POST-SESSIONAL UTTERANCES,

Evening Star, Issue 3969, 13 November 1875, Page 2

POST-SESSIONAL UTTERANCES,

MR MUEEAY AT MILTON, The electors of Bruce were addressed in St George's Hall, Milton, last evening, by Mr Mirrav member for he district. When the proceedings commenced there could not have been more thai thirty persons present; but the number wus shortly afterwards doubled. There was a little difficulty about choosing a c airman, but ultimately Mr P. Cuuninghaine was voted to the position. x In his address, which dealt manly with the finaucial and abolition questions, asserted that the proposals of the Government were, so far as finance was concerned, a delusion ana a sham—almost, in fact, a fraud upon the people of the Colony. The road boards would bo political noaentities, and would have no influence in checking the centralisation and extravagance of the General Government. The road boards in such case would be used as a moans oi lycal tyranuv and the Central Government, with its largo utaif of officials, would swallow up the whole of the revenues of the Colony, compare the work done by the Provincial and General Governments and they would see that the former had done and raid for far more useful works thnn the Genornl Government had performed with all their borrowed money For example, the Clutlia railway was to have cost L 240.000; but had the Province constructed it for L-100,000, which he .believed was under its cost, they would have had a railway inmead 4.2- a su P e ji° r class of steam tramway These things considered, was it advisable to abolish Provincial institutions, unless they flawsome reasonable proposal made to provide a substitut. He lrid always opposed separation, because New Zealand as a whole, would be known and respected, and have some influence in the Councils of the Einnire whereas, divided, she would be in th. position of two Tasinanias. There was now a proposal to have two Provinces in each Island. There was n great deal to be said in favor of that proposal in the Middle Island, aud it would be very feasible. The houndaries of Otago might then bo extended to the Eaugitata river, and iu.ludc a greater portion of the West Coast. Ho believed there would he no dilhculty in making a railway for L 3,000 or L 4.000 per mile to the West Coast,* by wav of Lawrence, which would be a great benefit. "Mr MKcrrow, Chief Purveyor, had informed him that there wus a practicable route. Another plan which he thought was the best for local government was that the couutry should be divided into shires, sending representatives to meet in some central portion of the Provincial districts. And a representative body could do the work very effi. cieutly, without any expensive machinery. He asked the electors to always endeavor to prevent the General Government getting a largi t amount of control over the finances of the Colony. The more money the central Government had in its control the greater its power of corruption, and while tho people kept the Government poor they would keep '

; - ■ n t.ei-ov. <->r thr r reprtM. ni.itlv.'a It wouid Bent°back m '* 80Uie ° f ""* P reßw » L tuwnbo.B wore not la reply to questions, that there was a large body of thKJfSI i CVer *° tl,c P rosc,,t Golden, and Tho * l "TV* of Ihc Abo iiiou P«>POBal8. in?JiS Ty P ll *?* h r lbc Opposition iti Saving w°"? *° tlle in the matter wal Sj*™, a haiTon v , lotor y- ns ,he neminee Upper Housewouldnwer theirdecision. By cor. fffi? .? We V in (ftou "o wterwd merely to the e-entral Government. Th» people of Wellington did not approve of the Governuic.it thev r&w before i ly : N°' fl e of those with whom he (Mr Murray) acted, save one or two antiqnaied individuals, would like things to remain as they were at present. He did not at all believe r °viucialis'.n could stanl as now constituted. The «+« j. blow to Provincialism w,s dealt by Mr btaSords New Provinces Act, which created a number of Bmall and very unsalisfactoiy Provinces. ?* w ,°. uld not care to see Provincialism reconstituted m its present shape, but he wished to see real local government delivered to the country, and not a mere sham, and he wished to see the revenues localised and saved from falling into that great vortex of extravagance the Colonial Treasury. It was the duty of constituents to return men pledged V U . Se \ e s G *P<»»ait.ure. No haff-dolen dlftWnf 01^ to a< ? 80 - He bad asked by ™!?,! ent constituencies to represent them, but bis Bruce T^ \f the oleotors of Bruce had the be ß t claim upon his Bervices for havmg > taken, him i u hand when he w£ politically inexperienced. Vhen the runs fell lo»^ Q a f f w y ears ."fince, the most advantageous and economical way of dealing with them would be to set a ß ide the pastoral part with i'S™* 8 , f ? r \ &Xei , uumber °* y eftrß * tbe arable laud to be let under the deferred payment system! v i-2 FSP , of the Provincial Councils being abolished the duty of the selection of land for set* tlement would douh'less be delegated to the Waste Lands Board subject to the approval of the (governor in Council, who would be iudividuallv responsible to the Government, but he admitted this p.an would not work so well as the present. J he members of the Wiiste Lands Bonrd should not be popularly elected. The Legislative Council should be elective, but that body would not initiate r , e ?°s m i Whenever that body was reduced to thirty-flve there should be five members returned by the Colony as one elertorul. It w«s not feasible to elect Legislative Councillors from the Provincial Councils. He was opposed to all taxation, and to a land tax. If there was uo other way of meeting the colossal debt, he would favor nu income and property tax. He would, hj >wever, be glad to Bee a tar imposed on absentees, or holders or lnnd for speculai lve purposes, iu ordei to make them sell or improve th°ir properties. If there'was to be an income tax, it should be accompanied by a reduoturn of o her taxes.

/Brown proposed and Mr Joseph M'Ki.t seconded n vote of thanks to Mr Murray. An eleotor wanted to propose an amendment expressive of confidence m Mr Murray and thanking him for his past action, but it whs not pressed. Subsequently Mr Thomson M.H.R., addressed the meetimy. Ihe vote of thanks was earned uuanimoußly, and in acknowledging it Mr Murray expressed his intontiou of seeking re-election for Bruce.