SIR GEORGE GREY AT WELLINGTON.

Globe, Volume IX, Issue 1233, 15 February 1878, Page 3

SIR GEORGE GREY AT WELLINGTON.

[By Telegeaph ] Wellington, February 14,

A good deal of interest was displayed over •Sir Geo. Q-rey’s speech at the meeting to-night. An energetic committee had arranged all necessary preliminaries in a very satisfactory manner, and before eight o’clock over a thousand were present. Sir Q-eorge was driven to the place of meeting in a carriage and four with the artillery band playing. The Mayor, Mr Dransfield, occupied the chair, and on the platform erected to speak from, a goodly number of leading citizens were seated. On entering the room Sir George was received with a round of cheers. Before he rose to speak the hall was densely crowded ou the floor and gallery. Sir George Grey on rising was greeted with applause. He said he had long yearned to speak to the public of Wellington face to face ; to show them what he was doing was for their good. He could not expect his motives when he was Governor to be fully understood. Notwithstanding this Wellington working men, at a time when politics ran high, presented him with the most valuable testimonial he ever received, thus showing their affection and esteem and afford ing a token that they approved of his acts (Owing to the trampling of many feet Sir George Grey was scarcely able to make himself heard throughout the hall.) In order to put himself right with Wellington people as to his acts in the early days of Wellington, Sir George referred to the difficulties he early encountered at Wellington in the acquisition of land—land that rightly belonged to the Europeans, and in the subsequent construction of a road, which was mainly done by Native labor. Few but very old settlers knew the continuous toil which his life was then. Was it likely he could turn against them now ? [“ No.”] Referring to the unaccountable feeling of jealousy between the north and south of the North Island, he said (be always looked on Auckland as the great emporium of the islands of the southern seas, and Wellington as the mart in which would centre the whole trade of New Zealand. Why, therefore, should there be jealousy ? Each assisted the other in her work of progress, and why should he be refused the support of Wellington, when he was working his best for the welfare of both ? He, therefore, asked their assistance on behalf of everyone in New Zealand. Referring to the canse of his leaving England, he said, while he was a young man, he was sent out in Ireland in command of a large armed force of foot and horse to collect tithes from a people unwilling to contribute towards a faith they did not believe. His heart was heavy at the duty, and from that time he resolved to go to a country where no such laws obtained, and all his efforts since had been directed to having a fairer distribution of the world’s goods and juster laws. It might he said that those days were passed, but there were now laboring classes in England who were worse off than at any time for the last three centuries, and even now there was a powerful party in England who maintained that no colony ought to be allowed to go free without an ounce of gunpowder being burned, and they would insist upon the colonists paying what they liked to the support of the British lleet. They also wished to deprive the inhabitants of the colony of their liberties in order to give greater value to her bonds, and that party claimed the support of the bond-holders, who would not enter into such an arrangement as that. What right had they to be asked to contribute to the support of the English fleet-' A small minority in England, who did not represent the bulk of the people flf England, might declare war at any moment, but if there was a Federal Union and the whole people were represented, they would cry out against war. This led to the question of representation. It appeared there were <50,000 names on the electoral roll. If purged it would be found there were not more than 40,000, This denoted, taking the whole population at a fair average, that there were left 110,000 adult males unrepresented in the colony. How could a nation be called self-governed if the largest portion of its population were unrepresented. All resident adults ought to have a vote. Even Gladstone, who for many years held opposite views, had now come round to the opinion that every adult man should have a vote. Ho (Sir George) was not a wild animal, and he therefore claimed their support to enable him to give every man a voice in the legislation of the country. Why should they bo asked to contribute money to bo spent in various ways, sometimes improperly, and yet have no voice as to how the money was to be spent. After long experience he was more and more convinced that the representatives should bo returned in exact proportion to population, and equal electoral districts would give to every man an equal voice. Berhaps ho could not carry that and other reforms at once, but justice- would not be done until he did that. t any rate he thought he could sweep away the rotten boroughs that enabled one party to govern the country so long, against the wishes of the people. But he could not hope to do these things without the assistance of the people. He was a mere mouthpiece. Touching upon public works which many called new, why the policy of every Government in (he colony had been (hat of public works. To go back to the beginning, lot them look at t he great roads made when working men received but Is 6d per dap. With Bijndl at tye ilispofal, the

results attained wore very great. When he went to the Cepe he was the first to initiate public works tnere, and he could sey they were carried oat with far more efficiency and economy than characterised our public works policy. Sir George instanc'd a discussion epon public works w-th several eminent English statesmen, all of whom except Lord Macaulay and himself were against borrowing for public works. That eminent man held that posterity had no right to be considered in the maUer. As to the question of taxation, he held that each should’contribute towards the burdens of the State in proportion to the amount of benefit he received. According to calculations of people who ought to know, the poor of New Zealand paid more than rich men and runholders, who out of the poor man’s contributions towards the construction of railways had their properties enhanced in value. According to the natural justice of things, the rnnholder ought to give something for having his property made so valuable. Those who lived in England and were drawing incomes from the colony ought to bs compelled to contribute the name as those living in New Zealand. There was need of reform in the tariff, the carrying out of which would be of great good to the pcoplo, and he asked assistance to remove these taxes —that is unless they were satisfied to be what some called them, “horses," and chess quietly to bear their burdens. One tax they must insist upon was a land tax. [Loud applause.] The lands originally belonged to the whole people of New Zealand, but they had not been administered for the benefit of the people. Large blocks, especially at Auckland, were alienated and given to favor persons—in one instance ha saw many thousand acres, at 8s 6d per acre, and much of that land worth £5 and £0 per acre was given to one man. That would have endowed fifty boroughs. They were all taxed to make roads and bridges for one man, who happened to hare the friendship of a Minister of the day. He could give numerous instances like this to them. He referred to the Canterbury runs, and the injustice of the “ gridiron” system, by which a man occupied twice as much ground as he paid for. By the influence of the Upper House the Canterbury runholders were allowed to make large large fortunes out of the land fund of the colony, which was common property, to spend in England, or where they chose. There ought to have been a dissolution before eueh an important question was hurried through the people should have been consulted in the matter. He would always maintain that it was only fair that these runholders should give op some of theirenormoos profits in order to help to lessen the heavy mass of taxation of the country, for t,here was no doubt they were the most heavily taxed people in the whole world. They were told that Sir Geo. Grey simjjly wanted to prevent working men from getting land; but he could tell them that he it was who bought all the laud in the Middle Island, all the land at Wairarapa, and nothing could have been easier than for himself to have secured for himself all he wanted. But had he any land? (Cries of “no, no.”) He always wanted to settle people and make them happy, and some of that happiness was showered upon him when he went to Wairarapa and saw the hundreds of happy homes he helped to make. The people treated him as if he was lord of all he surveyed. Sir George then referred to his late visit to Waikato, and expressed his firm belief that

there was no longer any danger of the peace being broken, so long u Government maintained a kindly forbearing attitude, and were not too exacting. They had resolved that no Native officers should be allowed to rob the country by purchasing land for themselves or tneir friends. [Applause.] Touching the subject of federation, he would rather see the world governed by the power of the masses, intellect, and language, but he could not but regard with horror the policy which would sever the connection between the colonies and mother country. He warned them all against being agitated by such ideas regarding the colonies as those entertained by Mr Lowe. The British race had a great destiny before it, and they ought to go on with the work of building up a great empire. The work was not the complicated one it was at home. Let them have real self-government and not allow a governing class to spring up to curse this country as it had cursed England and other old countries.

Sir G. Grey sat down amidst deafening applause for teveral minutes. A resolution was proposed by Henry H. Anderson, editor of the “Post,” expressing the thanks of the meeting to Sir G. Grev for having explained the general features of his policy and the measures which the Government intend to bring before Parliament next session, and also expressing their opinion that such a policy was necessary. After forcible and eloquent speeches from Mr Anderson and the late Mayor, Mr Hutchinson, impressing on the electors that they should uot allow such an opportunity to pass of bringing forward a democratic and liberal candidate who would assist to carry out Sir G. Grey’s programme, the resolution was carried unanimously. Bursts of applause during Sir G. Grey’s speech and those of the others were frequent and loud.

The meeting was not over till 10.20 p.m.