THE ELECTIONS.

Globe, Volume XXI, Issue 1719, 23 August 1879, Page 3

THE ELECTIONS.

MR MURRAY-AYNSLEY AT LYTTELTON.

Mr H. P. Murray-Aynsley, a candidate for the representation of the Port in Parliament, addressed a large audience at tho Oddfellows’ Hall, last evening. Mr Harvey Hawkins was proposed as chairman by the candidate, who explained that he did not call upon Mr Allwright to do so, as that gentleman was also seeking their suffrages. Tho chairman bespoke a patient hearing for the speaker. Mr Murray-Aynsley premised his remarks by expressing regret that the night was not a moonlight one, as it was inconvenient for many to come from a distance, but he pleaded in excuse the short time allowed for the elections to come off. When the members went to Wellington last session they found Ministerial matters in a disorganised condition. The Opposition at once met together, and selected Sir William Fox as their leader, although great persuasion had to be used to get that gentleman to accept the position. It was at once decided to oust the then Ministry as soon as possible, and keeping in mind a previous occasion when a vote of want of confidence in the Government was shuffled on the order paper, they took measures to prevent such tricks being played again, and accordingly they attached a rider to the Address in Reply to the Governor’s speech at the opening of Parliament, so that the Opposition secured the vote being taken into consideration. The rider was in the following words: —“In conclusion we respectfully submit to his Excellency that in order toseoure satisfactory results in the deliberations of Parliament, his Excellency ’s advisers should possess the confidence of this House, and we deem it our duty to represent to his Excellency that in the opinion of this House bis present advisers have so neglected and mismanaged the administration and business of the colony, that they do not possess the confidence of the House.” The debate lasted until the 29th July, the delay being caused by the Government being obstructive, and when the division at last took place there was a majority of fourteen against the Government, being the largest majority ever secured on such a question in the New Zealand Parliament. A comparative majority in the English Parliament would have been over a hundred, and in the face of this result it was impossible for Sir George Grey to think of going on with the business of tho country, or satisfactorily carry out any measures that he might bring forward. But even in the face of that majority against him, the Premier wanted to pretend that ho was a fit person to carry Bills through Parliament affecting the interests of the colony. He then asked for a dissolution, which the Governor granted on certain conditions, and he requested that his reply should be given to the House in his own words. This showed he had no great confideace in Sir George Grey’s straightforwardness. When tho Premier announced tho dissolution, it was enthusiastically received by his own side, and many members were surprised at tho announcement. The Government evidently thought that some adherents on tho Opposition side would prefer to give their support to the Government, and so prevent a dissolution, rather than be forced to go back to their constituents, but the Opposition held a caucus meeting, and came to a distinct understanding, and decided that the very beat that could be done was to have a dissolution at once, although it was a bad

time to go to the country, owing to the prevailing distress and the unsettled state of Native affairs. They certainly had the power of stopping a dissolution by refusing supplies, but they decided at once to accept the position and grant the Ministry sufficient funds to carry on to the shortest time necessary after the elections. The Government looked very blank when they found the Opposition so determined, and made overtures to amalgamate parties and stop an appeal to the country. Touching Native last year the Governor was made to say in his opening speech, “ peaceful relations have at last been established with the Natives;” and now, in lees than twelve months, they found the Native districts disaffected, the country in a state of excitement regarding them, and so critical was the position that a single foolish person or act might involve the colony in bloodshed, and there would be additional heavy taxation in this and all parts of New Zealand. The Government created discontent amongst the friendly Natives who had fought on our side in the old wars, and paid all their court to ex-rebels. They gave numerous unfulfilled promises, spent thousands of pounds over the Native meetings, and only managed to spread disaffection amongst the Natives. The IN alive department had been demoralised by old servants being superseded by inexperienced friends of the Ministers. Those who assisted in electioneering work and spied out what the Opposition wore doing had been promoted to places in the public service over the shoulders of old and trustworthy servants. Last year instructions were sent Home to the AgentGeneral to reduce the expenditure of his department, yet a friend of the Ministry, who had been writing newspaper articles in their favor, was sent Homo under engagement for two years, at a salary of £6OO per annum, with a grant of £250 for passage money ; yet a faithful servant, who had been in the public employ for fifteen or twenty years, could not be kept on because the Government could not afford it. [Shame.] When the Grey Ministry first came into office they announced that they were going to reduce the expense of the Civil Service by a hundred thousand pounds a-year, and to begin proposed to reduce Ministers’ salaries from £1250 to £IOOO a-year. There was a hidden meaning in this proposition, and the House would not approve of it, and he was one of those who voted against the reduction. He did not believe in reducing the salaries of public officers, but retrenchment should be made by getting rid of unnecessary servants. There should be such a system of promotion in the public service that deserving officers should be facilitated in working themselves to the top of the tree in their several departments. The Hinemoa was a sample of reckless expenditure. She was kept running about with Ministers and taking Sir G:orge Grey to his island home, and in fact converted to the services of a private yacht, rather than engaged in useful public service. Ministers had been making pleasure excursions in her without leaving a Cabinet in Wellington to attend to the affairs of the country. Last year they had the Tapanui railway job, the contracts for the railway being let before the laud was sold, but this year a greater fraud had been perpetrated by a railway line at the Thames, quite unauthorised by Parliament, being commenced. Sir G. Grey turned the sod of that railway, and afterwards excused himself by saying if he had turned the wrong sod he was not aware of it. They all knew how innocent he was, but supposing he did not know, what would they think of the affairs of the country being left in the hands of a person who got the authority of Parliament to do one work, and did another quite distinct, excusing himself by saying he did not know but what it was the same. They got this money to spend at the Thames—Sir George Grey’s constituency—and when a telegram was sent from here to get work on behalf of the unemployed, a reply was received that no assistance could be given to the unemployed, as they were not newly arrived immigrants. The Premier had spent thousands on the newspapers which supported him, and taken Government advertisements from those which were opposed to the " Government. That was carried so far that in the case of a contract to be let at Nelson for some work there, and there being no paper in the district supporting the Government, the advertisement was sent down to a Christchurch paper. What they wanted was to get general publicity of tenders required, and a probability of work being done the cheaper. They did not put advertisements in the papers for the sake of patronising them, but they required to get publicity for those interested to know what was going on. The real benefit was to be obtained by giving to those papers which had a circulation in the places interested. Why should advertisements be thus thrown away or obsoured in papers away from the districts interested, and needless money expended, while pseudoretrenchment was indulged in by reducing poor clerks’ salaries ? Sir George Grey was always talking about the working man, and what had he done for the working man ? Ho was constantly talking about their smiling homesteads, and his sympathies for the poor working man, but his promises all went into the same basket of old promises. [A voice : “ But what will you do for them ?”] The speaker went on to say that what the working man wanted was plenty of work aud fair wages. Let them look at the settlers throughout this province. How many of them had risen through steady work and were now prosperous ? There were most valuable properties held by persons who had very small means when they first commenced in this country. If they only had plenty of work to do there was was no reason why anybody should not follow in the same line and acquire property. They wanted to see the promises that were made carried out. With regard to the Electoral Bill last year, he (the Premier) spoke of 70,000 people being disfranchised, and now there were something like 65,000 persons who had no right of voting. Well, there might’bo thatj number, but if they took all that were on the rolls, those who claimed to be on the rolls, and those who ought to be on the rolls, there ought to be very few left. Last year the House passed a Bill, but in going through the House a clause was put in which gave the Natives a dual vote. That, if carried out, would have given the Native Minister power to get returned for several constituencies in the North Island. That clause was struck out, and the Premier abandoned the Bill which, according to his own showing, would have given votes to seventy thousand persons. Then, as regarded the Triennial Parliaments Bill. That was before the House the session before last, and the Government kept putting it down on the order paper until, at the end of the session, when it had to be brought on the Premier walked out of the House, and Mr J. O. Brown, a Government whip, moved that it should be discharged from the paper. He (the speaker) brought the matter to a division, and one half of the Government voted against the Bill. Had they put their pressure on it, it would have been law. The Opposition last year called upon the Government to bring in a Redistribution of Seats Bill, hut Sir George Grey opposed the proposal, and now he had laid a similar Bill before Parliament. If that was carried, Lyttelton would not be entitled to the whole of a member, and Akaroa would not be entitled to the whole of member, and the consequence was that these two places would have to be joined together, to have one member. Ho (the speaker) considered that they ought to give certain distances by population, otherwise the country districts would be unfairly represented. If they had passed these Bills, the Redistribution of Seats Bill and Electoral Bill, the consequence would have been exactly what Sir George wanted, a delay. They could not have got a Redistribution of Seats Bill carried through the House and a district formed at once, and if they had done that the electors would have to be parcelled out into new districts. What Sir George Grey wanted was to keep these great questions before the public mind, but he was the last to see them carried. When the Loan Bill was brought before the House there was no explanation as to what the financial state of the country was. Sir George Grey said he would give that whan he brought in supplies, but he urged that they wanted money to carry on the affairs of the country. The Opposition knew that the money was wanted, (and at once granted the supplies. Three months’ supplies were granted, so that farther supplies would be needed next month. Sir George Grey was a fluent speaker, and might impress an audience, but he advised those present not to be led away by bis fine speech. The fact of the matter was that the Premier wanted to be made dictator of the colony, and should ho ever obtain the power he desired to the full he (Mr Aynsley) should he disposed to pity the people over whom he would rule. Sir George Grey’s tondeucy of thought and action was to

sot class against class, and utterly destroy the harmony which ought to exist under a judicious and equitable system of Government. Should Sir George Grey continue in power and carry out his proposals, the civil service of the colony would certainly have very good reason to regret it, as their appointments would depend on their being friends of the Ministry of the day ; and, in fact, the worst features of the United States’ system, under which the civil servants went out with the President, would be introduced hero. He would now refer to some observations that had fallen from Mr Allwright in his address to the electors a few evenings since, when he was supported by a deputation of gentlemen from the Liberal Association of Canterbury, as they called themselves. He then said that he would support any Ministry who would carry out the policy shadowed forth in the Governor’s address to Parliament, and that he would support Sir George Grey if no other leader could be found to carry out those measures. Now he would just ask them to look back npon his (Mr Aynsley’s) career since he had been a member in the House representing the Lyttelton constituency. Bor the last three years he had had consistently advocated the measures of triennial Parliaments, the Electoral Bill, and the redistribution of seats. But the Liberal Association were not found supporting him for all that. And why, he asked, was that so ? He would tell therm It was because they did not want Liberalism, they wanted Greyism, and they had only banded themselves together for that purpose, [Applause.] He wished to be understood as not desiring in any way to reflect upon Mr Allwright—he was simply referring to this so-called Liberal Association. They were both running for the votes of the constituency, and he hoped the contest would be conducted on a fair footing and in a friendly spirit, as he could assure them on his part it should be. Mr Allwright had been reported as having said that he knew money would go a long way in the election, and that he had no objection to the electors taking all the money they could get, as it did good to the district in which it was circulated, so long as they reserved their right to vote as their conscience dictated when they came to the poll. Well, all he could say was, that if there was money being spent on the election in the way indicated, he was not so spending it, and did not intend to descend to anything of the kind. [Hear, hear.] Mr Allwright also said at that meeting that he (Mr Aynsley), had turned about to discover what he had done for the district, and all that he could refer to after all was that he had obtained a vote of £SO for the Domain Board, which it appeared had not been received. Well, now, as to that he could easily explain, and he would do so, chiefly because the statement as it was made would naturally lead the electors to believe ho had taken no trouble about the matter. The vote was first of all passed by the House, and placed on the Estimates, and some time after he received a letter from Mr Rogers, secretary to the Board, stating that ihe money had not been received. _ On that he (the speaker), wrote to the Minister of Public Works, Mr Macandrew, about the matter, but owing to the pressure of business which then prevailed in the Government Departments, ho was unable at that time to got any satisfactory information on the subject. But he did not let it drop, and after further correspondence ascertained through a letter from the Colonial Secretary’s Department, that the money was waiting to be paid over on application being made for it through the proper channel, namely, the chairman of the Board. [Applause.] Now, as to bis connection with the squatters of Canterbury, as Mr Allwright had termed it, saying that he would use all endeavors to get returned to the House and that he would try elsewhere if he did not succeed at Lyttelton, this was said of him because, as alleged by Mr Allwright, he desired to be in Parliament in the squatters’ interests when the question of the runs came up for discussion. In reference to that he could only say that he had never contemplated trying elsewhere. They had elected him as their representative, and he, with others of his party, had done a certain amount of work (which was interrupted by the late crisis in Parliament), and which they desired to see carried out to its completion by a House properly constituted, and with a Government fit to lead the House. He therefore asked them to return him, and thus show that he had represented the opinions of his constituency in the vote he registered on the no confidence motion, which had resulted in the present position of affairs political. [Hear, hear.] As to the allusion to the squatters in connection with his candidature, he could not exactly understand what was meant by that. The question of these runs had really been settled two years ago in the Land Bill, and he had not heard of any contemplated alteration on that question, and he certainly had no intention of trying any other place. If the electors returned him as their representative he should try to do his duty as such, and if they did not, why he could very contentedly remain in Canterbury, and ha would cheerfully bow to the verdict of the electors. [Hear, hear.] It had been said of him that he had done nothing for the district. Over and over again he had been compelled to boar charges of that character levelled against him. And he was now compelled in pure selfdefence to meet those charges. Ho was not one of those who constantly thrust himself forward, but on the contrary, worked patiently and quietly, and in the manner best calculated, as he considered, to meet with success. [Applause.] But as ho had said he could not allow such statements to go unchallenged. In the first place he might mention that he had done work for the district in the old days. He was a member ?of the first Provincial Council elected here, and took part in the administration of affairs under the old system of Provincial Government, as many now present would no doubt recollect. He then enumerated several of the works he had been instrumental in obtaining for Lyttelton, instancing the drill shed erected at Lyttelton, obtaining money for the erection of the Colonists’ Hall, the original endowment of land, which was afterwards changed for a money grant, when it was found that the Government could not get the land. Also the prison labor given to the town, which was a certain endowment, and the fact of his action in reference to the orphan asylum, which was permitted to remain in [Lyttelton when the local hospital was abolished on the ground of expense. Perhaps this latter item might be regarded as a small matter, but the town received a certain amount of benefit from the institutions by means of which money was circulated. In the General Assembly he had endeavored to the utmost of his ability to forward the interests of the district. He had carried the Domain Bill through its second clause and remaining clauses, the Waterworks Bill, and other measures of local import, and he had done his best in connection with the town hall and police barracks question, which had been delayed owing to a difficulty about the separate offices, it being decided eventually to keep the Government buildings apart from the town. He had always been ready to look carefully into matters connected with the progress and welfare of the town, and in this connection he might mention the endowment to the municipality, which they might have been deprived of had it not been for the determined stand he took in the matter. He had also been instrumental, in co-operation with the Hon. Mr Richardson, in obtaining the £2,000,090 Harbor Loan, and he had endeavored to get the Government to pay rates on their property, which would have brought to the town a revenue in the shape of rates on the whole of the railway property; but, unfortunately, he was not strong enough, with the assistance he had in the House, to carry that measure. Then, with regard to a petition sent to him in reference to a light at Port Underwood, ho got a promise that a light should bo erected at Cloudy Bay, and he was pleased to bo able to inform them that in about two months the work would be finished. [Applause.] In business matters, also, he had always done his best for the Port of Lyttelton in the way of fostering and increasing the trade of the port, |and he had a considerable interest in the shipping company using the port._ He could say that he had always felt and evinced a great interest in the public amusements of the place, and had been concerned in establishing the regatta as an annual institution, whose reputation was not confined to Canterbury but was known throughout the whole of the country. [Hear, hear.] He had always been willing to listen to any grievances laid before him, and to do his best to remedy such where possible. With referee ce to the question of a Resident Magistrate, he had forced the Minister of Justice to state on the floor of the House that the appointment of a Resident Magistrate should bo made. Ho was not to blame because the appointment was not made at once; he had done all ho could in the matter and could do no more. [Applause.] It was much against his personal feelings

that he spoke of these things and -what he had done for the district, as he was quite content to let his actions speak for themselves, but in the face of facts statements of an untruthful and damaging character were made against him ; charges of negligence were laid at his door, and when it came to persons saying that he had done nothing for the district as their member, ho telt it was high time to speak in defence and justification of himself by showing what were the facts, and that he had not been slow to care for the interests of those who had elected him to represent them in Parliament. In conclusion, he wished to say again that he had a firm conviction of the justness of the course he had adopted in the House last session, and asked the electors to evince that confidence in him which they had first exhibited in appointing him their representative, and his principal aim would always be to look after their interests to the utmost of his ability and serve them and the colony faithfully in every respect. The Chairman intimated that the candidate would now be willing to answer any questions the electors might wish. An Elector—How much did it cost the colony for the past session of Parliament ? Mr Aynsley—lf the gentleman means what the calling together of Parliament last session and its duration cost the country, I cannot answer the question exactly; but it will amount to a very large sum of money, which might have been much better spent than in the waste of time that took place. The same elector asked how much each member would receive in the shape of honorarium for last session.

Mr Aynsley replied that different propositions were made, upon each of which the House divided. It was proposed in the first place to reduce the honorarium for that session to £SO, but that was considered altogether insufficient, and he certainly thought it too small to compensate many members for the expense they had been put to in travelling to and from their homes and remaining in Wellington, Another proposal was to make it £IOO, and that was also lost on a division, it being ultimately decided to fix the honorarium at £2OO, the amount allowed for an ordinary session. He had been unable to vote on the question, as he had paired with Mr Seaton (who was suffering from indisposition) for the remainder of the session. He might say, however, that he felt inclined to vote for the reduction to £loo—that is, to divide the ordinary honorarium of £2OO in two parts, allowing £IOO for each session. Mr A. Chalmers asked the candidate would he, if elected, support a Bill to put the volunteer fire brigades on the same footing as to capitation as the rifle volunteers in the colony.

Mr Aynsley’s opinion was that the fire brigades were entitled to be placed on the same footing as the other bodies mentioned, on the ground of their public service, but he doubted if the House could bo got to consent to it, as they complained very much of the grants to volunteers, but he should be happy to support such a measure personally. [Applause.] Mr 8. R. Webb asked Mr Aynsley what his views were on the question of manhood suffrage ?

Mr Aynsley said it depended largely upon what was meant by manhood suffrage. He approved of giving a man a vote on a residential qualification of a certain term. In the Bill brought forward last session the time was fixed at two years. But he deprecated giving votes to persons who were travelling about the country, and had no permanent interest whatever in any one locality. A man should be entitled to have his name placed on the roll after a residence of one or two years. Mr R. 8. Webb desired to know if he had understood the candidate to say the land laws would not be interfered with till 1880.

Mr Aynsley remarked that the gentleman who had asked the question was suffering under a confusion of dates—possible he meant to say 1890. [Laughter,] If that were so, he might say it was impossible to say what might take place within the next ten years, as the land laws were constantly being altered from time to time. If the gentleman would explain what his question really was he might be able to answer it, Mr Webb said ho wanted to know whether the Bill on this matter carried in the Assembly settled the land laws for the next ten years with respect to runs. Were the squatters to hold their runs till 1890 under the present tenure. Mr Aynsley said all he knew was that at the present moment the rnnholders had certain rates to pay next May if they liked to continue in possession. The land had been assessed by proper officials, and those who paid the amounts agreed upon could do so till 1890, provided the land were not taken up by others stepping in to purchase under the law specially providing for that purpose, and the Government could proclaim the land for sale by auction. In answer to another question from Mr Webb as to what he thought of the land tax, Mr Aynsley said he considered it a very bad tax, and had voted against it accordingly. The only fair principle of taxation was to adjust it so that all property should bear its fair share of the burden. Assessments Courts were now sitting in reference to the land tax imposed by the present Government, and the result was that they heard of great discontent throughout the whole of the colony as to the unfairness of the tax. (The speaker gave instances to show the inequalities made apparent in the administration of the department, referring to the valuation of Sir George Grey’s property in contrast with that of Mr J. E. E. Wright at Mana Island.) An Elector—Sir George Grey has spent £20,000 on the land, and Mr Wright has spent nothing. Mr Aynsley—l am not going into the question of policy as to what should or should not be, but am simply stowing the defective working of the Land Tax Act. Land of my own, unimproved, has been valued at £4), when its actual value as Crown land was only £2. One of the meeting desired to contradict a statement made as to Mana Island. Mr Wright has spent upwards of £2OOO in improvements upon his land. Mr Grubb asked the candidate’s views on the reduction of civil service expenditure. Mr Aynsley said he was in favor of economy, but not as the Government had attempted to exorcise it. He would make a general reduction, but not take off the pay of particular officers and make sinecure positions for friends of the Ministry. In answer to a further question.

Mr Aynsley said members had nothing to do with salaries paid to individual persons. The House voted large sums of money for the civil service, which it was the business of the Government to administer or distribute. He might say, however, that a man who was engaged for eight hours a day ought to be paid for extra time spent in the service. Mr Webb —Are you in favor of loading and discharging steamers on Sunday. Mr Aynsley— Certainly not. I am against doing any kind of work on Sunday that can possibly be avoided. There were occasion* when it could not be avoided, but he was opposed to it generally. At this stage a gentleman who apparently followed an occupation connected with matters marine, appeared on the stage, and after questioning the candidate and the meeting also as to whether they were Liberals, directed them to extend that liberality in support” of a distressed family whose breadwinner had met with an accidental death. The above incident caused an interruption of some minutes, as the marine gentleman was good-naturedly bent on selling tickets. Order being restored, Mr R. 8. Webb, by permission of the candidate, addressed the meeting, and took the opportunity to criticise, at some length, Mr Murray-Aye sley’s address. Mr Allwright came forward, after thanking Mr Murray-Aynsley for permitting him to address the meeting, and mode a few remarks, commencing by the statement that ho had never asked for a vote, and did not intend to do so. If the electors chose to return him well and good. He wished to say that Groyism meant Liberalism. He was Grey to the backbone. He charged the Opposition'jwith pirating the Grey policy and setting it up as their own, and said they had to face the fact that a battle was to be waged in the forthcoming Parliament, which meant the large landed interest versus the interests of the working classes. With reference to Mr Aynsley’s explanation re the Domain Board grant, whichever way they looked at it the sum of £SO was not, after all, a vast amount to have obtained for a town of the size of Lyttelton, and certainly was not much to boast of as being: all that' a member could refer to as what ho had done for the constituency. However, he simply asked the electors to judge for themselves, and elect that candidate whom they consider best suited to represent them in Parliament.

Mr Murray-Aynsley then came forward and?thanked the meeting for their patience and*attendance during the evening. Mr Murray-Aynsley then proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman. Mr Allwright seconded the motion, which was carried. Mr E. B. Wright proposed a vote of thanks to Mr Aynsley for his address, which was carried non. con. The meeting then dispersed.