SIR G. GREY AT AUCKLAND.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1298, 5 July 1884, Page 2

SIR G. GREY AT AUCKLAND.

Sir George Grey addre-sed a meeting of citizens on 1 hursday night at the_ Auckland Theatre Royal, Captain D. H. McKenzie presided, and there was 3 crowded audience. On appearing on the pisiform Sir George Grey was loudlj cheered, and on rising to speak he again received repeat d cheers. He said I# appeared again as a candidate for their suffrages, and he had to thank Mr James McCosh Clark for the courteous way n which he had acted towards him in regard to the City East. It had been said he was practically unfitted to administer public affairs. He appealed against that to his past career in youth Australia, to h;s first Governorship of New Zea'and, and to his rule at the Cape of Good Hope. He admitted that ho was until ed to purchase votes in Parliament, and he had neither the Inclination nor will to do bo

on their behalf. Sir George then re- i capitulated the action of the Opposition i and the Ministry, which had finally led 1 to the dissolution. Had he been called 1 to conduct affairs, as moat of the Liberal members looked to him to arrange i matters, he would have sketched out two : or three great measures of pressing necessity in the shape of Bills, which could h ive been published to the country, ani considered by the now Parl ament from which a new Ministry would have to be drawn. He had been charged with losing them a railway and other public works which the Ministry had in a repentant moment promised- As there would be a new Parliament these promises were not binding, could not be enforced, and were not worth the paper they were writ en on. The Ministry had promised two lines of railway ; he wondered they did not m ke it three. He ventured to doubt whether the line recommended by the published semi-official report as opening the largest amount of good land, really did so. In his first governorship he went on foot from Auckland to Taranaki, and found good land on the route, in addition to valuable minerals. While the Ministry was busy over the several lines, he had also been busy. He had been in communication with Capt. Porter, of Gisborne, who thoroughly knew the country, and he was satisfied a good line could bo made from Gisborne to Napier, and thence a connection made with the Auckland line, and from a point on that line to Taranaki, so that Auckland would be joined to the centres of population on both East and West Coasts, When he entered the present Parliament he thought he had a good majority, but in a week it was gone ; he never knew how till lately. The reducduction of the railway charges in Canterbury, effected at the will of the Minister of Public Works, was the real cause of the defection among his followers. Now, the Ministry had re-imposed these charges, in justice, they said, to Auckland and other places ; but for whose benefit had those reductions been made 1 Certainly not for those in Auckland. He then referred to the honorarium question, and justified the action of himself and his oarty in that matter, and the payment of members. If the Premier really believed the amount of his honorarium was too large, he should not have made provision for its payment. He (the speaker) promised the electors that next session he would introduce a measure to deal with this question, and prevent a recurrence of the recent episode. Sir Geflrge then referred to the gum-field cases, and explained his connecti -n with the matter when Superintendent of Auckland, also the action of the Hon. Mr Rolleston and the Hon. Mr Mitchelson. He regarded many of their recent acts as illegal, and the gum-diggers as defrauded. Referring to the next Sir George said there would be three parties : that of himself and friends, Major Atkinson and his friends, and Sir J. Vogel and his friends. It was said that he and his followers would be in a minority. Well take thit for granted, and that the others coalesced, after some bickerings the minority would still, in spite of everything, rule the country. They would gat sufficient followers from both Atkinson’s and Vogel’s parties to enab’e them to : actually govern all. He would not, probably, act ostensibly, but he did not care who acted so long as right was done. The first thing was the imposition of a land lax. The working men should band together North and South, strengthen their Trade and Labor Councils by united action and correspondence. Members at the close of the session had coma to him for letters to some of these Councils, while others said to him, “Why|have they been established 1 They will rule everything.” Sir George then referred to the (and system and prospect held out by Sir J. Vogel that much foreign capital would be introduced. He thought capital introduced as proposed by syndicates would injure rather than benefit this colony, by raising bind to fictitious rates, and putting it outside the means of small settlers. Let Vogel keep to his Eucla schemes and let them alone. Rather than si o foreign capital monopolise the land and dole it out at high rates to small settlers, he would see it in a place he did not care to name. He urged them to vote on ‘ the lines of the programme sketched out by the Auckland Trades and Labor Council. It was said that he (Sir George) would go back to Parliament with man around him who were not strong enough. He hoped they would send back to the Assembly along with him the men who had worked with him. Of them he could say, they had got nothing and had considered the interests of Sir George concluded amidst great cheering. Thera were loud cries for various exmembers who were present. Mr Tole came forward, and said as before he would be loyal to his party. Mr Dargavillo stated he had never announced himself a Greyite, ns they knew, but there was a possibility of a combination.

Mr Moss came forward amidst hootinga and the Chairman asked a hearing for him. Amidst interruption he said the men who had turned out the Ministry had no sympathy with the Auckland members or with George Grey All they wanted was to turn out meut and a dissolution. While Sir George Grey acted not as leader, but as he thought fit in his wisdom —and he admitted "his wisdom —without consulting his supporters, they had no right to pledge any of their representatives to support Sir George Grey. The storm of hooting now compelled Mr Moss to retire, - Mr Seymour George expressed reg-et that the meeting would not hear Mr Mosa.

Councillor Thompson, a candidate for City North, spoke briefly. There were loud cries for Mr DeLautour, but he did not appear Mr Carrard, the labor agitotor, came forward, but had to retire. Mr Laing moved, and Mr Lundon seconded a resolution, which was carried by acclamatijn—‘‘That the Auckland members and their friends w'ere warranted in their late action in the Assembly, and were fully entitled to the confidence of their constituents. ”

Sir Gcorgo Grey explained Mr DeLautour’a non-appsaraoce, after which, with loud cheers for Sir George Grey, the meeting terminated.