PARLIAMENTARY

Observer, Volume 2, Issue 48, 13 August 1881, Page 554

[fARMTA MEM TARYf

OVER THE SPEAKER'S CHAIR. BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. (FROM OUE OWN CORRESPONDENT.)

WELLINGTON, Thursday. The Morality of Canterbury. — The Capital City o tho Plains, in Canterbury, has its streets called after episcopal sees. It was only a proper token of respect the founders of the city thought due to the church in which they had been trained. Having a form of godliness they had brought with them across the sea, they sought to impress its memory on the new land they had. entered into, by the adoption of names of.historical shrines. The names of the streets in Christchurch are the most sacred thing in Christchurch, yet the city is eminently a religious one, tlie godliness of the lip and not of the heart. It is mainly displayed in the wearing of good clothes and rearing of ambitious temples. There King Shoddy has placed his throne in New Zealand; and in that city immorality is legalised and regulated by law, and is as much a part of the city institutions as the bishop's robes or tho Mayor's office is part and parcel of the Canterbury creed. The Cat.— Last week Weston's Bill for tho punish, ment of offences against the person came on for second reading in the House. Clause 3 was a flogging clause, empowering J.P.s, like Ryland, to flog men brought before them. Most of the Canterbury men supported the clause which, Weston told the House, had been inserted at the request of Stevens. Hall, Eolleston, Bowen, and others from the City of the Plains, waxed eloquent on the virtues that could be extracted from men by flogging them. While they expatiated on the blessings that would accrue from the cat 1 remembered and mused over a story which bore on the question. Some four or five years since a well-known Canterburymerchant was arrested by the police on a charge o£ shamelessly illtreating his own daughter, a girl of 15. t He obtained the greatest sympathy among the *• swett mob" of the city, and meanß were devised how he should escape the consequencos of his attempt. It was well known in Canterbury that the man was a brutal and an unfaithful husband, a follow devoid of the instincts of a respectable member of society. He was brought before the K.M. in Christchurch, examined privately, and sentenced to three months' imprisonment, from the fear, as the Resident Magistrate said, that "if he were Bent to the Supreme Court he would get off." Had the culprit not been a " swell mob man " he would have had several years penal servitude. All the old brutality of the army and navy flogging was reproduced by those Canterbury men to be made law. Then if a man or a boy could not receive his punishment all at once, he was !to be healed and then 'flogged again. It was idle to point out to them how the punishment would brutalise men. They were deaf to any such remonstrance, and cried aloud with united voice " The cat J the cat I the cat 1" Colonel Brett, another Canterbury man, intro* duced a Bill into tho Council, which was passed and sent down to the Lower House to be considered. I here send the names of the floggers and the anti-floggers who voted and passed. How the Maori shinea beside Eolleston, the Oxford double-first in this matter :— Floggers : Atkinson, Barron, Bowen, Fisher, J. G., Fulton. Gibbs, Gisborne, Hall, Hursthouse, Mius ray, Reid, Rolleston, Saunders, Seymour, Stevens, Sutton, Trimble, Weston and Whitaker. Anti-floggcrs: Andrews, Ballance, DeLautour, Fisher, J. 8., Grey, Harris, Hutchison, Jones. Levestam, Lundon, Montgomery, Pyke, Seddon, Sheehan, Shrimski, Speight, Swanson, Taiaroa, Tawhai, Te Whero, Thomson, Tole, and Turnbull. The Estimates. — With a cowardice amounting almost to brutality, the Government put their youngest member in the van to bear the brunt of the attack that would be made on the estimates. They followed the usual practice, putting up the Postal and Telegraph Departments as the first targets to be shot at. There was much sympathy felt for Walter Johnston who could not be supposed to be familiar with the reasons which fixed the rate of pay of men whose callings and places of work extended over sixteen pages of foolscap. Two probable things were said on the subject when it was brought under discussion. Saunders advised the House to pass the estimates without discussion, as when he was a Royal Commissioner enquiring into tho reductions' which could be made in the Civil Service he soon left the Post and Telegraph services out of consideration, because there were no reductions possible in these depart* ments, no saving could be effected except by amalgamation. The other thing was Sheehan telling the House that responsible government could die, the House could be abolished, and Ministers cease to exist, but that the Postal and Telegraph services must survive the wreck. Johnston made no pretence to familiarity with the details of his department, but had Lemon and Grey at his back to coach him through. The most singular feature of tho two hours' idle talk on the postal affairs, which took place was the desire of all the speakers to have the salaries of the officers in their respective districts raised. Of course this was in view of the coming, election.

- Difficulty of Retrenchment. — • The Government came down prepared to discuss their financial policy, but were compelled to listen to Weston's enquiries how a letter-carrier at Eeef ton could exist on £70 a year. So eao-cr were members to plead for their proteges, that six or seven would try to catch the chairman's eye at the same time Sheehan said that he had risen seven times in expostulation, and when Johnston, as defender of the public purse, had to say "No," on several occasions, members would be seen walking up to the table where he sat, in the hope of inducing Tihn to reconsider his decision. Hurst, with a magnanimity as broad as his shirt-front and expansive chest, constituted himself Johnston's defender, preferring to ask privately, rather than publicly, for what he wants. Hursthouse complained pathetically about a messenger at Motueka being reduced from £36 to £20 a year, and wanted to know how this " young aspirant for celebrity " was to live on such a pittance. Moss thought the country in danger ibecanse the Parnell letter-carrier had been reduced from £115 to £110 a year 5 and Gisborne told the House that another revolution was at hand because the postmaster at Ross would have to close the post-office when a telegram had to be deli vered in his district. The whole thing was a miserable burlesque, and showed clearly how unfit the Legislative is to deal -with any important matter. The system has broken down, the only consolation is that Centralism must die from inanimation.

: Redistribution of Seats. — When it became known that Canterbury and Ofcago, under the proposed redistribution of seats, would have half the votes in the new House but one or two, Sheehan called the Auckland members together to see how they felt about boing ruled :by the Southern provinces. No surer indication of how the country is still wedded to provincialism is to be found than in the fact that -when members have occaBioa to consult together they consult by provinces, and iiot by sections, respecting shades' of opinion. Sheehan's plan was to include the Maori population in the electoral data for the North, and thus increase their representative power. This would' give the North five fextra members. What the outcome may be is unknown, i • • • ' ■* •

but I don't think the bill will pass ; at all events not without a long and bitter fight. If the Government measure 'is passed Auckland must be content to be ruled altogether by the Southern provinces. In ray opinion this would be a good thing, r.s it would help a g_reat deal to break up Centralism. Whitaker, senior, is in favour of Sheehan's proposal, and Hall thinks there is something in it, while Macandrew vows if it be carried he will go in for separation, whereat we cry, " God speed lim."

Centralism y. Provincialism. — Sheehan has had a Ist of information compiled and extracted as to the relative cost of conducting Local and Central government. In 1876 the departmental estimates for the general Government for the year, including the vote for municipalities, was £800,000. Iv the estimates before the House for the current year the amount alone for departmental expenditure is £1,660,000. In 1876 the cost of provincial charges for all the provinces in the way of management were as follows :— Administration, £24.408 : Legislation, £2,352; Printing, £9,357; total £36,097. During the 3 r ear ending 31st of March the management and miscellaneous official expenses of county management was £56,550. J?or Road Boards, during the same period, similar charges, £30,538.