AUCKLAND'S AMBITION

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIV, Issue 221, 24 September 1910, Page 3

AUCKLAND'S AMBITION

UNIVERSITY OR'GOVERNMENT

HOUSE?

SOUTHERN MEMBERS'

CRITICISM

The Government declines to establish residences for the Governor in the South Island, as recently suggested by Mr G.W. Russell. States the Prime Minister: "I concur as to the attractiveness and suitability of the two charming cities referred to by Mr Russell, but there is no practical need for further residential places for his Excellency the Governor in Christchurch and Dunedin, when such admirable houses in each of the localities named can be obtained from time to.time as desired." .

Mr G. W. Russell (Avon), who put the question which drew this statement, remarked in the House on Wednesday afternoon that Government House, Auckland, was only a relic of. the tiroe when the city was the capital of New Zealand. The citizens, by desiring its retention, had missed a supreme opportunity to obtain a magnificent site which their university badly needed. Auckland had to choose between a magnificent university arid a mere gubernatorial residence. Their choice indicated their estimate of what was the. value of higher education. Mr F. M. B. Fisher suggested that the people of Auckland, having in their power five city seats, realised that by shouting loudly enough they could get all they wanted. Mr A". M. Myers (Auckland East) said he agreed with Mr Russell that the present university buildings were a disgrace, but the retention of the

Governor's residence would hot interfere with an up-to-date; university scheme for the province. Mr G.W/ Forbes (Hurunui) said that he jp-as totally opposed to any | expenditure on a Governor's resi-dence-in Auckland. - "A HUGE JOKE." t \ "The member for Avon," said Mr C. H. Poole, "is trying to perpetrate a huge joke upon the sensitive and ; patriotic and loyal representatives from the north. In spite" of the squall, we are not going to show the white feather." Auckland was going td'! become the naval base for New Zealand, so the vice-regal house could also be used for the Admiral. Auckland members offered no apology for the solid front they had shown in the matter. It was not political color but local interest which had decided the matter. '■ Mr Russell: The" money has to" be j voted first. ' v | ANOTHER AUCKLAND VIEW. .Mr E. H. Taylor (Thames) declared that the Auckland1 agitation had been conducted entirely without reference to the outside districts. In the Auckland Survey office was a map showing : that the Government House area of i twelve acres was set aside in the early | seventies. He' thought the betterj class Auckland people had not been I consulted. I Two other Auckland members at once raised a point of order as a protest. "It's an insult to the good people of Auckland," said-Mr'Glover, indignantly. •The point of order was not upheld by Mr Speaker. ■Mr Taylor went on to repeat that the area was clearly marked out for i the university, and the Agent-General ( for New Zealand' told the first proj fessors, who were appointed in 1882, j that Government House was to be their future college: Mr Glover: No, no! Mr Taylor: Yes, it's a fact, and I say that the educational work of the province is of more importance to the | magnificent north without having one jor two fashionable turn-outs in the j year and probably the Governor livj ing there a little while. "A BIT OF GROVEL!" ' Absolute amazement at the attitude i taken up by Aucklanders was expressled by Mr G. Laurenson (Lyttelton), j who said he did not think there was I any other town irv the Dominion outside of "Cowflat" that would hay ; acted as Auckland had done when it' j came to choosing whether a. valuable

site should be- used for a university or a Governor's residence. Auc?T land was the- only place that would have said: "We do not want a university on our best site, but we do want -a residence for the Governor, so that we can do a bit of toadying I (Laughter.) It was a most humiliating thing! (Hear, hear.) It was deplorable that any town with mov& than twenty-seven inhabitants should have acted in this way, and that theGovernment had been so weak as to have backed down to the agitation. (Hear, hear.) The class responsible for the agitation in Auckland, ho would venture to say, was practically infinitesimal, and could have been ignored with the greatest effect, but instead of doing that the Government had backed down. It was a most humiliating, thiiig indeed! (Hear r hear.) Auckland members had urged that Auckland was to be made a naval base. Auckland a naval basef Why, the very idea was ridiculous— (hear, hear) —the place had not event lgot a second-class harbor! (Laughter, and hear, hear.) Figures showed that the • tonnage entered and cleared at either Wellington or Lyttelton was far: ahead of that of Auckland. Lyttelton, which was only regarded as a second-class port, had double a» '< much. (Cries of "Oh!") Auckland would be of no use as a naval base at all. Why, the other day one of the finest vessels belonging to the New Zealand Snipping Company^ had her bottom torn out while go-ins; down Auckland's vaunted harbor—(laughter and dissent) —and yet somo peoplewanted this place made a naval base for the rest of the. country. (Renewed laughter.) "UNMITIGATED FRONT."

It had been said that Auckland members presented a solid front on this question, but he would leavo the "solid" out and say that for pureunmitigated front nothing had ever happened in Parliament to equal what they had done. (Great laughter.} Auckland, in effect, had said, "We don't want a college, we don't want a university, but'for Gods-sake give us a Governor's residence!"

Roars of laughter interrupted Mr Laurenson altogether , when he confessed that his feelings were getting the -better of him, amid which Mr Myers rose'to a point of order. He alleged that Mr Laurenson ha<J deliberately- -misstated the facts in saying that .Auckland did not want a. university. '-That was absolutely contrary to fact. (Hear, hear, from Auckland members.) The Speaker: That's not a point of ..order./ A member may state his own opinion, though it may be quiteerroneous. (Renewed laughter.) "Auckland has said: 'We want Barabbas every time. Give us anything you like, but above all, give us a Governor's residence and give us a, chance to do a bit of grovel' V declared Mr Laurenson, with vigour. He pointed out that the trade of many of the second-class ports in the country had increased in far greaterproportion than that of Auckland, and yet the latter talked about Itself from the commercial point of view! "I am getting absolutely tired of the parochial point of view of tne Auckland members," he declared, "and I will do my best to prevent * single penny being spent upon i* second Governor's residence, f>ne i& enough, to satisfy anyone—(near> hear)—especially at a time like this, when we hare just had to curtail expenditure and dispense with many public .servants. The request of Auckland is simply ludicrou§^(laughter)— and I can only express my great surprise at any place calling itself 3. city taking up such an attitude I" (Prolonged laughter.) MISREPRESENTED. i Mr A. E. Glover (Auckland Central) said that the sentiments of the> people of Auckland had been misinterpreted altogether, and he was quite in favor of a worthy university for the province, and a new and suitable site had been agreed on. It was clear by early Acts that the Governmenfc had power to deal with the Government House grounds as it pleased.