as in Auckland. (Hear, hear.) He would ask how they were going to carry on the colonization of New Zealand unless they in. creased the powers of the provinces. The tfork of colonization was at a stand-still now The provinces, the proper colonising agents' were paralysed for the want of additional powers. If they wished to substitute another colonising system, let it be so. But now they seemed tJ forget that in a young colony there were colonising duties to perform. Tim rushes tn the goldfields were the work of chance, the bringing out of immigrants and settling them down wore colonising operations. These had been intrusted to the provinces. Were these functions to be withdrawn? Was the experi ment to be ended before it was finally suc cessful. Would they knock the crutch from under the lame man just, as he.was beginning to walk? He believed that the provincial sys tem would die out when it was required, but they now should not for that cripple it. When the iron-horse ran through the two Islands then tluy would havo no more need of pro vinces, but as yet they had only done half their work. He thought that this was an answer to the arguments of his lion, friend the member for Manuberikia (Gapt. Baldwin), and he would say that until they could get a proper substitute for provinces, it was far more important than to have Panama lines and electric telegraphs to give ihemadditional power to carry on colonization, If they did not do this they must make some alteration in the General Government with this object, and he did not believe that they could make such an alteration as would be efficient; and until lion members who advocate! this side of the ques tion from him proved that this could be done, he must support any measure that would fulfil those ends. He would defy anyone to combat the argument that a change must be effected if the colonization of New Zealand was to be properly proceeded with. (Hear, hear.) Mr.CftosßiE Ward, after some preliminary observations deprecating the introdmtion of personal questions into a debate of so much importance, said—l am about, Mr. Carleton, to propose an amendment, though late in the debate. 