THE ELECTIONS.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 474, 22 December 1875, Page 2

THE ELECTIONS.

POLLING FOR CHRISTCHURCH CITS'.

The polling for the three seats in the General Assembly for Ohristchurch City took place yesterday at the Oddfellows' Hall, and, as a matter of course, was the cause of some excitement. The cabstands, particularly, presented a very deserted appearance, all these vehicles being engaged in carrying voters to the poll from the outskirts of the city. The partisans of the various candidates worked hard and well for their respective men, and the result, as will be seen by the numbers polled, was that a large majority of the electors on the roll voted. The election throughout, considering the intense excitement prevailing, has been conducted all a'ong in the most orderly and good-humored spirit; and now that all is over every one can—whatever side they voted on—shake hands, and say that the battle was fairly and well fought.

The street in front of the Hall was crowded soon after! p.m., and Mr G. Leslie Lee, the returning officer, announced that he would declare the result of the poll at 7 p.m. At this hour there was a very large concourse of persons assembled, and when the doors were open there was a tremendous rush into the Hall, which was soon filled to overflowing in every part. Mr Lee said he had to declare the result of the poll taken that day to be as follows: Mr E. C. J. Stevens 1059 Hon E. Richardson ... ... 992 Mr W. S. Moorhouse ... ... C 22 Mr S. P. Andrews 532 Mr E.J. Wakefield 211 Mr J. W. Tread well 22 He had therefore to declare Messrs E. C. J. Stevens, E. Richardson, and W. S. Moorhouse duly elected' to serve as members of the House of Representatives for the city of Christchurch. [Loud and continued cheering. J

Mr Stevens who, on coming forward, was received with loud and prolonged cheering, said he could say no more on the present occasion than to thank them most heartily and sincerely for the distinguished honor they had conferred upon him. [Cheers.] They had that day conferred upon him, by placing him in the proud position in which he found himself, the greatest honor they could pay to any private citizen like himself. [Cheers.l He had come forward aB a private citizen—aa one of themselves—and all he could now say was that he hoped they would never have any cause to regret the confidence they had that day reposed in him. [Loud and continued cheers. J Hon E. Richardson, who on coming forward was received with loud cheers, said he had to thank them very heartily for the position in which they had placed him that day. [Cheers,] He could not deny that he had looked forward to a higher position on the poll, but still he was extremely pleased to find that they had placed Mr Stevens at the head of the poll that day. | Loud cheers.] Mr Stevens had been for years a consistent and able advocate of abolition and centralism, and therefore he was fairly entitled to the position in which they had that day placed him. [Cheers.] He (Mr Richardson) should, as he had always done, endeavour honestly and faithfully to da his duty to his constituents, and he hoped that they would have as little cause to find fault with his actions in the future as they had had in the past. | Loud and prolonged cheering] Mr Moorhouse, who on coming forward was received with a perfect storm of applause lasting some time, said he thanked them most sincerely for the honor they had done him in returning him as one of their members. [Cheers.J He was now their most obedient servant ; all his energies, such as they were, were at their command. [Cheers.] He was perfectly satisfied with that day's work, and accepted their confidence as a recognition of his old association with the province. [Cheers.] If his friend, Mr Andrews, had beaten him, he (Mr Moorhouse) would not have been mortified, as Mr Andrews was an honest and respectable citizen, and it would not have upset his equanimity to have been beaten by an honest and respectable man. [Cheers.] Mr Andrews, who was loudly cheered on coming forward, said that he desired to express his thankfulness to those 532 gentlemen who had voted for him, though he must say he was somewhat disappointed with the result. It was, however, no disgrace to be beaten by such men as he had been beaten by that day. [Cheers.] If, however, his services were required on a future occasion, he should only be too happy to place his services at their disposal. [Cheers.] He had served them in the Provincial Council, and should, had they seen fit to elect him, have done his best to serve them in the Assembly. [Cheers.] There were one or two subjects raised by him (Mr Andrews) during this election which he hoped those who were elected would look after, viz, the alteration of the present system of registration of votes, and extension of the hours of polling. [Cheers.] He (Mr Andrews) attributed his defeat to the restriction of the hours of polling—["No, no," and cheers] — because the working men were unable to leave their work to record their votes. [Cheers.J There was not the slightest blame to be attached to the returning officer; it was the law which was at fault, and he could see no reason why the polls should not be open before eight o'clock in the morning, and close after the hour at which men left their work in the evening. [Loud cheers.] Mr E. J. Wakefield, who was warmly received, said he had to return his sincere thanks to those electors who, regardless of the offence they might give in some places by so doing, had come forward to vote for him. The constituency had proved themselves as kind hearted and intelligent as he had always taken them to be, and not willing— as had bean tried in some quarters to make them—to believe that he was as bad •as people had endeavored to make him out to be. [Cheers.] He also desired to tender his thanks, with one single exception, to those who had been opposed to him in this contest. He had received from all but that one the greatest courtesy, kindness, and encouragement. Though he was unfortunate this time, he might be more successful on another occasion. [Cheers.J His defeat would not, however, prevent him from carrying out those principles which he had advocated, though out of Parliament. [Cheers.J Mr Tread well, who was received with mingled groans, hisses, cat calls, and cheers, said he was thankful to the electors for the way in which he had been treated during his short candidature. [Laughter. | The newspapers of the province had stood up against him to prevent him from showing that the incidence of taxation was to bear hardly on the poor man and to let the rich man go free. He desired to call their attention to the fact that unless they kept a strict watch on matters their trade and commerce would suffer enormously, and when this was the case they would all suffer.

Mr Stevens said he desired to propose a vote of thanks to the returning officer for the able and courteous manner in which he had discharged the duties of his office that day. [Loud cheers.]

Mr Wakefield said as a defeatec candidate he had very much pleasure in seconding the proposition, and bearing his testimony to the impartiality and courtesy of the returning officer. [Cheers.]

Hon E. Richardson desired to endorse all that, had been said on this subject by those who had preceded him. [Cheers.] He might also inform them that the Hon Mr Bowen had been returned for Kaiapoi by a majority of forty-one. [Loud and prolonged cheering.] This concluded the proceedings, and the large concourse dispersed.

KAIAPOI. The polling for a member to serve this district in the General Assembly took place at Kaiapoi, Rangiora, Woodend and Eyreton, on Tuesday. There was considerable interest taken in the affair by the friends of both parties. At 5,30 p.m. Mr C. Whitefoord, returning efficer, furnished the reporters with a statement of the poll, announcing that the official declaration would be made on Friday, at 10 a.m. The numbers polled were :-

Hon C. C. Bowen Mr Beswick. Kaiapoi ... 135 ... 164 Rangiora ... 166 ... 56 Woodend ... 27 ... 62 Eyreton ... 7 ... 12 835 294 Majority for Hon 0, C, Bowen, 41

Mr Bowen addressed a large concourse of the electors from Wearing's Kaiapoi Hotel verandah, thankingjthose who voted for him. As it was possible he might not be present at the official declaration of the poll he took that opportunity of returning his thanks. (Voice —"Rangiora put you in.") Yes, Rangiora was a big part of that district, but on his being now returned he considered he represented all the district. [Cheers.] He felt very grateful to those who had worked hard to secure his return. [Cheers.]

Mr Beswick addressed the electors from Oram's Pier Hotel verandah. He thanked those who had voted for him, and on Saturday evening said he expected if all who had promised voted for him to be returned by a majority of twenty-five. He was not going to say anything nasty. He hoped that when the electors got hold of as good a candidate as he had been to the district they would treat him better. Now he intended to go into private life, and wished them all "A merry Christmas and a happy New Year." [Cheers.J * *

MR BROWN AT LEITHFIELD:

On Mondav evening Mr J, Evans Brown, one of the candidates for a seat in the General Assembly, district of Ashley, met the electors at the Public Library, Leithfield. About sixty persons were present. On the motion of Mr Brown, Mr J. H. Moore was voted to the chair. The chairman said the meeting had been called by Mr Brown to address the constituency, and that room hired by him for that purpose. It was therefore Mr Brown's meeting, and he hoped they would give him a patient hearing, and put any questions at the end of his address.

Mr Brown, who was cheered on rising, said since addressing them last, a.session of Parliament had gone over and a general election commenced. Now he was again a candidate for the suffrages of the electors, and it was alike their privilege and duty to elect someone to represent them in the new Assembly, and he had the honor to offer his services to again look after their interests, consistent with the interests of the whole colony. As on other public occasions he might say he had reduced parts of his speech to writing, from which he would occasionally read from the notes that he had kept for reference. As they were fully aware the last session was distinguished by the lengthened discussion on the question of abolition of the provinces, and its importance had not in the least diminished by reason of the continued agitation of interested persons. They would remember his last address in which he expressed himself favorable to the abolition of the provinces. In the session previous to the last it was decided by a large majority that the provinces of the North Island should be abolished. During the interregnum the major part of the constituencies throughout the length and breadth of the land, so far as could be judged, pronounced in favor of total abolition. Many of the most prominent provincialists in both Islands protested against partial abolition, notably the Superintendents of Otago and Canterbury, the latter of whom, in addressing the Avon electors on the 11th September last, said—" It is absolutely impossible in part to abolish the provinces, it must be all or none." This was sound in principle, and fortunately for the colony has become nearly a reality in practice. The Colonial Executive, in obedience to the generally expressed feeling of the country, introduced a Bill providing for total abolition ,of the provinces—that is to say, nine provincial Superintendents, nine provincial Legislatures, seven provincial Executives, nine speakers of Councils, nine chairmen of committees, and a list of clerks were at one fell blow to depart. [Cheers.] Then immediately commenced a "wailing and gnashing of teeth." The liberties of the people were said to be in danger, but it was easy to be seen that provincial salaries and paSronages were more in danger. Parliamentary forms enabled a provincial minority to coerce a colonial majority into another, if not more, year's delay. It remains for the country to unmistakeably decide the question by senaing to the next Assembly men true to the cause and ihe colony. [Hear, bear."! The interests of the public imperatively demanded that dual Government should cease, legislation confined to one Legislature, and administration localized to the fullest and fittest extent. [Cheers."] The financial condition of the colony would alone make abolition of the provinces an absolute necessity. They would remember the notorious fact that every Colonial Treasurer for several years past had protested against the extortionate demands of provinces, and only two sessions ago Mr Vogel told the House that a large sum of borrowed money had been sacrificed in the public works scheme to the provincial exactions. That statement was challenged, but on looking over a record of the speeches of public men, there was one that struck him as a singular confirmation, although uttered two years and more previously to that of Mr Vogel. Here it is—" I may say with regard to that Middle Island railway fund, it is a sum of £400,00i) to be borrowed, as against £400,000 on the making of roads in the North Island The Colonial Treasurer has a difficult task before him, he saw that the days of the provinces were over, that in fact a large proportion of the provinces were simply an unnecessary double machinery for carrying out what might be best carried out by the colony." That was from Mr Holieston's speech at Papanui, February, 1871, and was surely entitled to the greatest respect. [Cheers.] Many experienced public men Were of opinion that but for the presence of provincial officers in the Assembly, for ever demanding exceptional advantages for their respective provinces, at other times banding together, as if held by the cohesive power of public plunder, against the interests of the colony—the abolition question would not, for several years, have forced itself upon the Assembly. But be that as it may, the indisputable fact stared them in the face that provincialism was no longer consistent at home or abroad with the interests of the colony, and however much a few individuals may suffer by political extinction, the public as a whole must gain by abolition. The question had been so ably and fully discussed that it would be a waste of time, if not an insult to their understanding, to argue it further. But, he wished to say, ihe provincialists in this province had vehemently urged the necessity for its continuance—that we should have a Superintendent at a salary of £IOOO, a Provincial Secretary at £6OO, Secretary Public Works at £6OO, and a Minister of Education at £6OO, besides two other imperial members of the Executive, to advise the Superintendent in administering the affairs of the province. Now judge

of the necessity of this paraphernalia. His Honor leaves the province for three or four months to attend the Assembly; the Secretary of Public Works was obliged to attend the Legislative Council in session; and also the two unpaid members of the Executive, attend respectively the Legislative Council and Assembly ; and we have now the Provincial Secretary, seeking from you the privilege of absenting himself from his provincial official duties for attendance at the Assembly, which on all sides is admitted that the next session will be of at least six months duration. The only member of the Executive not called to Wellington on public duties will be the Minister of Education. What a parody on the necessity for Provincial Government —five out of six necessary provincial members of Government can leave the province for six months of the year. It remains for the country to say if any more valuable time and public money shall be wasted over the question in the Assembly, by returning members devoted to the paramount interests of the whole, in preference to those who advocate provincial and partial measures. The Local Government Bill introduced as a substitute for provincial Govenment, was not all one could wish, but no doubt would have been put in proper shape by the House. They might depend upon it no measure was likely to meet the requirements of the country, or, if elected, receive his support, that did not sufficiently provide for purely local administration, leaving all legislation to the General Assembly. [Hear, hear.] If the whole country was divided into convenient sized counties or shires, leaving present Road Boards as wards, each endowed from the local and consolidated fund, together with all local fees and fines, he believed for the present the wants of the public would be met. Any measure must rise like the light from the east, and gradually approach perfection. It could not be expected to spring up suddenly aB a remedy for every evil that has grown up under provincialism. Doubtless there Would be many differences to reconcile, political opponents to defeat, and lukewarm supporters to convince, but time would accomplish what the voice of the whole constituency at this election will certainly dictate, [Cheers.] With reference to the question of insular separation, although he was a supporter of separation in 1868, he would not be so now. He could never believe that the country could be well governed by a Government extending to the Waitaki Under the Superintendent of Otago, and including the North Island under Sir George Grey, neither could he believe that a system of four governments would benefit the country. In addition to the unity of the colony, it was necessary to consider the means of keeping faith with the public creditor. [Mr Hood volunteered one of a series of interruptions, when Mr Brown invited the sergeant of police to remove him, Mr Hood —I will remove myself, as I am disgusted with the whole proceedings.] Mr Brown, when order was restored, said he was sorry to have to act as he had done in regard to Mr Hood; and went on to explain the financial condition of the colony. He considered the Imperial Government would not allow the colony to adopt a system of insular separation, as it was to the benefit of the public creditor to keep it as a whole, and develope its resources as a whole. [Cheers.J He would be in favor of the Imperial Government stepping in to prevent separation. He was in favor of a national Government and promotion of a national feeling bj their voices and votes He trusted this would be brought about, and this country become by that means the Britain of the South. [Cheers,] Assuming that abolition of the provinces was accomplished, and a thorough system of local Government inaugurated, one of the first and most important questions that would engage the attention of the new Parliament was that of education. And they would have his opinion unreservedly. He held that ignorance was almost a crime against society, and a Government cruel and criminal that ignored the necessity of cultivating the mind of every child, male or female, in the country. But the duty of the State extended not beyond purely secular and free education, and free education by the State involved compulsory education. It must then be a cardinal principle with the Government of the colony to provide secular, free, and compulsory education, elementary and superior. To secure this will require a band of determined whole souled men, supported by the public voice and vote. Sectarian influences will be brought to bear just as they are now in half of the Governments of Europe, in the United States, and the Australian Colonies, to defeat secular education. Again he held it as mue.h the duty of the State to erect school houses and colleges as gaols, hospitals, and asylums out of borrowed money. One is just as necessary to good government and well being of the present or future generations as the other. [Hear. | To meet the expense of a purely secular, free, and compulsory education extensive land endowments should, he held, be made all over the colony, even to the extent of the thirty-sixth part of the whole area. [Cheers.] It was one of the first and most important questions that would engage the new Parliament. As early as April, 1868, he moved in the Provincial Council a resolution aa follows :—" Considering the importance of securing a more permanent support to the educational system oi the province, than from the very uncertain proceeds of land sales, as also for the purpose of avoiding further burden on the people by a special tax, it is pxpedient that there should be reserved from the waste lands not less than 50Q acres for each and every educational district now in existence, to be or hereafter formed ; such reserves to be selected and managed by the school committee of the district, under the supervision of the Board of Education, with a view to the maintenance of the school of the district." [Hear, hear.] That resolution was altered so far as to limit the acreage to not less than 10,000 nor [more than 20,000 for the whole province. Ifrom time to time he had supported every proposition in the Council to make reserves for elementary and superior education. In the event of the land endowments failing to meet the requirements of education, he would cheerfully supplement the endowment of a property tax—thatjis, a tax upon everything a man possesses, whether land, money, or merchandise. Every man should contribute according to his wealth, which was only of value in proportion to the security derivable from an intelligent Government and people. He did not approve of the expense of education being borne by the consolidated fund—a fund already suf ficiently strained by demands upon it Besides it would render the support of edu cation entirely too precarious—only so much as could in the opinion of a willing, and uot

bo much as in the opinion of an unwilling, Colonial Executive, be annually doled out. It might, by an unaccountable concatenation of political or party circumstances, be foisted on the Assembly by a Colonial Treasurer, who, in obedience to early or late sectarian training, might not only persuade his unsuspecting colleagues, also the Assembly, that the financial; condition of the colony imperatively demanded retrenchment in every department, but more particularly the educational. Such was the unfortunate condition of free education a few years ago in the States of New York and Pennsylvania, and it required the utmost energies of time and devoted men, backed up by public sentiment, an appalling sacrifice of time and money, to restore the system to its former sphere of usefulness. When Mr Fox in 1871 introduced his Education Bill providing for secular education by the State, the table of the House fairly groaned with adverse peti tions from sectarians. It was not improbable there would be a repetition of the effort to make both common and high schools practically, if not purely sectarian hotbeds, which he should resent in the strongest possible manner if returned as their member. [Cheers.l The next question of immediate interest to the people of the province was the disposal of the runs in 1880. A legal opinion had been quoted with reference to the tenure of the Grown tenant, to the effect that it was a tenure in perpetuity, subject to certain conditions. It would seem from a perusal of the clauses 45 and 52 of the Waste Lands regulations, 1854, still in force that there was a deal of reason in this opinion. Clause 45 read—" Until sold, granted, or reserved for public purposes as herein provided, the waste lands may be occupied for pasturage purposes by persons holding licenses from Waste Lands Board to occupy the same. And clause 52 read—" Such license shall be renewed by endorsement from year to year until the land specified therein shall be purchased, granted, or reserved under these regulations, and the fee to be paid in respect of such license shall not be altered until Ist May, 1870." By the Canterbury Waste Lands Act, 1870 (this Act received the royal assent, 1865), and the Canterbury Waste Lands Act, 1869, the annual rent, payable up to Ist May, 1880, was fixed, and could not be altered until that date. It seemed, then, that the squatter held the right to pasturage over the same under these conditions—First, until sold ; second, granted or reserved ; and tuird, at a rental to be fixed by the landlord. Then there remained only the question of rent to be determined, and the best way to decide the amount. Experience in this, as in many other matters, might be of some use to the Legislature. In Victoria and New South Wales an independent commission was appointed to assess the capabilities of the runs and fix the annual rent. The result was satisfactory to the public. Again, by the Act of 1869 it was imperative on the Superintendent of the province to appoint assessors to ascertain the rent of those runs which were not brought under the increased rental of the Act of 1864. This was acted upon by his Honor, and the rents assessed at that time had never, so far as he was aware, caused any dissatisfaction. The assessors should be thoroughly honest and unprejudiced men, desirous, while equalising the rentals, to fix the same so as to secure for the public a revenue that would not bear too heavily upon the tenant. [Hear, hear.J In this way the tops of Mounts Thomas, Hutt, and Cook would not, as now, produce the same rental as some of the best land on the plains. He did not believe it would be wise to cut up the runs into small blocks and let them by auction. That would enable the tenants to combine against everybody to get the pasturage for next to nothing, and any run they failed to secure would, if their tenure wds what there was every reason to believe it was, compel the public to compensate them as it is now the case in Otago. Faith ought to be kept with the squatters, and at the same time justice must be done at all hazards to the public. [Cheers.] This he felt to be right, in principle, and must bo right in practice, the preemptive rights must determine in 1880. There was another question to which he referred—the constitution of the Legislative Council. To makedt elective even with a large constituency, as proposed in some quarters, would ensure to it, all the powers and privileges as to money, Sec, of the other House, and would inevitably bring the two sooner or later into collision, as was notably the case in Victoria as now constituted. No one would deny that a great, deal of good had been done by the present Upper House, particularly when a few sessions ago it steadfastly refused to permit provincial borrowing Bills to the extent of more than one million sterling from becoming law. That one act alone entitled it to the public gratitude. He was therefore opposed to an elective House, and vastly preferred one rather than two elective Chambers. He desired also to repeat that he was most decidedly opposed to manhood suffrage. Nothing more occurred to him, but he would be glad to answer questions. He had at every session labored diligently to serve them and the colony. If again elected this experience would give him increased advantage in the discharge of a duty to them and the public. He thanked them sincerely for their atten tion and forbearance. [Cheers.J In answer to questions to Mr Fendall, he said he agreed with the Bill for taking land for railway purposes, patted 1872, as the Government previously had not the power to take thu land for the lines. For instance he pointed out that persons even who had petitioned for lines of railway, stating they would give a right for them to pass over their lands, afterwards actually mulcted the country in so large a demand as £6OO per acre. He explained how the land was assessed. Mr Fendall he thought was under some misapprehension as to the appeal against the decision of the compensation courts. The Abolition Bill provided for the engagement of the provincial officers as a temporary measure till the Act came into operation ; for, as an instance, he might say there were about one thousand provincial Ordinances to deal with, and it would be seen that this was a necessary and wise proceeding. Had always opposed nominated superintendents, judges, or magistrates, who in his opinion ought to be elected. To Mr McAdam—There was no such line as the Swannanoa railway. Could not say why Messrs Beswick, Webb, and others disclaimed any connection with him in the matter of the Eyreton railway. Had said in the Assembly that £l5O was not a sufficient honorarium for members of the Assembly, as he pointed out that during the last session when called down to Canterbury on urgent family affairs, he was

subject to a daily fine of £2 14s 3d a day when he was only receiving one guinea a day. Mr J. S. Woodhouse proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Brown for his address.

Mr Ashby seconded the motion, which was declared carried.

A vote of thanks to the chairman, moved by Mr Brown, terminated the meeting.