NEW ZEALAND'S FIRST PARLIAMENT.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 253, 1 September 1879, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND'S FIRST PARLIAMENT.

The following account of the first New Zealand Parliament, which was given by Mr R, Gillies in proposing the toast of "The Parliament" at a banquet at Dunedin, will no doubt be interesting to many of our readers. Mr Gillies in his speech said :

" I daresay many of you will be surprised to hear what I have to tell you. The first Parliament was not an elective but a nominee body. It was called together by Sir George Grey, our present Premier (at that time our Governor), and was held in Wellington in 1848. It was a purely nominee body, and our sturdy early settlers were so exasperated at this that the result was that they sent no representatives from Otago. Their attitude in that matter no doubt tended to hasten 'the coming of a Constitution Act. The first independent member who spoke in the Parliament was a Mr Moore ; but I cannot tell you anything further about him, for history is silent. His speech, however, was remarkable for one thing, and that was the one idea that he had that New Zealand was not fit for representative government, and he used a very homely illustration, viz., that it was wrong to trust a child (that was the colony) with any other than a bone knife till he knew how to use a steel razor to shave himself with.

_ This nominee body was adjourned sine die without coming to any practical decision Lot those that rail against representative institutions note this instructive fact. There were two things in the opening speech delivered by Sir George Grey to that Parliament which are worthy of note, One thing was the proposal to spend £SOOO in subsidising steam communication between the settlements of New Zealand; and the other was a proposal to borrow £20,000 on debentures at Home for the purpose of promoting immigration. There has been many fights in Parliament since those days, and there has been much progress made, The little organism has grown very considerably since then, and we have only to contrast the Parliament of to-day with the Parliament of that time to see how much even the most liberal men have advanced,"

mHIRD ANNUAL BALANCE SHEET _L op the MASTERTON PERMANENT INVESTMENT AND BUILDING SOCIETY fok the Year Bhmho 31st AUGUST, 1879, Rbvenue Account. Receipts. 1878. ■ £ s . a. September I.—To Balance ... 94 12 8 To subscriptions oil Investment Shares £491 5 0 , ■'' „ Entrance fees... 11 0 0 ■\ JL „ Working expns. 10 15 0 " „ Transfer fees.. 1 11 0 „ Book of Rules 0 U 0 ~ Insurance ... 15 0 „ Fixed deposits 1115 0 0 „ Fines .. .. 33 17 3 „ Redemption .. 394 8 6 „ Interest 167 18 5 . Sundries.. .. 17 6 „ Balanco 223 fi 3 Disbursements. By Loans on mortgage ~ Fixed Deposits ~ Subscriptions returned on realised shares .. „ Insurance „ Interest ~ Expenses of ManagementManager's salaries ... £62 10 0 Rent .... 5 5 0 Auditors .. 4 4 0 Advertising & Printing.. 12 8 0 Sundries .. 414 8 „ Stationery and Rules ~ Safe Promt and Loss Account. £ To Balance September Ist, 1878 54 „ Management .. £8919 2 „ Interest paid .'. 59 9 7 „ Ditto accrued, Fixed deposits 913 G ~ Do., do,, overdraft 6 17 6 „ Directors'fees.. 11 0 0 By Entrance Fees ... „ Working Expenses Fee* ~. „ Transfers aul Sale of Rules „ Fines „ Interest ~ Arrears Interest and Fines „ Subscriptions Forfeited ... ~ Proceeds of Auction Sale.. Balance Sheet, Balance brought down Amount due on Fixed deposits 5G5 0 0 Subscriptions on Investment Shares £llß9 15 0 Interest accrued on Fixed Deposits 9 13 6 Do., do,. Overdraft 6 17 6 Directors'fees.. 11 0 0 £ s, d. 223 6 3 1782 6 0 46 12 10

Amis. . Amount due on Loans ... 1930 18 11 Arrears of Interest and Fines 81 6 2 GoodsSafe, less 10 %.. £32 0 ' Rules .. .. 8 0 Shake Account, To Shares issued to 31st August, 1878, ' 286at£50each.. £14,300 To do., do., since Ist September, 1878, 83 at £SO each .. 4150 4150 By shares forfeited to 31st, Aug.. 1878 105 at £SO each.. ~ Do ,do.,since Ist September, '7B, 15 at£so each „ Shares realised to 31sMug., 1878, 36 at £SO each ~ Do., do., sincelst Sept.. 1878, 20 at £SO each ~ To balance, 193 shares 6000 0 0 - 2800 0 0- .. 9G50 Q 0 £18,450 0 0 To 193 Shares, at £SO each ~ 9650 0 O By subscriptions paid .. .. £1285 5 Less subs. forfeited £52 5 Less do. realised ~ 43 5 To balance amount due on 193 shares 8460 5 0 £9650 0 0 Examined and compared with the Books, Vouchers, and Documents referred to herein and found correct. Joseph Pa won, ) , ... B.Wmoke, AudltorH ' August 28th,1879. Jab. Brown, Manager and Secretary.