POST-SESSIONAL ADDRESS.

Kumara Times, Issue 1592, 3 November 1881, Page 2

POST-SESSIONAL ADDRESS.

MR. R. J. SEDDON, TO THE ELECTORS OF KUMARA. Mr R. J. Seddon. M. ILR., addressed crowded meetings of the electors, on Monday evening at Reynolds’ Hotel, Dillmm’s Town, and on Tussday at the A del pi li Theatre, Knmara. The meeting at the former place was presided over by Mr S. Agoew ; that at Knmara by bis Worship the Mayor (J. O’Hagan, Esq., J.P.). The last address being the fuller of the two, we

pnbisli. The Chairman said it was unneces-

sary for him to detain tho audience by any introduction. Mr Seddon was about to give an account of his stewardship as a member for this district in Parliament, and no doubt he would clear up many things that the electors wished to hear him about.

Mr Seddon commenced by stating that he intended to give an account of his stewardship in the New Zealand Parliament as one of the representatives of the West Coast. He would state his views on polities, although he hoped to have another opportunity of addressing the electors before the next general election. Many changes had taken place since he last addressed them. He regarded a representative as one who is entrusted with the management of the affairs of a station or mercantile business during the absence of the principal. If his management had been satisfactory, then the electors would give him credit for it ; but if his management had been otherwise, then they must condemn him. He must apologise for not being present at the Assembly during the first few sittings, but those who knew the cause, as he believed they all did, would not question the actions of a dutiful parent under the tryibg circumstances which necessitated his absence, and be would not, therefore, crave their indulgence on that point, The Chinese L umigration Bill was all but passed before his arrival"at his Parliamentary post; but tho hill had bis hearty approval. Had he been present during its progress he would have made the poll-tax on Chinamen, £SO per head instead of £lO ; hut, as Mr Swanson had said, the Royal assent might not have been given to the bill if the poll-tax were more, and it was perhaps best as it is. The next business was the Licensing Bill. The principles of the Licensing Bill had been agreed to before his arrival, and although he disagreed with two or three of the principles contained in the bill a compromise had been arrived at by allowing publicans to elect the Licensing Bench. He believed in the principle of local option as applied to licensing, but compensation should be paid for houses closed for the public good. The elective body will probably tea failure. Though there may not be in Kumara at the present time too many licensed houses, when the power is placed in your hands, you will show how to use it. There Were some points in the Licensing Bill which were an improvement. He believed if people could get liquor easily, there would be less thirst after it. He considered the. extra charges of £4:O and £SO for licenses was too high. There was one very good clause in the bill, 167, which he would read. It provides that— When it shall be made to appear in open Court that any person, by excessive drinking of liquor, misspends* wastes, or lessens his or her estate, or greatly injures his or her health, or endangers or interrupts the peace and happiness of his or her family, the Justices presiding in such Court shall, by writing under the hands of any two such Justices, forbid any licensed person to sell to him or her any liquqr for the space of one year, and such Justices, or any other two Justices, may, at the same or any other time, in like manner, forbi'd the selling of any such liquor to the said drunkard by any such licensed persons of any other city, town, or district to which the drunkard shall, or may be likely to resort for the same. He had himself seen lately one or two persons in this state. He thought that was one of the best clauses in the Licensing Act. He would himself give an order that such person should not be supplied with liquor, [Applause.] Next came the Crown and Native Lands Rating Bill. The proposal to rate Crown lands was fair, but he objected to the mode by which it was proposed to distribute the money. It was to be appropriated pro rata by a Board in Wellington composed purely of Government officials, Canterbury and Otago "having a larger banking account and being richer provinces would grab all; and the West Coast, which requires it more than any other part of the colony, would get none. The principle on which the money was distributed, therefore, made him oppose it.—[Apple nse.] Wc have 800 local governing bodies; we shall soon have 1000 governing bodies for 450,000 souls. There were so many boards that onethird of the money goes away in administrative expenses. Out of an income of £900.000, the Borough Councils spent £300,0. 0 in administration. That is why' he opposed the present system of local self-government. The people will always be poor, and you will never get value for your money.—[Applause.] The Railway Construction Bill was a sham. He would be very much pleased to see a railway from the Last to the West Coast; but the principle of this bill was of no use to us. People at •lorne (where the capital was to coniQ from) would ascertain what laud was available and what country- it, would go through. The makers were to have

land alongside of the railway in payment. If a clause liad been inserted that where gold was found, it should be open to the miner, under the provision of the “ Miners Act, 1877,” that would meet his objection to a great extent. As it is, he opposed the bill. He pieferred to go and borrow more money. He should always oppose any policy which interfered with the Public Works policy of Sir Julius Vogel.— [Applause.] With regard to the Representation Bill, there were now 91 electorates for 450,000 souls, and those were more than were necessary. The division of the colony into single electorates would prove detrimental to the interests of the colony. The owner of , property to the value of <£2s was to have a vote. One man can vote in twenty electorates ; therefore that mm can give twenty votes to your one; This Representation Act was a delusion, and no man should go to Parliament who would support it—[Applause.] • This was the reason of the stonewalling of the Representation Bill, and he considered he had a right to fight with Ml 1 Gisborne and the other members as he did—[Loud applause.] Tn Manchester there were 21,000 votes to return a single member to Parliament. We are at a disadvantage in Knmara as to the basis of population on account of the proportion of male adults as compared with other parts where there was a largo proportion of females and children. Knmara should be entitled to return two members instead of .one; With my last breath I would have gone on stonewalling. We had twelve stonewallers in (to use a mining term) three “ shifts for it took four to fight every 20 supporters of the bill. The Government could not stand it; the House was counted out twice. Then the Premier’s cloture resolutions were introduced, which mean that a majority of the House shall say whether a member shall be gagged and deprived of lus rights as a representative of the people. You know the action Mr Gisborne took. The Chairman of Committees said he would treat his action as contempt. Mr Gisborne (who is as well up in Parliamentary usages as any man he knew of) asked the Chairman of Committees where he got his authority from. He (Mr Gisborne) was, as mi are aware adjudged guilty of contempt, and fined £2O. That will be a standing blot upon the New Zealand Parliament of 1881; and under these circumstances the sooner the ne\V Ho use elects a new Speaker and Cli a. man of Committees the better* and have this stain wiped out. He hoped, at • all events, that this meeting would endorse the action of the Stonewallers. It was no joke to sit there three days and three nights; just try it,—[Loud applause.] [The-reraainiug portion of the address will appear to-morrow.]