LATEST TELEGRAMS.

Grey River Argus, Volume IX, Issue 667, 28 April 1870, Page 2

LATEST TELEGRAMS.

(prom our own correspondens. ) MR FOX'S SPEECH AT DUNEDIN. COLONIAL PRIZE FIRING. (FROM OUR OWN COETiESPONDENT.) Dunedin, April 27. In compliance with a request, Mr Fox addressed the publsc on political matters, affecting the Colony, in the Princess; Theatre, this evening. The Theatre; was crowded to excess, there being over! 3000 persons present. ■ The Mayor, Mr T. Birch, was in the chair. ■ Mr Fox spoke from 5.30 to 7.10 p.m. j The speech was mainly devoted to con-] trasting the effects of the policy of the! present and late Governments. He bit-; terly condemned the Times for misrepre-| senting the action of the Government, and called newspaper correspondents lying prophets, in whose statements there was not a vestige of truth. He said the war expenditure of the Govemmont followed the Parliament of last year, which voted, for defence and peace purposes, L 230,000. For these purposes there was| expended up to March 31, L161,629;i arrears amounted to L 32,000, making; a total of L 240,000 (?). Of L 30,000; voted for road making only LIO,OOO was expended, so that there remained L 20,000 to be deducted. When the Assembly met it would be found that the proposed expenditure had not been exceeded by L 25,000, which he strongly; hoped it would not exceed, but if so itwould only be by a very small amount. ■ He denied the ststements in reference to ■ the Armed Constabulary. The Times had i stated the number of men to be 3000.! The Government had dismissed a great' number of highly efficient men. When; Mr Stafford left office the number of Constabulary was 1475, described as a highlytrained efficient force, but the present Government dismissed nearly 1000 men in consequence of our own officers describing them as drunken, disorderly, insubordinate, and inefficient men. The remainder of the speech was devoted to Provincialism (defending present institutions) and Immigration. He believed Immigration was much needed, and hoped, with the cessation of war, the Government would be able to assist the Provinces to construct railways and other reproductive works, by lending the Colonial guarantee to the land revenue of the Provinces. It could not be better spent than in making railways, and he trusted the Provincial Governments would not be backward in using it for that pur.. _poae." - . The Colonial "ring commenced to-day. The weather was very cold. The shooting was very good under the circumstances. First Match. — Judging Distances. 1. Hazard, Auckland ... 18 2. Wilson, Dunedin ... 18 3. Cameron, Canterbury ... 18 Second Match.— 3oo, 400, 600 Yards. 1. Hazard ... 14 15 15—44 2. Wilson ... 15 18 11—44 3. Moore, Nelson 14 13 15—42