SIR GEORGE GREY ON THE WASTE LANDS BILL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 535, 18 January 1878, Page 2

SIR GEORGE GREY ON THE WASTE LANDS BILL.

We clip the following from Sir George Grey's speech delivered lately at the Thames, giving an. explanation of his reasons for adv'sing the Governor to disallow the Waste Lands Bill:

There is another part of the history of the past session which, I confess, grieved me uiiioh. You understand that every person has a. right in the Crown lands of I the Colony. If the monstrous runs were broken up, as they ought to lv, and if it were understood t ;.-\t by the limitation of such runs upon a certain day the population would he relieved from a considerable portion, of the burden of vax.itiou by the increased value being remitted to the public treasury—that, i think, would go to reduce the general taxation, The Canterbury runs wvre to expire in a period of three years from the present time. Even supposing there had been a dissolution there would have been ample time after the voice of the people had been heard and the new Parliament was eleoted - there would, I say, have been ample time to determine what was just and fair on both sides. But there was a knot of people who wore determined to secure those runs for themselves. The great money companies who have lent money were pressing, and it was determined to force on this last session a law which would give them their runs for ten additional years. To prevent any of you from deriving the advantage from these runs which you were entitled to get, they i used the power they had of oppressing myself and my colleagues by forcing the thing on to determination during the present Parliament, and in spite of us they did it. The Governor would not give us ft dissolution, so that we might have an appeal to the people. These gentlemen still pressed the matter on, to my great grief and humiliatian. They took due care for their awn advantage in another way—the rent for each sheep being fixed at yd., while in a neighbouring province it was Is. Then, again, runs were to be valued by a commissioner, no auction or any competition of any sort to be allowed, and this increase was given for ten years., lint, still further, there was to. be a system of deferred payments, by which persons would be enabled to purchase portions of such runs. This provision, however, was thrown out in the Upper House. In One point of view, this appeared to my mind something exceedingly like a robbery of the people of New Zealand in respect of their interest ill these runs. It was unjust, and there was no necessity for doing it. If the determination had stood over to the naxt. session, the altered franchise and the improved representation upon a fair and equitable basis could have dealt with the question. As the Governor hud refused me a dissolution, I did my best to get him to disallow the Act, so that the important | questions involved might lie deferred ; but it was in vain, and there was completed what I believe thoroughly was a mostwrongful acL against tiie people of this Colony.—(Cheers ) I was a called a despot. In what way was I a despot ( The .despots appear to me to be rather the men who forced this law into being w,;ile there was yet no necessity for it. The Governor refused either dissolution o; the Assembly or disallowance of this Act. Wlio was the despot ? .Not I, who tried to prevent whi'.t aoemed to be a great injustice being done—(Loud cheers). Was I despotic in asking for t\yelve months' delay (the leases, remember, had three years to run before expiring) until, the people were consulted on the subjeois vi «,his, one of the most important interests ? It there was a despot iu the case, it was not I, who endeavored to. get for the people a fair hearing upon this as Will as otiier important public mHUer-s. —(Cheers.) You all know how on this subject 1 have held my tongue until I came to-day into your presence. I was abused anl attacked in reference to my conduct in this matter, but \ held my tongue. I felt I waa responsible to you, and 1 did iiofc reply to this lavish abuse, for it did not hurt me in any way, and 1 could afford to keep my peace until I faced those who had a right to demand of me an explanation. That time has oome. —(Loud cheers.) J resolved to give them an explanation jind let them decide whether- I was right or wrong ; let them say whether they desired a representative who would make any sacrifice for the performance of what he knew to be hia duty, and in pursuit of your welfare. —(Prolonged oheers.)