ADDRESSES TO CONSTITUENTS.

Globe, Volume XXII, Issue 1864, 13 February 1880, Page 3

ADDRESSES TO CONSTITUENTS.

MR STEWART AT DUNEDIN. [Hr Teieoeaph.] DUNEDIN, February 12. Mr Stewart addressed his Dunedin constituents in the Temperance Hall this evening, Mr Keith Ramsay in the chair. Mr Stewart said that the present Parliament was a good representative body, and referred to the necessity of there being a strong Opposition as a check against improper administration. His address dealt with four subjects, namely—the change of Government, reforms of the session, taxation, and the administration of the present Ministry. After describing the events which led to the deposition of the Grey Government, he expressed strong dissatisfaction with the conduct of Tamoana and Mr Masters in adopting the course they had. Mr Stewart claimed that he had carried out logically the line of action he had laid down for himself during the general election. Although he had then expressed himself as an anti-Greyite, he had at his various meetings expressed Ins intention of supporting Mr Maoandrew. After the no confidence motion was carried, Mr Eulton and Mr McCaughan came to him and spoke to him with regard to giving a support to Mr Maoandrew, and believing that there was a general desire in that direction, he had decided to give a general support to the member for Port Chalmers, there being no question of office with him (Mr Stewart). He had never intended to accept office under Mr Hall, and he had no expectation of obtaining office under Mr Macandrew. Before many more days of the session had gone over, Mr Eulton had apparently changed his mind, and Mr McCaughan only supported Mr Maoandrew for a limited period. With regard to the election petition against Sir G. Grey, he said that he had never been asked by Mr Richardson to act for him. They had had occasional conversationj[on board a steamer when Mr Richardson was returning from Wellington to get up his petition against Sir George Grey. Mr Richardson then told him that he had had several opinions on the question, but he (Mr Stewart) neither encouraged ner discouraged him in presenting the petition, but merely said that it seemed from counsels’ opinions that there might be a fair case. Subsequently, in speaking with him on the subject, Mr Richardson disclaimed all knowledge or connection with paragraphs that had been going the round, charging him (Mr Stewart) with having advised him to present the petition. After the matter had been disposed of he (Mr Stewart) had been complimented from both sides on the way he had conducted the case for Sir Geo. Grey. He had no desire to act for Sir George, but at the same time he was not aware of any circumstances which prevented him from doing so, and consented. He could safely say that the statements circulated concerning the proceedings on the Election Petitions Committee were greatly distorted and exaggerated. He regarded the present Ministry as being a renewal of the continuous Ministry, which had proved so obnoxious to the colony, and which had been broken up by the Grey Ministry. The present Ministry were in sympathy with the wealthy classes of the colony, as distinguished from the great body of the people. This measures of reform passed during the late session, as the Triennial Parliaments and the Registration of Electors Bills, were measures of the Grey Ministry. The Redistribution of Seats Bill, which had been promised by the present Ministry, had been purposely shelved. The taxation scheme of the present Government was unwise and calculated to seriously affect the prosperity of the colony. Our property tax was taken from the New York State model. He quoted American writers to show that that model was generally condemned, preference being given to the Pennyslvania system as being wiser, because it taxed real estate alone. The tax would be found to be expensive to collect, capable of being defeated, and extremely obnoxious in collecting. It was unfair to ask the owners of property to value it, an they had very extravagant notions of its real value, and the honest would have to pay for the dishonest. The Bill, as originally introduced, was flaunted before the public as being an all round property tax, whereas arbitrary exceptions had been made in the exemption of agricultural implements and of ships, whilst household furniture was subject to taxation. The Ministry had done wrong in resisting and defeating his attempt to exempt I furniture and other articles of domestic use { from taxation. One of the great objects of the Property Tax Bill was to get rid of the land tax, which had had the indirect effect of breaking up several large estates, which instead of being owned by one person, might be settled on by 200 or 300 families in this country. The industries of the State should be fully represented and developed, and commerce and manufactures be encouraged. Unless that was attended to the colony would drift into a mere agricultural settlement, and would not attain to that greatness necessary for its permanent prosi perity. He instanced the strides Scotland had . made after the union, when the restrictions on her manufactures were abolished, and said 1 that Ireland had been fettered by unjust re-

strictions'on her right to manufacture what her people thought proper. The constant changes being made in our system of taxation were open to great objection, as calculated to unsettle business and disturb the value of properly. The Auckland compact was marked by Mr Hall as private, though it related to the disposal of certain public money. It was most improper for any Government to enter into compacts relating to the public affairs of the colony, and to attempt to conceal the contents of such compact from the representatives of the people. Considering the outcry which the Government made from time to time of the depressed financial condition of the colony, it was very strange that they should attempt to saddle the colony with a needless liability of about half a million more, especially as we were likely to have many demands for more pressing and more legitimate works of a public character. The District Railway proposals he characterised as conceived and brought forth in a job. The House was regularly taken by surprise. The scheme was kept dark till the last hours of the session, and although the Government were bound, in bringing such important proposals under the consideration of the House, to have furnished the House with all particulars regarding those interested in the lines and their cost, Ac., none of that information had been forthcoming, and consequently the House was not in a position to decide whether or not it was desirable to take over any of the lines. In his opinion Sir George Grey had fought nobly against the action of the Government, and in this connection, and after careful consideration of several other matters, he (Mr Stewart) had been forced to the conclusion that Sir George had been greatly misrepresented in the past. Although opposed generally to the district railway scheme as advocated by the Government, he (Mr Stewart) was prepared to admit that it was desirable that the colony should take over a few of the lines. He instanced particularly the Waimea Plains, which the Government must take over, unless they wanted private enterprise to secure the entire traffic of the Lakes district. But the construction of some of these private lines had been entered on purely for private reasons, and to benefit a few individuals If such lines were taken over, the persons owning the properties through which the lines passed would work incessantly to have the rating power taken away, and that would be followed by asking that the railways should bo placed on a footing of perfect equality with the other public lines. The Ministry had made a very serious mistake in jeopardising the secrecy of theTelegraph Department, although he quite admitted that Mr Hall did not intentionally do so ; yet, through overmuch zeal in endeavoring to shoot home the charge against his predecessors in office, he had acted in such a manner as to attack the confidence which the public hereafter would place in the Telegraph Department nntil the law was altered. The charges brought against the previous Ministry had been greatly exaggerated. Some of them had not been substantiated, and the hopes which were raised by the accusations made against the Grey Ministry had not been realised. Undue attempts had been made by the present Ministry to lower the colony’s financial position, so that they might be credited with having retrieved it. Great revolutions were threatened and extravagant assertions made nntil people came to believe that terrible extravagance had taken place. But what transpired was, that there was a deficit, principally caused by the very serious falling off that resulted from the general depression, and was not due to any ac* s of the Government. The prosperity which had now set in, the prospects of a good harvest and advantageous wool market, and of an easier money market, should not be attributed to the action of any Government, but altogether to independent cauees. Very little was accomplished in the way of legal reforms during the late session. The Government looked with suspicion on any legal reforms introduced by Opposition members. It seemed to be a case of fearing the Greek even if he bore gifts. In some instances paltry opposition was shown to measures which should have met with encouragement from the Ministerial Benches. He severely commented on the way information affecting the public works estimates had been purposely withheld. For instance, there were expensive railway works on the West Coast towards the Buffer and a wilderness, and the items roads and bridges in unsettled districts £59,999, roads, bridges, and wharves in the North Island £50,099, roads and bridges north ot Auckland £65,999, were all highly unsatisfactory. They gave to the Ministry of the "day enormous power of controlling any weak members. The system of log rolling which was presented last session enabled the Government to carry everything they proposed, led to the utmost demoralisation, and so disgusted a good many members that they were glad to leave the House, seeing that it was almost hopeless to do any good. Had Sir George Grey stooped to such promises as were given to Mr Masters to secure his vote, or had he helped certain members to acquire titles to Maori lands, he might have still been Premier and continued to be so until the end of his days.

Mr A. O. Begg proposed, and Mr H. Hoey seconded, “That this meeting, whilst thanking Mr Stewart for his address, cannot express their confidence in him as representative of the City of Dunedin.” Mr T. Bracken proposed, and Mr J. Robin seconded, an amendment—That this meeting thanks Mr Stewart for his address, and expresses its confidence in him as representative for the city.” Only three hands wore held up for the motion, the rest voting for the amendment, but there were not more than seventy persons present when the voting took place.