Mr Montgomery at Akaroa

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 44, 15 April 1884, Page 2

Mr Montgomery at Akaroa

Mr Montgomery addressed' his constituents on Thursday last, the Mayor being in the chair. He did not go into detail of the measures passed last session, but considered that on £he whole the session could not be considered a satisfactory one by the country; He' defended - the tactics of the. Opposition. Ministers had it all their own wjty, and- are entirely responsible for the present difficulty. He considered the • main cause •of Jihe dedepression in the Middle Isiand was caused by the immense annual drain for payment of interest. on the. public debt ; second, to the excessive departmental W* penditure of the Government ; third, to the large tracts of freehold land lying in, a state of nature which the owners will neither cultivate, nor sell at a price to pay farmers, and, fouith, to the rents Idr a w nby a bse nt cc proprietors. Each of of these points _j Mr Montgomery ably discussed . jiaderr its separate heading. Speaking of "decentralisation he said speakers of every shade of politics had expressed indignation at the recent unjust increase of railway rates, and had expressed an opinion that there should be separate non-political boards in each island, for managing the railways. He said lie looked on that expression pC opinion as an evidence of healthy public ._V tloujjht, and if the proposal is made for. sfty!iJ the non political management of the railways he will support it as ah important '< .-tpp in the direction of decentralisation. He considered the question of annexation .: and federation as full of danger, and with respect to the annexation of the islands of the Pacific as a dream and a delusion, and if persisted in would be a snare. On the Premier's speech, made a week ago, he sai i it was a dreary waste of words, but some of it was of such a nature as wi il unsel tie men's minds as to the value of freehold title. He considered that such ''■ ,a vague speech was unworthy of a man in the p»sistion of Premier of New Zealand. In conclusion he said he felt assured that whoever may succeed the Ministry now occupying the Treasury benches, the present men must go for a Ministry which has used measures in order to retain place such as this Ministry have resorted to. The days of the Ministry are numbered, 1 and they know it ; and the sooner they go the better for the Oountgv : -