HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4298, 23 August 1875, Page 2

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.

[press agency.] Wellington, Saturday. THE ABOLITION DEBATE. The Abolition debate was resumed at 7.30 p.m. last night by Mr. FITZHEkBERT, who spoke until the rising of the House at 12.20 p.m. The speech was very discursive, and laden with that illustration peculiar to the speaker. He reviewed the opening speech of Major Atkinson, and then commented-on Bowen's and Stafford's, ard afterwards touched on the clauses of the bill and some of the points made in the speeches of the Government supporters. He denied that there had been any contest between Centralism and Provincialism in years back, and cited Parliamentary evidences from each successive administration from the time of Mr. Sewell in 1556. When he said he desired to work in harmony with the provinces in IS7-, Mr. Vogel endeavoured to introduce the Transfer of Powers Bill, but which he abandoned upon being warned that it was interfering with the liberty of the provinces, and was directly opposed to the principles on which he was elected. The lion, gentleman also referred to the action of the present champion of Centralism, when in ISoG he displayed the narrowest Provincial spirit in bringing in the celebrated compact resolutions. He also defended Provincial Institutions from tbe charge of engendering purely local feeling. Instead of nationalising the feeling of the people, to them only was due the creation of a truly national feeling, and they were the only promoters of true local self-government. He characterised the iinancial proposals of the bill as vicious in the extreme, and only a masked attack upon the land funds of the colony in order to be the better able to meet the great and growing necessities of the colony, the great undertakings of the colony would soon require more money, but the Ministry dare not risk their seats to meet the emergency by levying increased taxation. He denounced the system of subsidising local boards out of consolidated revonue, as certain to lead to increased taxation. He condemned the bill as destroying the very elements of the liberty and true representation of the people by wresting from them the centrol of their own revenue, and depriving them of the power of electing their own Chief Executive officers. In conclusion, he warned the House they were doing their utmost to bring about separation of the colony. The great provinces of the colony—Otago and Auckland— would never submit to be controlled from Wellington by the electric wire, and would rebel against it if it were attempted. He said the country had been for years and was now in a state of intoxication from borrowed money. During the past five years the colonial revenue averaged only Jb'1,300,000 per annum, but we had been spending at the rate of two millions per annum for the same period. If the borrowing power of England and France had inl creased in the same ratio, the yearly expenditure of England for a like period would be £102,000,000, and that of France £133,000,000 yearly. And under such circumstances the liberties of the people could not possibly be maintained. Such an enormous power of spending and bribing in the hands of any Government would be simply irresistible. He warned the Government they had better give the people time to reflect before sweep- ! ing away their old institutions.

Mr. BUCKLAND moved the adjourn meat of the debate.