NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 10, Issue 632, 1 August 1866, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF representatives: Thursday, July 2;’, The Speaker took the chair at 2 p.m. SEPARATION. Mr Joliie next rose, and said that he did not wish to make any extended remarks on the resolutions now before them. The various speakers who had already addressed the House had sufficiently exhausted the subject; and he would not travel over beaten ground, but there was one speech, that of the lion, member for Westland (Mr: Moorehouse), which he must refer to. There might be the most overwhelming objections to both series of resolutions be- : fore them, but that proposition which the hon. gentleman had given utterance to was ..certainly more substantially objectionable. •Insular separation might liberate the two parts of the Colony from t,lie : ties that bound them, and free the South Island from a great deal of expense, and it might enable them to put money in their pockets. Those gentlemen in the other Island would liberate themselves for that low consideration of riioney. (Oh! oh!) Sentiment, the hon. gentlemen might not understand, but hri could tell 4be® that sentiment of horior'and‘ ; riatiririality ; had a great deal to say in the matter. Mr Hall said the hop. mover had extended hi3,remarks over a long space of time, but they might be summed up in the words “the want of prompt action in the government of natives.” This was really th e cheval de bataillc of the hon. gentleman, and he assisted it by saying that there was great discontent in the North ; but that was not what had to be proved. They wanted to know that there was cause for discontent. He did not, however, admire the way in which the hon. gentleman at the head of the Government had replied to that speech, as he believed that he should rather have epoken in sorrow than in anger. The mover had been very liberal in his proposals so far as telling both those who agreed with him aud those who differed from him that he was ready to take something. But the hon. member himself was noted for sagacity, his shrewdness, his knowledge of New Zealand history, and if he had not been able to devise a remedy, it was not fair for him to come and ask them to do so. The hon. gentleman suggested that the arrangements with regard to the land funds should be cancelled, and he must say that he was very much astonished to see such a proposition coming from a person of the hon. gentleman’s position, and he would warn the geritlemeri from the South to well consider this. Then the plan was most indefinite ; It .did not give entire separation, and yet deprived them of the strength given bv a united Government. On a certain number of subjects there was to be concurrent powers of legislation in the Provincial and .General Governments, and in this proposition lie was perpetuating the very evils which already existed.

Mr A. Clark and Mr Newman having spoken in favour of the resolutions, * Colonel Haultain said that as h£ intended to vote against the res'6lhtioh9, it was necessary that *he iho\ild : miike 4ome bbservatiohs; on , those of‘the hdn. member for ' Parnell, to the effect that he would be* a defaulted if he them, or sitting there on false pretences* He entirely denied ; that he was pledged to any such , scheme as that proposed by the hon. gentleman —(hear, hear) —a scheme which he believed the mover had no faith in himself, as he voted against them on the first opportunity of voting against them. What he had promised. What he had promised his constituents was that lie would sink all minor questions in co-operating with the other hon. members for Auckland in obtaining a better system of government for that province, and that promise he would adhere to' in spirit and lytter. (Hear, hear.) What was proposed by the resolutions was to place the North at the niercy of the sentiments of the South-, - 'and that was a - most dangerous idea. What he, believed was re- . .quired was a; greater - equality in the representation of the ■, two. islands. (Hear,< hear.) Mr. C. Ward said 5 He would propose the addition of the following words to the first resolution of the hon. member for Parnell. “ and of such other provinces of the North Island as may desire it with a view of transferring the control of the natives to them, and relieving the Governments of the Middle Island from the responsibility on equitable terms. ” It had been objected that there was a demand for money by Auckland in these resolutions, but that was just the thing; that pleased him. Could they afford to give her a -quarter of a million while the colony was • united any better than they could if separation was granted* .and yet they bad done it ? He was not frightened at the propositions, aqd while thinking that it would be most objectionable, to Auckland entirely, he at the same time thought that the resolutions might be very much extended. He was a, firm, believer in whatthe .-provinces., bad > doing, .and would do in future in colonizing, "the ccmntryy : ann he thought that . withoutany -arbitrary or sudden change,-they might still ,sq amend the system ; of .Government as neither to be too provincial or too central. He would ask hon..,gentlemen to agree, with him in supporting the separation.of the two islands, and create in the Middle Island a strong central Government, and see how it .would act in ten years on the provinces. His arguments for this was that they .could not construct a strong Government in tile

North Island which would properly administer the affairs of the South. They were attempting now that which could not possibly be done in the General Government, and he believed that that form forrti of Government was gradually breaking'down, and in a few years would be past amendment. He asked, therefore, those who supported the outlying districts, to join with him in advocating a strong ceutral Government in the Middle Island. He was now called upon to prove that such a Government could be formed, and he might say that for eight years during which 1 he had sat in that Assembly, he had faded to see a strong Government iri office, composed'of members, from both islands. They had taken upon themselves the legislation for the native race so'that in this island there were two distinct races to legislate and administer for, while in the Middle Island there was but one. There was a little matter that 1 came before them the Other day which showed this difficulty—the" Native Contracts BillThe members frbih the South looked -upon this in a very different light from those of the North, the one only seeing a difficulty in its being assented to by the Imperial Government, and the other considering how it might operate in the peculiar circumstances He was a separationisi, : because he: saw benefit to both Islands initr, and he thought that those who opposed it were wrong in many ways. When members from his part of the country said that it was unnecessary, because they were there' in : sufficient numbers to carry what ■ measures 'they thought best, he considered' it a most tyrannical thing. These arguments .had been used freely out of doors, if. not in that debate, and he believed they were the most wrong of all. The unity on which they insiste i was nothing better than a sentiment. He had listened with, pleasure :to the hon. Colonial Treasurer; bilt he believed that the true and noble sentiment was on the .other side. ••He did not know, what it was for an empire to be cut into two colonies, but he did know what it was fora colony to be happy and'prosperous (Hear, hear).- Adjourned. ■ PARLIAMENTARY JOTTINGS. The Wellington Correspondent of- the * Lyt.telton Times’ supplies us with the following : ' Mr. Stafford has announced that, though he had grave doubts as to the fiscal results -of the measure, both as to the effect oh revenue through the Customs, and also as to the expense of the machinery of excise, - still the Government had determined that they would bring in a measure to permit distillation in soirieof the laiger toWnsJ He pressed a strong conviction that this change will have a beneficial effebt on the agr’etiltiiral interests ; for the ; sake of which, be said, the Government would encounter the risks of the experiment. Mr. Beswick has moved for a return of the number of letter-carriers dismissed throughout the year. He said his object was to discover whether the ‘ cutting off this convenience to the public at Kaipoi was a special and arbitrary act, or whether it was one of a series of post-office attempts at economy. The information really required —that is, the policy of these small sayings —ought to have been giyen at the time ; but the Postmaster-General gaye no word nor sign in - explanation, so • Mr.* Bbswick will get his dry return," 1 aiid must dp what he can with it.

It is ascertained, - upon *it .-inqubn? instituted by Mr. Fitz Gerald, that the Government mean to amend the law relating to the registration of votes. The late elections have exhibited so much o£ the had working of the present law that all round the House will be ■ anxious to- improve it, an d to render the acquisition. of the franchise easy to every man who is entitled to it. The plan to be adopted, is not yet announced. • ",

The money order branch of the Posta Department, says the Postmaster-General in his report, has continued to niakesteady progress during the year. Notwithstanding that considerable reductions appear ih the transactions between pertain "places, there is still on" the whole, such an increase 1 as to warrant the * conclusion that tho system as at present administered, works satisfactorily. The postal report laid on, the table of the, House of Assembly shows; the expense- in-; , curred in ..allowing, a percentage . to the sellers of,postage.stamps,ior^the.financial year, ended June 30, 1865, It is as follows Auckland, £379 -4s ; Targmaki, £32 0s 9d; Wellington, £125 ,2s, 3d; Hawke’s Bay, £27 17s 3d ; 4d; Marlborough, £l6 12s ; Canterbury, £295 14s 6d ; Otago, £292 ; .and Southland, £44 Bs. In all, £1,257 2s Id. From the fact of the Government having stopped the allowance we set it down at twelve thousand at lenst; we certainly never, dreamt of its being as small as. twelve hundred odd. . But Mr. Stafford is going to, renew tlie . cpramisr aion, on a smaller scale, we are told.. How much smaller? . ' . .. . .