AKAROA ELECTION.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 4, Issue 326, 2 September 1879, Page 2

AKAROA ELECTION.

The nomination of candidates for the representation of Akaroa in the General Assembly took place yesterday at the Court House Akaroa. Some thirty or forty electors were present. At noon precisely, the Returning Officer, Justin Ayliner, Eaq., came forward, and having briefly stated the object for .which they were assembled, proceeded to read the writ. He then called upon any elector present to propose a candidate.

MrF. W. Williams, Chairman of the County Council, said it was their privilege and duty to elect a representative. He had great pleasure in proposing Mr Montgomery as a fit and proper person to represent them. He considered they would be fortunate in securing the services of a gentleman of tried ability like him to represent them. Many questions of importance would come before the House now to be elected. A new loan had been authorized, and it would probably be a long time before any further borrowing could take place. The Akaroa railway and other important matters would need earnest attention. He concluded by formally proposing Mr Montgomery as a candidate. His Worship the Mayor of Akaroa seconded the nomination. He believed they all had the greatest confidence in Mr Montgomery. This was not the first, but the fourth time that he had come before them for election.

The Returning Officer enquired if any one had any other candidate to propose, and receiving no response, declared Win. Montgomery duly elected. Mr Montgomery thanked the electors for the generous confidence they had placed in him for so long a time. He had not been able to go round among them, but hoped to do so yet. He had published an address, setting forth his principles. These principles had grown with his growth, and strengthened with his strength. Mr Montgomery here suggested an adjournment to the Town Hall, if agreeable to those present. The proposal was favorably received, and the party moved to that building, where his Worship the Mayor, at the request of the newly elected member, took the chair. By this time over fifty persons had assembled, and the gathering was an eminently representative one, there being electors present from most of the surrounding bays. Resuming his remarks, Mr Montgomery said there were only two local matters which he would touch upon on that occasion. At a meeting held in Christohurch it had been very adroitly mentioned by an astute candidate that the Representation Bill of the Government would merge Lyttelton and Akaroa into one electoral district. This had been cleverly put by way of throwing discredit on the Government measure. But the gentleman who made the point fell into an error. Lyttelton and Akaroa could only be combined into one district if the combined population were less than 5000. Now by the last census Lyttelton contained a population of 3,476, and Akaroa electoral district contained 4,084. The total therefore would be far in excess of the normal number for a country district. They might rest assured that the Government never intended merging two constituencies of such dissimilar interests into one district. But if an act of such gross injustice were attempted, at ail events he would oppose it by every means in his power. (Cheers.) But tbere was no use in fighting a mere shadow. What would probably happen would be that Sumner and a part or the lieathcote Valley might be added to Lyttelton, and the Akaroa district would be made to include Tai Tapu. This arrangement would probably be satisfactory to all the electors. The second local matter he should refer to was the railway. They were aware that a contract had been let for the formation of the first seventeen miles. They were also aware that great opposition had been encountered by the Akaroa Railway Bill on the ground of the excessive length and cost of the proposed tunnel. In consequence of this opposition the Minister of Public Works had given directions for the survey of another line, with the view of obtaining a practicable line with a less costly tunnel. The engineer in charge of this work had finished this survey to the mouth of the tunnel on the Little River side of Barry's Pass, and would have the portion to Akaroa Harbor finished shortly. He understood that an estimate of the cost of the newly surveyed line would be in the hands of the Public Works Department by the end of the week. The Department would then be in a position to consider the merits and costs of the alternative lines, but he wished them clearly to understand that it did not follow that what might be called the new line would be adopted. There were many reasons why the old line laid out up Little River Valley should be preferred. He was not sure that the cost would be greater, as, though the tunnel would be about a mile longer, the line would be less in distance, viaducts would not be required, the danger from land slips would be avoided, and the residents in Little River would receive greater benefit. Even if the original line should be found to cost £25,000 or £30,000 more than the other, he thought that the working expenses would be so much less, and the advantages so much greater that the old line should be chosen. (Cheers.) But the people themselves should take a lively interest in this matter. Hβ understood the County Council were about to have a meeting on the subject. He would endeavor to procure all possible information to lay before that meeting, and any representations the meeting might make to him should receive his very best attention. He might further state that he would endeavor to get a sum placed on the Estimates this session sufficient to lay the rails to Lake Forsyth, and to allow of tenders being called for the line to the tunnel, and for the tunnel itself. (Cheers.)

He would now pass to general subjects, in which the whole colony waa interested. Before the Assembly met that year, the Government had been weakened by the loss of two valuable members. The loss of two such able men as Mr Stout and Mr Bal lance wonld have been a serious matter to any Government at any time, but to lose them just before the meeting of Parliament imperilled the very existence of the Ministry. The unfortunate occurrence which rendered it necessary for Mr BalJance to withdraw created a further difficulty, which had its effect on the minds of members, so that it was clearly seen at an early period of the session that the Government, as constituted, would not command a majority in the House. This state of affairs was brought about to a great extent by the defection of members who had elected, pledged to support Sir G. GVey, and

he might say that he thought it objectionable for a member to go to the House pledged to a man and not a principle. (Applause.) The Opposition accordingly took heart,. of grace, proceeded to count heads, and ' ascertained- that theyAvputd have a majority:'! They then elected Sir W. Fox leader, and a vote of want of confidence was Stabled! ground of jnaladministration. This was considered: a safe ground, because , they dared, not attack the policy-of the Government, as they would then have to shew their own hands. He thought the course adoptd was not fair to the Ministry, and what was of far more, importance, not fair to the country. If the Opposition had had the welfare of the country at heart instead of the desire to turn out the Government and occupy their seats, they would have waited till the financial statement had been made, snd the measures promised in the Governor's speech introduced. They could have thsn traversed the whole policy and administration of the Government, and have shewn what they themselves proposed to do, and the country would have been made acquainted with the opinions of its public men. When Governmeut is to be put out of office, it is important to know what the men who go in are going to do. But this did not auitthe views of the leaders of the Opposition, and they chose a ground of quarrel which did not commit them to any future line of action, or any policy whatever! In their haste to possess, they overlooked one contingency. It never entered into their calculations that the Governor would grant a dissolution—that there would be an appeal to the country. There were two main points on which the Government had been arraigned— their mismanagement of Native* affairs and the contract for the Thames railway. He would touch upon these two points now. Unless they read Hansard they could not be up in the facts of the case. If they read one paper they would find the Ministry described as angels, and in another they were stigmatized as devils. (Laughter.) He would give them facts. He had listened to every word of Sir W. Fox's speech with great attention. He never witnessed a more miserable failure. Everything which had been said against Ministers on Native or other matters was said over again, and all that could be laid" to their charge was stated in language which did no credit to a gentleman who had for so long taken a leading part in public affairs. There could be no doubt that that abusive speech did more harm to Sir W. Fox than to Sir George Grey.

With regard then to the conduct of Government in Native affairs, Sir W. Fox stated that the meeting between Sir Geo. Grey and Tawhaio at Kopuo was a miserable fiasco. What were the facts ? Sir George went there at the invitation of Revvi, the most powerful chief in the Island. Sir George renewed an offer made by the lormer Government to Tawhaio, warning him that if the offer were not accepted by a certain time, it wonld be absolutely withdrawn. The offer was not accepted, Sir George Grey left, and the Colony anil the Government got rid of the incumbrances inherited from a former Government. Moreover, Eewi split with the King party, and remains a firm friend to the Government. That meeting did more to shatter the power of the King party, and to sho>v the Colony what a perfect sham the ' whole thing is, than anything that had been done previously. Whatever might be the demerits of Sir George Grey, he and the Colony came honorably out of that meeting.

Now as to the Waimate Plains difficulty. They were aware that this was a very fine tract of country on the West Coast of the North Island): it had been confiscated by proclamation in 1865. The late Government proposed to survey these plains and sell the land by auction. The present Government proceeded to carry out that survey. In 1878, when the Native Minister declared his intention to do this, there was not a word of warning from the. Opposition, or any hint that complications were likely to arise. On the contrary, all parties agreed, and it was confidently anticipated that at least half-a-million would be realised from the sale. Nor was that all. From all sides of the House the conduct of the Native Minister met with approval. In October last Mr Sheehan said that he had seen Te Whiti and told him the Government would survey the Waimate Plains. He also told Titokowaru " that it was not a question open to discussion whether the survey should be undertaken or not; that the law made these lands waste lands of the Crown ; that nothing remained but to survey them, and in the pursuance of the policy carried out by our predecessors to hand back a certain portion to the Natives as reserves for their use." A leading member of the Opposition from Canterbury said— 41 1 think it is but just holding the opinion to take this opportunity of saying that I sympathise most entirely in the expressions of confidence in the Native Minister which have repeatedly fallen from honorable members on all sides of the House." And Sir William Fox said—" Let the Native Minister go to them himself aud take the bull by the horns. Let him go boldly among the Natives, and instead of talking the baby English and Maori which the Premier is in the habit of indulging in, let him talk in plain ' John Bull' English to them. . . . I give the Native Minister all credit for the best intentions, for great courage, straightforwardness, zeal, and energy."

Such was the language of leading men of the Opposition. There was not one word of warning, not a doubt expressed that he was not pursuing the right course. He pursued the course indicated. He went boldly to Te Whiti, and they knew the result. Te Whiti had told him that he was a thief, stealing the land. The Surveyors had heen removed and the pegs pulled up. In the Council, Mr Waterhouse had said that when justice was done to the Natives there would be very little land left for sale, and the Native Minister stated that neither the Government nor the House was aware of the state of the case. "Ifc has only been made clear by the interruptions to the survey. It turns out that from the White Cliffs down to the Waitara the whole country is stre.wn with unfulfilled promises." He (Mr Montgomerj r ) was not going to exonerate Ministers from all blame in this matter, for he thought that, before ordering the survey, they should have been certain that there were no native claims in the way, but for the grave error which had been committed the leading men of the Opposition were as much to blame as the Native Minister. It was their plain duty to have warned him that he was entering on a path besot with dangers, but i instead of that they cheered him on his course. After this the Natives commenced

ploughing up some of the settlers' land, obeying the orders of Tβ Whiti. With great promptitude the Government placed a considerable force in the district, and these Natives were taken prisoners and are now in gaol, the peace not having been broken. Nor did he think it would be broken. The principal chiefs had issued a manifesto, offering to leave the whole question to the decision of the Supreme Court. He would merely add that the lands in dispute were incumbered by claims and by promises made by former Governments —that these Governments never faced the difficulty of a settlement, and the present Government inherited complications transmitted by their predecessors.

He now came to the accusation made against the Minister of Public Works in the matter.of the Thames-Waikato railway. When the first sod of this railway was turned a loud cry was raised of unauthorized expenditure and illegal action on the part of the Government. Immediately the House met, the map showing the lines to be constructed, which had been laid on the table during the previous session, was called for. The line of railway was found to be on the map, and as this map was Mr Macandrew's justification, he was accused of having tampered with it, and having caused this additional piece of railway to be placed upon it since the House rose. He (the speaker) need hardly say that such a nefarious act, if committed by a Minister, would be sufficient to extrude him for ever from public life. No more cruel charge could have been made against a public man. Well, it was decided to sheet home the charge, if -possible, and a committee, the majority of the members of which were hostile to Mr Macandrew, was appointed "To enquire and report whether any alteration was made in the plan laid on the table last session showing the proposed line of the Thames railway." That Committee met, took evidence on oath, and reported —" That no alteration was made in the map subsequently to its being laid on the table of the House on September 10,1878." The character of the Minister of Public Works was completely, cleared of the foul imputations sought to be cast on him.

Another charge had been brought against Mr Macandrew of giving everything to Otago, and neglecting other parts of the Colony. Why the Chamber of Commerce in Dunedin had been calling upon him in the most dictatorial manner to remove the railway workshops from Christchurch, and concentrate them all at Dunedin. And because he would not consent to their selfish demands, he had been obliged to give up the representation of Dunedin and stand for Port Chalmers. He has been Superintendent of the Province of Otago for nearly twenty years, and during that time had been celebrated for his devotion to its advancement, and they might be quite sure that when his puny detractors had passed away and been forgotten, the name of James Macandrew would be remembered as a household word by a grateful people. (Applause.) Mr Montgomery then went on to refer to Native matters. He thought the mystery surrounding Native affairs should be swept away. In fact he could see no reason why the Native Department should not be abolished. The Natives had been treated with too much as if they were a foreign power. It had come to this that they must be made to understand that they are the Queen's subjects, and must obey the law. If they wished to sell their lands, the sale should be by auction, after survey by the Crown, the Crown retaining a royalty on the proceeds of the sale for the maintenance of the machinery of the law, and for maintaining the purchasers in possession. If the Maoris objected to this, let them keep their lands, but some measure of the kind would be necessary in order to clear out those pests of society who infest the Native settlements for the purpose of acquiring large blocks of land for capitalists for a mere trifle. He said distinctly that they were lowering their manhood, losing their prestige aa a people by accepting the ignoble position of coaxing the Natives to. agrQe.tp meet them. He would say, let them alone, but let them beware if they break the law.

He would not speak at length on the policy of the Government. In the main it was the policy which he himself had professed when he last addressed them. He had not swerved from those principles, and would continue to advocate them. He very much regretted that by some the question put forward had been one of persons instead of one of principles. Sir George Grey had been abused by some public men and their organs beyond all measure. He had been accused of perfidy, untruthfulness, and deceit, in fact of every crime short of larceny or murder. This reiterated abuse has ihad the natural effect of enlisting the generous sympathies of thousands in hjs favor. (Cheers/) .The majority of ihe"people of New Zealand believed that he was fighting in the cause of liberty. They knew that he -had been for many years the trusted servant of Her Majesty. He had emerged f -om his retirement and re-entered the political arena as representative of the people ; that since that time he had made war against land rings, and against what he considered the. unjust privileges of the great landowners ; that he had fearlessly advocated the extension of power to the people, and equal rights to all. He might not always have done this with the utmost discretion, but his speech and actions had always been in behalf of freedom, and he had been runniug in the right direction, and no amount of abuse would uproot that belief. It could not be denied that his burning eloquence had put new political life into New Zealand. He had done a great-ser-vice to the Colony; he had made the people think, and they might depend upon it that it was of the utmost importance that men should feel that it is a duty to take a lively interest in political matters.

For himself, he had now occupied various public positions for the past 14 years. They had honored him by their confidence as their representative. He thought he was entitled te bo considered as something other than the mere slavish follower of any man. (Cheers.) He did not go up as the follower of a man. He would do his best for them, but he went up as their representative, not their delegate. Once more he thanked them heartily for their kindness in electing him unopposed. (Loud applause.) The usual compliment to the Chairman terminated the proceedings.