GENERAL A SEMBLY.

Otago Daily Times, 2 October 1865, Page 5

GENERAL A SEMBLY.

THE SEPARATION QUESTION.

Feidat, Se_t_mu-B Bth, (From the SoatJiern Cross.)

Major RICHARDSON .aid hs had heard the important conclusions of the hon mover in his speech yesterday, with much greater pain than the ronver had felt in moving his resolutions. The hon. member for Dunedin (Mr Vogel) had fatten exception to a statement by him, j from which he drew a conclusion, that that statement was in favor of this very motion. Had he read the paragraph properly, he would have found that there was, a proviso in tbat paragraph, which com-, pletely gave it a different meaning. The Auckland party had been a party to the enormous expenditure which had overwhelmed the country in" debt. Before paying that attention to; the remarks of the hon. the late Defence Minister, he would pay a little attention to bis hon. friend opposite (Mr Vogel). He had'referred to some remarks which fell from the hon. gentleman at tbe head of the Government, and set them down as clap-trap, utterly unworthy of that hon. gentleman. There was a charge brought by bioi that the Ministry vtea constantly enting their own theory. A similar sentiment had fallen from the hou member for Napier. Now, if the nature, of the,food offered to them was indigestible, they would not expect them to eat it more tban once. His hon friend opposite (Mr Vogel) had been pleased to characterise the observations of his hon friend (the Minister for Colonial Defence) with regard to General Cameron, as childish. He (Major Richardson) might remark, that up to a certain point, there had been the utmost unanimity of feeling between the General and the Ministers, but he would put it to every hon member, whether, if the Ministry had,acted diffently from what they had done, they would not have been indignantly scouted from their seats.. No man ever disputed the gallantry ot the General—that had ; J*«_ indisputably esUblished ia many

hard-fought fields, andhe believed that with regard to the British troops, when they met with a foe worthy of their steel, tbey would prove themselves second to none in the world. (Hear, hear.) The hon. member for Napier had sard that they required a Cromwell. He (Major Richardson) would say that the policy recommended by the present Government was the policy pursued by Cromwell, vi.., that of earnest -self-reliance, and it Was* tbat policy thnt tbe Ministry wished to see adopted in New Zealand. It had been stated that the Government had Baid that if the troops were not withdrawn they would resign,, and they were now accused of having toned down that statement by saying that the Government only declined to pay the expenses of those troops. He would contend, however, that there was quite sufficient to justify the Government in the course they had taken, and he would ask the indulgence of ihe House, whilst be endeavored lo present a sketch of tbe native policy for some years past. From 1853 to 1856, there waa no interference in matters by the colony—the Imperial Government paid all the expenses, and bore all tbe responsibility; but on looking over some documents in connection with that subject, he found, that certain controversies bad taken place between the Imperial Government and tbe colony with reference to that subject t on the Bth September, 1855, his hon. iriend Mr Stafford, after making certain propositions respecting the payment of the troops, remarked:—" If, on the other hand, further pecuniary demands are made on the colony, there appears to bs no alternative but the withdrawal of the troops. No doubt, such aa event would seriously imperil the colony, but the colonists would have no option. They are not in a position at present to bear increased pecuniary burthens i and if? the alternative be, that increased burthens must be submitted to, or tbe troops withdrawn, the latter must necessarily be accepted. In making tbis statement his Excellency's advisers do not shut their eyes to the result which sooner or lattr would no doubt prove most disastrous. Without an adequate military force, peaceful relations could not, for any length of time, be maintained between the different races of her Majesty's subject**, and a war of races, if it did not speedily extermin ite the aborigines, would certainly annihilate all hope of civilisation, and, while injurious in every way to the colonists themselves, would be most embarra:.inK to her Majesty's Government." He (Major Richardson) trusted that his hon, iiriend would give the Ministers credit that they were willing to carry out the pnJirry he had laid down, and if further demands were made upon the colony tbe troops must be withdrawn. Such a demand bad been made, aud he believed tbat the Government had no other alternative than to iusUt on the removal of the troops. Then, with regard to what had been said with regard to the management of native aflaira. Lord Carnarvon, in a despatch to Governor Browne, dated 18th May, 1859, wrote :—" I hold it, therefore, far more advisable that tbe Government should purchase territories than that individuals should purchase properties, so that the line wbich separates the purchase on which European law is to prevail, from the unpurchased on which the native usageri will continue to sub-ist. Her Majesty's Government wish to give the fullest effect to the system of responsible Government, and to have all questions of domestic and internal interest to be decided by the Colonial Government; but they cannot either, for tbe sake of the colonists, surrender the control over native affairs. Whilst her Majesty's Government ftcl constrained to justify to Parliament the large expense which every year is incurred for the maintenance of a military force in New Zealand for the defence of the colony, and for the better control and civilization of the native race, they must retain in iheir hands the administration of those affairs, and the Waitara block, the transactions conceruing wbich might be considered to be tbe origin of the war, was reported by Governor Browne ns purchased on the 25th Januarj', 1860." It was all very well in a time-of profound peace fo? the hon. member for Nelson and hia colleagues to do all tbey could to obtain from the Imperial Government the management of native affairs, but the present Ministry had to do that at a time when the colony was involved in war. The hon. member then proceeded to quote certain statistics to prove that the Ministry had made unprecedented efforts in order to place the colony in a sound position, both as to its means of defence and it 3 finances, and he said that when the late Ministry left office there was in the banker's books a balance against the Government of L 818.335 19-r 41., and he quoted a letter from Mr Reader Wood to the manager of the Bank of New Zealand, respecting the power ofthe bank to hypothecate. The hon. member then said that he did not think it would Le necessary to offer any observations on the subject of colonial defence, as tbat would come much better from hia hon. friend the Defence. Minister, but with regard to Separation be would ask in what position Great Britain would have been, had it remained a* it formerly was, viz., three separate kingdoms. After alluding to the disastrous effects of disunion, the hon. Post-master-General said that whilst the colony remained united, if he remained a member of that House he would always regard the resolutions of 1856 with tbe : greatest jealousy, but if the House should decide tbat the colony should ha separated, then he would be one of the first to go in for a fair division of assets as well as liabilities, so that equal justice might be done to all. (Cheers.) Tbe debate was brought to a conclusion on Tuetday, 12th, having been opeued on tha.t day by the Superintendent of Auckland. He was followed by Mr John Williamson, whose speech in characterised by the correspondent ot the; Canterbury press as a " heavy address of three hours* duration." The Attorney-General sprke on behalf of the Government and agftinit tjxe resolutions, and forty-one members having address-'d the House, Mr Russell replied. A division then took place, when there appeared in favor of the resolutions: —Ayes, 17—Messrs Buckland, Burna, Butler, Catleton, .Colenso, , Creight__v Graham, George; Graham, Bobert.;, Haultaio, Miicandren, Munroe, O'Neil, O'Rourke, Reynolds, Russell, "Wi'.'iiamson, James; Williamson, John. Against the resolutions—Noes, 31; Messrs Atkinson, Bell, Brandon, Bunny, Cox, Curtis, Domett, FitzGerald, Fitsberb.rt^ Gledhill,. Harrison, Haughton, Jof'iie, , Mantell, Ormoad, P_i_rson,

SS Renall Rhodesr, Richardson, T_S? OTd*-T_* Se? dl * S^fford, Taylor W^?^n° DV^ ard * W&?"e> W-ld, Wei's Wilson. Pairs-ayes: Messrs Henderson '■Ml"? 1 V°/&,, Noes: Me-tm Mill. Featberstonand Walker. Speaker: Monro Absent: Eyes. The resolutions were, therefore, negatived; the majority attainst thera being 14. * s