SIR GEORGE GREY AT THE THAMES.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1860, 9 February 1880, Page 3

SIR GEORGE GREY AT THE THAMES.

[PBESS ASSOCIATION.]

GRAHAMSTOWN. February 8. Sir G. Grey addressed the Thames electors in the Theatre Boyal last night. The Mayor occupied the chair, and introduced Sir G. •Grey to an audience of some 2000 persons. The Liberal Association presented through their president an address of welcome. Sir George was received with loud applause, and said he had cow the pleasure of 'addressing what the English newspapers were pleased to term the mob of New Zealand, and who were credited by those newspapers with his downfall as a Minister. There were two mobs —one of the working class, and the other the swell mob—and he would much prefer belonging to the former. He had done his best to lead the people of New Zealand to follow what was right, and did not care if he were told that the mob had been his downfall. The attention paid to them showed that they were assuming their proper position,andwere exciting the fear of those classes. He had read a telegram from Mr Sheehan, their other representative, regretting that he could not attend the same night. Mr Sheehan told him that his words would be criticised, and he would follow him and review those criticisms. He told him that it would be better to go down with him, and if any attacks were made they could both leturn before tho session and defend themselves. He would first speak of local matters, and refer to the opening of lands for settlement. If they knew all the efforts made by bis Government to open these lands they would be quite satisfied, but they did not intend to sell any lands by auotion until the people of the district had been first satisfied. They knew of the efforts made to provide a railway for the opening up of those tracts of land in the district, and he would tell them he was certain the railway would be completed and no Government would venture to stop it Any temporary delay would not stop it. It had been urged that the land should be acquired first. He did not agree with this. They had a right to the land, and ought not lie by for years to make hard bargains with individuals. Let the law be put in force and the lands taken. The vote would lapse on the 31st of March, and no obstructive individual had a right to prevent that vote from being expended. He had never doubted that they would get the railway. He owed them an explanation re the Christohurch election. They were good enough to return him as their representative, but to gain another seat and to promote their interests he consented to stand for Ohristchurch. If he was the Bitting member for Ohristchurch he would not do the less for their welfare. The determination which was come to to unseat him for that place was not justly arrived at. It was directly contrary to the law of England and a cruel thing to the electors of Ohristchurch to have forced upon them one whom they had rejected. It was a matter in which all electors were interested, and one which he should return to next session. It had been said he intended to leave New Zealand. He had no intention of doing so until he saw established equal institutions, full of force, and democratic [Cheers.] They need not pay any attention to the stories of his leaving, for he would not be guilty of ingratitude. He next narrated the circumstances of his abandonment of the liberal leadership, and said he entered upon the session with some misgivings, because he had offended certain speculators who wanted certain district railways taken over. He said he felt that the moment ho refused to be a party to it his fate was sealed. Then there was the beautiful law which enabled a Government to raise a man to tho Legislative Council when he was rejected by his constituency. This enabled them to make provision for their friends and to withdraw favorites. He was certain the intention of the new party coming into power was to ' throw the Customs burden upon the working classes and prevent them getting hold of the ■waste lands. The land ring would reign if his party went out of power. That was the impression which forced itself upon him, and the reason he was reluctant to see the change and to be got rid of. One gentleman offered to vote for the Liberal party during the session if he would at the end of it retire from political life. [Laughter.] The result of the desertion of the four Auckland members was such as they could never know the extent of, and the vote for the North, which would never be expended, was not an equivalent for such a course. He spoke of the land tax as a bettor mode of taxing.

[The rest of the message was not to hand when the telegraph office closed.]