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Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1524, 6 January 1879, Page 2

Mb. Wakefield, M.H.E., addressed his constituents at Temuka on Saturday evening, and, although he said little upon the general policy of the Government that may be termed new, his opinions are valuable substantiate testimony to the statements made by the representative for Cheviot and other independent and well-meaning members of the General Assembly. At the commencement of the late session Mr. Wakefield was a supporter of the Grey Government, and—judged by reports in the Ministerial organs—regarded as a pillar of the party. His defection was thus clearly stated in his address on Saturday evening, when he said: — No Ministry ever took office in New Zealand with better support, or more opportunities of doing good for the country. They all recollected the programme laid down by the Premier daring his tour through the country; of the liberal measures which the Government were going to introduce. Well, time wore on, and yet no sign was visible of the great reforms to be worked by the Grey Government, fetill he (Mr Wakefield) hoped on, and when Parliament met he was prepared to give the Government his support, and to aid them to carry out their proposals, reserving, as he had said, the right to criticise them. When, however, the measures of the Government came down, which were intended to carry out all the glowing promises made by the Premier in various parts of the colony, he was disappointed. These measures were really either designed to carry out the personal hobbies of Ministers or to enable them to retain their seats at any price. This being the case, he thought it his duty to at once take one side or the other, and he went boldly into opposition so far as the measures brought down by the Government were concerned. He told them plainly and straightforwardly that he should do his best to oppose these measures passing into law, whilst doing nothing which would embarrass the Government. The different events of the session, comprising as they did the introduction of a number of hurriedly-prepared and halffinished Bills, occupied a large portion of Mr. Wakefield's address, but, as these have alreadj been described, recapitulation is unnecessary. Upon the Public Works scheme this gentleman was justly severe, and the history of the transaction from first to laat will repay perusal: — The Minister for Puhlic Works had connulted him (Mr Wakefield) upon a scheme which he thought over, to reserve land near the intended lines of railway, and to offer it by auction when the lines were made, as he said speculators going in and buying land on the lines of projected railways, were making four or five times what they had paid for the land whai the lines were completed, The Minister, therefore, thought that tho public ought to have a chance of buying this land by auction from the Government, instead of its passing into the hands of speculators. A meeting of Canterbury members was held, and it was thought that this was a good scheme. There was, as perhaps many of them were aware, an inland lino projected from Oxford in the far north to Temuka, where it would join the main line. The reason for this line was that he had told the Minister for Public Works that they would very likely have a good harbor at Milford before long, and that this inland line would connect therewith. The Canterbury members had agreed to give up the branch lines, so that this inland iine might be made. When the B\\) came down ho found that Mr Macandrew had not worked out the idea propounded by him, but that it was stated in the Bill that .£6,500,000 was to be spent by the Government where they pleased and how thoy pleased. This meant—and ho said it right out before them—that the railways should be made in Otago before any other lines were made. [Applause.] Why, there wae one line in Otago which had actually begun boforo thq HouioO mot. He referred to the Tapanui line, and the amount for this line actually appeared in the schedule to this Bill. The House, however, made tho Bill to read so that the amounts put in the schedule for each work were to be devoted to that work alone. lint the result was that the railways in Otago were the only ones made or likely to be for some time to come. The fact was, that the finances, so far as public works were concerned, had broken down. The proposition was monstrous to have such an enormous power as was here asked for by the Ministry, to take the amounts arising from the sales of Canterbury land to make railways elsewhere, whilst our own stood over. The consequence was that no had been made in New Zealand except in the provincial district of Otiigo. He [Mr Wakefield] did not grudge Otago her railways, She had been kept baok in times past. But what he did objnet to was that our money should be used to make lines elsewhere and those in Canterbury not be touched. Having dealt with the principal subjects that occupied the House in the past, Mr. Wakefield continued as follows : He might say at the outset that tho Grey Government had lost the confidence of the colony. [Applause.] It had had the greatest opportunities for doing good ever afforded to any Government, and yet they found that their policy and measures

were characterised by what had been aptly called gross jobs and personal hobbies. The Government had neglected pnblic affairs to go on wild goose chases after some theory. Our gaols were overcrowded ; our lunatic asylum a perfect disgrace ; and our local institutions almost in a stato of collapse. Yet they found the Government, instead of remaining in Wellington and settling down to the work of the colony, wandering about in all directions. Ministers were now distributed in all parts of the colony—Sir George Grey was at the Thames with the Minister for Public Works; the Colonial Secretary was engaged in surveying a harbor on some private estate in which he was interested; and the only Minister left in Wellington was the Colonial Treasurer, who had never been far away from the part of the country where he resided, and who, he believed, had never set foot in the Middle Island. In common with every clear-thinking man in the colony, the member for Geraldine is of opinion that the only cure for the " ills we have" ia by a dissolution and appeal to the country, and he thinks this will probably follow the next meeting ef Parliament. The general opinion of all who have the wellbeing of the people at heart will be that the sooner this takes place the better.