Untitled

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 7161, 29 October 1884, Page 4

The Ministry suffered a somewhat humiliating defeat last night on the New Zealand International South Sea Trading Company's Bill (for by this lumbering title Sir Julius' Bill was known). We in Auckland were specially interested in this measure, and if the scheme proposed were to be brought into operation, we should have been considerably affected in one way or another. This port possesses nearly the whole of the South Sea Island trade which comes to New Zealand. From the Bill itself very little information could be obtained as to how the company \va3 to be worked, and those who look to Sir Julius Yogel's speech in explanation of the measure will be no more enlightened, for he explains nothing at all. Auckland people would have liked to have heard, in the first place, whether the company would buy out the Auckland merchants who have already established trade with different groups, or would attempt to run them off the field with the help of the subsidy from the Consolidated Fund. Thiß point was raised by Mr. Moss, and Sir Julius' answer was, that it would be a good thing to run the present traders off, for they trafficked in human flesh. It.is needless to urge the many difficulties which occur, and "which Sir Julius never alluded to, because the Bill was summarily thrown out, although it was known that even if the second reading had been carried, nothing further wouid have been attempted.