SIR GEORGE GREY AT THE THAMES.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2239, 2 May 1881, Page 4

SIR GEORGE GREY AT THE THAMES.

[press association tkltsobam.] GRAHAMSTOWN, May 1. A crowded and enthusiastic meeting was held at tho Thoatro Royal, Grahamstown, last night, when Sir Gaorgo Grey addreesed his oonstituentß. The Mayor was voted to the ohair. . , Sir George Grey was received with repeated rounds of choering. He said ho camo before them as thoir representative to give any explanation that might be required as to his past oonduot, and to point out what in tho future aspeot of publio affairs might concert) their future welfare. First he referred to a matter personal to himself, and which might •how how their money went in this country. They must not think he was joking. Ho road thorn an extraot from tho " Patea Mail "of Maroh 22? d, giving sn. account of a hieeliiig" T>n the prsceding evening, at which Mr Sherwood was present. He believed the statement in that paper was quito true. There was an air of truth about it, nnd if any injustice was done, both report rs and speakers -were to blame, as the latter had not contradioted it. Thero was a long conversation, and Mr Sherwood said to Makor Atkinson, " You have stated that you have got everything; that has been got for the Patea harbor." Major Atkinson replied, " Except the ten thousand pounds." To explain this, tbey must hear in mind that thero was a Post office Savings Bank in whioh poor people invested their money, and this money was absolutely at the disposal of the Post-master-Genoral. Well, Mr Sherwood went on to say, " But .you did not say that," and the Colonial Treasurer repliod—" Mr Sherwood has never got a single thing or done -what has been done for the harbor. He never came to Wellington without coming •traight to me, and got everything done through me." Some one in the meeting asked Major Atkinson whether he had done what Mr Sherwood asked him to do, and he replied, " Yes ; undoubtedly. About this £IO,OOO, I gave groat help in tlat. Mr Sherwood came and consulted me about it, as he always did. I think he will tell you that. I have always been very kind to him, and gave him every assists nee. He came to me when I was out of offi.e about this matter, and we had several conversations. We met one day, and I said, " Look here! your safest way to get it is to go and tell Grey you are going to oppose me noxt election. If you can get this jSIO.OOO I feel sure you will get it." Mr Sherwood was very indignant, and saidhe should certainly not descend to suoh a thing. I do not know what took place. Wo know that Mr Sherwood did oppose him, and we know he got the £IO,OOO. Mr Sherwood said, " Yes; I hear a gentleman on my left say it is capital, but I made no capital out of it. I was honestly indignant that he should make suoh a proposal to me. I said, ' Rather than make such a proposal as that I will go baok to the district without the money.'" Now he (Bir G. Grey) left it to them to judge of •uoh a transaction. It was what he might call a diabolical plot. It was advancing publio money that the receivers might oppose another political party. He would wish to drop a dark ourtaln over such conduot. If they tried to oorrupt publio men, they not only injured their own character but that of the colony at large. Had such a thing been done by a British Chancellor of the Exohequer he would have been turned out of office, and never permitted to show his face in Parliament again. He would wish them to look at this transaction in its several aspects. The Legislature had made laws to sweep vast sums of money into their control, and he firmly believed these sums had been used to promote the views of the Government and its friends. In Great Britain individuals are allowed to insure their lives for small sums, ■ay, from £IOO to £3OO, and the State is liable for that amount; but what do they in New Zealand. Here the burthen is thrown on you. The wealthy man insures for his thirty, forty, fifty thousand, and Government use these sums in any way they like, and after suoh an exposure as he had just made of what was done at Patea they oould form a just opinion of how the money was used. To his own knowledge some very bad lives had been taken which were certain to entail ultimate loss. Then the Government employed a large number of officers, sending them touting for business through the colony. These men by remarks in their lectures had an indirect influence on publio opinion. He had seen a pamphlet issued from Waiwera advertising Robt. Graham's hotel and springs. At the end of it was a notice that so highly did Government think of the place that they had placed a life insurance agency there—the very last plaoe he should think at which one was wanted. After suoh attacks as had been made on their representative they should turn' their attention 1 to means to prevent the publio funds being turned to party uses. The whole thing put him in mind of a melodrama, where they so often found one of the characters taking another style, and plotting how he may get money. The people of Patea listened to what he had read quite cheerfully. Then the representative did not come boldly before them and say, " I have done my duty." Not a bit of it. He said " In every respect you have got more than your share. Would they not ask " Where did we get it from P" " Whom have you robbed ?" Your statesmen should not use language of this kind. A stop should be put to it. He looked round on that audience who as they had never asked him for a favor, had never got their share. Now, to pass ■ to general questions. The present Government obstructives say this : We have very nearly equalised the taxes and th e expenditure, and we have done it by increasing the taxes. He himsolf could not presume to stand before them and make suoh a boast. It had been done by robbing the inhabitants, and leaving the great holders of property resident in England free. He would tell them this, that here they would gradually find that the rate of wages was sinking, provisions becoming dearer, and work scarcer. Themselves and families would gradually sink if suoh iniquities were allowed to go on. One nobleminded man in England had rated himself, and sent £I6OO as his proper tax, and he might Bay he was the only honest large New Zealand property owner. The Government tried to hide their secret shame, and the Colonial Treasurer said the miscalculation was only caused by a trifling flaw. If one man in England found himself under charged £I6OO, they might judge what must be the whole amount. He had warned them in the House, and the Colonial Treasurer then said the hon. gentleman did not know what he was talking about. Now he says it was "a trifling flaw," Those who have robbed New Zealand in this manner should be made to pay for it in some manner. Then look at the Civil Service. Civil servants had to pay taxes as well as other people, and they had inflicted on them a reduotion of 10 per cent. This they were told was to be returned. How long will it take them to repay the loans contracted through it ? Their system of taxation was clearly a robbery, and that not even of the bold highwayman, but a robbery of those who were compelled to submit. Why should thoße great land companies in England escape taxation, or the wealthy abroad be spared, and the poor and wretched here robbed. It was a bad example; it was reviving the old practice, when the Government was in difficulties, of robbing a class. Their old kings did this, they robbed the Church because it oould not resist. He said this—if the revonue and expenditure were to be equalised, as was certainly desirable, let it be done by a fair system of taxation. Why should they have an export duty on gold and none on wool ? Why should they have a property tax on inhabitants, and those holders who live in Great Britain escape ? He himself had to pay the tax on his income from home. The Premier looked at him in horror when he told him that every man had his tax deducted before he received it from homo. People pay, and justly, for the protection they received. When ho asked in the House that holders of New Zealand bonds should bo taxed, his friends opposite—ho forgot the exact words—thanked God that he was not such a one as him (Grey). Now he said that every man, woman, and ohild suffered because of this. Don't let them mistake, they wore tho people who paid. It was not tho Melbourne merchant, they might rely on it. It was themselves, and they must unitedly protest against it. He had himself been obliged to dismiss several workmen, and the same thing was occurring throughout New Zealand. Further, he had overy reason to bolieve that several thousand laborers wore about to arrive here from tho Celostial Empire, and their coming would sink wages lower. He appealed to the miner d olving in the solitude of the bowels of the eorth to ponder thus —'' should they oomo here and spread leprosy, as they have done in every country to which they have gone?" He appealed to them to look at the state of affairs in Europe. In England one-fifth of the land was held by 500 proprietors, and see the result. He asked them to study the lite-

raturo of this question. Even in tho reviows of the highest character the question was being disoussed. Were they to set up a worse system here ? After referring to the inequalities of their representation, Sir G. Grey s >id: —Tho Legislative Council was made use of, and convenient men were put In there, thus begetting a craven spirit in the colony. Men who hud never been ohoßen as representatives of the people even had been put in the Council, in one case a man being taken from the Christchurch ~R.il. Court and placed there. Suoh a thing could hardly be possible under the old provincial syetom, because power oould then be more directly vested in the people. Provinces oould be multiplied, and the Thames under such circumstances might have been a province. Vesting too muoh power in the County Councils only tended to the establishment of oppressive oligarchies, Oslo of the first things to be sought after was the abolition o£ plural voting. Every man should have a voto, but not a pair of wooden steps, a house, or a piece of land. Our laws required amendment in many respeota. We had no original legislation, our first legislators being the scissors and paste pot, tho 'statutes operated upon being thoso of "Viotoria and England. With respect to tho property tax, much ingenuity was displayod in advancing reasons to support it. For instance, it was said that it had a tendency to encourage improvement, but he confessed he could not see the demonstration of it. It was evident nonsense, notwithstanding the speech of our Chancellor of the Exchequer to the contrary. He coul.d not possibly see how, for instanoe, in the case of doferred payment selector's, the tax would tend to encourage them in making improvements whioh yield them no immediate return. Everyone would have to get rid of this tax. A much fairer tax would be tho income tax which he proposed, although at the time he knew he was ringing his death knell in doing so. In effect [it would press heavily upon a man with 1000 acres, heavier on him with 10,000, and fall heavier still on him with 100,000, but of course that would not suit. Better to tax the gold mines.'their machinery, their necessaries of life, their boots even. [A Voioe—"And their painkiller."] Yes, even painkiller. [Laughter.] Better even to introduce a Charitable Aid Bill, or some suoh machinery as that. The Government had promised a number of measures, and prominent among thoni were Representation and Lioensing Bills; but he had no faith in the sincerity of the Government in respeot of their Representation Bill, whioh they would not go on with, and the Licensing Bill meant nothing, for there had been one every session since he entered Parliament. Unless the people united to make a great determined effort, then he must Bay the outlook was not hopeful, for in a few years there wonld be diminished revenue, a decrease in wages, and lesß material comfort. They should rigidly insist on equality of rights, and some equality blbo in their acquisition of land. These were cardinal points, and during his last visit to the old country he had addressed public meetings in Birmingham, Derby, and other large towns upon them, everywhere oarrying by a largo majority his resolutions. One notable instance of what could be done in tho way of land acquisition by powerful men under present circumstances were the negotiations in connection with Patetere. When Premier, he had not looked with favor upon these negotiations, and he was aotually menaced with a statement that tho men whom he was opposing were powerful, and that they had the power to make him regret his opposition. Was that a proper position for the Premier of a great oolony to be placed in. The Chief Judge also had actually been asked to argue points in connection with it in his private house. They had been getting into a loose state here, and tho effeot was increased influence whioh was to the detriment of the poor. Next session he would endeavor to introduce a Bill to remedy such a state of things,' and if the people' were but loyal and. would stand by him, he did not despair of success. If tho present state of things was to be perpetuated it would become increasingly difficult to lead a virtuous life. Our children would be beset with temptation, and existence would degenerate into a mere struggle for bare subsistence. Our condition would approach that of England, where 200,000 children died annually from insufficient food,ventilation and wretohed drainage, where millions were struggling for a wretohed existence while the pampered few who held the land lay in the lap of uillu. enoe and luxury. If they believed the honeyed words of those who ruled them, they would plaoe unlimited faith in them and allow them to pursue a oourse whioh would land them in degradation, misery, and virtual slavery. If they so rested they would be traitors to their children, wives, their country and fellow men. There was rising up a younger and more virtuous generation whioh would carry out the desired reform to a glorious consummation, but with other old colonists he would like before passing down to his grave to see a gleam of that hope which would yet brightly illumine the political horixon. Our dealings in Native lands had been suoh hitherto as to descry it in the' eyes of the world and reflect disgrace on British names. Under the treaty of Waitangi power was given to sell land for the publio good, but it was acquired instead by individual greed and rapaoity. Land would yet represent the people, and every blook meant so many of their fellowmen shackled ' in practical serfdom, people whose destiny would not be their own. There should be no procrastination or faltering with suoh an important thing as land tenure. Tear up their charitable and pauperising Bills and insist on land reform. Why have nominated Land Boards and workhouses ? No, rather insist upon breaking up estates, suoh as had been done with those in England, and follow in the wake of Prance with its admirable peasant proprietary system, in place of creating starving men, famishing women, and half-fed children. God gave wealth for the support of the'race to go in ' and possess it, and land must not be looked up. Put an end to this iniquitous -system of taxation. Tax lands and inoomes. Abolish these useless Education Boards, in order that committees may communicate direotly with the Minister for Education. Then, of what use were the Land Boards to them,' with their expenses of members and coatly staffs, and special sohemea of immigration. Let distriots have their own Boards, and not be subject to distant nominees. In order to get these local institutions let them abolish plural votes. From that, go on to decrease the Customs duties, and deprive property owners of the fortunate right of being able to pay taxes on improvements. Sweep away the Councils of counties, and express a determination that there shall be no Legislative Council, but only one great obamber of representatives. They would then get rid of repressive members, who retard liberal legislation. He implored all of them to think of the subject he had brought before them, and refleot whether these evils should be allowed to exist or not. They were certain to fall into a state of destitution, when the poverty of the masses would be terrific If they did their duty they wonld ereot a nation greater and more glorious than would ever be seen, for none ever started with fairer promises or more assuring prospects. He asked them to aid those who were fighting their battle, for the time of election was drawing nigh. Let them do their duty as honest men, ashamed to look no one in the face, and resolved to discharge their functions as citizens and free men. Sir G. Grey concluded amidst loud, prolonged and enthusiastic oheering. Questions being invited, it was asked if he approved of the aotion of the Government in withdrawing the capitation allowance from; bona fide volunteers. Sir G. Grey said that the Government were bound to provide for the defence of the colony, and therefore to hold out all legitimate inducements to Volunteers. It was asked if he would endeavor to make all required land in future to be leased,' but not sold. Sir G. Grey replied that it would be infinitely better were all lands leased, and no taxation whatever. That would ultimately come to pass, and he was quite willing to work for such a system, but as he was only one man, he had to work that effect should be given to the will of tho majority. Still he believed that all land should be leasehold, allowing no one to have permanent property by which to embarrass the holder after death. He was asked if he was in favor of the wealthy classes paying school fees. Sir G. Grey said he was in favor of a national system of education to a certain point. He would make no difference whatever. In reply to other questions, Sir G. Grey said that he did favor a national system of education, and this did not admit of Bible reading in schools, or any sectarian distinction. That he said as a statesman, and as a private man he had the same opinion. Religion should be loft to priests and clergymen. [Applause.] A lengthy question was put respecting pensions, to whioh Sir G. Grey, in answer, said that where pensions were unlawfully given they ought to be taken away, and the persons punished who gave them; but to abolish pensions where, possibly,

people had entrnsted their all on the strength of them, might do an injustice. Every oasc should be treated on its merits. A question wbb asked if sons of old colonists should get grants of land. Sir George Grey said that he did not know what length of residence constituted old colonists. At any rate he considered that all mon should have equal rights under a fair lmd systotnThe question was repeated, ivs mflaring bein£ tho sons of those who suff>red at the Bay ff lolands and Taranaki. Sir G. G.ey replied that services rendered to the country should be inquired into and rewarded. Ho did not.believe in making grants of land wit hout inquiry. Inanewortootherquestions.he saidhe thought it was a bad sygietn to give grants of land for the construction of railways whioh the Goyernmen.s hid declined to miko. It was a System fco be avoided. He, was opposed to giving away iarge blocks. He was unable to state the cast of the Native meeting during his premiership, but was aware that there had been gross misrepresentation on the subject. If deeired ho would move for a return. [Cries —"It is not required."]

Mr R. N. Smith moved " Ihat this meeting thanks fair Geo. Grey for the statesmanlike speech just delivered, and trusts ho may bo long spared not only to represent this district in Parliament, but to continue his noble efforts for the education of the publio mind of the colony in the principles of true liberalism and honest legislation." Mr W. Wood seconded.

In response to loud oalls, Mr Speight came forward and said he thoroughly endorsed every word of the resolution. Men had come to Buch a pass that what was wanted in legislation was not a capacity for blundering, but a clear comprehension of what was required to lead the colony to a prosperous future. Whatever faults and infirmities their representative had, and no doubt there were many, yet ho had the sincerity and courage to keep his pledges and fight the battle of tbe people. He was a priceless teacher for their youth in political principles, and would imbue them with those liberal and democratic truths whioh were converting the world into a better condition. The vote was passed with acclamation ana tho accompaniment of three cheers. Sir G. Grey, in reply, said that he would continue to serve them faithfully, as he had endeavored to do in the past. The task had been an easy one, for the people of his constituency had had the generoßity not to ask anything for themselves, allowing their members to proceed to Parliament unfettered by promises and independent of Ministerial assistance. The meeting concluded with three cheers for Sir G. Grey and Mr Speight.