NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT. MR. STEVENS'S RESOLUTIONS. VOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

Daily Southern Cross, Volume XXV, Issue 3750, 26 July 1869, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT. MR. STEVENS'S RESOLUTIONS. VOTES FROM THE GALLERY.

(mtoar the '• Wellington evening rovr," jclv 15 ) In the. evening Mr. Fox laid on the table despatches jiibt rrteived (torn England lecjanlmg troo] a, and after these had been road the House wvnt iuto committee, and Mr. Stovend, in a speech of some two houiti' duration, moved the orgauic coDStitU" tional change resolutions standing in his name. His s^ech was a very clear and carefully prepared one, and abounded in fii-urea. He reviewed the pa»fc history of tho colony ami the provinces, the olian o which of late years had come over the [,u>>lic mind, Ptid the cause."! of that change; spoke sfciou^ly of the extravagance of some, the unfortu nate position of others, a-n 1 the snowing disinchj nation on the part of superior men to haw anything to do with piovinci.il affairs. He also dwelt upon tho cvi.s resulting fiom a large iminber of different i^oiblati-res, and the atrons; Idealisation which was fostered by the piesent system— the province being everything, the colony nothing, iie showed that 'he piovmces weie gra-Uially ceasing to discharge then duties a? colonizing bod.es, and that many of the departments now under provincial administration could be much more economically rmnaged by the Assembly Ife concluded bypayinu that ot>ly by some such change as th^ one indicated did he see any hope of a ationg nationality b-ing created. Mr. Dillon Bell rote to oppose th • resolu tions, and aunouucod the intention ol the G<iverumenfc not to assent to any constitutional uiange utitjl the country had lieeu consulted by means of a general election, lie showed how very ireful the provinces still weie, and how very falheious the idea that the Asseiobly could do their work more economically, or that tueir abolition v/ou'd lender a reduction of taxation possible. Mr. Dell concluded a very able speech amidst cheeia, aud the debate was then adjourned on the motion of Mr. Travora.

(FROM THE "POVT," .TirCY 16,) The first subject which engaged the attention of the House yesteiday was oue which did not appear on the ouler paper. Major Brown jumped up an» read a lettoi from the Piemier, in winch Mi. Fox said that tl c attention of the Government had been drawn to tl>e fad that the gallant Muj >v h d in a lccenfc divis.on on a fundamental point of policy voted against Government, and th it they nonhl not allow such a thing to pA<?«. They theiefore give him his choice between lcsieuing his '•eat or his com mand of the Taianalu mihti -, He nau his reply, declining to accept, either tilicrnative, find qiMtiutj Ei'ghfaU piecedeul.s to hhow that tlicie military officer, holding seats weie nevei inlerf-ied wit'i as to thfir votes, Anoihex letter fiom Mr. Fox atated the Government had determined to remove him ft«m his couimaud, but as they \u-h<d to consult hi 1 ) feelings thoy i^am gave him the option of lesiguing. This lie had a»,nn declined to accept, »n<\ he now brought the matter ' efoie Ihe House as one of ptivilege, gating that the late Government, when the late no-conlidence motion was. pending, having occasion to send him away on military duty, had < fierce! to find him a pair in case he intended to vote against them, ho ut that time not tuvi' q made up bis mind how he '■hould vote. The acting Speaker said the question of puvilege was one for the House , itself to decide, and pnulcd out the way in which M.'jor Brown coold E'-ek such a decision. Alter a few words "S to the qu'&fcion of order Major Blown allowed the nutta* to drop for the piesent, intending to bring it forward in the shape of 'A motn.n o.i suras other occasion, — Mr. Stafford then, in a very able speech, moved a resolution alarming the impemtive necessity of the&e btirg a mlisUibutum of replantation hefoie the uf-xr general election. In doug so he pointed out at some length a few o( the absurdities at present existing — Wellington, for instance, having thiee rnembus, wlnle Clnistchuich had only one, and Duue in only tsvo. Aflei indicating some principles which he thouubc would pude the House in dealing With the question, Mi. >-t ffo'd snt down, and Mi. Bell got up and said tl«i f . the Government admitted the necessity for a re'hbtubation, but hiving taken office in Uio uiiildlc of a &es<Jion, and being preyed by woik, bt t eared the Government could not consider or pu V\x<? a incasuie this scs&i'in, h.ifc would bring one down the fitsfc Uung next se^inn. wlien he hoped tl.o Hr t thing the Houbo would do m the matter Would be to ; ? gifce that the total number of members should not e\c--td bixly. — Mr. Key110 ds pitched into the late Gov< rumen" for not having the iiihfc day of tlv 5. ssion brought down a redistribution I ill. — Mi. Kt)r pointed out how unfairly Fr.u.klm \v^<, lu> ited. now -Mr W H. lUunsou iidvised the abolition of tbo miners' txclu-ivo fianchi c, and thw icqiiiung tbum to iet;ister like 01 her people, and alv> hinted tbdt it might he de* liable to liave 1I1 1 "oldiields mmb is elected by the niineia of tho whole colony msteul <>f by tlio-»o of one |novinc° only, winch Litter proposal was opi used by Mr. Ij.iill — Mi. Bunny, Mr. Swan, and ofc iera ,spi»ke. a<id Mr. ie|lied, ''ayni" h > bud had a bill sud .1 sciiemo prepaud, and he would l>e happy, ap.nt fioiii |>cuy fouling a.ltoue.liei, to t,ive tbi> (iovL'i unii nt trnv >^btuic in Uie mattei u Jiicli h ' could v . Ht'll piomx-td to avail himself ot the < (Lr n.' d 1 lO'iiUitc'y the not -Ui, aftei b^'ug s'l.'li'ly aU-ie), \>.. agn.ii t<>, on the Piiii ) -.1 inding th it if tliu hvs<, mi pioved a \ei s' loi'g one, or tbeie v.a< ;i piulwbiliiy of j cho piiyuil P >iliain< ut not mctluig aga'i), tin*, CJoveinnvhG would tiy and bung in a tnei<!ui< ot !ho kind thu st-.sio.i, atid if li'it then the fii^t thing next 1 f.e?sii'ii.- Jn reply to 1 olonel Haultain, Mr. McLean ; said fie troo[i'j at Forb G-alatca bci*"l tetumed to their woik, md papers connected with their mutiny would be bud on ihi 1 table. The Gov ram nt bad not yet decided <ih to whether Colonel Wliifcmote was to lie letuned in command in chief o< not. — Maj >r Blown o tuned a select committee to inquire into the be^t description of small arin^ to u-e >n the colonial forces and one or two other ununpoitant motions weio passed. — Then, wheu (he Gliocalm r< soJu^ons came on, Mr, Wilso.i moved tli.ifc they oe dischu«e(l, as the questions might be fan ly uused lv connection witti Mr Me can's rt'sohit o-is,, an I li-- found that the Govennnuit objretel i<> a pi ivat 'member taking the iniiutiv'i in such n matkr. —The do >ate on Mr, Stevens.'^ iesoluiioij& w,is icbuuud l»y Mr. Tnveis, who in dv a 0 ovei ai.d most amusing antiprovincnl Sj^cech, expo i> q the follies of which Provincial Goveinmeuts h>d been to freely guilty, and causing roars of laughter b_y his humototis alhiBi')ny to the time when hhi Majesty Mr Suj eriuteudent FitzGeiald, of C<iiitei'»ury. t-llced <>f raising a militi.t to invade the fiomains of King ytaffoid, ot iNelson, to conquer and annex the Amuri dislrict. Mr. liMVi'i-, st-ongly advocited the desirability of cen'rai legislation and as far as possible ot central admiiiiatiation of departments iv which the whole uolony hul a pmhihhu intore^t. li" announced his intuition of opposing any subsidies to steameis, as he thought the money would be better apant in promoting internal communioation, After cxprc-sing a d'flre to sto the Plovinc.ll reduced to tiieir piojoi* functions, whio'v ho held to bo analogous t > tiioie of Koad Boards, Mr. Travels' aaid he w 1.3 sure that the reformt nocessaiy in our present hy-Aem would never bo effocted till they weiv doldly proposed by a Government imprtsßcd with their necessity. — Mr, Catleton followed in -\ biief hpceuh, ur ing the neces-'.-ty for the Gen ral G<»vfcr;iment aasuomg the direetio'i of »aolb, pol.ee, liAtboina, &c ; ai d th<r Mr. Vogel made an txctl3f»nt 'p'6(l, full of carefully prepnicd atdtistics, shorting what (he result of Air. Stevt'iis'.s profjo'als would be, if cirned oun, and how ifc and all tho other &th' ines enanatin^ from the Cduterbmy membei*, find fier? had bien tbjeo, were calculated, intentionally or cot, to benefit that province at the exjieu-e of the lest ot ths colony. J?'rom the consfciucfcion of the resolutions, it was very apparent that Mr. hfcevens did not hunee f very clearly nndeistand what he meant ot wanted, but the figutesjost quoted showed ■it lea^t that there was method in the madness. Mr. Togel then went on to aigue in favour rather of a con.olrlation of tht> piovmcea till each island was a mh&;!p piovince, instead of their abortion 01 furtbei splitting up,— \itev Mr. Vogel sat down a proposal wj»s made t>> adjoin 0, but objected toby the Government aB deing tno early. Upwards of an hour was wasted in (li^C"S?i>lg whether the debate should go on or not, and whether the » evolutions should be put .septralely or p.i n whole. Some hharp fekirmiyhes oocutml between the Ministry and the Cave while 'hese points w^ro beint( debated, but at last an aniicHble air.ngemenb was effected that the debafr* fliouiij be aifj.mr'/ed, and that the resonitiors should re put senatun.

The Ex«ter people were hoaxed on the ovening of April 24, Homebody had been to the expen&e of imuoanoing by posters that there was to be a velocipede race for £50 in the city, mid crowds assembled at the plao; lmhctled t« 'cc it. 'ihere was no raca, but the cnei laformed the expectant sightseers that the may»v nud ruajJstrates Lad forbidden the race in the city, f*nd that it would conseq iently take place »t a Uter hour ia ■- village a niilo or two d'stant. Some huudiuia of aocoraingly started for the village named, but ou arriviny there found they had besn duyed agoiu,