NAPIER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume I, Issue 214, 20 July 1864, Page 4

NAPIER.

(From tho "Hawke's Bay Times," July 11.) A CORRECT VERSION OF lIIS HONOR'S STEECH. (l»Y SPECIAL PERMISSION.) Mr. Speaker and Gentlemen, —The absurd requirements ot the Constitution Act oblige me to call you together. It is very distressing, but. I really cannot help it. I could carry on the Government capitally without, you.

If must be a s-aitrcc of great satisfaction to you to know that T have done everything I possibly "can to retard the progress of this Province, so as to secure our runs from the Gothic invasion of small holders, and such like breeders and bringers of popi lition. 1 am happy to say that the war has not vet. extended to this Province, and it gives me equal gratification to say also that I have succeeded, in consequence, in obtaining the assistance of a large body of men, who are found to be brave and devoted customers for those commodities with which this Province abounds, which, while tliey afford sustenance to the consumer, affords also large profits to the producer. The war indeed has, under these encouraging circumstances, thus far proved a great blessing to this Province, and you will admit that in the present state of the Provincial finances it would be difficult to get on without it. 1 he present state of the Natives contrasts favourably with tlieir condition some two vears a<*o. We can now get runs from them without anv trouble; for the etlieient. manner in whii-h justice has always been administered in this Province between the two races has so embued the Maories with respcct for outlaws and institutions, that it is picking to see how very easily they arc now managed in all matters relating to "grass money." I have succeeded, after a hard struggle, and with greater difllculty than T at first anticipated, in etlectually eradicating small holdings in this Provinco. Agriculture, I am happy to say, is rapidly on the decline. A few more years of my government, and such a thing as a small farmer'will not be found within our borders. Yon will admit that a coimtrv overgrown by Scotch thistles is far better than a country overrun by small farmers. The Provincial share of the customs revenue has nearly doubled. This is exceedingly cheering, and may be accounted for by the fact that, whereas, the principal quantity of liquor drank in tile Province up to a recent date was consumed by yourselves and the Hettch of Magistrates, whom you will allow to have done their best in that regard. Now, I am glad to say, that you and your colleagues have been relieved from their onerous duties by the addition of about 300 hard drinkers, whom I'liave succcded in getting together from the adjacent colonies, irrespective of some additional hundreds of repular troops or topers scut hither specially by the General Government at my earnest request. The export of wool continues satisfactory. The Provincial Treasurer has prepared'a financial statement, which will be laid before you, and from which you will perceive that, considering that the Provincial Treasury has long been empty, we have succeeded in disbursing a very respectable sum of money. It is gratifying in the extreme to be able to say thai the appointment of the Wellington debt has not vet been adjusted. It was with this view that I used my influence, with success, to get a certain geutletnan well known to you appointed as one of our commissioners. I have hopes that we may yet live to see the day when our share of the £3,000,000 loan will come into my hands for administration. But upon this he.id I think it right to tell you that, notwithstanding the concessions made by the General Government thereon to the Superintendent of AVellington, I am not sanguine. It is a matter of congratulation to this Province that the facilities of Steam Communication, have been so much increased by the addition of that last boat the ' Huntress,'built in the iron pot specially for this service, that I shall not ask you to sanction the expenditure of a subsidy to other steam vessels. The I la who's Bay Steam Navigation Company has, in that boat, vindicated its rights to rank amongst the most enterprising and prosperous undertakings afloat, and will, I make no doubt, when the proper time arrives, be quite ready for any emergency. The system of assisted immigration to this Province is going on swimmingly. We have already imported no less than two entire families, and I think it not unlikely that we may possibly get two or tliree more in the course of a year or two. As the unmarried male population of this Province is considerable, I have availed myself of the generous and disinterested efforts in the cause of immigration of a highly estimable lady, with a view to supply the deficiency of females by the introduction of a large number of good-looking young

women, a stock of which article I hope to have hand, of very superior quality, very shortly. The addition to our adult population within the last year; in the shape of Justices of the. Peace and Militia otli.-ors amounts to about SOO. I have hee c-m lii', in making this selection, to get none but out and uut supporters of my administration, and have not entered into the superfluous question of their (j unifications. The loads are progres.'ing favourably. "\Ve keei as many as ton men constantly at work on them having no other hands at our disposal. It is ti u ,' there are some two or tlirce hundred gentlemen with nothing particular to do at present, receiving public pay in the Province, who might be usefully employed on the public works, but, upon representations and overtures in that direction hcing made to them th-v declined, alleging that they had an aversion to work and had accepted Government employment in order to avoid that objectionable contingency ; with which resolution I entirely concur, as being so admirablv in accordance with the nature of our service, and showing so excellent n spirit of subordination. The importance of a tramway is becoming mine and more evident, and while we import large quantities of timber from Australia and other places, we find the greatest difficulty in procuring posts enough to fence in the Apostolic Plains. For this purpose, I propose that you do authorise the making of a Uamwav from some convenient bush near my homestead direct to Napier, by which means I hope that the gre; t difficulty of getting timber will be entirely obviated. As regards thistles, I invite your earnest attention. They ale the emblems of my country, and I respect them. Uut I shall certainly hiing in a bill to eradicate all small iarmers, and another bill to drain o tf all that surplus and unnecessary population which id not required for the i.l -i;ei;.-i'aniiing, to both of which bills I feel sure \ou will give your cordial suppoit. Whether regard be had to the present salisfactoiy slate of the Province or not, I can only add that 1 feel quite sure that my Kxeeutivu and myself have done the best we can for ourselves ; and 1 can osdv say, that if the result of tur exertions has fallen short of our expectations, it is to be attiibutcd to circumstances over which I have no control, such, for instance, as tho atrocious attacks of that vagabond who w rites for the Thiivs, hut whom 1 have vet hopes (D. V.) either to convert or to obliterate.