LATEST TELEGRAMS.

Grey River Argus, Volume X, Issue 810, 2 March 1871, Page 2

LATEST TELEGRAMS.

THE HON. MR STAFFORD AT TIMARU.

(from our own correspondent.) Napier, March 1. A bridge near Havelock has been swept away by a flood. Mr Birch, son of Colonel Birch, was found dead in his bed tlm morning. « Dunedin, March 1. Criminal proceedings have been instituted by Gr. B Barton, late editor of the Otago Daily Times, against Mr Lemon, General Manager of the Telesjraph Department, for a breach of the 16th section of the Telegraph Act, 1865, in presenting Mr Gisborne, on 22nd April last, with a copy of a telegram sent to the Otago Daily Times by its special reporter at Titnaru, containing a report of Mr Stafford's speech. Timaru, March 1. Mr Stafford addressed a crowded meeting at the Mechanics' Institute to-night-Captain Cain, Mayor, in the chair. Mr Stafford commenced by thanking the electors for the confidence they evidently reposed in him, shown more especially by his having been re-elected without opposition. He expressed regret at not addressing them at the time of the election, but did not know of the writs being issued till starting for Southland on urgent business. The opposition shown at most of the elections was most creditable to the country, as evidencing that people were rousing from the state of previons apathy as to whom they should °end forward as their public men. Apathy could no longer be charged against them, and one result of this change would be tha* their representatives would be more carefully watched. He trusted that no action of his would destroy the mutual confidence between his constituents and himself. He felt in representing their interests, and in this he was the more assured Dy being paid quite unintentionally a compliment by Mr John Studholme, that he, Mr Stafford represented the antipathetic portion of Canterbury. If Timaru was antagonistic of Ohristchurch, it only showed he and his constituents agreed. He did not believe in members of a Province always anting together, it would be practically impossible, but if it were possible, it would be better to have each Province thrown into one constituency, and elect as in the case of a Superintendent. Mr Stafford then entered into the question of railway guage, and said he was strongly in favor of the narrow guage, a guage which would do for all practical purposes, and be the means by its cheapness, of far better opening up the c mntry than the broad guage of sft 6in. The construction of a broad guage throughaut the country was impossible. This question of guage was the only subject .of importance on which he was opposed la3t session to the rest of the Canterbury members. He believed, though, that the first thing to be done in the country was to bridge every river from Nelson to the Bluff. When he mentioned that since the Colony was started no less than 1115 persons had been drowned in rivers, the bridging of the rivers was a question of the highest importanc, If this had been done in the early days many valuable settlers would have been saved to the country. In alluding to the existing state of the Colony he said it was far from good; since 1866 the country had been steadily retrograding at the rate ot something like L 200,000 a year. The spending powers of the country, b'lth publicly and privately, had never been so bad as now. i Referring to the former expenditure, it was greatly enhanced by various catisea ; previous to J866 there was a large commissariat expenditure, a very large amount of privato capital invested, and a large public loan of three millions, all of which sources bad dried up about the same time. Coming more to present times, Mr Yogel hah vastly over-estimated the revenue by something ■ like L 290,000. The ordinary estimate i were proved to ba excessive. In Customs alone there was a falling off of L9o,oooayear. He wished he could think that our expenditure had correspondingly fallen off; there was no indication of retrenchment, and perhaps the Government

were right, as nothing was so unpopular. EN^whether popular or not, some Government would have to economise or thiiLjjiagr niticent country would come to wo Insolvent Court. In regard to the Native question, he had never, when in office, attempted to delude the people that the native question was dead and buried. The present Government had lulled people into the belief that it was so. When they assumed office Mr M'Leau flashed a telegram to the Governor that peace was made with the Maori King. He did not believe jfchnt the attitude of the kiiig party was ever more threatening than that at present. The Government he believed would work hard to maintain peace, but he refused to believe that because the present Government or Mr M'Lean was in office there would be no further troubles, although, of course, every year diminished the chances of difficulties. He feared we relied too much on the friendly natives, and that the arms that were issued to the*n soon passed into the hands of those opposed to us. Of the San Francisco mail service he only knew what he had seen in the public journals, and he should not be surprised if the statements were correct. The contract was unwise in every respect ; why should the American steamers be made to do the coastal work of this Colony ? And he was sorry that a positive affront *o Australia had been offered in this matter. He would support the very cheapest line via America, but would not wholly dis--continue- the Suez route. He./thought if Mr Yogel intended to extend his visit beyond Washington that it would be a great mistake, as he would hot make the favorable impression in the English money market, or amongst those who rule che market thatDr Featheastone had done. Dr Featherstone was a political opponent of his, but he could not help saying that if we are to have an AgentGeneral his appointment is the very best that &>old be made. On education he expressed a hope that some system analagous to that in force in Nelson or Otago should be adopted for the Colony, and he had had the utmost difficulty in extracting from the Government a pledge that they would take up and deal with the question. Of the Public Works and Immigration scheme, he said that there was, under the present proposal, no surety that the people it was proposed to import would remain and settle in tha country. There were quite enough unsettled people in the country at present. The immigrants must be settled on the land. In two or three Provinces, three-fourths of the land had been alienated, anal yet it remained a wilderness. He would walk over the land laws when necessary. His suggestion was to have special settlements, giving an allotment to each person in the township, and ten acres of rural land, with a large inalienable commonage near each settlement. He did not say he would assimilate all the land laws. He would not be a hearty supporter of the immigration scheme unless he saw the country was to be settled under it, for they would only be asked to put on a burden they could not bear. Otherwise he would even go so far as a compulsory taking of land out of those large tracts which had passed from the Crown, and in many cases he believed the proprietors would be glad to sell it back at the original cost. Of the railways scheme they must make short lines from the settled districts to the outlets — the ports. He did not want to see a line running from one town to another along' the seaboard to compete with steamers, for steamers would always carry bulky goods at a cheaper rate. He would always give the preference to lines opening up the country. He could not say why the Tetnuka line had not been commenced, unless it was that it was to be constructed - out of borrowed money. It would be the duty of the New Parliament to shape the scheme from a wild and reckless gambling one in a safe and prudent manner. On resumiug his seat, Mr Stafford was loudly cheered. - " In reply to a question, Mr Stafford said he could not promise to introduce a Permissive Bill. At the close of the meeting, a vote of thanks and confidence in Mi Stafford was unanimously, amid loud and prolonged cheering.