WELLINGTON.

Westport Times, Volume III, Issue 533, 22 July 1869, Page 3

WELLINGTON.

PROCEEDINGS IN THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY. (fbom otte owsr cobbespondent.) July 9. The political changes which the last few days have seen you have learnt already by telegraph. Mr Dillon Bell and Mr William Gisborne have joined the Ministry, the former without a portfolio. The latter, our late UnderSecretary, and now a member of the Uppor House as well as Colonial Secretary, is peculiarly fitted by his previous training, no less than by his attainments, for the post he fills, and his acceptance of office is the most satisfactory result yet attained since the accession of Mr Fox to the Premiership. Eut already fresh changes are being looked forward to. In spite of the large majority which voted against the late Ministry, the supporters of Mr Fox and his party are very few in number, and motions are tabled by those who voted with him on the " noconfidence" division which are intended to bring about the return to office of Mr Stafford. As I mentioned to you in a previous letter, the obnoxious members of the Cabinet were Colonel Haultain and Mr llichmond, and, those gentlemen being now disposed of, the majority of the House would welcome back to the Treasury Benches Messrs Stafford, Fitzherbert, and Hall. In answer to a question put by one member as to whether an understanding had not been come to among Ministers that certain of them were only to hold office till the close of the session, Mr Fox replied rather pertinently that he did not feel called upon to answer such questions, but he had no objection to inform the House that they intended to remain in until they were turned out of office. That " turning out" is now expected shortly. This evening Mr Fox's resolutions rejecting restricting the expenditure on zative matters to £150,000 were passed without a single dissentient voice, partly because tho explanation given showed them to be meaningless, and partly because all members were disinclined to show fight in the faco of the battle expected next week. The resolutions, Mr Fox explained, certainly stated that £150,000 was to be the limit of expenditure, but no time was mentioned. If that limit were reached in three months, and further expenditure were deemed necessary, all that would have to be done would be to call the Assembly together to sanction it. So that practically that part of the resolution was worthies?. Then as to asking for Imperial troops, that was done by the late Ministry, and, in the face of repeated assurances received from the Home Government that they would not bo sent us, it couM do mo harm to pass a resolution to the effect that they should he again s aplied for. So they were passed. | But. as I said, the" real battle comes off next week. On Wednesday Mr Stevens moves that the House go into committee of the whole to consider the following resolutions : That this House, in pursuance of the financial resolution passed by it during its last session, will not consent to the constitution of any further subdivisions of the Colony receiving a share of the consolidated revenue, and is of opinion that any measure providing for further constitutional changes should embrace the following principles : (1.) That this House will raise no taxation from the people, except such as i 3 sufficient to meet those general charges of Government for which the officers expending tho same are responsible to this House. (2.) That it is expedient that the taxation of the country should be immediately reduced in accordance with the above. (3.) That Provincial Government should cease to exist, and a system of local government be established throughout the Colony. (4.) That a local organization should he constituted in every district which returns t member to this House, possessing full powers for management of local affairs therein. (5.) That nil loan charges should be paid Vf the Colonial Treasury. (6.) That the portion of such loan charges Jaid on account of any existing Province •hall be repaid to the General Government out of the Land Fund prising withiu the boundaries of such Province. (7.) That the remainder of the Land Fund ibould be distributed amongst the electoral districts in the proportion in which it has •risen. (8.) That it is imperatively necessary that » general scheme of colonization should be Immediately adopted for all parts of the Colony. These you will see, if carried, will pave the way for all that Anti-Pro-nncialista d esii e. At present the heavy taxation under which we are suffering is very greatly owing to the large amount of revenue which is collected for and paid to various Provinces, the the three-eighths of the customs being no inconsiderate portion of it. This three-eighths which Provincesnow look upon as a right has grown to its present abuse, out of a very simple matter. The surplus revenues of the General Government for one year, after all general charges had been paid, instead of being carried forward to the credit of the next year, was originally returned to the people, by being divided unong the various Provinces. In time i the Provinces got accustomed to look ■ for it. They calculated upon it as part of their revenue, and they regulated their expenditure accordingly. At length, having all contracted debts, they conld not wait for A but drew upon it, and accounts were amplified by calculating it at what it *&8 found to be geuerally, namely three-eighths of the Customs revenue. It is perfectly clear that our customs wriff has thus been kept up at nearly double what it need be in order to enable this three-eighths to be collected to hand over again to the Provinces. We are paying a frightfully heavy toriff in order to enable Provinces to

keep up an expenditure totally inadequate to their proper income. This is the main evil at which Mr Stevens's resolutions strike. If the General Government only taxes the people to the extent necessary for general purposes, a reduction of customs tariff must follow ; and the Provincial Governments losing a large revenue, which does not properly belong to them, must so far reduce their establishments as to bring them down to what tho Constitution Act originally intended them to be, mere municipal institutions. With regard to the 4th clause, relating to local organisation, I have good reason to believe that the late Ministry, or at least Mr Stafford, contemplated such a scheme, and had already prepared maps showing the boundaries of the various districts, in which the present boundaries of Provinces were in a great measure ignored. So much for the financial part of our present great question. But the Native difficulty is also to be grasped. Mr Tancred will also move, on the 14th instant:— (l.) That, in the opinion of this House, the state of conflict which exists between the peaceably disposed inhabitants of both races in the Colony and the hostile natives, is due to causes iu their nature permanent, ani cannot be successfully dealt with by any temporary expedients. (2.) That any provision for the preservation of the public peace which does not contemplate tiie probability of frequently recurring collisions during a long series of years, willnot meet the requirements of the case. (3.) That in the present state of the finances of the Colony, this House cannot undertake to provide for the defence of the several set tlements out of the public funds ; and that, therefore, the duty of defending such settlements must he left, iu ordinary cases, to the settlers themselves. (4.) That with a view of enabling the settlers to organise themselves for their own defence, it is desirable that they should possess large powers of making and enforcing byebaws, for providing for the common safety and for quelling disturbances ; and that they be supplied with arms by the Colonial Government. (5.) That this House willnot undertake to give compensation for losses caused by an act of the enemy. (6.) That with a view of strengthening the larger centres of population and inducing settlers now in occupation of the land in isolated situations to withdraw from the same, it is desirable that such settlers should be allowed, on abandoning their present holdings, to select, out of the lands at the disposal of the Government, land of a value equal to that of the holding so abandoned: provided always that such selection shall be approved of by the Governor. (7.) That a movable body, consisting of a moderate number of highly trained men, should be enrolled under a permanent engagement for special seivice in the field. (S.) That the body so enrolled should be, as a general rule, concentrated at some convenient place, and kept in a state of readiness, for undertaking military operations whenever the general security of the Colony may require an a ggressi ve movem en t. There are probably few people iu the colony who will read these resolutions without great satisfaction. Every settler who has been living iu disturbed districts will tell you that if the Government would have left them alone they could have managed matters with the Natives perfectly well. And now at last a member has appeared iu tho House bold enough to say there what has been felt elsewhere for many years. Clauses 3, 4, and 5 express pretty plainly what settlers have felt and urged in vain, and, if made law, will do all that is required. If bands of Natives will choose to make disturbances and commit murder, the settlers about them should be permitted to assemb'e, hunt them down, and exterminate them just as they would wild cattle or vermin. If the Taranaki settlers in early years had thus been permitted to defend themselves, and to quell disturbances, we should not see that beautiful Province in its present forlorn condition, nor the settlers themselves scattered over the colony,ruiued and disheartened men ; we should not have heard anything of the Waikato campaign or the three million loan ; we would not now be burdened with seven millions of debt, nor be carrying on costly wars on each coast of this island. But Wednesday evening will see some further resolutions moved. Mr Itolleston is anxious to see a commission appointed to institute an enquiry into the causes of the present unsatisfactory relations between the European and the Native races in the colony, who are to have authority to travel about, inspect, enquire, and " make themselves acquainted " to their hearts content, and finally to report. He also would wish to see the House authorize the Government to act on the suggestions of the commission. There can be little doubt that the House will hesitate before it accepts and passes any resolution of this kind.