PARLIAMENTARY.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3178, 5 September 1881, Page 3

PARLIAMENTARY.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Saturday. The House continued sitting on the HEPRESENTATION BILL.

Mr Pitt desired to record his solemn protest against the bill becoming law, and at some length gave his reasons for opposing the measure. He repeated the speech which he had previously made m committee, and again expressed his. conviction that following the operatio-#i ! &f the bill would bo the moving of the seat of government to either Canterbury or Otago, and that following thereupon separation would ensue, and by and by the Public Works scheme would provide for the construction of the Otago Central and Christchurch and West Coast railways out of colonial funds, and that probably the first expenditure ont of the new loans would be thus spent. He said it had been rumored in the lobbies that the districts of those members who had opposed the bill would be punished when tho estimates came down, and he believed there was more than rumor in the threat. The Premier said that if the lion, member referred to or insinuated anything against the Government he should mention the name or names of any member or members who had so spoken. Mr Pitt said he could do that, and on being pressed said the rumor came in the usual form, "They say," but that the person mentioning it was tho Postmaster-General, and he added that Messrs Levestam and Gibbs could endorse his statement. The Premier regretted that the statement was mado in the absence of the PostmasterGeneral. Mr Pitt, in concluding a long and forcible speech, declared that his action throughout had not been impeUed by selfish motives, but in the interests of the colony at large. Mr Mos3 followed. He reviewed the principles of the bill and the history of the debate. He condemned the increase of members as crystalising the form of government which had already exercised an inordinate centralising tendency. The Government had already attacked the principle of payment of members, and now, taking the advantage of larger numbers, they would repeat it, ond the representation of the country would be monopolised by the wealthy, and popular suffrage and representation would be at an end —sacrificed with local institutions and the present existing balance of power. He thought the lust of power and dominion would soon seize Canterbury and Otago, for the present members would be succeeded by strangers who would have no mercy or regard for rights which were now respected. He then referred to the fact that the hou»e had been gagged on the previous night. The Speaker cheeked Mr Moss, and pointed out that the fact that he (Mr Moss) was then speaking was proof that tho House had not been gagged. Mr Moss continued in the same strain. The Speaker ordered him to sit down, and warned him that if .he, repeated the offence his conduct would be submitted to the opinion of tho House. Mr Moss said there was no political entity in the North Island. More sympathy existed between Wellington and Canterbury than between Wellington and Auckland. Auckland held a peculiar position, its one great need being the settlement of the native question, and that the native lands there should be thrown open to the public, first being made Government property. He would oppose the bill to the last. Mr Ballance expressed sympathy with the Nelson members. Promises had been made to them by the Government which were not kept. He admitted that the districts to which were given increased representation on the basis of population were fully entitled to it, but exceptions ought to .have been made to meet cases like that of Nelson and of other similarly situated districts. He held that the Nelson members were bound to make a stand, and they had done 'so on sound constitutional principles. Otago and Canterbury were njw opposed to Nelson, but soon the North Island would have as large a population as the South, and the nexfc redistribution of seats would tell a very different tale. The proposed number of members was not too large, if really efficient repsesentation was intended ; bufc he condemned single electorates as increasing the power of the property vote. Separation, he said, could not be brought aboufc in the face of the great financial responsibilities of the colony. The special native representation should have been abandoned, and before the next adjustment of seats that question would have to be considered. The town and country districts ought to have equal representation. The great blofc of the bill was what might be termed a surveyor's schedule, perhaps a good one, but the House ought to have been given an opportunity to revise it. As ifc now stood ifc would be productive of most disastrous and inconvenient results. Ifc absolutely ignored every community of feeling between the various disconnected portions which made up many of the districts. The proposal to make amendments by message from the Governor was not fair to the House or to the members whose districts were concerned. The feature of single electorates was a blot on the bill and should not be persisted in. Even now, if amendments were to bo considered, some little concessions should be made to Nelson interests and undoubted rights. He believed the country would take a very lenient view of the obstruction raised by the Nelson members and their immediate friends. Mr Tole made a vigorous protest against the bill in its present form, maintaining that it should not have preceded bufc should have succeeded local government, and that it should have recognised the native population. He deplored the determination of the Southern members to hold the preponderance of voting power, and was convinced the bill in its operation would produce moat serious consequences—consequences which the House apparently had not fully considered when helping the Ministry to force on the measure without any concessions. The bill was nothing but a sham. Ho read from the Constitution Act Amendment Bill of 1879, which Sir George Grey had proposed to introduce, and showed that such a measure did not give any one district a greater quota of representation than another, and was in reality a self-adjusting measure, the principles of which the present Government had rejected. He did not oppose the bill because it affected his district;, bufc because ifc was so radically wrong. The districts were not compact, and in many cases were made up of conflicting interests. He concluded by saying that tie could justify his opposition to the bill, not only to his constituents, but to the whole colony. Mr Turnbull expressed himself in favor of special representation for the Maoris. He was also in favor of single electorates. He thought there was nothing in the present debate calculated to set the North Island against the South. He concluded by moving that the debate be adjourned till Monday at half-past two o'clock.

Mr Hall had no objection to adjourning the debate, as members were not in altogether a fit position to consider this ' important question after such a long sitting as they had had. Sir George Grey suggested tho adjournment should be till half-past seven on Monday. Tho House afc five o'clock adjourned till half-past two oclock on Monday, having sat continuously since 2.30 on Wednesday.