THE NEW MEMBER FOR FRANKLYN.

Evening Star, Issue 3478, 16 April 1874, Page 3

THE NEW MEMBER FOR FRANKLYN.

Mr Joseph May, ex-Superintendent of Auckland, and now M. H. H. for Franklyn, spoke thus at the nomination :—I he question would be asked him, was he going in to support Mr Vogel? Mr Vogel said, in his banquet speech, that they should go in to support men, not measures. He thought that Mr Vogel was a clever man, but one that wanted holding. He bad told them that he desired a powerful Government and a power ful Opposition, and this he had not got at the present time. If returned, he did not promise to support Mr Vogel in everything, as he thought, as there were measures which he cou dnot conscientiously support, it would be his duty to abstain from voting. With regard to the public works, was there any man who woud wish to stay the progress of the railways ? The only salvation of ihe country was to carry on the public works vigorously, but not so as to disturb the labor

market. When men were getting 7s 6d per day on the railways, they would not work for the farmer, and it might to them be a little of the starving policy for a time, but they must bear.it and the public works must •go op. It was right that the Government should go on exclusively with the main railways j and with the taxes bearing heavily upon us, no one would be foolish enough to advocate stopping immigration, which was another point of Mr Vogel’s policy. Immigrants must be got, or the railways would be useless, and they would also he required to help to bear the burden of the public debt, and to develop the resources of the country.

It hgd been said by a paper that he was opposed to their interests, bpt this be denied distinctly. He agreed with the alteration of the franchise to manhood suffrage coupled with residence ; for, if a man paid his I 3 10s per year in taxes he should have some voice in selecting a representative. Mr May referred briefly to the Licensing Act and the recent legislation upon it, and also stated that he had fought for the Permissive clause, but waa of ppipipn that a small district ought not to have the power to close the' hotels unless there was otherwise sufficient accommodation for travellers, as it Was better to have accommodation in a public-house than none at all. ■ He would not go the length of supporting the policy for the development of the South Sp’a Islands tvadh, as he considered therdivyas enough to flo without going'to the South Sea Islands. They could spend Ipts of money on the public works and immigration, which would benefit 1 the island. He did not imagine that the , tariff was likely to be altered. In theory it appeared that free trade was correct j but for free trade to he an advantage to all parties they required to be on the same footing. Free trade might do for the old country, hut he thought that local industries required fostering in a new one. . He had Been .the system of bonuses tried, and was not satisfied, but would prefer to see a protective duty imposed. He did not think that the General ' seemhly would touch the questiop of education if they could 'ayqid it, is they had shirked it several 'times!’' He thought that it was a Colonial question, but jf the General Government did not touch it the Provincial Government must, and he did not see how they could carry on a system of education without its being secular, and it j x r e sc ! com pnlsory as to cause each child to be educated.