SIR FRANCIS DILLON BELL AT INVERCARGILL.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXIX, Issue 4071, 6 April 1874, Page 3

SIR FRANCIS DILLON BELL AT INVERCARGILL.

**» Wo make the following extracts from Sir F. D. Bell's speech afc Invercargill : — PROVINCIAL BOBEOWING. For his own part he (Sir Francis) should next session support the action of the Legislative Council, believing fchafc tbe Colony had gone far enough. They had fifteen millions of loans afloat, and must hold their hands. As he bad stated last year, the Government had been paying interest on loans, and defended the course by referring to fche practice of British railway companies, which capitalised tbeir interest until the completion of thoir works. That system could nofc go .ou — ifc musfc come to an ond some time — even if ifc was only when fche last mile of the last railway was made, the account would have to be struck, and they would have to meet the interest out of revenue. They would have to face £700,000 per annum, but; he did not think they had any reason fco fear fchafc indebtedness. He should never have supported fche policy if he had seen any causo fco fear the result. The producing power of fche Colony was sb enormous, as compared wifch fchafc of ofcher colonies and countries, as to render alarm on that score needless. But while nofc disposed to sound an alarm, he held that; they must begin to bar tbe way to futther indebtedness, and look solely to fche completion of the works in hand. At the same time it was patent to all fchafc fcho revenue was growing aa well as fche liability — that ifc was increasing in an extraordinary manner, espeoially in Ofcago. In 1872, oufc of a total Customs revenue of £813,000, Otago contributed £260,000, while in 1873, oufc of a total of £965,000, she contributed £322,000. Seeing the large proportion of taxation borne, ifc was nofc to be wondered afc that members from thafc part of the Islands were careful fco limit fche extent of fche liability. Tbe Customs revenue — whioh Mr Vogel estimated at £1,118,000 for the yearhad reached £661,000 for fche half-year ended in December last, wh;le the Provincial revenue for tbe samo period was £618,000, or a total of £1,280,000, eo that there was no need for fear, but only for the exercise of caution. LAND POB SETTLEMENT. There was anofcher subject on wbich he should have liked to speak afc length, if time permitted — the conservation of land for settlement by families coming oufc from Home. Under fche present system fche land, as fast as ifc was opened, was caught up by large capitalists — legally, he must say, but still to fche exclusion of the kind of settlement he bad indicated. These two subjects — immigration and the conservation of land — he intended to take up nexfc session- He wished to be able to say to fche farmer in Oxford or Cambridgeshire, " Here are blocks of land from which you can choose with fche certainty of getting them." By tbis system families could be located on the lines of railway — across the Mstaura, for instance — forming separate, distinct, self-support-

ing, and prosperous settlements. In r< ply to Mr Jaggers, who asked whether it woul nofc have been better to have passed a Bi to reserve land for settlement before tli large salos took place, Sir Francis said llu it had been originally provided for in th Public Works Act, but that the influence c the Provincial Government bud been succes* fully exerted against ifc. He did not thin anything ever would be clone until th General Government actually compelled th making of such reserves — not for the laborin, people in fche Colony, but for the farinei from Home. Ho bad no objection to th reserve of agricultural land for fche settle ment of those already in the Colony, bu the existing law appeared to lefc such lan go into wrong hands. He thought the prope | way would be to raise revenue by soiling th pastoral lands, and thus put it out of th power of fche Norfch ab some future date t seize tbe land revenue. He was not in faro of the denominational system of education He did nofc think a land tax waß likely to b j imposed, but rather thought, if necessary, i j would be an income-tax. He thought tin , beat of tho pastoral lands might be worth 10 an acre. He had no greafc faith in the de [ forred payment system, and referred afc lengfcl to the evils of dummyism and the danger o political influence being brought to bear bj selectors, injuriously to the publio interest; JUDGE RICHMOND'S CHARGE Al HOKITIKA. — , *_ The following charge was delivered by Judge Eichmond afc Hokitika last week : — I might bo allowed to congmtulHte you upon tbe concr saion to the district of a Provincial Constitution. Practically, there may not be much difference between the powers of local self-government which you recent'y enjoyed and those whicii belong fco you under the new order of things. The powers ancl functions of your County Chairman were pretty nearly those of a Superintendent. But words and names go for a good deal in fchis world ; and I can well understand that the polifc ; cal weight of the district will be increased by the change. At the least, the alteration may be taken to indicate the opinion of thoso who should be best able to judge of the matter that tbe settlement of the Coast is now established on a permanent basis, and had now property and nofc mere nomads unfit fco be charged with, because uninterested in, the permanent welfare of fche district. In a social point of view, the permanence of these settlements is a subject of unmixed rejoicing. It is a sorry scheme of life under whieh men pass their besfc years in a place fco which they aro bound by no sooial tie, and in which thoy are charged with no political obligation. My own connection witb this distriol; has now oxisted seven years, and I am addressing many whose residenco here must havo extended close upon ton years. Sucb periods as these are substantial parts of a man's active life. Our powers of work and enjoyment rarely extend with anything like vigor beyond four auch periods, bufc ifc f s a common thing to see men devoting the whole of this time to a mere provisional existence, selfishly absorbed in the effort to accumulate wealth for future enjoyment afc a period when perhaps the power of enjoyment will be past, and neglecting in fcho meantime fco take up the onjoyments and fcho duties of social life; remaining without interest in fcheir place of abode, or in the welfare of the people

in wnose midst thej ara spending tbeir besfc days. The creation of the Proviuco of Westland should mark the termination amongst us of such a provisional state of life, and calls upon all the inhabitants of this district to take upon thema-alves the full and complete obligations of citizens of New Zealand. In fche important matter of conduct in particular, you will no doubt be looked to not to fall below the general standard of the Colony. The Province whicii shall alio* its larrikins to develop into full-fledged criminals, will be justly blamed as baring neglected those means of prevention and reformation wliich lie within the power of the legislators. Ihe calendars will be looked to as affording some test of the extent fco wbich the several Provinces fulfil their duties in tbis respect. I make these remarks not afc all in fche way of reflection on the past, bufc of suggestion for the future. Indeed, lam not aware that the criminal records of any part of fche Oolony show our colonial youth fco bo addicted to crime. Our calendars are in greafc part filled with the names of old offenders — men. who did nofc get their lessons in crime in this part of tho world. The coming years may bo expected to exhibit more clearly the effect of colonial training in this respect, and tbere is greafc reason to hope that thereßult will afford a satisfactory comparison with the state of older countries.