THE PREMIER IN REPLY TO SIR GEORGE GREY.

Kumara Times, Issue 1134, 24 May 1880, Page 2

THE PREMIER IN REPLY TO SIR GEORGE GREY.

[By Telegraph.] Christchurch, May 20. The Premier (the Hon. John Hall) addressed the electors of Selwyn at Lees l ton this evening, and, after referring to several local matters, proceeded to reply tn the attacks of Sir George Grey as follows : He (Mr Hall) would now have to refer to a somewhat personal matter. On the last occasion when he addressed them he referred as little as possible to Sir George Grey. He (Mr Hall) would desire to do the same on the present occasion. He did not refer specially to what Sir George Grey had said at Christchurch, but in his speech at the Thames. He did not seem to be able to get over the circumstances of his (Mr Hall) having left the Upper House. Sir George Grey said that it was not the only time that lie (Mr Hall) had done this. Certainly not; for when the .speaker did so the' : first time, it was Sh 4 George Grey who had helped him to do so. He (Mr Hall) did npt care how much Sir George Grey spoke about him, but when he called his constituents—first,, a rotten borough, and then spoke of them as a few farmers living in an obscure village, it was time he notioed these attacks; But to come to comparisons. On the electoral roll which Sir George Grey represented there were 4446 electors; 860 were not properly qualified, a large number had no qualification at all, and a number of Maori men and women on the roll were dead. Under'•' these circumstances it was somewhat invidious for that gentleman to speak about rotten boroughs, especially when Selwyn had not, as rotten boroughs generally did, ask for any favors. Had the Selwyn electors not elected a man who was the means of turning him (Sir George Grey) out, Leeston would be a splendid district, having splendid children, in which he would take the most marvellous interest, and fathera and mothers would be told that all of their sons would eventually be made colonial governors. Some of the statements by Sir George Grey were such utter rubbish that they would only go down with a crowded meeting at the Oddfellows Hall, where only one side of a question was heard. As to such rubbish as being a ruler of men, he (Mr Hall) would always be satisfied to be a servant to them. He had always done his best to help on this Colony in. which he had labored as his home, and he would continue to help it forward as much as lay in his power. With regard to Sir George Grey having said that.he (Mr Hall) had sent down to the telegraph office to find out what telegrams" had been sent, he (Mr Hall) would say that was a deliberate falsehood. Government officers were allowed to frank telegrams sent on public service. On the motion of the member for Cheviot, who had been informed that private telegrams had been sent for election purposes, after consideration the Government agreed to the telegrams being sent for. He (Mr Hall) took the precaution to first go through them before he laid them on the table. Thus the statement by Sir G. Grey was unworthy of a public man. With reference to his (Mr Hall's) speaking to an obscure village, when he spoke he did so as an ordinary passenger by a coastal steamer, but when Sir George Grey went anywhere it was by a Government steamer at the 'public expense. So far as Sir George Grey's remarks that it was the intention of the present Government ,to alter the present Education Act- and other matters "which hava appeared, in print* being thrown outnw feelers of their future

intentions, these were all false. Sir George Grey did hot at the Christchurch meeting explain anything about his having 'sent home for 6000 paupers, and at a time wh.ten he must have known when the labor market in the Colony would necesBarily be very duty and this dispatch would hover have been known had it not been Unearthed by the present Government on going into office. He would now turn to more pleasant matters. When he (Mr Hall) went to Wellington he was asked to move a vote of want of confidence, which was carried by two votes. He was then iasked to form a Government, which he did—one consisting of gentlemen who we know to be imbued with true liberal principles. Before they had time to make their policy knownj they were met by a notice of motion of want of confidence—-such treatment of a new Government being unparalleled, and the Government were then bound to use the forms of the House to enable the Government to learn a little of the native and other records before they allowed the motion to come on. TJie result was that many of the '.' Dosition came Over. About the Compac vith : Auckland, of which they had hearc. so I much, the more Sir George Grey asked ' lor it the more the Government kept it back, and when it became known it was shown to be purely that tl; > Government would allow of inquiries bei * made of alleged wrongs done to Auckland. The Government had then a majority of two, j and the business then went on. The J Government after this introduced in ono week a Bill to effect that electoral reform about which the Grey Government had been talking for two years. When the Government introduced this Bill they considered that property should be represented, and Parliament thought so to, and it became law. Anyohe believing they had a right to be registered Could go to the office, put in their claim> and be put ton the roll at once ; this wp.s a more liberal Bill than they had heard oi before. Other bills having reference to electoral reform were brought up, but time did not kdmit of their being passed. The Government, on inquiry into the financial state of the Colony, alleged that the deficiency "was £IOO,OOO, and now they find that it was actually £200,000 over the estimate given by Major Atkinson, and yet in the face of these facts it was said in certain quarters that the Government were endeavouring .to create a panic. In the debate on the Property Assessment Tax in the House, Sir G. Grey, speaking of a means of increasing the revenue, wished them to stop the payment of their interest to the Colonial debenture holders to the extent of" 20 per Cent, and the widows and orphans, for whom Sir G. Grey professsd so great a regard, would not feel it at all. The Government could not agree to such a partial repudiation of the New Zealand debt, and that was what it vir-. tually came to. When he last addressed them in that hall it met with their approval that holders of property should pay a fair tax for the protection of that property. The tax had been called iuquisitorial by those who could make political capital out of the tax ; if it was so, the odium should rest on those who had beqeathed the deficiency, and had necessitated its being imposed. It was shown that the tax rested on the mass of the people, but if it did bo, it was evident that the mass of people held property to the value of £6OO, and if the residents in the obscure village of Leeston felt the tax harshly, he was glad, under the circumBtances, that this was the case. Under ihe land tax, those who had lent money on mortgage were not touched, but by the property tax they had to pay their share. He was not going to anticipate the Colonial Treasurer's statement, which would be made in a few days; yet, although there was a great gap between the estimated receipts and expenditure, he did hot think the prospects were now so gloomy as had been anticipated, and by strict-economy they would, at no distant date, be in a sound financial position.