The Evening Star MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 1872.

Evening Star, Issue 2970, 26 August 1872, Page 2

The Evening Star MONDAY, AUGUST 26, 1872.

To canvass the qualifications of candidates for a seat in Parliament is not a very pleasant task, but it is one that the journalist cannot shrink from. In this respect he differs from an (doctor. The latter may listen to a speech or read the report of it, ponder it in the silence of his own thoughts, and vote under the shield of the ballot. But a journalist must think before the world, or his thoughts are useless to his fellowcitizens. As a matter of duty, then, we present our thoughts on the candidates for the representation of Caversham. They are both men in good positions, but they are very different characters; and for our purpose it is only needful to speak in detail of one of them. As for Mr Gotten we may at once say that we do not agree with the i views he has expressed. In fact, fiom his backward and forward speech, it is impossible to say what his views aie. He tells the electors very truly That, during the last five years, the electors of Otago, and, he presumed, of the country generally, had been very careless in the matter of elections. They had elected men for considerations which were altogether absurd—for personal, and not political, considerations of any kind. He would not say anything worse; he would not assume that there had been anything like bribery or corruption. But the voting was not creditable. The electors had not considered sufficiently what a candidate’s views were—whether he was fitted for the position of representative, or whether they could rely upon him carrying out their opinions. No doubt Mr Cutten meant the electors to understand that they should have chosen him, and then they would have had somebody who would have attended to their interests. But by their works men are known, and judging by this test, what are we to expect if Mr Cutten is elected ? He has been a member of the Provincial Executive for more than twelve months now, and it would be worth while for an elector “ to move for a return of the manner in which he has attended to his duty.”

Of course the records of Executive meetings are sealed books, and probably he would not consider it right to say how many times he has been absent, we will therefore apply another and more get-at-able test. Mr Cutten is a member of the Waste Land Board, and might, through his long experience, materially aid that extraordinary institution in a judicious administration of the public estate. He professes great interest in the land question ; and it should be deeply impressed upon the minds of every elector that, no matter how good laws may be, they may be spoiled in the administration ; or if bad, be shorn of their hurtfulness by being justly dispensed. Now it falls to our lot to record the attendance of members at the meeting of the Waste Land Board, and we believe we are justified in saying that Mr Cutten has never attended a single meeting of it since he sanctioned the sale of 50,000 acres to Mr Clarke some twelve months ago. At anyrate we do recollect recording his name. We put it to the electors of Caversham, whether, on the ground of attention to public duty, Mr Cutten has any claim to their support ? But we consider the opinions he has expressed with regard to Public Works and Immigration unsound and based on error. We would not on any account charge Mr Cutten with misrepresentation of facts. We have no doubt he speaks the truth as far as he knows—but, assuming this, his knowledge is very limited ; and he is all the more culpable because he has means at command of knowing better. He would have the electors of Caversham to believe that the construction of railways has been gone into by the Government hap-hazard ; that they have taken no pains to ascertain what were the best • routes to take ; that they have been influenced by corrupt motives, and that all they think of is having the command of the country’s funds, which they dispense to their friends and supporters as lavishly us Charles the Second did to his mistresses. Had Mr Cutten been sufficiently industrious to read the Parliamentary Papers to which he has access, he must have known that before the construction of any line of railway is undertaken, a traffic return is laid before the Works Department, based upon the best ascertainable data. Ho would have found what may be expected to be carried specified in detail : so much for carriage of wood, so much for wool, s.o much for coal, as the case may be, and so much for passengers. As a member

of the Executive, too, he should have known that the Winton Railway, although it cost so much, is now paying more than interest of the money expended upon it. He would have known that there has not been a railway constructed in New Zealand that lias not paid a handsome per-centage upon the money expended, and this, be it remembered, notwithstanding they have in every instance been more expensively made than any line yet undertaken by the Government. Yet in the face of these facts, for every one of our statements is capable of verilication by reference to published returns, excepting perhaps the success of the Winton Railway, which however we think was published, Mr Cutten is so far behind his age that he persists in saying the construction of railways will lay a burden upon the country. Then he complains of nothing having been done in immigration, but supplies an excellent reason why. He tells us that America oilers greater attractions, and that New Zealand is little known. The remedy, then, is to make it known, which we suppose will be done. We certainly were much amused at the curious logic displayed all through the speech. But the cloven foot peeped out in spite of himself. Very likely had the Clutha railway happened to pass through the Peninsula, these Rip Van Winkle notions, which he says have never changed for twenty 1 years, might have been modified under the influence of self-interest. Even here, however, the clap-trap candidate or shallow thinker, we know not which, manifested himself. He says he considers that:—

The borrowing and spending of all the money that they heard about was rather hard upon small districts, and especially such a district asitbe Peninsula, where there was no chance of a railway being made. They had to struggled get afairly metalled road.—(Applause ) Ihe reason was this, they stood alone ; but other places—Blueskin, for instance—stood in a better position, because it was situated on the main line of road, and the wishes of the people there in respect to railway construction, would naturally be heartily supported by Oamaru, Waitaki, and other places. There the funds might go, but a district like the Peninsula the railways would affect detrimentally rather than advantageously, unless it derived benefit from a large amount of traffic being diverted to Dunedin in shipping of goods and otherwise.

This is a quotation from his own speech, as reported by our contemporary : and again we say he must have been asleep not to know that already property in the Peninsula and every where in the neighborhood of Dunedin has advanced in value, and will further advance in proportion to the concentration of traffic upon the City as a commercial centre. We need only refer to the prices attained at every land sale, and we edn assure Mr Gotten plenty of persons will be very happy to take his property off his hands at the price it has cost him, and a valuation for improvements, in anticipation of the rise in value through railway construction. We need say no more : our unpleasant, but necessary task is done : we do not think Mr Gotten has made out a claim to be returned. We arc saying nothing in extenuation of blunders made by the Government; all we say to the electors of Caversham is, that Mr Gotten is not the man to mend them.