Parliamentary.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 10021, 21 June 1895, Page 4

Parliamentary.

LEGISLATIVE OoUNCIf..

ti . t „ t Thursday, Juse 20th. The seco/ul session of the twelfth FarHamen,t BfNevv Zeulnnd was oponed Rt '* *l.Sf> s thla f atcernooj by the Govornor ia person. The' weather was bright) bat) ' extremely chilly, the wind blowing from the South. Notwithstanding thsio wa^, •1. if. anything, a larger attendance of tha ' - public than usual, aud the galleries of the Council Cuamber were crowded with ladies, though there we're fewer ou tho floor than ia somotlmea.tb&oase. Besides tbe Consuls in regulation uuiforms or evening attire, the bullion - covered uniforms of the officers belonging to tbe men-of-war in the harbor added eo!o: to tbe sceae ia the Chamber. lady Glasgow, accompanied by two of her daughter?, Miss Goring and Miss Grace, were present. His Excellency, who wore a naval unijotra, hed in his suite Major Elliott, Captain Campbell Preston, Jfiet% tenant Clayton, and ttio Hon. GjthorneHardy. There were tea members of thM Upper and 57 of the L-jwer House pAserS* When the Governor began the reading of the _ _„ - '

SPEECH. _ „• •* HONORABM GENTLESIEK OF THE Legisiative Council and Gentlemen . qpjtbs 4 'House of REPRESENTATIVES, ■ It) gives me great plcasnre again to meet you in Parliament) assembled. I w-:a able during the recess to visit the Saares, Aackland, Campbell, Antipodes, Bounty, and Chatham Islands, In connection with tny visit to these Interesting bat htbie known isles, I maat express my regret at) the almost complete disappearance from them of, tbe far seals, once bo numerous there, and iavito your attention to thla undoubted national loss, I :itn ablo very gladly to congratulate you npoa more ' than one aspect of the present state of the fature prospects of the colony. The depression, which was so nnlveraally felt daring the spiing nod summer, began lo pass away before the end of the autumn, ond has now unquestionably given place to renewed hope. Several of onr staple products, notubly wheat, have ruen in price. The improvement) 12 the market for katnl'guui lias been a mat'.er for eifijgratnlation, 'chieflVi of course, for tho province of Auckland. Tho batter demand "for timber has affected many districts. With the recent partial recovery in the price of frrz^n mutton may b 9 cagpled th<) success of the important experiments lately .undo \a shipping live stock and cbilfed beef to .London. The revival of quartz miniDg, so noteworthy for some mo.ilha p-ist l-i tbe Ancklaud goldfie'.de, appears likely to have a counterpart) on tho West Coas-t of the South Island, and there Is a solid reason for anticipating that mining will for some time to came bath employ more labor and. yield more gold than for years past. Useful as the cyanide process of extracting gold has bien, it is not to be gainsaid that the royalty exacted under the patent rights of Cassells 1 Company has been a heavy bnrden on the back of mining enterprise. Therefore, as the English Courts hare opset Inn pitenb, .my Ministers have taken steps to nave It set aside in this colony. The state of the pabilo finances of New Zealand continues to be fair groiffid for almost) unmixed

national satisfaction. Once more 1 am able to Bay that the provision roide daring last session for carrying on the public per▼iceß ha 9 proved more thaa saffi;lectj. Tbe public accoants show a snrpins of revenue over expenditure, n surplus of a thoroughly sound kind, nbiu to challenge any honesb and reasonable criticism.

Thongh during the recess per<sl3tents efforts hive been raiide to combine tbe .Maori tribes in a league against further sales of land, my adviseis are glad to be

able to assure yoa that the nttempt b<is failed. Icdr.ed, fignotarea to deeds of

Bale -are beiog affixed in number?, &nd tbe work of tbe acquisition by tbe State of native Innd is ia no danger of bring arrested. From causes which will be

made known to yon, tbe work cf surveying tho territory of tiie Tuhoe tribe was some months ago. suddenly interrupted, A display of «rmed force and negotiations conducted for the Government! by tho member of the iCxecutive represontiug the native race, quickly led to a feiceful understanding. Bat my adviser*, deeming it b33t to gu ird ag-iiust) any farther disturbance nr ribaCrnction in ch-io put of the colony, havo decided to insure, by pushing roads through, tbe lengob and breadth of the Urewera country, that in future it ehsll be ab pence and open to ail. The inability of tho Midland Kallway Company to complete its contract has " long been notorious. Three years ago the company's New Zealand representatives frankly admitted thh iaubillty. Though valuable concessions were more than once granted, the company had f-iuce subsequently to ask Parliament to modify the contract in order to prevent tbe collapse of the undertaking. The cecond application was decisively refused. Though the time for the contract's completion' expired in January last, only about) one-fifth of the inoaeya required for the line's construction has yet been laid ont, and for months past little or no work : has ' been done. The arbitration do- . moaded by the company was po3tpontd by the arbitrators until next year. The inexcniable delay by tbe company ia completing its work and the consequent locking up of 5,000,000 acres of Crown lands

Impelled my advisers to take possession of both the eompleteJ and uncompleted portions of the line. This step was token 1. -Jo accordance with )aw, nnd under the best advice to bs ishcaioed. Tlio oponed portion of tbe MMlacd railway is no-.v being worked by the Government, and authority will ba asked to extend it. The tost of such extension the compiny will fee requested to refund. The visit of the Colonial Treasurer to Loudnn has been followed with much direct "advintHge to the colony. At the Postal Conferenca Ot Hobart new cable rates were fixed under which iSewZ^aiuud will save £3000 a year. In London the "Treasurer has obtained for the colony amende.! terma with the Bank of Earjland, whereby the colony will henoßb to the extpns of £3000 per annum. Above all, Ne,w Zealand has led the way in successfully fl'Jatine a 3 per cent loan on tie Kngliah. money market, thereby strengthening her public credit and Insuring tho eucce s of the. scheme by giving financial aid under the Advances to Settlers Act. Many of our settlers have aliened that) their applications for loans havo not received that consideration which their merits demanded. The responsibility, hn-y;ver, of administering is not under tho c irol of tny Ministers. Thig matter ■«■ ill, 1 trust, receive your careful consideration. With the view of opening fre^h markets for our products, my Ministers have provisionally arranged reciprocal treaties with Canada and South Australia. These agreements will be submitted to yon, and you will ba asked to ratify them. There will also ba laid before you the report of the delegate who last year represented this colony ad the Ottawa Conference, a meeting memorable for the aotion of the Tmporiil Government) in despatching to the gathering the Earl of Jer.-ey oa behaif of tho Mother Country. The report above mentioned deals with proposals as to the establishmenb of a mail seivlee by wiy of Vduconver, and tho laying of an ocean cable Hcrosß the Pacific to connect New Zealand with British North America. The worldwida problem of providing work for the . workless has once more been n cause of anxlery. During tho recess one of tny Ministers visited and inspected a number of tho village settlements aud labor colonies in New South Wale*, Victoria, and Sinth Australia. His report nas led to tho trial of an important experiment in combining settlement with tbe employment of labor. Further, an experienced oflioer haa been despatched to Australia to make a more elaborate survey of tbe village settlements there. On his return his report will be laid before yon. The settlemt-ur of tbe waste lands of the Crown under the general land laws of the co'ony has continued to go on satisfactorily during tho last year. The extension of dairy farming In so many parts of the colony nukes it o source of satisfaction that the systematic grading and cool storage of dairy produce are now being carried on by the Department of Agriculture with tho best results. Fully alive to tho paramount! necessity for stimulating trade, both in timber and frozen meat, my Ministers have endeavored to aid the export of the former by guaranteeing half tbe freights of cargoes, and propose to call together a conference in Wellington to discuss steps for improving the distribution of our meat) in Great Bdluin. The measures recommended in the report on thu colony's defences are beiug Mto.idlly curried on. The advioe of la<>D year'e Military Conference is being acted on, and before next year the whole of our forces will be armed with the MarlinlHenry rifle. The requisite ammunition will henceforth be manufactured within New Zealand. The time has, lv my opinion, arrived for increasing the number of my Ministers The growth of population, the advance O"f settlement), and the extenbiou of. tin; fncctions of the State, have bo added lv the duties of my advisers aa to make this change needed in the bo*t interests of the colony. ' Gentlemen of tub House of Kepih;

SENTATIVES,— Estimate-i of. the revenue and expen iiture of tbe year will be laid before yon. The estimates of expenditure have beep framed with a due record to economy, honobajite gentlemen of the leoh JjAtivk Council and Gentlemkv of the House of Kepresenxa TIVES,— For the third year in succession yoa will be asked to pass a bill extending to local bodies the right of levying ti»Xw ]

npon land values. By it such bodies wiJJ. be allowed to apply tho principle upo_rf' which direct taxation has for years been assessed by the Government. A Ealr. Kent BUI will be introduced and aleo a measure to effect needful amendment in the Lands for Settlement Act. You will be asked to deal with the electoral law nnd to r.sßenb to a change designed to prevent! too' frequent and inconvenient changes of th 9 boundaries of electorates. Public opinion demands that tho difficult Drobl'mi of local government and charitable aid reform should be faced, and it possible, solved. Without fnrther delay, a measure which id is hoped will rednco the number of our too numerous local councils, while nt the same time concentrating their functluns and strengthening their financial position, will shortly be laid before you. I trust that you will this session see your way to re-adjust tho Customs tariff. For the purpose of collecting Information of serv'ce to Parliament and the Government in dealing with this complicated matter, I appointed a Koyal Commission, consisting of well-known gentlemen of public experience, An exhaustive reporc prepared by the Commissioners will be snbmitted to you. Full rJ^Lfalr opportunity will be afforded yon roraiscusslng the vexed and interesting question of licencing reform. Ellis have been prepared designed to check excessive rates of usury, find to protect nod pre,aervo for the families of working settlors the hornet which they have mido their own. Measures ore ready for your consideration dealing with tbe reintlons of m>i»tera and apprentices, public tenders and coutmcts, and restriction of the Influx of race nllena nnd certain peraoDs. You will he Invited to pass bills dealing with State school teachers and matters connected with secondary education, and also to amend the law concerning juries. These proposals I commend to your attention. I earnestly assure yon of my wish to old yonr 6xertions for tbo good of the co'ony. I pray that your labors may with God's blessing tend to promote the welfare and prosperity of the people of New Zealand. ADJOURNMENT. The Legislative Council resumed on the conclusion of the opening ceremony, bnt only formal business was transacted.