this year, and he stated that during the current year further economies would be effected, lie (Sir J. Hall) thought this j was a work for which the Government I was entitled to the warmest acknowledgements of the colony. (Applause.) The saving had been effected without having impaired the efficiency of the public service. In addition to these reductions a proposal was made by a private member— an unreasonableoue he thought—requiring the Government to make a further reduction of i>loo.ooo a year. That proposal, however, was not pressed. In addition to these savings also the Government had removed from loan charges, such as those for public buildings, subsidies to local bodies, and some others, which ought not ! to be paid out of loan, and had placed them to the charge of revenue. For the tirst time, also, in the financial history of the colony, instead of charging the deficit or a large portion of ifc to loan, they had faced the difficulty and imposed a special tax for paying off £128,000 of last year's ' deficit in two years. He thought that was sufficient to show that our finances were now in a sound state, and there was no grotrad for any allegation that we were paying our way out of loan instead of out of revenue. (Applause.) They might, perhaps, ask where had the reductions been made. The answer was, all round. The Governor's salary would be reduced from £7500 to £5000; the Ministers' salaries were reduced equal to 30 per cent., and the honorarium of members trom £200 to £150 per year, and so on all through the service. They were bona fide reductions. There still remained, however, a deficiency, and the Treasurer then considered that he was entitled vo ask for additional taxation. THE PROPERTY-TAX. The property-tax was raised from thirteen sixteenths to a penny on the capital value—equal to about Isßd in the £ income, or between 8 and 9 per cent. This was a higher rate than had ever been raised in England, even during the Crimean war. It would not have been just or prudent to have increased it still further. THE TARIFF. Last session, therefore, they came to the consideration of the question of increasing the Customs tariff. The Treasurer's proposals were to levy increased duties so as to afford encouragement to local industries, and these were estimated to raise additional revenue to the amount of £170,000 a year. This gave rise to a considerable split in the ranks of the Government supporters, many of whom were freetraders. The whole question of freetrade versus protection was raised, very properly, and they had the usual arguments on the question. It was only by the help of the Opposition votes that the Government proposals could be carried. He trusted that the breach was not irreparable. The bulk of the freetraders had much more in common with the Ministerial party than with the Opposition benches. The debate was a protracted and able one, but the arguments for and against protective duties which were brought forward were all overshadowed by the fact that more revenue was indispensable, and that no feasible mode of obtaining it could be suggested except through higher Customs duties. Xhat being so it could be no greater sin against political economy to tax a man ou his boots or clothes which could be manufactured in the colony, than on his tea or sugar, which could not. He had never heard this argument answered. Hβ was bound to say that the duties imposed were in some cases higher than he could have wished, and in one or two instances bore unduly on the farming community. (Hear, hear); for instance, in the matter of coarse salt and binding twine. The country representatives, including himself, tried, with partial success, to tret these duties modified. On the whole, however, he must admit that, compared with other protectionist tariffs, much consideration was shown to the agricultural interestAgricultural implements and farmers' requisites as a rule remained free of duty. If the tariff were compared with that of Victoria, for instance, it would be seen that the fanner here was treated better than the farmer there. (Applause.) Some protectionists talked of still higher duties as being required. Such a proposal would receive no support from him, nor did he believe from any number of the moderate men who supported the present tariff. He thought the duties were high enough to encourage local industries, and that we had gone far enough. By means of the increased duties, large reductions in public expenditure and a higher taxation on property, the ordinary revenue and expenditure of the colony would be balanced. LOAN EXPENDITURE. He came now to the expenditure of loans on public works, which seemed to ba second nature in New Zealand. In connection with this expenditure two extreme courses were suggested. On the one hand it was argued that an energetic public works expenditure was the best remedy for the present depression, on the other that the only safe course to pursue was to immediately stop all expenditure of. the kind. Either of these courses he held would have ended in disaster, and he also believed that our too vigorous public works expenditure in the past had had a good deal to do with the depression. (Applause.) The Government wisely decided to bring into practice what their predecessors had talked about, viz., to "taper off" as rapidly as was at all safe the public works expenditure. Looking at the extent of the liabilities and the engagements they had nherited they found that a further loan of one million was indispensable, which, with the balance of the North Island Trunk line loan, wouid provide for an average outlay of £690,000 for three years. .Provision would be made for the completion of the Otago Central railway to a point where it would obtain tramc. As the average expenditure for the three preceding years had been no less than £1,380,000 this reduction seemed as much as could reasonably be expected. Practically outstanding liabilities compelled an outlay for the first year of £1,100,000, but it was to be gradually reduced to £300,000 a year, and then, unless in exceptional circumstances, cease altogether for a time. (Applause.) Some persons contended that the whole loan should not have been put upon the market at once, when the total sum was not immediately required. A good reason for doing so was the desirability of erecting a barrier against still further borrowing for at least three years, and this could be most effectually done by a pledge to that eilecfc being given in the Loan Act. PRICE OF THE LOAN. There was one thing he would like to call attention to. The tour per cent, loan was sold for between £97 and £98; the four per cent, loan of Victoria was quoted at the same time at £111. It was as well to try and realise that the bad credit of New Zealand cost us for the two millions last floated no less a sum than £260,000. They Would be told that the low price of New Zealand securities was owing to the incessant attacks upon our credit by interested persons in London, but depend upon it it was far more largely due to the knowledge of the huge amount of our debt and the rapidity with which it had been accumulated. THE NATIVE LAND QUESTION. He now came to a very important subject, especially to the North Island. Of the subjects other than finance dealt with during the session, one of the most im- 1 portant was that of Native land. They would remember that the late Government procured the passing of an Act in 1885 which practically prohibited Natives from selling their land except through Government agency. It was well meant, but was unpractical and unworkable. The Natives, as had been predicted, would not sell in this way, and for three years there had been thereforeastop to any settlement on Native lands in the North Island, the beneficial occupation of which would have been a benefit to both MaorU and Europeans. The Bills introduced by the present Government, and with considerable difficulty passed into law, would effect an entire change in this respect. After the title to Maori hud had been determined by the Native Lands Court, and after ample reserves had been made for the present and future wants of the Natives, they would be free to dispose of the balance as they chose, under the usual precautions against fraud. The matter ■

might not in this island be felt to be of much consequence, but in the North IsUnd s» »•* '«••«*. Uaporuunc*. and thi» new departure wdo* ft « M belleted largely stimulate legitimate colonisation,' TBS DKFENCE KXPENDITtJRK. In the current expenditure for purposes Of defence «>« Government h ft <i mfl| j g shQUIU t>o directed to the protection oloup coast and harbors. In the session of lggr Parliament agreed that New Zealand should bear its share of the cost of an additional naval force to be employed i a this part of the Hacine, New Zealand's share amounting to about £20,000 a year He regretted to say that even amonmt his own friends some lukewarmness existed in this matter. Because we had hitherto been unmolested, it was assumed that we should always be so, but circumstances had entirely altered. In times past Australia was an insignificant community with no accumulated wealth three months' sail from England with no foreign naval station near us, and, in fact we were protected by our distance "and our poverty. This was all altered now The wealth and prosperity of the Austw. lasian Colonies was world known, steam and the electric telegraph had bridged the ocean, foreign naval stations were at our doors, we were brought close to European Naval Powers, anj were by no means in the safe position ol . formerdays. We had had abundant wafti. " ing that were the Enipiro to be engaged lij war with any naval power, the colonic and colonial commerce would be first struck at. The defence of the colonies wsj a matter of mutual i'irerest to the Afothtt Country and the colonies. The fornjjj already maintained an expensive navyjj these seas, and when it had been foiuj necessary to increase it, it was on]* reasonable and fair that we should parj share of the cost of pur owu defence. B e thought Parliament had done a wise and patriotic thing when they agreed to p™ £20,000 a year towards the cost of t£* v naval force. We should also put our harbors in a position of safety, at any rate from the attacks of individual cruisers, It was no doubt one of the saddest features of our time that warlike preparations in <\he old world had increased and were increasing to aa extent unparalleled in any former age, and it was to be deplored that enermoue sums of money had to be spent in these preparations. But we must take thefacta us they are, and if we wished to be protected v>e must pay the cost. Probably there was no community of such resources as ours, and so liable to attack, which had hitherto so little to Contribute to its external defence. But the time had come when we must face our responsibilities if we did not desire to find ourselves some day in a position of humiliation involving far larger sacrifices than any which timely and patriotic preparations would entail upon us. (Applause.) CROWN LANDS. He now came to the legislation for tin sale of Crown land. They would remember that one of the questions ventilated at the general election was the attempt to force on the colony a system of perpetual leasing withaview to land nationalisation, and ehe discouragement which was beiaj otVeiei to other modes of acquiring luj The voiceof theelectorsellectually disposed of the question, and that condemnatory voice found an echo in the House. The law now allowed a settler to choose what, ever kind oi tenure he might prefer, and disposed of the perpetuity of lease by enabling the leaseholder to convert it into a freehold. His position was thus entirely changed for the better. The change w»a agreed to with hardly a dissentient voice, and the so-called land nationalisation waf disposed of. (Applause.) THfi PASTORAL LEASES. He had a few words to say concerning the pastoral leases. The disposal of the pastoralland, of which leases for two million eight hundred thousand acres soon expired in Canterbury, had been dealt with Eretty much as he had anticipated when c last addressed them. The high back country, workable only in large nuw, would be let by auction for twenty-one years certain; land available in' areas under five thousand acres would be also let by auction, but with the right of resumption on twelve months' notice. Land found to be mixed pastoral and agricultural would be disposed of tor settlement under the various system* provided by the land regulations as the Government might think fit. Very little difference of opinion was found to exist Oα this subject. (Applause.) SPECIAL SETTLEMENTS. Some persons scurried to have latterly discovered that these subsidised special settlements, about the desirability ol which grave doubts were raised, had bug, a great success. He should be very gl&/2? ' that were so, but it seemed to him premature as yet to give an opinion one way or the other. When the time arrived U»S Government subsidies for buildings and road work were exhausted and these settlements had to be self-supporting, then it would be discovered whether they were a success or not. He had a printed return which disclosed the fact that inthedis , trict of Auckland, where these settle, ments appeared to be most popular, none of them were self-supporting, but required to be assisted by work for a portion of the year on reads in addition to the advance of money made by the Government fo? the improvement of the sections. HlsiffljSree* 9ion was that in some cases the settlements would be a success, but there weald j be many failures. x v THE MIDLAND RAILWAY. A subject of great importance to Canterbury was the agreement with the Midland Railway Company. It was found to be ia a very "unsatisfactory position when the present Government took office. In some particulars it was objected k> bj , .'™? Company, and on the other hand ft on not give sufficient security for the pro* I cution of mining on the lands reserw for the Company. After some trouble**}* negotiations and not a little workintlM House, it was referred to a Committee of which he was a member, •....»« after a great deal of trouble, tMT succeeded in framing a contract w6» was much better for all .ptrafj than the original one. He sinjMW trusted that under the new contract «w work would soon be vigorously prosecute. (Applause.) It would be ungracious W unfair not to mention the service ren«*» in this matter by Sir H. Atkinson., w* out undervaluing the efforts of kiajWjJ cessors in office, It had to be admittedW» -the whole question had got into apoßK»a of so much difficulty, and the oppotUm to the scheme was so strong and WB»» fcial, that without the personal innWßj' .. and exertions of. Sir H. Atkinson «» , whole contract would W«» to the ground. This portion of the W owed Eim a debt which it w.oßttW , should be acknowledged. (Applao*/ , j

CHARITABLE AID. J The exiatin* law on the charitable aid was brought ™ ia Sr*L sion, but not dealt with. Coonfa*«£ tricts complained of the manner W they were associated with large £•££ the purpose ol providing necessary <»*" able relief. Their position w«• matter for consideration; tot J*^ no ;£l not be forgotten., that | distressed persons had »J WjSZ I gravitate toward* the centres « i tion, and it would be »"»f2« throw the whole burden of the towns.' Some clever kg-Wj'Srf attempted in this matter. Foo* «"»££ members put their heads through a BUI for severingthattffl* districts from the charitable aid <JJ»wg» to which they were attached. way 4shburton would have been from the North Canterbury <H*«£f whilst the Selwyn, Akanm, »na counties, and he believed v inertS* would have been left to near "» burdens. He opposed this tending that the subject jTyfr be dealt with as a whole «»», #8 d piecemeaL The Bill did not the Government h,ad promised the whole question during fc " e ,*?r!Tflie would include What he most important part, viz., the »n c the present rate for poses, which was now levied on land. He could not see reason why other property,i. niaiwM ß quite as largely interested, AfSot fairness, share the burden. *« o»see why merchants, manufacturers should not fair share of the relief of the deeaaw" THE ELECTOBAL BOX. Perhaps the most importanfcßflw.ti* session was that i Government for consolidating ing the law relating to elections. Among other tbinge,"'^ r jul d to abolish hustings, nomin*a declarations of the poll, JsJtda}lß» efficient checks against gj to vote, to provide frequent the rolls, and other refo *? Dß Vra«ri»Tolie. the abolition of the doobto *££:■■(**« LasUy, it provided a Hare system of vdting that be cumstances. On an occasion br iefee* was sorry he could only give Wf and most imperfect c » fci^ n Ife °thß *M system would work. Unde T H l6 beeoo|** ing electoral dietricta would t» lPv«r—

Into large amalgamated ones, returning £tfivVor six members. One elector- for instance, the Chairman, Mr Jone«-wnld 2SfS ballot paper Klven him conhun.ng fte names of the several ca £ d "L 3^ r O " .Jrtich he would have to mark by figures 1 2,3 &o.,his order of preference for the «veral candidate. U Ms <* udidate fr^£ «*'♦"--,-»'' r -: e V/-;;-. " no w often the case, nearly one-nail, a> w* a y f t> «-v»nl«» would L-> ' 'ii-re traction of the wnoie. lee. a..,. r ;j („_. secured ofer - , r t!l ,. existing than !S inev . onllailo * extern. "^'^^ llW lhe details and werits 01 thwpw^l^" to - obl aul further Luwevcr. _il J\~ s ..i : ;,,ci rind a very ißforuuiwa «a tj« j •■ of it |n two conc !s c tfc- . Saunder* l C Thcv were well worth to ti.e local rre- - Biu djd nQt " re r n -' J Vh-*h*d hoped it would, any SoSatortbe of the franchise ETinmen He plough: tuis was a serious ££SS£d « tL " U H had got into Committee he vroald have done h is iiest tosupply the omission. He had never been ab.e to find »uyrhir.- thai deserved to be called a tenons ar_-.::iii*:it against this refoim. >-jrtr that t'lc franchise was given to erery sane man of full age resident in the colony, he couUi not conceive on what grouiius it vhouitl !>e d-.-aicd to women. Ihev were aa d«-<-piy irucrestid as men in the good go ve.rn incut, oi the country. They did, more c-ipedally h-re. their full share of work, tin v were -juuo as intelligent, -and as well able to judge of the eligibility of a candidate as nu-n, and in niauy cases were more so. He felt sure the reform was bound to come. .Leaders of political opinion, both in the mother country and in the colony, had declared in favor of it Lord and llr Gladstone at home, and Hγ .1. Vost-land Sir H. Atkinson in New ZtMland. all advocated it. He must say, that in his opinion, nothing but the and s:-.ii>borii prejudices of the male sei prcvesueii it coining about. tApplause.) These he thought would soon 'be overcome. NUMBER OF MEMItHRS. They would remember that at the last genera] election there was an agitation in favor of the reduction of the number of the members of the House of ilt-presenta-tives, and by the Act of last year they would be red'ueed. Some persons went so far as to say that the number should be reduced to titty. The House, however, decided that the"reduction to take place at the next dissolution should be from ninety-one to seventy European members and four Maoris. He believed the change would be a beneficial one. Though popular with the* country, as the time for a dissolution drew near it did not seeoi to -bepopular with many members, who con■templated with an uncomfortable sensation the fact that at the ensuing election twenty-one of their number must lose their "seats. It was very probable that a strong attempt -would be made in some way or another to obviate this redaction, and unless the electors spoke out it might be carried into effect. If it were •attempted they might have cause to be thankful that they had a Legislative Council, and he trusted that it would prevent any such step being taken. HARBOR BOARDS. Throughout the session he was able to ■give a hearty general support to the Government of "Sir H. Atkinson, but on one or two occasions he did not hesitate to oppose them. This was the case with respect to their proDO-sal on the subject of certain Harbor Boards which appeared -likely to make default in the payment of the Interest on their debentures. The proposal was to the effect that in these •eases the Government should step in and fix and collect such harbor dues as they might consider necessary to provide for the payment of interest. At present the Government was in no way responsible for loans of Harbor Boards. Ihe Act of IS7B provided that on :the face of the debentures issued by them there should be printed the following notice ;—"The holder of this debenture ias no claim in respect thereof on the public revenues of New Zealand, or on the General Government thereof." The bondholder clearly therefore lent his money on the«ecurity of the Harbor Board revenue, ■ and nothing else, and it was essential that " this position should be maintained. The Government proposal might not at once entail a liability on the colonial revenue, but a majority of the House considered— and he thought rightly—that it would inevitably lead to one interference after another, which would end in the colony -having to take over their debts, aggre■guting somewhere about two millions sterling. The proposal was rejected by a large majority, 'i'he failure to pay this interest might give a temporary shock • to New Zealand credit in London, but this would pass away when the facts of the case came to be thoronghlv understood. In connection with this subject they might have noticed that an eminent London stockbroker, Air Westgarth, had recently been travelling through the colonie-s, and had been kind 'enough to give to the Governments his advice as to how they should manage | their debts. Among other things he had recommended Sir H. Atkinson to take • over the debts of the New Zealand Harbor -Boards, and issue Government stock for them, asserting, that ia some undefined way, the colony was morally respousible for them. How this could be in the face of the distinct notice which he (Sir J. Hall) had just quoted it would be difficult for Mr Westgarth to tell them. The fact was that the proposal was simply a London stockbrokers scheme to benefit his clients, the holders of these bonds, at the expense of the New Zealand taxpayer to the extent of some hundreds of thousands of pounds. He (Sir J. Hall) could not imagine that any New Zealand Government " dare make any such proposal, and it would certainly have vis strongest opposition. (Applause.) : conclusion. He would now bring his remarks to a Conclusion, as he feared he had wearied them. A fair review of the work of last Ks&ion wotild, he thought, lead them to the conclusion that it was by 1:0 means a barren one. A session which had resulted In a large reduction in the - cost of public iwvtees, in placing in the face of serious difficulties tiie finances of the colony on a «afeand creditable footi ag, in etFecting a luge and important reform in the Customs tariff, in dealing carefully with the .<je*stiun of the Native lauds as well .as with the pastoral estate of ttte colony, and other important ttttstions, "could not be called a "Strren session. More fruitful it might "Skve been bat for the inordinate prolixity of. some members who would in£ct'on the House long irrelevant and useless speeches to which hardly any one lutened, but which daily swelled the Jsges of Hansard, and wasted a terrible amount of tivue. (Applause.) But this F*s not the most serious evil. The system "of speaking, not to assist the House in "Mining to aright decision on a question before it, but delioerately to prevent it from coining to any decision whatever, .Was an evil of great and serious conseSnence. This " s-tonewaliing." as it was .Called, would not l>e tolerated in any other .Assembly. It had increased, and was int Cjeasing." and in no session had it been Usore recklessly practised or been more successful than in that recently closed. The Maoris even had adopted the practice, andoneof them talked for six-aud-twenty hoars, filling up a. great part of liis time •*hJi quotations fiom '"Captain Cock"s yojages" and other books. He doubted *f aay other As-senibly would tolerate •ach "a thing. Would they, he asked, *Uow such a to take place fca connection with a Road Board W Couuty Council I He said most distinctly " that they would not. If y»is were to continue, the most influenzal members of Parliament would be •Mather-lunged windbags, with the least JjSniple as to wasting the time of their fellow-members, for they would be able to ~actort from the weariness and disgust of •ite House concessions which neither the ■Justice of their cause nor ttte force of their SRuments gave them any claim to. Other Parliaments had suffered" in the same way, •N in nearly every case'had applied a <*asonable and effectual remedy which **s workirg quite satisfactorily. He SKild not heiieve that this abominable practice— this abomination of aboinina--••pss—would be allowed to continue, but **« one of the first tasks of the House of 'Wpreeenlatives in its next session would «toputdown an abuse which impaired *• ttedit, marred its usefulness, and *«reaiened to bring it into contempt. *his state of things was the more * be deplored, as they had anBcipated from the character of the Wcent additions to the personnel of the llo p se an improvement and not- a deterio•Jtton of its proceedings. It was some of *te old and not the young memoers who 10 abused their privileges. A large pro»*tion of. the new members were* young

men born in New Zealand, and they would be a credit to any Assembly. This must be exceedingly gratifying to all, especially those older politicians, like himself, who would soon pass away, and who would be glad to know that they leave to able and patriotic hands the work iv which they had been so long engaged. (Applause.) He thanked them for the kind and patient hearing they had accorded to him. He had passed over many subjects of interest because he had already trespassed too long on their patience, but he would be pleased to give any information which might be desired on "any subject on which he had not touched if they would ask him questions. (Applause.)

In answer to questions, Sir John llalx said that as regarded the matter in which Mr Watson had been summoned by the County Council at the R.M. Court, Shertield, he did not see how, as a member of the House, he conld interfere. He would suggest that Mr Watson, if he could not obtain redress from the County Council, should petition Parliament. So fur as he (Sir John Hall) was concerned, iie had no power to have a Coinnn3sion appointed. With respect to the givinjz of hi< vote on the motion brought forward by Major Stewart for the purchase of a piece of land at Waimate to be retailed he would explain how he voted two ways. He had been in the House the night before until early in the morning, and when the debate a&ain extended until 3 a.m. he had goiie.home. Before doing so, he had left a pair in favor of the Government. The Government had agreed to thti motion on the understanding that the question should be discussed in a fuller house. This was done, and he (Sir John Hall) had then voted against the proposal, as he j should have done on the first occasion hadhebeenthere. (Applause.) Asregarded the appointment of Messrs H. Overton and McMillan to inquire into matters at ' the Lincoln School of Agriculture, this bad been made by the Minister of Education and his colleagues, who were responsible for the appointment. A good deal would depend upon the character of the gentlemen appointed and tho subjects to be inquired iuto. He understood that the matter to be inquired into was the allegation that the College was too expensive for the results which had accrued from it. This was totally distinct from the examination which "had to be made by the examiners, Messrs J. Overton and Rennie, who merely dealt with the farming- questions. He understood a third Commissioner was to be appointed, and no doubt he would give a help with the figures. As regarded the Chinese question, he thought it would be undesirable to have any large influx of Chinese into the colony, as it would reduce the standard of earning and of living amongst the laboriug population of this colony. He had always held that opinion, and iv 1881 had been a party in the legislation which placed restrictions on the admission of Chinese, and this had proved effectual. The number of Chinese in New Zealand then was 5000; and it was less now. While he held the opinions he had referred to, he thought that the violent measures in which "the Government of New South Wales set the law at defiance were altogether unjustifiable. With regard to the receut prosecution for gambling against Chinese, the police were acting on the powers of the Act. The Chinese were in the habit of keeping gambling houses into which young men were allured, and he thought that the house entered by the police was one of this class. As an abstract question, no doubt, the private house of the Chinaman should be just as much respected as that of a European; but where it was a public gambling house the police should be enabled to make a raid upon it, the same as they would be upon a European gambling den.

Mr McMnxAN said he thought the meeting ought to giye Sir John Hall a bearty vote of thanks for his clear and able exposition of the work of the session. He thought they had every reason to be proud of their member, who was not only well known and respected in the district, but throughout the Colony. He had therefore much pleasure in moving " That this meeting accords to Sir John Hall a hearty vote of thanks and renewed confidence in him as the member for Selwyn." (Applause.)

Mr P. Westejtra seconded the motion with pleasure. When he (Mr Westenra) came to the colony, as a boy, Sir John Hall occupied a leading position as a statesman—a position which he had never forfeited. He had, therefore, the greatest possible pleasure in seconding the motion for a vote of thanks and renewed con ndence in Sir Johu Hall. (Applause.)

The motion was then put and carried unanimously.

Sir John Haix thanked those present, first, fer having come out in such numbers in such a bad night, and, secondly, for the kindly way in which the resolution had been proposed and received. It was a pleasure to him to represent the Selwyn district, and he trusted the cordial and friendly relations which now and had always existed between them would long continue. (Applause.) A vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the meetinc