ADDRESSES TO CONSTITUENTS.

Globe, Volume XX, Issue 1378, 16 July 1878, Page 3

ADDRESSES TO CONSTITUENTS.

—— MR J. E. BROWN AT AMBERLEY. [By Telegraph,] [VROM THE SPECIAL REPORTER OF THE PRESS.] Ambeklst, July 15. Mr J. Evans Brown, M 11.14. for tho Ashley electoral di-trict, met the electors at the Amberley own Hall this evening. There was a large attendance. On tho motion of Mr A. M'Honald tho cluir was taken by Mr Charles Ensor, Chairman of the Kowai Road Board. '1 ho Chairman had groat pleasure in introducing Mr Brown. As it was that gentleman’s fir.-t appearance at Amherlcy, he was certain he would have apttient hearing. Mr Brown, who was received with cheers, said he had asked the electors to meet him to explain to them the proceedings of last session, and to refer to questions likely to bo db-cussed n xt session. He a dd after (he late siege of live months at Wellington be was in a more fit state to eschew politics than to continue the strain, and it was not without considerable doubt and anxiety that ho had concluded to represent them another year. The newspapers kept them fully informed of tho proceedings of the Assembly, but of the work itself it was veritable slavery. They would remember that much of the last session was_ spam in discussing vexed questions of privilege of which the least said about thorn the better, for they partook more of party tactics and heat than a wholesome desire to advance the public interests. Araong-t the foremost measure* introduced was that of education, the Act relating to which was, in his opinion, very materially and beneficially altered in Committee The alteration wts in abolishing the capitation tax, and throwing the whole cost upon the consolidated revenue. Although he would have preferred to see the charge borne by landed endowment, supplemented by a property tax, yet the course adopted seemed the Only alternative. 1 he measure he observed, reflected great credit on Mr Bowen, the member for Kaiapoi, in the introduction of a free permissive, compulsory, and secular sy-tera, which he hoped the public would avail itself of. [Gk ers.] Tho Land Bid, introduced by Mr Held, and passed under auspices of the late and pre-ent Government. was, to his mind, the embodiment of injustice and had faith, as well as an attempt at consolidating tho provincial regulations, including in them the noxious Otago absurdities. The injustice was the product of bitter prejudice against the Canterbury free selection principle, and bad faith with the conditions of tho Crown tenants He opposed it, but saw no excuse for Sir George Grey attempting to defeat it with the veto of the Govern* r. Next in order was Mr Fox’s Local Option Bill, which came to an untimely end after the House had affirmed that existing licensees, who were refused a renewal, should be compensated when their licenses were abolished by a majority in tho district. He was not prepared tujvote for the whole of tho Bill. He was favorable to tho restriction of the sale of drink, but would not knowingly allow an injustice to bo done to persons who had put all their capital into an hotel, nn er tho conditions expressed from the Lice sing Bench. In connection with this ho ohse red it was the first time since his election t at he had been treated as a mere delegate, as some gentlemen, for whom ho entertained every respect, had addressed to him a note from a Temperance Society, threatening not to vote lor him it he did not support this Bill. Mr Fox, he considered, ought to have taken the Bill through as amended. [Hear, hear.] The Canterbury Railways Bill, the outcome of a meeting of local members, decided upon certain lines and reserves. This Bill Mr Montgomery introduced, but it was withdrawn in tho Upper House in consequence as was generally co r sidered of the factious opposition it met with. Another attempt with it would be made next session, which ho hoped would succeed, unless Government undertake to construct the necessary branch lines out of the proceeds of reserves set aside, thereby securing to tho colony an enhanced value for waste lands, by reason of tho increased means of communication. The difficulty of dovetailing the traffic of branch lines into the main lines would, he thought, sooner or later force the Government to construct the branches itself. It was not easy to see why individuals, and counties, and Government should make separate lines. A well defined system was wanting. If Government was to make the branches it would be necessary to anticipate the proceeds by b >rr wing in L eidon They did not fear any difficulty ou that score, so long as tho present energetic • gent-General represented the colony. [Cheers.] I he mention of ciir J. Vogel’s name, who had done more thin anyone to forward tho colony, gave him an opportunity to express his conviction th,t such a loan could bo easdy floated. The sending of Mr Larnnch to England was a farce. The Land Sales Act, by which tho np set price was raised to 20s, and fixed at 40s when bought by free selectors, was a compromise but a necessary measure, as tho sacrifice of the public estate at 5s and 10s in parts of the colony was stopped Tho ct met tho view of those w ho claimed the fund as colonial and those who claimed it as provincial. This wa* the prelude to the Financial Arrangements Act, by which the land fund, except 20 per cent , was made part of the consolid ited fund. As he pointed out years ago this fund was dependant on the sheer voting power, and as soon as tho provincial

I party was fairly in power it proceeded to seize i it. "But for two or thr e < mterbury members and Mr Macandrew, no portion of it w >nld have been localised. Although ill at the time, and ■ not present to vote, he quite agreed with the i action taken as judicious hgisl ition. The land fund was so unfairly trenched upon by the ' Atkinson Ministry that, if they wore to believe Mr Cams, of NeDo i, it would have been all . seized next sission. Canterbury for a time would contribute most; but in bis opinion shortly the North Island would far exceed the ■ contributions of the South. Oae condition made was that the districts were to receive the proceeds of soles to December 31st, which had i not been observed, and when the House met an explanation would he demanded. [Cheers ] He refused to believe that G >vernment had so i 10-t its sense of decency as to attempt to i practice a sham. Still he was far from satisfied with their inexplicable conduct. An important action last session was the appointment i of the railways management committee, who worked assiduously for three mouths, and reported for decentralising the management, and placing the lines in experienced hands. Previously the railways were in the hands of the Commissioner of Audit, engineers, and storekeepers department. Thanks to Mr Macandrew, an able administrator, the Augean stable had been somewhat cleansed, and, if supported by the House, he would he able to effect other good changes. [Cheers ] He had a word on the Independent or Middle Party, whi; h was formed of toe holders of mod rate views between the Atkiusons and the Greys. With its assistance fir George Grey’s party succeeded in carrying the want of confidence motion, and, although contrary to expect .tions Sir G. Grey had undertaken the lead in the Government, he was favourable to allowing him a re tsonable time to make Ir.mself understood, and the party gave bim a support on those grounds. It w s in no way committed to him or his policy, but, no doubt, would continue to hold the balance between the extreme parties, preventing charlatism, fossilized conservatism, and legislating prejudicially to the interests of the colony. [Cheers ] 0 ming to the question of the franchise, from Sir G. Grey and Mr Stout they had manhood suffrage pure and simple, from Mr Ballance very important qualifications of the same, the latter more in con»onancy with public opinion. With such differences of opinion as existed in the Ministry on this question, it was evident that sheer hunger for office alone would reconcile such different expressions. As he had frequently stated he was opposed to manhood suffrage, and nothing in the circumstances of the colony would (justify him in altering his views. [Hear, hear.] Ihe franchise was low enough. Any person inhabiting a tenement at 2s a week, a miner, a lodger, or a Maori, could register his vote. Mr Uallanee’s qualification of the I’reraier’s system has much to recommend it, as effectually preventing the North Island electorate being swamped by Maoris led on by Pakcha-Maoris, and the miners’ franchise would be placed on a better footing. The next part of the policy of the Gove nment—representation based upon population, he was utterly opposed to, as such an arbitrary proceed ing would result in including many incongruous elements, and lead to results which he had no desire to see introduced in the colony. It was understood the Ministry was unanimous on the incidence of taxation, viz., to tax holdings exceeding 320 acres and the capital of incorporated companies for paying interest on railway construction, and to provide reductions in customs duties. The proposition he understood to proceed from Mr Stoat, about as unreliable a young political economist < s there was in the southern hemisphere [l aughter.] He referred to the injustice of taxing the millions of acres which had not in the remotest degree henefitted from railways, and excluding tie thousands of sm ill holdings in the country and towns which hid been enormously enhanced in value by public works. 1 hese had far out stripped country estates in value. The people of Otago and Canterbury must also see a further injustice. The value paid for those lands was higher, and because they were in more energetic hands than those in ihe North forsooth the Mini try would tax them higher. Furthermore the railways were paying a high p -rcentage on the capital. Disguised in anyway the proposition meant a repetition of the nauseous Victorian experiment which sent away its people and capital. If it was intended to reduce the a usto s duties it ought to be done by a p -operty tax generally. Ho had always regarded the Customs imposts as unfair, and should vote for a property tax, which the Assembly he thought would accept. The Ministry might perhaps save a .£2.50,000 in Customs duties, but there was little prospect of it. If, as Mr Stout said, the land tax may be a bursting up tax, let them be consistent and burnt up. [Laughter.] Banks, companies, Friendly Societies, even the whole community. Let them go up and come down together, and let them have every care that the blatant demagogue is irretrievably hursted. [Laughter] Ho ventured to pred.ct there would be no free breakfasts such as Sir G. Grey talked of, with no other provision than a land tax. Deferring to the question of the Northern railway extension, the Atkinson Government proposed a vote of <£lßo,o''o for Amberley-W itaki branches and extension North. He ascertained that no doci-ion was made on the route of the extension. His whole effort had been to get a lino connecting Amberley with the West Coast, and it only wa ted an agreement on the part of those int'Ti steel to facilitate (the work. [Cheers.] The Minister of Works also pointed out that concessions must be made by owners of large properties to as ist He had no knowledge of the country north of the Waipara, but from the last information be conduced that the extension via Weka Pass was the right one to Westland, and via the Omihi to Blenheim. He had reason to believe the present Minister of Works was m iking inquiries respecting the character of the country between Wairau and Grey mouth, with a view to making a reserve. While he was a member of the House, whether representing this or any other constituency, he would do his best to secure railway communication between Amberley and Greymouth—[Cheers] - and did not despair of seeing it accomplished. [Cheers,] Such a line would tie a very remunerative one. In Mr Seymour George they bad an earnest supporter, and he advised that their Excelsior should be interpreted “ railway to West Coast,” and when flushed with victory, in this and the connecting of Oxford with Malvern he thought they would say they had done enough. At all events, he would cheerfully stand aside for some one elsoto undertake whatever remained to be done as their representative. [Loud applause J In reply to Mr Fendall, in reference to the division of the electoral district, so as to separate the Oxford and Ashley portions, Mr Brown said he was m favour of a division on the return of two members. He -eiterated bis opinion that the railway ought to be carried beyond Amberley. He had sent a reply to Mr McDonald’s telegram from a pubi c meeting. Mr McDonald said ho had never received it. To Mr M. Dalziel. in reference to the Local Option Bill, and the question whether a waggoner ought to bo compensated if the railway took his trade, Mr Brown said he had yet to learn ih it the cases were analogous. To Mr Courage, who thought the drink sold in some up-country houses was veritable poison, Mr Brown said that already provision existed by which persons could have the drink examined, lie thought it would perhaps ho better to have the drink examined as it was landed. Mr Courage observed the drink ho alluded to must be made here. To Mr Williams—Mr Brown said he should not be in favor of endowments to Road Boards, and they might as well ask in the Assembly for the moon to bo changed to something else as ask for further grants to the Koad Boards. In reply to Mr Courage, ho said that Sir George Grey had not enunciated any proposal which he could support. He would give his support to Mr Ballance on one point of that gentleman’s policy. With regard to letting the railway in small contracts, he said that there had been so many failures with small contractors that it almo-t debarred the Government from accepting such. Still he did not agree with the works being all let to a large firm like Erogdens The Government always gave their contracts to the, lowest tenderer, if they wore satisfied that the contractor could earry out the work. It was quite ■ a matter of detail, however, and ho could not well answer the question. Tn reply to Mr Higvins, Mr Brown paid he could not enter into tbe question of what be eiits bad arisen from ibe abolition of ihe provinces, i It was too wide a question for th ;t evening. Mr S. Coleman then moved a vote of thanks i and confidence in Mr Brown, which was seconded i by Mr J. S. Woodhouse. Mr A. McDonald moved as an amendment — i “ That this meeting has no confidence in Mr ■ Brown.” His answer had been altogether too [ evasive to him. [< beers.] Mr O. Higgi s seconded this. Mr A. Greig moved Mr Matthew Dalziel ; seconded—“ That Mr Brown he thanked for his i address.” i Mr McDonald withdrew his amendment in i favor of iMr Greig’s. s Mr Higgins—l object to that. [Laughter.] i The amendment on being put to the meeting ■ was declared < arned by the chairman. Mr Brown thanked the. meeting for the vote of ! thanks, and moved a vote of thanks to the chairI ‘ man, which terminated the proceedings.