Rangitikei Election

Feilding Star, Volume XIII, Issue 149, 14 June 1892, Page 2

Rangitikei Election

MR. BEUCE AT BIRMINGHAM. Mr R. C. Bruce bad a capital meeting at Birmingham on the 9th instant. The ! address was delivered in the schoolhouse, : the public hall having been secured for a ! ball the same evening. About 60 persons ! attended Mr Brace's meeting; Mr T. A. I Bryce being voted to the chair. The candidate, in opening his address, referred ' in feeling terms to the merits of the late I member for the district, and to the loss i the colony had sustained by his untimely death. Passiug on to the business of the meeting Mr Bruce spoke of political parties. In his opinion the terms " liberal " and " conservative " were not understood, and were certainly misapplied. In a former contest he himself had been referred to as a rank Tory, the friend of land sharks, and the agent of rings and monopolists. He denied the assertion. He, in company with the late Mr Macarthur, had gone against his leader when it was proposed to increase the custom duties, and the party now occupying the Government benches had assisted Sir H. Atkinson to impose these duties. He (Mr Bruce) was a free-trader to the backbone, whilst the present Government, " the Liberal party," were in favor of imposing protective duties. Who then was the friend of the working man ? Mr Bruce dealt at some length with the question of taxation, and deprecated any change in the incidence of taxation. The farming industry in the colony was the principle industry, aud had not called for any change in the incidence of taxation. The change was at the instance of the towns, and it is proposed to ultimately throw the burden of taxation on the country. The Government had openly avowed their intention of doing this. The effect of graduated taxation on land, Mr Bruce predicted, would be disastrous. It would strike at the security of possession, and when once confidence was shaken it would be a a serious thing for the colony. In reference to land nationalisation he opposed the theory, and contended (hat it would be impossible to carry it out in practice. In bis opinion there is not a man living who understands the full import of the term, and he was perfectly sure that Sir R. Stout and Mr Ballance, the High Priest, and first desciple of the nationalisation theory, did not understand it. They were repeatedly using it as an election cry, appealing to the prejudices of the masses, but they had never attempted to explain the meaning of the term. Freehold tenure was incomparably the best, and it would be going back to the primeval savagery of our ancestors to do away with individual title to land. In reply to questions, Mr Bruce was in favor of preserving the present system of education intact. To a question from an excited individual at the back of the building, who had been continually interject* lug "Five bob a-day," as to whether the candidate had ever stated that " five bob a-day " was enough for any working man, Mr Bruce said that the cry had been raised before, but it was a pure fabrication, and he stood there as the friend of the working man. Mr Bruce was opposed to state aided emigration in any form. It was promoting an abnormal influx and could not result favourably. The speaker, was in favour of local option with certain restrictions, but he said he was always on the side of temperance. If it could be done with equity he would close every ' public house in the world. He -would , not pledge himself on the question of female franchise. He thought that the ' question would not be tried again this Parliament. He was not so much opposed to the measure as he had been at one time. There was a great; deal to be said on both sides, and he would reserve his opinion on the subject. Mr Bruce was in favour of the dual vote. He would make the qualification very low. It was a measure of self-defence. He thought that persons with a -stake in the country, be it eyer so small, had a right to more voice in (he Government of the colony, than the floating population, who are here to-day and away to-morrow. On the motion of Mr A, Eergusfion, seconded bj Mr Joseph Burne, " That a hearty vote of thanks be accorded Mr Bruce for his address, which was carried unanimously. " With the customary yote of thanks to the chairman the proceedings terminated.