MR W, O. WALKER AT METHVEN.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1300, 8 July 1884, Page 2

MR W, O. WALKER AT METHVEN.

Mr Walker addressed a la ge meeting of electors in the schoolroom, Methven, last evening. Mr Julian Jackson occupied the chair, and notwithstanding the presence of a large number of Mr Wason’s enthusiastic supporters, the proceedings throughout were of a most orderly description. The Chairman, in introducing the candidate, said that be would observe the same strict impartiality which had guided him at previous meetings, and ho hoped that the audience would accord Mr Walker a patient hearing. Mr Walker on rising, was received with applause, and said that he trusted his audience would consider his long residence amongst them and his connection with their various local bodies as a sufficient excuse for seeking their suffrages. He had been their representative in the Provincial Council at the time of its J abolition, and had since held a seat in the County Council, of which body he had the honor to be Chairman. He thought that he might, fairly claim to be one of themselves, and it was his ambition to become a representative who could apeak and plead with an intimate knowledge of their troubles and anxieties. He thought that the electors of both islands recognised chat during the present contest it was essentially necessary that candidates offering themselves for election should state clearly which of the two now well-defined parties they proposed to follow in Parliament, and that the responsibility of choosing should devolve upon the electors themselves. He would therefore endeavor to be perfectly candid with his hearers up n this important subject, and he hoped that after having heard both aides of the question they would vote for the man they thought moat likely to do them justice. He felt less difficulty in clearly defining his own intentions, as his ooponents had already announced theirs, Messrs Wason and J oily by means of addresses which they had delivered in the same room, and Mr Graham, who had not yet personally addressed them, by means of a circular which expressed that gentleman’s views in very unmistakeable terms. Under ordinary circumstances, Mr Wason would probably have been returned as their representative without formidable opposition, ‘ie (Mr Wason) had oreviously represented the district in Parliament with advantage to the constituency and credit to hinuelf, but in an address which he delivered about two months ago, ha enunciated views with which a number of his previous supporters cmld not possibly agree. He (Mr Wason) then announced his intention, if elected, to vote against the Atkinson Government, a determination which very few would find fault with, as that Government had forfaited the confidence of at least that part of the colony, by their iniquitous manipulation of the grain tariff. But Mr Wason had gone further, and chosen Mr Montgomery as his leader, and from that moment the confidence of many of his friends was shaken, and now he (Mr Walker) found himself in actual opposition to Mr Wason. It was hardly necessary for a,candidate at the present juncture to say that he would nut support Major .Atkinson and his Government; the question was almost settled by the majority recently found against that Government, a majority which, would certainly not be lessened by the forthcoming elections. This part of the country could have no sympathy with a Ministry at whose hands it had suffered so much. The Opposition had recorded a substantial vote against the Ministry of the day, bat their deplorable jealousy and disorganisation prevented them turning their advantage to any good account. Fortunately, an old and well - tried leader tad appeared amongst them at this critical time in the person of Sir Julius Vogel. Some people attempted to sneer at that statesman, but none could really despise him. He had been absent fromthe colony for some years, and it was a truism that the “ evil men do live after them, but the good is oft interred with their bones.” He (Mr Walker) thought that this had been the case with Sir Julius Vogel, but few were without reason to thank that gentleman for the good he had done the colony. In his Ashburton speech he had attributed much of the credit of his P .blic Works policy to Messrs Moorhouse and Macandrew, but Sir J lius Vogel had made public works possible on a much larger scale than ever contemplated by those gentlemen. He (Sir Julius Vogel) had certainly gone to Englmd, but when there had advocated the claims and importance of the colony in a way which no other man could have done, and the success of his successor, Sir F. D. 801 l in floating their recent loan was mainly due to ths well-timed exertions of Sir Julius Vogel. When a man of this calibre was amongst them and likely to be a leader of a party in Parliament, it was imperative that a candidate for their suffrage should honestly avow his intentions. The question was a ■ most serious one. If they did not have Sir Julius Vogel, who would they follow ? Were they to have Sir George Grey'and Mr Montgomery striving one against the other for power, while the colony at large was starving? In Canterbury, Otago, Southland and many places in the North Island popular candidates were adopting the policy enunciated by Sir Julius Vogel. He (Mr Walker) thought that a trial of that policy was assured, blit it remained for the electors of Ashburton to say if they would practically assist in the salvation of the colony. Would they return to Parliament a supporter of Sir Julius Vogel, or a man who stigmatised him as a deceptive charmer? He (Mr Walker) asked them to accept the policy of a statesman and reject that of the charlatan. One objection arising rather from forgetfulness of the past than the reality of the future, \yas raised to the Vogel policy, that its promulgator would commit them to further borrowing and injudicious expenditure, This fear was purely imaginary. Sir Julius Vogel had certainly proposed borro wing, but had at the same time insisted upon precautions for the expenditure of the loan in safe and prudent directions. They had initiated the policy of borrowing, its continuance was imperative, and so long as done judiciously it entailed no danger. The old notion that they should squat alone in the wilderness, uamiiisUd by foreign capital, was long since abandoned. If the Puljlie Works policy as initiated by Sir Julius Vogel had been carried out in its entirety, I the° colony would not now be in its present J

deplorable condition. That it had no been so carried out was no fault of Sir Julius Vogel’s, but of his successors. He hoped that the character of many of the candidates now seeking election, and who would probably be successful, would be a sufficient guarantee that the expenditure of borro /fed money would in future be carefully watched, a supervision which would ensure it employment upon proper and reproductive works. He thought that Sir Julius Vogel would attract a following which would sink all past differencesj and heartily unite under one leader for the good of the colony as a whole. With such statesmen as Messrs Stout, Macandrew, Ormond, Richardson, and others, -a Ministry could be formed ef exceptional power, not too Radical and yet Liberal enough, a Ministry which would set aside all private' differences animated by a desire that common practical sense, and not an unseemly struggle for power, should be the order of the day. it the same time he must reserve to himself the right not to follow even such a party further than he thought prudent Private opinions on smaller matters of „ detail must occasionally be sacrificed to v ~ the exigencies of party politics, and unless members went up to Parliament prepared to submit to this necessity, little good would result from their deliberations.’ One of the most important questions which would occupy the attention of Parliament at its next meeting was the management of their railways. Theft were, he thought, few of his hearers who would not admit that the managdhenfc of these railways had in the past been in every sense bad. The first step towards reformation would be the removal of. the railways from political to the care of non-political Boards of Management. Mr Walker then spoke at some length on the questions of taxation and local government, substantially to the same effect as reported in his Ashburton speech, referring to indirect taxation, he said that one advantage of the Customs duties was that they reached every individual, even the casual visitor, and so long as they were not fixed too high, and he thought the present rate judicious, they held the balance as it were between the imported article and local manufactures. He thought that the District Railways Act reflected no credit upon the manner in which such Acts were framed. _ The working of the -Act was moat unsatisfactory, and where the initiatory difficulties bad been'overcome it was found, he believed, that the securities the Companies were able to offer were of a most illusory description. For this condition of things he thought that the State should make same reparation, and, at least in the case of the line in which they were immediately interested, the Government - should, if the finances of the colony permitted it, take it over. This would be a happy solution of the vexed question, and one which from the published returns from the line their representative might fairly urge upon the Government. After touchin® upon some other matters referred to in°hia Ashburton address, Mr Walker invited questions and resumed his seat amidst applause. • Replying to questions, Mr Walker said that he thought it very probable that the Government might make a National Bank of issue a commercial success, but it would be an enormous financial lever with which he would be strongly disinclined to trust any Ministry.—lf elected, he would endeavor to amend the present law of distraint for rent, under which he was aware many hardships arose to the working men. —He feared that at hia Ashburton meeting ha had nob made, himself sufficiently clear upon the question of indirect taxation. A very proper tendency of all taxation was to fall upon the rich, and although labor consumed some of the commodities paying Customs duties, they sought higher wages as a result, and he hoped that the speedy return of prosperity to the country would enable the employers to pay these wages. —The unsold lauds remaining in Canterbury were almost entirely of one character —purely pastoral. These ha would like to see leased for periods of 10 or 14 years, and not alienated from the Crown -—He would like to see the Mount Somers and Methven line united, and if the opportunity to effect this work from the next loan should arise he would support it.—He thought that in some respects ha was even better qualified than Sir Julius Vogel to be their representative. Under ordinary ciicumstancea he thought that a constituency should look for a local man to represent them in Parliament, but before the dissolution the colony demanded that they should send Sir Julius Vogel to Wellington to sea if he could succeed in setting things right. —He believed that in many parts of the colony anything that would eat a rabbit was valued, and to such dis* tricts he would offer all the help he could, even to the introduction of polecats.—Both the Wellington, Auckland and Otago central lines of railway had been sanctioned, and money appropriated by Parliament for their construction.— In such cases it was unusual and unde-

sirable for one Parliament to set aside the definite pledge of another.—lt was not true that he had said in private that he would exert himself to abolish the residential qualification. None but a very injudicious statesman would dream of such a retrogressive step.—Jewellery was not much in his line, but he did not think that the increase of the present duty would materially add to the revenue. Mr Walker answered a number of other questions similar to those put to hiqi at Ashburton, to which his answers have already been reported. Mr Duncan Cameron, of Springfield, said that he had very much pleasure in moving a vote of thanks to Mr Walker for his address and confidence in him as their representative in the House of Assembly. He (Mr Cameron) reviewed at some length Mr Walker’s services in the Provincial Council and local bodies, and concluded by hoping that they would all turn up on the election day and place Mr Walker at the head of the poll by a substantial majority. Mr W. B. Compton seconded the resolution.

Mr T. Jackson said that Mr Walker enjoyed the distinguished honor of being the third selection of the clique who were now running him for the constituency. First they had chosen Mr Purnell, then air Julius Vogel and now Mr Walker. Mr Purnell, like Jonah of old, was thrown overboard without much ceremony by bis friends, and fun her, like Jonah, he wds swallowed by a whale in the person of Sir Julius Vogel, and when the whale bedame stranded upon the sands of Ashburton he vomited and qast up IVfr Burnell transmogrified into the similitude ’of: Mr Walker. I t was of course natural that they should have differences of opinion as to the moat suitable 1 man to be their representative, but he was surprised that Mr Walker should allow hhqsalf to be the nominee of a clique (No, no, and applause) in antagonism to Mr Wason, a gentleman of whoni the worst his opponents appeared to be able to say wi a,that he would be a follower of Mr Montgomery. As a nqatter of fact Mr Wasbn had always distinctly qualified his adherence to Mr Montgomery, and referred to him as the leader selected by the House, and not by himself (Mr Wason). At the conclusion of an address of some length, which elicited repeated applause, Mr Jackson moved as an amendment to the resolution—- “ That this meeting is of opinion that Mr Walker’s candidature is ill-judged and quite uncalled for, and this meeting is further of opinion that )it is the bounden' duiy of the district to place Mr Wason at the head of the poll.” Mr W. McMillan seconded the amendment, which on being pntto fhs meeting

was announced by the Chairman to be carried by 64 to 40 •On the motion of Mr Walker a vote of thanks Was accorded to the Chairman and the meeting dis p » e id.