Correspondence.

Hawke's Bay Times, Volume 6, Issue 331, 11 December 1865, Page 2

Correspondence.

* # * We do not hold ourselves responsible fbr the opinion*: expressed by correspondents. *,*

"Tast could not have a perfect constitution:©? Government which enabled ONE CLASS to legislate-for its ownbenefit There ought to be no class {feelings. The Legislature should be a fair, just, and impartial umpire or arbitrator.” — Speech of J. S. Mill, H.r., to the Electors of Westminster. TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMES. Sir, — I wish to call the electors of the Electoral District of Napier fairly and fully to consider the few important words of Mr J. Stuart Mill, which, at the head of this letter, are again brought to their notice. I feel the more strongly inclined to do this, —1. From my firmly believing, that by unfair or one-class legislation New Zealand as a Colony and Napier in particular will be materially damaged and kept back from going ahead ;—2. That the strong bias towards such one-class legislation is already too great in the General Assembly ; as seen also in the Provincial Council and Government of this Province. Therefore A few plain words of timely warning may not be in vain. Of course I know the vast difference between the welfare of (he people at large, and t- at of tho few. A good government seeks the welfare of the many ; of men before auimals, —people instead of iheep, i

We have long known how it is here among us in our Provincial Council; where, out of fifteen members eleven are runholders: just so, or worse, is it in the Executive of the Province. How injuriously such a state of things has acted, to the detriment of the Province, is notorious. From the Province of Hawke’s Bay, small and young as she is, no less than five of‘her settlers are selected to be members of the General Assembly ; three of whom are chosen by the Government, and two by the people. Of these five, four are of the one class of runholders, — Lieut. Col. Russell, Major Whitmore, Mr Henry Russell, and Mr J. D. Ormond. The first three, be it also observed, are members for life. Now if the electors of Napier can so far forget themselves, —t heir duties, their liberties, and their welfare, and also the future advancement of the whole of the people of the Province—as deliberately to choose another from the same one-class runholders, —and so to have the whole five of their members in the General Assembly selected from that one class, —then they must be prepared to reap the fruits of that one-class legislation which will assuredly follow ; which Mr J. Stuart Mill denounces, and which it has long been the strenuous aim of all British politicians and statesmen and of all lovers of their country to put down. Experience in all ages have told us that those fruits are bitter.

At this moment this new and richly-stored Colony is grouping under a heavy weight of taxation, such as is not even known in older countries. On the one hand, our commonest necessaries—boots and shoes, shirts and trousers, tea and sugar, shovels a.id pick-axes, saws and scythes, the clothing, the food, and the tools of the many—are all taxed ; while on the other hand, — iron hurdles, fencing wire and iron posts and straining machines for putting them up, woolpacks and wool lashings, sulphur, arsenic, and tobacco for sheep-wash, and even leather collars for sheep dogs, are all free from any tax. It is well-known that a reform of the present obnoxious tariff is loudly and generally called for; and such’will, without doubt, be made at the next session of Parliament. Several schemes were devised both before and and during the last session, by men and parties in and out of the House. Prominent among them was the proposal from the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce ; they had evidently given no small attention to the subject, and had printed their new scheme of taxation in a small book, which they circulated among the members of the Assembly. In it, while they take good care to keep most of the runholder’s imports (as before) free of tax, they also propose,—that silver and gold plate, jewellery and precious stones, carriages, pianos, chinaware and engravings, and also the new luxury of ice, shall be free of duty. Characteristically adding,—that, while “leather collars for dogs,” and (drugs) “ specified for scab in sheep,” shall both he free of duty ; “ paper collars” for men and boys, and “drugs” for (scab, or itch in) the poor of mankind, shall both pay duty ! .And, while the rich man’s “ gold and silver plate” shall he free of duty, the “ plated ware” of the poor man shall fay duty I! I And, as a further, sample of their fair impartial reasoning, they also state, that “ on the item wool-packs, which forms a considerable paid of the imports of the South Island, as compared with those of the Northern, a duty on them, would he unfair to the South Island." (Surely sue!) an argument was never heard before ! —as if a great English brewer, or exporter, were to say. Because I require and use (through my great trade and profit) five hundred times the quantity of cades bottles and cases used by another, therefore I must have them free!) At the nest session, about twenty persons from' Canterbury Province alone will have seats in the General Assembly, nearly all of whom will be runholders. To which will have to be added about as many more from the other Southern Provinces. Pour muholders, as has already been shewn, will in all probability be there from Hawke’s Bay. "Will the electors of Napier still add to their number? If so, —if this pernicious one-class legislation is to be so unnaturally so unwisely fostered, —then this Colony and this Province will be greatly retarded in its progress, and ourselves and our children will have to bear many heavy and grevious burdens. Politically speaking there is nothing so likely to hasten the evil of Separation, as this evil of one-class legislation. As we sow, so shall we reap. Let no one distort my words and meaning ; and say, lam writing against the runholders. I am not now writing against them as a class of settlers among us ; —but against the electors choosing them only to legislate for the welfare of the people. I am, yours &c., WILLIAM COLENSO. Napier, December 5, 1865.