MR KELLY, M.H.R., AT NEW PLYMOUTH.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3098, 2 June 1881, Page 3

MR KELLY, M.H.R., AT NEW PLYMOUTH.

(BY TELEGHtAPH.)

New Plymouth, June 2

Mr Kelly addressed his constituents last night, the Mayor in the chair. He spoke for nearly two hours. He said he considered that the Grey Government were responsible for £700,000 of the million deficit, and the Hall Ministry for the remainder. He said that Major Atkinson had kindly supplied him with the return of receipts and expenditure up to the end of the financial year, and adding both the land and consolidated fund together that there was a surplus of £26,000. He thought the result showed that the public works policy had been a great success this year. The receipts of the railways over expenditure were £350,000, being about three and a hs>lf per cent on the money expended on them. He referred to Mr J. C. Richmond's remarks on Sir Julius Vogel, and said it showed a manly spirit. He thought it would be a very foolish thine; to either sell or let the railways to private persons, for under vigorous management they would be made to pay well. He thought that the Government should take over pll the main lines of road in the colony, and leave to the Counties and Road Boards the roads that would feed them. He considered that there was a leak somewhere, or the proper ty tax would have yielded more. The native policy, he considered, bad been a great success. With regard to education he was in favor of the free, secular, and compulsory system. He said to the working men of the colony, if they valued their future liberty, they must oppose any attempt to upset the Education Act, for if it was once changed they would have to wait a long time before they would get as good a Eystem. He referred to Major Atkinson's remarks respecting political rest, and said that all the Ministry were not in favor of it, and Mr Eolleston in 1875 had said that agitation was the moral life of a community. He said neither the Opposition nor the Government supporters would allow the Ministry to have any political rest. On the conclusion of the speech a vote of thanks and confidence wae unanimously passed.