THE HON, B. RICHARDSON AT LYTTELTON

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2344, 7 October 1881, Page 4

THE HON, B. RICHARDSON AT LYTTELTON

ISr l-::cl-.a?dson, one of the three candidates for tho Port seat in Parliament, met the electors lost night in the Lyttelton Oddfellows' Hall, when there were fully 600 electors prosont. Upon entering the hall Mr Richardson was greeted with loud applause, and upon his motion Mr Adam Chalmers tool: tho chnir. That gentleman asked for a fair hearing of the candidate, and after speaking of the occasion being one of more than usual interest, as opening the campaign, and naming Mr Richardson as a man of colonial mark, of whom the constituency might fairly feel proud, he called upon the candidate to address the meeting. Mr Richardson said they would recollect that it was Bomo eleven years since he received the first requisition to represent Lyttelton in the Provincial Council. As now, he accepted the position, and had a sovere con teat, ending in his return. Again, in 1874, he was requisitioned, and represented the Port to the date of the abolition of the provinces. It was shortly after the oomplotion of the tunnel that he was was first elected for liytteiton, and he received their confidence at that time, he believed, ohiefly on account of tho int«rest he had taken to improve the harbor and tho port. After tho abolition of the provinces the destinies of the port passed into the hands of the Harbor Board, and at thoy were aware he had been honored with the position of chairman of that Board year after year since. What was, at the time he spoke of, considered to be ono of the worst ports in New Zealand, had since become one of the best in the Australian colonies, ono at which the best facilities for loading vessols existed. They had watched no doubt the actions of their public men during the past eleven years, and he took it that the course he had pursued had resulted in that confid2nce expressed in the requisition which had been tho means of bringing him before them that night. He would, with reference to the ensuing oontest, express the hope that whatever the outcome of the election was, everything would be forgotten as between the supporters of the several candidates, and that good feeling would provail during the oontest as well between the supporters as he was suro would be the case between the candidates. He then referred to a somewhot personal matter in respeot to a report which had gained some currency aa representing him being in favor of a ten hours* system of labor, and described it as a silly cry unworthy the least credence He had, he said, sever advocated such a system, and even were he disposed to do so—the idea of which he utterly repudiated—his knowledge of the subject was sufficient to convince him that an angel from heaven could hardly expect to change the eight-hour system. That was tho system in vogue when he came to the oolony, and no set of men could change it. He would not, on the present occasion, go into details of the work of the last meeting of the Assembly, but two or throe matters he would briefly refer to, and, afterwards, those which might be expected to come before the next Parliament. Ho would then answer any questions they might desire to put to him. He said the last Assembly was called together exceedingly late in the year, after the longest recess between two following sessions he had ever had to do with. When members met they found themselves confronted by a Government unprepared to bring forward the important business of the session, and, as the adage went, " Satan finding misohief for idle hands to do," all manner of things were debated und debated by members, thus inflicting serious delay and waste of time. The financial statement and the public workß business, a.i well as the estimates, were brought down eo late aa to completely preclude any proper examination of them in detail, and thus these, tho most important matters of the session, were dioposed of without anything approaching the measure of debate upon them their importance demanded at the hands of members. No doubt but what every credit was due the Government for the earnest manner in which during the recess they had carried out the wishes of the House in making reductions and reorganising the Civil Service generally, but they were to blame to a great extent for the delay which took place in pushing through the public business after the House met. The position of parties was evonly divided almost, and he (Mr Richardson) did consider that Mr Ormond's suggestion was the best, namely, that Government should press the actual cr*ent business through and the Representation Bill, and go to the country. The useless talk which deluged the House subsequently would not have taken place had that course been pu sued. When the estimates were brought down the first thing they found in cenneotion with them was an attempt to again foroo an all round 10 per oent. reduction. Aa in the session preceding it he opposed it firmly, and urjed the Government to so amalgamate the estimates that the reductions could be made in a lump sum. He thought that it was the duty of tho Government to do so, and was the proper course to pursue, and he called on them to carry out that plan. The Railway Construction Bill was or.e of the most important Bills of the session, and with respect to it, he had always contended that it was a great mistake to depart from the Public Works policy of Sir Julius Vogel. The Government should, he considered, continue the construction of the main lines ef railway in their own hands throughout the colony. When the Construction Bill came on he took charge of it for the Government, and, with one or two other members, he sucoeeded in making what would otherwise have been a most pernioious measure, a really workable Bill, and one which, if properly looked after by GovernnseLl, would be a great boon to the community at large. [Applause.] Tho Licensing Bill took a long time in framing, and, as they know, had now become law. Lsrge improvements had been effected by that Act, he thought, though he did not agree with the whole of it. His view of the matter had al.vaya been in favor of a modorate law on tho subject. Ho had always been in favor of local option being applied to now distriots, and compensation being paid whore lioensea were cancelled for premises which had long existed, end which were well conducted and oldestablished. Applying looil option to that clans of houses in old districts without compensation ho considered an injustioe. All memboro went to Wollineton he bolieved to support a Representation Bill, and when the Bill came on for tho redistribution of seats, ho supported it all through. While he felt that there were quite enough members returned to Pa.'liament, still he saw that the only chanoe of getting justice in the matter of representation for Canterbury and Otago wsa by increasing the number of membera by acme six or aeven. Ab they were aware, Nelson and Auckland mombers opposed the last-named because, when they found the population of this province and of. Otago had so greatly increased, they hoped to off set it by including in the population of the North Island tho Maoris, for whom a special representation existed. He did not think the Maoris were entitled to that concession ; but, whenever they were bound by the same responsibilities and duties to the Crown as white people ho would be willing that they should be on the same footing as to representation—not before. The Regulation of Elections Bill, he reminded them, had poesed, and of it ho wished to point out that it changed the time of closing the polls to 6 p.m. That, he thought, would be found to to a groat boon to the community. Speaking of public nominations of candidates, he said he was opposed to them, as being inconsistent with the ballot system. If men had to hold up their hands in publio to nominate a candidate, he saw that the secrecy of the ballot was, to an extent, violated. The Corrupt Practices Election Bill hod altered the whole system of conducting elections. Heavy penalties wore provided in it, both for the candidate and a y person acting for him. He hoped, during the present contest, care would be taken not to infringe any of those regulations, as by so doing the election of tho candidate might bo vitiated. During th« session just closed the question of direct steam communication with Great Britain had boon gone into, and he had acted on the committee that considered it. With ono or two others ho opposed the report of that committee, feeling that the colony waß n;t in a position to entertain a guarantee of 5 per cent, on £1,000,000 to any company •undertaking it, besides allowing 10 per cent. for depreciation on the vessels engaged. He was also opposed to the proposal that the vessels should be so constructed as to enter all the ports in the oolony. Ho felt that the time wig not distant when a company would undertake a direct service without any such bonus, and he hoped that the Port of Lyttelton would have a regular line of steamers coming there, tempted by the trade tbey wore in a position to offer. Referring back to the Representation Bill, he said that the Xyttelton district was one of the smallest in the colony under that Bill, and ho thought when the question again came

before the House, as he felt euro it would, the neighboring small bays which have a community of interest with the port should be included in tho electoral district. He again expressed his regret that opportunity had not been given last season to fully discuss the public works statement. It was unfair to the Government, inasmuch as they wore overtaxed, and it was also unfair to tho Houfo The next meeting of Parliament would be the first held under tho Triennial Parliaments Bill. Though ho supported that Bill, as ho saw his vote would not bo of any use in opposing it, ho never was a strong advocato of it. His experience was that the first session of the House always found a lot of new members uneducated in tho conduct of business, and that tho House was really in a condition to push through tho legislature of tho country as it should be during its second sesoion. The third session, he was afraid, would be used aa tho lost one was, namely, by rrembera addressing their constituents through the pages of " Hansard " and talking on questions they did not often understands If experienced men were returned by the people throughout the country there could be no great objection to short Parliaments, and he hoped such men would generally be returnod. One of the first questions to claim the attention of the next Parliament would be that of local Government. Next in importance would in all probability be the reviiion of railway management and the question of continuing tho public works policy. The minds of members were occupied a good deal last session with the subject of looal Government, and Government had embodied the proposals in tho financial statement. For himself, be spoke but little upon these, further than expressing his dissent to the proposals of the Government, as tending to increase rather than diminish the number of Boards. He thought the oolony was rather over-Boardod (if he might use the expression), and he felt sure that a Board elected by the Houeo of Representatives, or by the Minister and one or two heads of departments, would be found to be quite unworkable. His opinion was that simply to make use of such machinery as at present existed, improving it bit by bit, and doing away with useless Boards wherever such word found, would be all sufficient. By increasing the functions of the useful Boards the decentralization aimed at would be secured, he thought. The present Government was not in any sense to blame for the dissatisfaction that was felt throughout the country upon the subject ; but he, as one of the proposers of the existing County Oouncil system, felt that had that system been persevered in, as was intended, it would have secured as good local government aa could be wished, and would fill up the gap now existing between the Road Boards and the Genaral Government. On the subject of railway management he had hoped to address the last House at length, but no useful opportunity occurring he had been compelled to abstain from doing so. Mr Richardson then referred particularly to the imperfect tariff which had been framed for the railways, and which he said had driven away traffic on the lines, instead of increasing it. He instanced the charges on tho carriage of stock, and how that in several other directions the new tariff had resulted in the roads being used instead of drawing trade to the railways. He spoke depreoatingly of tho political interference in the management of the railways, and said that an unpaid non-political Board would work well, and he believed could be got together. A Board in the main centres of population oould be established to whom the employes who felt themselves wronged oould refer their grievances, and apply for redress. If suoh a Board had existed in Ohristohurch, he foltßuro they would not have had to witucss such a lamentable business as had lately occurred at the Addington workshops. With referenoe to the oontinuance of railway construction by the Government, he said the worst of the times had been overcome, and Government should have retained the balanoe of the construction of the railways in their own hands. In Victoria £18,000,000 had been spent in railways, and the people there were congratulating themselves that they paid 3 : ?- per cent, on the cost. In Now Zealand 1200 miles of railway had ooat £12,000,000, and last year they produced a profit of 3J per cent. This showed that the Government need not fear continuing their construction. A more analagous comparison might be made with the Oape of Good Hope, where there were 960 miles of railway, costing £9,000,000. The lines there were of tha same guage as those in New Zealand, but they produced just 11 per cent, last year, as compared with our 3J per cent. Ho thought a scheme should have been brought down to finish tho lines throughout the colony under the auspices of tho Government, which would thus secure an enormously valuable property to the country, and one which ought not to be lost. Of tho incidenoe of taxation, the action taken laßt session was in the right direction—namely, to take off the duties on such articles as could not be produced here, and put suoh a duty on those goods which tho country could produce as would encourage their production. Not a rabid protection policy, but one which would so far help manufactures in the oountry. Mr Richardson concluded amid prolonged applause, and before sitting down he said he would be glad to answer any questions put to him.

In reply to various enquiries, Mr Richardson said he hoped there would be no Native war. If the Government continued to aot with that prudence and foresight they had shown during the past eighteen months, he thought that the horrible business of a Maori war would be avoided. To a question put in reference to the pay of permanent way employes on tho railways, he said he knew that some difference should be made in respect to skilled and unskilled platelayers, but ho was not aware that men in the North Island were paid 7s 6d per day, and on the West Coast 8s 6d per day for work that was paid for here at 6s 6d per day ; the men who were omployed by the Harbor Board recently at 6s per day to clean down the wharves were taken on at that rato because tho officers of the Board said that any quantity of unemployed were offering to do it, and under those circumstances the Board would not be justified in paying more. His own motto, as Minister of Public Works, had always been to offer the highest wages and get the best men money could procure. He explained that the Harbors Act of 1878 prohibited ballast being deposited inside the harbor, hence the regulation imposed on lighters going outside the Heads to discharge. In reply to a question asking whether if he was elected he would try to put a stop to dredging tho harbor, he said that whother elected or not, the interest of the port was uppermost with him, and his best energies would be devoted in the future as in the past to make it the best port in Australasia. He hoped to see it made a naval coaling station before long. Of tho proposal to remove the seat of Government to Christchurch, he said he was opposed to it, and he believed it waß a question involving the separation of the two Islands as a colony, and he was not prepared to go in for that. Of a wharf for the use of Lyttelton and accessible to carts, &c , he said that suoh was contemplated in the scheme of harbor improvements, and though he waß not then present as a member of the Harbor Board to answer questions, he might state that where Peacock's Wharf Btood waa to be the Bite of the above jotty. Aa to whether, if elected, he would take office as Minister of Publio Works again, ho said that if his services could be of any use to the colony he would, if asked to fill that position, be bound to do so. Mr Richardson Baid that the rating clause in the amendod Harbors Aot would have affected the property of all the Harbor Boards in the colony, and when this was pointed out to Mr Allwright he at once agreed that t went further than he had intended. Ab to the time in which voters could now be registered, Mr Richardson called attention to the new Aot, under which any person could register up to the date of the issuing of the election writs. On the question of education he was in favor of, and had always supported, free secular education, and would prefer it to be compulsory. After some other matters relating to one of the opponents of Mr Richardson (Mr 8. R. Webb) had been explained satisfactorily, Mr Andrews made a few remarks, and the meeting terminated with a vote of thanks to tho candidate and to the chairman.