GENERAL ELECTION.

Kumara Times, Issue 911, 1 September 1879, Page 2

GENERAL ELECTION.

<y MR DUNG A In AT KUMARA. The Town Hall .was dens'ly crowded with electors on Saturday evening last to hear ih.' political views of Mr Uuugm, one of the cunli lutes for a seat to represent this district in the General Assembly. His YVorsh'p the Mayor occupied the chair, and asked for a fair and impartial hearing for the candidate, observing they .should hear every candidates views without prejudice, and record their votes in favor of those whom they considered would honestly work in' the interests of the district. Mr Dimgan, who was received with applause, said he appeared before them as a candidate seeking the honor of becoming one of their representatives iu the of Assembly of New Zealand. As a citiz-'ii it was a right every man could claim from the most humble to this nun of rank iu the colony; in the matter they wtn-e cqud. He was one of tli? pioneers of the Coast, and as such from its earliest days hud been associated with its interests more especially in regard to mining. Hu should unlr'sitatingly support the LIBERAL POLICY, As announced to the conntrv bv Sir George (iioy's .Ministry, as he con-I sideivd tlr; West Coast had already ■ derived great benefits fiom the hands ' of i.iie present Government. i le looked j on the thvy p.-,!i C y as one that wou.d J i,'ive justice to the country at large, and ! relieve the people of m.-niy burdens | under which they were suffering. ][<■ i was no mau-woishipper, but judge,! the j .Ministry by their actions, 'i[e°looke! \ on Sir Oorge Grey as a reformer, as j he considered that the Premier had no ! other desiV', in taking ofim - ;o ids j than the i lores;, of the r.-.-unirw tin I til he yaw good and s: ;u :■■ ■ - '. ,-..,, :',.■■ ■'

changing his opinion, he wuiihl support the Grey Ministry. KATIVH Jr'OLK'Y. .From "the earliest days the. Maori question had boon one of great rilfli -ultv, arid the present Government had In er. left, he considered, a legacy of urii-v----ances to ri'al with. Ground which ha I been promised the friendly natives hat never been given, and successive governments had broken theli' pl-dges in this respect, causing the present native difficulty, lie believed that this was a matter that could yet be settled amicably without the sword being drawn. He endorsed the policy of the Government in arresting the trespassers on the European lands, and thereby vindicating the law without bloodshed. land 1 laws. It would ba well for Hie colony he considered if the American law in iegard to land were introduced, and the land given away fa* the purpose of inducing people to settle theicoh. Every means should be taken to make tbe land of the colony accessabln to all classes. It was the intention of the presect Ministry to conserve the public estate by unking small blocks of laud ) and allowing the people the means of establishing . homesteads. Land jobbing should be put an end to at once, so that every laboring man would have a chance of securing a piece of laud in the colony. (Applause.) GOLD DUTY. He had, when a member of the Provincial Council of We.stland, given his vote in favor of a reliction, and on this matter coming before the House of Representatives shortly after the hist reduction tint ever took place was made, lie considered the miners were taxed in various ways such as application, surveys lire, all of which were expensive. The gold duty was a class tax, and as such an imposition, on a mining community. He should strongly suppirt its gradu.il reduction, and then total abolition. (Applause.) FRANCHISE. There were great reasons why the franchise should be altered, as one-half of the adult males in the Colony had no votes, and he thought that in the face of this some change was required in the existing law. The pr.-sent Electoral Act was. defective, inasmuch as any man cou'd object to another throufh any ulterior motive, and should the person objected to not see the published list of objectors, he was struck off the roll without a chance of re-lress. True there Was a remedy by taking the matter to the Supreme Court at an enoi mmis expense. Many persons had been struck off the roll in the district who had never lost their qualific,it!o:i. Should a Bill be introduced by the Government with an extended franchise qualification, he should support it. He considered that representation at present was on an unfair basis, as some electorates returned the same number of members as others with double the population. He was in favor of TRIENNIAL PARLIAMENTS as in the advanced stage of the colony he thought this was desirable, ; it would have a Sainton* effect on representations, and make them more attentive to their duties. Speak in-** on ■EDUCATION'. he might siy plainly that he was in favor of State aid to separate schools, on the grounds of scruples of conscience which he thought everyone would respect. He considered that if the state gave the.-*e schools a share of the revenue iii accordance with results, and that the schools were open to Government inspection, it would be only fair and just. This system was in existence in England, and was looked upon as one that have giveD every satisfaction to the community at urge. OTHER MATTERS. _ He was strongly in favor of the deviation of the Hokitika and Greymouth railway so as to entrace the centres of population ;he was opposed to free immigration as also Chinese immigration ; he favored more stringeut lic.-nsing laws, but believed in compensation being given should Local Option Bill come into force; he supported fair and equitable taxation in the shine of a property tax: he believed in having the Counties Act amended, and supported payment of members of House of Representafi'vs a'h •*,_.:. ~.,;. an excessive Lououiiuiio. Mr Dungan in eonclusiozi'said if the electors deemed him worth v of their suffrages he should do his duty as their representative, and -.virile the interests of this district would receive his first attention the intere-its of the coast generally would not sutler at his hands. (Applause.) •

merit encouraging colonial inanufau urns as against obtaining material fro'ui the home market. He would enquire, if returned, into the reasons why teiuloi.s had been only called by the (>->\o>i;ment.for the supply of irun rails, and not for waggons for the 1-aiiwav, which could be made in the colony. He was in favor of Lfting the Education Reserve as he considered it a monstrous injustice to the residents here. He was in. of reducing miners rights to 10s. lie 01-jeoted to the sale of land in the vicinity of g<>!d iieids. lie was in in favor of the Cioyermeiit subsidising the Lcui Hospital at the rate of £2 for every £1 contributed.

Mr Smart proposed and Mr M'CJce seconded, that Mr Duhgan was a fit and proper person to represent this district in Parliament, which on put by the Chairman was carried unanimously with applause. A. vote of thanks to tiie Ma}'or for presiding, accorded on the motion of the candidate, terminated the meeting.