POST-SESSIONAL SPEECHES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1191, 26 September 1874, Page 10

POST-SESSIONAL SPEECHES.

[By Electric Telegraph.] mr cutiibertson at invercargill. Mr J. n Cuthbertson, M.H.R. for Invercargill, addressed his constituents on Thursday week. After detailing ai some length the work of the session, he entered on the question of the resolutions for the abolition of the Northern Provinces, explaining that his audience knew something by experience of the working of Provincial institutions under adverse circumstances, and could judge whethtr the continuance of impecunious Provinces in t u e North wonhl be beneficial either to the Colony or the outlying districts of these Provinces themselves. The pairot cry of " The Middle Island land fund is in danger !" would not impose upon a constituency, who could see that th<-re was no connection between the two things. It was a cry raised by Provincial official-! as a desperate expedient for the purpose of enlisting lh<3 sytm athies of the South. After Mr Cuthbertson's address a motion was proposed thanking him, but regretting his action in supporting the Government resolutions. This motion met with no support, and an amendment was proposed expressing the cordial confidence of the constituency in Mr Cuthbertson. This was carried on a show of hands, with only five dissentients. MR W. REEVES, M 11. JR., AT SISLWYN. Mr Reeves addressed his constituents of tho Selwyn district on Tuesday night. He spoke for over two hours, and gave a rewind of his general conduct during the past two sessions of tho Assembly. Ho had be n c Ibul a thorough p iced supporter of Mr Vo^ol, but contended that while ho gave him general and generous support, he had ahva\s acted as fiu independent member. In proof of this he pointed out that he opposed the Brogden contracts, and also the Government proposal to take land from the Provinces as security for payment of rail wayn ; also the Government measure entitled " Provincial Loans Euipoweviug Acts }" and he referred to his action in respect to immigration, in which he showed there wa3 great raiaracinagemeut on the part of the Government. He said the support ho had given to the Public Works policy he would give again, and only wished Mr Vogel had confined himself to carrying out that policy before introducing such large constitutional t)hmsWf Hef.errjp,g $o tfos

last session, he said the Ministers' intersessional orations preceding it, the Governor's speech, and Mr Vogel's remarks in making his financial statement, distinctly laid down that the session was to be short, as no important measures would be introduced. Yet a great constitutional change was promulgated. He believed the idea of the abolition of the Provinces of the .North Island had been suddenly adopted. The Forests Bill, which the Provincial party opposed, because they thought it the thin end of the wedge towards the Colonial Government obtaining their lauded estate, produced strong remarks from Mr Fitzherbert, which seemed to irritate Mr Vogel, who cautioned Mr Fitzherbert not to be surprised if the defeat of the Bill led to consequences the Provincial party did not contemplate ; and yet Mr Vogel afterwards said all the assertions that had been made about his having come down with the resolutions because of irritation as connected with the Province of Wellington were very wide of the mark. Shortly after the Forest Bill debate it was rumoured that a Bill would be brought in to abolish the Northern Provinces, but this was abandoned, and Mr Vogel said it would not be done, as after his Statement it might be called legislation by surprise ; and he said the Government thought the change would be more acceptable if an expression of desire for it came from the country. From that and other remarks from Mr Vogel to him (Mr Eeeves) he thought that the Government would prefer waiting for an expression of public opinion, «md therefore the Bill would not be brought clown, but simply some resolutions stating to the House that it was the opinion of the Government that there should be a constitutional change next session in the direction of abolition of the Northern Provinces ; but the Government altered their mind again, and brought down resolutions seeking a pledge from the House to abolish the Provinces of the North Island, and held out a threat of dissolution if they were not carried. At a meeting of the Provincial party which he (Mr Eeeves) did not attend, it was decided to ask him, as au independent member of the House, to propose the previous question, wnich, after consideration, he decided to do, but emphatically denied it was with any intention, as reported, of ousting the Government on that question, lie said Mr O'Rorke acted in a highly creditable manner in resigning, and that the resolutions were carried after a very inconclusive debate. Motions for appeal to the country, and for the Bill to be circulated two months before introduction, were lost, Mr Stafford opposing the latter notwithstanding that, when he was Premier, the Local Government Bill was circulated some months before introduced. Mr Vogel had stated the Compact of 1856 should be preserved intact, but the supporters of abolition were against it ; and Mr Header Wood had said Mr Vogel stated at a caucus that the preservation of the Compact of 1856 was not an important part of the whole, and further, said no uneasiness need be experienced regarding it by the supporters of the abolition resolutions. He pointed it out Mr Vogel had not denied this statement, but merely said Mr Header Wood was not quite correct. The South Island should therefore receive with considerable doubt the original statement of the Government, to the effect that they intend to stand or fall by their support of the Compact of 1856. He (Mr Reeves) opposed the abolition resolutions because he considered the time most inopportune and injudicious when the Government w^re engaged carrying out an important policy still in its infancy, because there had been no demand from the people for such a change, and because he thought the Parliament was elected mainly to carry on the public woiks and immigration schemes without reference to large constitutional changes. He considered it was no 1 ; a Parliament to carry out such changes, because he thought that the Parliament was not in a frame of mind or temper to fairly, thoroughly, or honestly consider so large a question, for it had shown more energy for debating whether to add £50 to members honorarium than in the collective debates on the finaucial, public works, and immigration statements. He also objected, because it was the most novel experiment ever heard of to alter the constitution of one-half the Colony while the other half was lefc undisturbed. New Zealand was proverbial for her system of double Government ; but this change would make a treble Government;. He had studied the matter carefully, but, as yet, had only seen the beginning of the difficulties that would arise. Curiously enough the resolutions say the Northern Provinces shall be abolished, without referring to any other substitute for the present sydtem of Government in the North Island. One of the tir&t effects of abolition of these Provinces would be that all their Ordinances would cea- eto exist. The Assembly would then have to legislate for the North Island, and thus they would have the auomaly of the Assembly elected from both parts of the Colony legislating and financing for two different constituents. Great difficulties would arise regarding finance, in fact it was impossible to overrate them. The reasons which led to doing away with the county form of Government in Westland show this. He also opposed the resolutions, because no experimental change in the constitution of this kind should be made without a direct appeal first being made to the constituencies. If the North Island Provinces were abolished, the abolition of those in the South Island would undoubtedly follow. As a logical consequence, the land revenue would become the property of the Colony, and the Assembly would appropriate it ns it whs thought best ; and when it was nmeroberud that there arc 78 members of the Assembly, it would be seen that Canterbury aud Otago would have very little power as affecting these, appropriations. It had been said that Provincial institutions interfered with the prosecution of public works, but the Minister of Public Work*, when questioned iv the House, did not say so, and he (Mr Reeves) when Resident Minister, received the greatest assistance from the Provincial authorities ; in fact, so far from inteifering, they did a gt cat deal to assist in carrying out the Public Works policy. It had been said that the Provinces interfered with immigratisn, but Mr Vogel, as Minister of Immigration, had wisely denuded himself of his powers, and put them oa Asm if »ofc fox tk«

assistance of Provinces in erecting houses, &c., most disastrous results would have accrued from the present large influx ot immigrants. It had been further said that Provinces impeded proper government of the Natives, but when he (Mr Reeves) asked Sir Donald M'Lean in the House if he had not received very large assistance from the Provincial Governments, by which much bloodshed and disaster had been avoided, Sir Donald said "hear, hear." The reason for the proposed change was entirely a financial one, but he thought if the Government had the pluck to say the Colony was engaged in large, undertakings, borrowing large sums, and wanted larger security and larger area of revenue to work upon ; if they would do this instead of driving at the land revenue in a variety of indirect ways, he believed a majority of the House would be ready to meet the requirements of the Govern m ent, and make such an apportionment of the land revenue as would meet their necessities, and the people would submit to it rather than to additional taxation. He was not an ultraProvincialist, but was able to take a dispassionate view of any question, and asserted that the proposed change was undesirable in every way, and that no such change should be attempted without previously being especially referred to the constituencies. Mr Reeves was frequently cheered during the speech, aud on its conclusion a unanimous vote of confidence in him was passed.