THE RANGITATA SEAT.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1617, 23 July 1887, Page 3

THE RANGITATA SEAT.

♦ MB EOLLESTON AT BAKAIA.

VOTE OF CENSURE. On Friday evening Mr Bolleaton addressed a meeting of electors and others at the Town Hall Mr Coster occupied . the chair, and briefly iniroduced the speaker; Mr Ivees, M H.R , was also on the platform. Mr Bolle&on expressed his p'eusure m seeing so many, present, although the township was not m the Rangitata distiict. He thought it better to come to the extreme end of the district, and although many were present who were not electors, the interests of all were identical He had during the day visited the Village Settlement, and was much pleased to find that the settlers wero co comfortable, and it afforded him great satisfaction, as h •» had worked hard to get lands set apart for this purpose. He was pleased to see Mr Ivess present, for that gentleman had come to speak with respect to Borne slight difference of opinion between them m the Bouse during the last session Be waa quite sure that although he differed from Mr Iyess m politics, that they could get on without being personal. Mr Boiler-ton continued speaking on the various questions of the day at considerable length, the address being almost a repetition of that given m Ashburton on the previous evening. He was, of course, speaking as an opponent of the present Ministry. The meeting was an orderly one th roughout. No questions were asked, and Mr Ivess said thatj m obedience to a challenge which Mr liolUstcn had issued to himself and Mr O'Callagban, ho hid groat pleasure m attending the meeting that evening, but he fully expected to have some inform at ioa imparted to them re- ' garding the policy which the Opposition intended to submit to the country. He hoped that, m the course of a few remaika trfrich he intended to address to the meeting, he would not evince a rancorousj feeling, or indulge m any unbecoming personalities. The speech delivered by the bon gentleman was nothing less than p tirade of abußO againßt the Government, »nd bg was desirous of posing before them as a patriot, with sympathetic feelings towards the agriculturalists of Canterbury, but he (Mr Ivess) hoped to prove to the satisfaction of the meeting that he was a foe to their best interests. He came among £hetn that evening counting their support under false pretenpes, and he (Mr Ivess) was surprised to hear the hon gen- . tleman taking credit for the present prosperons condition of the Bakaia Village Settlement, but he could assure the meeting that Mr JKolleeton had no sympathy with these struggling and deserving settlers After he (Mr Ivess') election to the Wakanci seat, be addressed a letter to the MinUter of bands (Mr BoUestoo), asking

for an extension of their circumscribed a"eas, whic'i were only from one to five acres— but the gentleman now seeking the support of these settlers refused their very reasonable request. But shortly after Mr Bolleßton was dismissed from office, he (Vlr Ivess) proposed the same request to Mr Ballance, who at once increased the areas to 10 acres, with the result that tho settlement is now m a flourishing condition, but had they been left to the tender mercies of Mr Rolleston they would have been compalled to surrender and leave the district. Mr Rolleston treated the purchase of the District Kailway very lightly, but he assured him that he was now among electors who would ask him to explain why, wheu speaking on the question, he had charged the Bouse, m their desire to relievo a number of worthy settles® of a crushing rate, of indulging m corruption and perpetuating a job. Mr Rolleston went so far as to say that these railways vtere being purchased m tbe interes p of land monopolists, but m the case of the Rakaia tine he (Mr Ivess) wp.a certain that it was the beßt paying district line m the colony, and that the Government had got good value for its outlay. Mr Holleston had also denounced the Megga' proposals, but those who moved that they be referred to a Committee, to be considered with other proposals es to the beßt means of making the railway, never seriously favored the adoption of Megga', but Mr Roileston threw every obstruction In tho way of the project being reported upon m any shape. Why the humblest colonkt was entitled to present a petition to the Bouse, praying for the redress of a real or imaginary grievanca But Mr Rolleston was the oDly wise and pure member who represented Canterbury, and had esstranged himself from the other members whom he regarded a? either corrupt or a lot of fools. His (Mr Rolleston's) action towards the concessions granted to the Manawetu Railway was not m keeping with hia conduct re the Midland Railway. He was a party to the giving away of an area of 201,000 acres, valued at £86 000, but which was now considered to be vorih £500,000, aB a good deal of the land waa being sold by the Company at from £2 10 1 to £4 per acre' In addition to this large area the Company also received 23 acres of the foreshore, valued at £35 ; O0O. Was this opp sltion to a work, likely to be benefioial to Canterbury, or was It antagonistic to our best interest ? Ho troold ask what good would it ba to construct the railway after we we m our graves. We required population, and tbe country between hero and the West Coast was a terra incognita to many. Mr IveßS spoke"at some length on the cruel way m which Mr Rolleston's Government had carried out their retrenchment policy In 1879, by deducting 10 per cant off the miserable wages paid to the industrial clasß9s. The Government had not tbe courage to propose it tj the House, but caused some persons to pat up Mr A. Saanders to do it for them. Surely the working claßsea will not sympathise with a man who inflicted! such an it justice upon them. Mr Rolleston said that his Government was driven from office m their efforts to ccommiee. Why he /(Mr Ivestt) vividly remembered Mr Swanson mo m? tbat tie Estimates be reduced by £50,000, and Mr Rolleston's chief, Mbj r Atkinsoo, rising and solemnly declaring tint if the House carried the motion he would resign, as he was convinced that ths reduction conld not be made now. Mr Rolleston had told them that night tbat he conld see his way clear to effect a reduction to the amount of £200.000. What confidence conld the meeting place m such a ttiteroent? Mr Rolleston had had five years to effeot these reductions he now advocated, bnt failed to take advantage of bis opportunities. The candidate had said that time alone would beal all sores which tho people of Canterbury had inflicted upon him ; but he could assure him that no matter how long he continued m public life, the people would never forget his misdeeds as an administrator. It was pitiable m the extreme to see a gentleman who at one time held the high office of superintendent, going through thiß Bpirsley-populated district friendless, and the people coldly receiving him everywhere. Why, if ho was m touch with the people, he should be' contesting one of tho popular and rich city constituencies, but he dare not face a Christchurch audience. His courage only extended to the country where he thought he could hoodwink a few unthinking electors, .but he would discover that the people of this district could exercise their intelligence and reflective powers. Ho.. {Mr Rolleston) dared not face tho electors of Avon, a district which he represented for about 14 years, and he was now exiled m the country districts. His boast of defying public opinion after tbat would be ridiculed by the people who ostrioised him He (Mr RolleBton) had stated that he might have popularised himself by resigning when the Government raised the grain ralea, but he (Mr Ivess) assured the meeting that so tenaciously did he oling to office that it would have taken an 8 horsepower engine to have him moved from the Treasury benches. The sweets of office, with its £12C0 a year and a free residence were more dear to him than tho interests of the people of Canterbury. He now hoped that ho would be able to rido into power upon the backs of H*»ll and Atkinson, but he (Mr Ivea*) was sure that the country had enough of them, and that tha electors would not stultify their action at the ballot box by reversing their former vjjrdipt. Mr Rolleßton had stated that night that he knew of sons of poor widows and laboring men attending the Universities and Co leges of New Zealand He made tho same statement m tho Houso, and when asked to name the parents, he was cornered. He (Mr Ivess) was sure that there were not three boys Rons of Wakanui electors attending High Schools, and he had no hesitation m saying that the industrial classes were paying for the children of the rich. The reserves were the property of tho people Mr Rolleston's views on Protection were given m a high, fallutin way, but contained many inconsistencies. New Zealand had a semiproteetive policy, but the tariff contained many irregularities. •• For instance, woollen goods were admitted under an ad valorem rate, whilst "boots and shoes were charged so much per dozen pair. Tho laborer* bluchers, worth say fis, was charged the some impost as a gentlem.en'B pair of kid or patent leather boots, worth Bay 20s. Let there be an equality, and no we could complain. Mr Holleston also voted agilnßt Mr Mao*ndrt w's Bill, having {or Jta »bjeptlb.p ajgv^uge qf money \o farmers at a reduped rate of Interest, which wifl aupportad by nearly every member. repttgentlng aa> agricultural district m Canterbury, and now he had tbe presumption to aak the* mpport for a eeat. In conclusion, he hoped he had convinced them that the Rolleßton Atkinson adminlttration had eat like an incubus upon the agricultural interest of Canterbury, and he hoper the electors would not be led astray by the misrepresentations of thoto were bbxlous to wrest the reins of power from the present Government S r Robert Stout w >uld. no doubt, shortly address a meeting m. Christchurch, when he would be able to disprove all Mr Rollestpn'a charges . He cone) uded by movirjg~"That this meeting accords Mr Rollestoa a vote of thanks for his address, and assures him that it has no sympathy with bis Tlews, and condemns tfie «dmin>tration < f the Ministry he had | been a member of." S«oondad' by Mr W, Morrow and carried, ;;; ;; k VJte of Vhanks'to the'ohair terminated the proceedings apd the meeting dispersed after giving three chairs for Mr Iveua and three gro&ui for Mr Rolleston,