HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume 14, Issue 1164, 24 June 1870, Page 3

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

TUESDAY, JUNE 14. Reply to Address. Mr. Carrington, in moving a series of resolutions in reply to the address, said that he did so in accordance with the recognised parliamentary usage, as the youngest member of that House, and he did so with very great diffidence, as he saw around him many hon. members far better qualified for the task ; however, he trusted to the kind indulgence of the House (hear, hear). With regard to the reply, he might say he quite concurred with the congratulation contained in the address respecting the improved condition of the North Island. Some twelve months ago, in the province which he had the honor to represent, it was impossible to travel with any degree of safety in parts of the province ; now it was possible to travel from Patea to the White Cliffs with perfect security, and he, had every hope that this was the beginning of perfect tranquillity. It was quite true that the arch r6bel Te Kooti had not yet been captured, but he was now broken-hearted, and his force dispersed. With respect to the establishment of steam communication with England via San Francisco, he looked upon it as one of the greatest benefits which had been conferred upon New Zealand. With steam communication with America, and the consequent introduction of American enterprise, New Zealand would ultimately become one of the finest countries in the world. With regard to opening up the country by means of colonisation, he would respectfully recommend that reserves should be made for the making of roads and bridges. With respect to the telegraphic extension, he hoped it would be extended to New Plymouth and other parts of the colony requiring it. With regard to the postal department, hon. members were fully aware of the increased facilities which had been given, and it needed no comment from him. He begged to move the motion standing in his name. Mr. lticn said he had very much pleasure in seconding the reply to the address, aud in congratulating the Government on the success of their native policy. They had conciliated the natives, and had gained their confidence, and he thought he might fairly congratulate them on the success they had achieved. With regard to the mission of the commissioners to England, when they first started he was very sanguine of their success. (Hear, hear, and ironical cheers.) He gave way to no one in loyalty, but he felt that the action of the Home

Government in taking away the troops at almost an hour's notice without having any knowledge of how they were situated in the colony, when for all they knew their women and children might have been at the mercy of ruthless savages, was of such a character that he for one would be quite willing to support an agitation for the independence of the colony from the mother country. He would desire to congratulate the Government ou the establishment of steam communication with San Francisco, which he believed would be productive of great and lasting benefit to the colony. With regard to the carrying out of public work?, in connection with this he would like to have seen a well devised scheme of protection for native products, which would keep immigrants in the country — (Oh ! oh ! and cheers.) Hon. members might say "Oh ! oh ! " but he believed that this would be of immense benefit to the colony, lie begged to second the reply. 1 he Hon. the Speaker was about to put the motion to the House, when Mr. Stafford rose, and said before the motion was put to the House he wished to say a few words. The speech to which they were asked to reply was not one which was provocative of much debate. lie might at once state, that it was not the intention of himself or of . those gentlemen who had been associated with him in the government of the colony to occupy the time of the Legislature by quarreling over the wretched past. It would be their endeavour to direct their attention to the question of the future necessities of the colony rather than to what had been done., and could not therefore be remedied. With respect to the congratulations in the address respecting the native difficulty, he would only remark that it would be very gratifying to the Legislature of the country if, on further consideration, it was found that the anticipations of the Government in the speech were borne out. He was well prepared to toke on trust much of what had fallen from his Excellency and the gentlemen on the Government benches, but he should like to have some more decided shadowing forth of the Government policy. The speech made very special mention of the very valuable services rendered to the colony by Mr. Ormond. Now he did not find that gentleman's name mentioned at all in the papers which had been laid on the table of the llou3e. So far as he was aware, Mr. Ormond had done nothing more than send anonymous telegrams to the papers, which was perhaps a very good thing in its way, and calculated to calm the apprehensions of the settlers in other portions of the colony, bat he really could not see that this entitled him to such special mention, amounting in fact to a vote of thanks of that House. Mention had also been made in the address of the exceptional difficulties with which the present Government had to contend in the matter of the native question. He would very much like to be informed what these were. He did not intend, however, to comment further on this question. The s hon. gentleman at the head of the Government had been making what he perhaps might be allowed to term peripatetic speeches in different parts of the colony, and ho (Mr. Stafford) was somewhat afraid that the hon. gentleman had frightened some of his ultra-provincial ist supporters into opponents by saying that he addressed them as the representative of the whole constituencies of the colony. The hon. gentleman had referred at Christchurch to the proceedings of his predecessors, but he (Mr. Stafford) did not intend on the present occasion nor throughout the present session, if he could avoid it, to revert to what had passed, but he had felt this due to those who bad worked with him in amity up to the present moment. lie would now refer to the system of colonisation which was shadowed forth in the speech. If it were a comprehensive scheme of colonisation it would have the support of himself, and he believed he ir.ight say of all thinking men in New Zealand, but if it was intended —as he had reason to suppose it was — to push on those parts of the colony which had already had a large amount expended on them to the exclusion of those other portions ot the colony which were in a state of depression, then nothing would be found to result but disappointment. He had, however, hopes that the Government would at the proper time come dowu with a measure dealing with this question upon a broad and comprehensive basis. The speech itself was an exceedingly good one, and he hoped that he had in criticising it done so in a fair and kindly spirit. (Cheers.) The Hon. Mr. Fox could not allow this motion to be put without expressing his admiration of the good taste displayed by the hon. member for Timaru, and he must also be allowed to express his satisfaction at the declaration made by the hon. member that he was prepared to approach the various subjects which would come under discussion during the session in a fair and kindly spirit. The hon. member for Timaru had criticised the speech very fairly. The only thing was that he had thrown cold water upon that portion of the speech referring to the eminent services rendered by Mr. Ormond. The Hon. Mr. Stafford : I would desire to correct the hon. the Premier. I did not throw cold water upon that portion of the speech referring to Mr. Ormond ; what I said was that I did not know, from anything before me, what had been done by Mr. Ormond to deserve special mention. The Hon. Mr. Fox said Mr. Ormond was not one to sing his own prraises through the medium of long despatches, but he (Mr. Fox) took this opportunity of stating that the Government were under deep obligations to Mr. Ormond for the very valuable services rendered by him. The hon. member for Timaru had also referred to the special difficulties under which the present Government labored with regard to the native difficulty, and had asked what they were. It was this : at the time when Te Kooti had gone into the King country, and the disturbed state of the North Island was taxing to the uttermost the energies of the Government, the Imperial troops were removed at, he might say, an hour's notice, without the Imperial authorities being in any way cognisant of the state of the colony ! For nil they knew the whole of the colonists might have been in the hands of the rebels, and their women and children at their mercy. He asserted that the manner in which they had been treated was without precedent, not only in the history of nations, but he might go further and say, in the history of mankind. He only hoped that no other colony would ever be treated with such bitter cruelty as

New Zealand had received from the Home Government. The despatches of Earl Grranville also were calculated to do an immense barm among the native tribes. The hon. member for Timaru had humorously referred to what he had called hi3 (Mr. Fox's) peripatetic speech-making, but he had put words into his mouth which he had not made use of. What he did say was this, that representing as he did the whole colony, he need not necessarily confine his utterances to one constituency. With respect to the hon. member's remarks inspecting colonization, he must aay that when the Government was prepared to go fully into the question, it would be seen that their proposals, would be conducive to the interests of the colony. In conclusion, he would desire to express his satisfaction at the manner in which the remarks of the hon. member for Omata (Mr. Carrington) had been received, and also at the kindly and frank spirit evinced by the hon. member for Timaru, and he trusted that the same feeling would be exhibited on his side of the House, and that all parties would join in the furtherance of the interests of the colony. The Hon. Mr. Hall said he should not have troubled the House with any remarks but that the seconder of the reply had mentioned that he deprecated the non-success of the Commissioners in their mission to England. Mr. Rich : I beg the hon. member's pardon ; it was not the failure of the mission of the Commissioners, but the conduct of the Home Government in removing the troops which I deprecated. The Hon. Mr. Hall : The hon. member ought to be extremely obliged to him (Mr Hall) for the opportunity of correcting what might otherwise have perhaps created a false impression. (Hear, hear). He (Mr. Hall) thought that the removal of the troops from New Zealand was the dawn of returning prosperity. (Hear, hear). He hoped that the Commissioners would be able to obtain from the Home Government something more beneficial to the colony than troops. There was another question which the hon. member for Waikouaiti in seconding the reply had alluded to, and that was the subject of protection for native products. (Hear, hear). He noticed that on the Government benches there was not a single Southern member to advise the Government on this question, which was one deeply affecting the interests of the South, as well as the rest of the colony. The Hon. the Premier, in his recent peripatetic tour, would no doubt have remarked ia the Southern provinces great outward signs of energy and progress. (Mr. Fox : Hear, hear). But the Hon. the Premier was not aware how those who created that prosperous appearance were remunerated. If they wished to dispose of their surplus corn in the markets of Australia they were met with a duty, but the Australian grower could come and compete with them here without the tax upon his grain. He fully endorsed the hope of the hon. member for Waikouaiti (Mr. Rich) that some measures would be taken for the relieving of the present depression under which the agricultural interest was laboring. (Hear, hear).