GREY MOUTH ELECTORAL DISTRICT.

Kumara Times, Issue 1616, 1 December 1881, Page 2

GREY MOUTH ELECTORAL DISTRICT.

MR. FRANK GUINNESS TO THE ELECTORS AT GREENSTONE. Mr Frank Guinness, a candidate for the representation of the Greymouth electoral district in tiie General Assembly, met the electors at King’s Adel phi Hotel, Greenstone, last evening; Owing to a service at the English Church, it was past nine o’clock before the proceedings commenced. Mr James Bigg was called upon to preside. He would riot occupy their time in saying much, as it was getting late. The offices Mr Guinness had lately held in the Government service eminently qualified him to 611 the position he now aspired to, and he believed he would do justice to the district if returned. Mr Frank Guinness, addressing the chairman and gentlemen, said, in Coming befoie them to ask for their suffrages, he considred he had special advantages to represent a goldfields constituency, for he had been several years a Warden’s clerk, and i>frer that a Resident Magistrate and Warden. He was well acquainted with the working of mines, and the Mines Act, and the regulations. Besides, being an old resident in New Zealand (thiity years), he had acquired polici -al knowledge to be 6t and capable of discharging the duties cf a representative in Parliament.—[Applause.] As the time of day had far advanced ho would give a t)iief epitome of what he had to say. First, concerning the land laws. Land the very best part of New Zealand, had been taken up in large areas by capitalists. The land laws required amendment, which should be made as soon as possible. Large sums of money bad been expended in Maori wars, winch he regard’d as an enormohs waste of public money, and the co'ony was now in debt to the extent of <£3o 000,000.

If the Maoris bad been dealt with at first, as they were of late, we should now have been free from war, and have saved more money. The country is now dependent hugGy upon the property tax to meet the cost of loan; it affects great mini hers of people. It, has been described a-t the fairest tax, hat there were a large number of wealthy people who escaped this tax. He knew of persons who, assessed at £700,000, by borrowing money on mortgage to the extent of £500,000 or £600,000, were only paying taxes on £90,000. He believed the best tax was a land tax Assuming the present value of 14,000,000 acres of land to be 17,000,000, by pay. ing to the land fund a 5 per cent, tax, the Government would raise about £850,000. The aheepowner pays no tax on his wool; the farmer no tax on grain, yet the miner, and he alone, has to pay tax on his gold. He therefore thought that the gold duty ought to b£ done away with.—[Applause.] And the plan he would suggest to remove that iniquitous tax was that iu lieu of it he would haVe a land revenue allotted to local bodies [Applause.] With regard to the constitution ot the Upper House, which was now a nominated body, it bad very little to do, but yet it was a useful body. He thought from twenty-five to thirty members would be sufficient for the Upper House ; and he would advocate the right of electors to vote for say, thirty members. For the encouragement and development of the mining industry, he would advise the establishment of Schools of Mines in Westland, Auckland, and Otago, which would tend very greatly to aid in developing the search foi quartz and gold.—[Applause.] The improvement of the harbor works of Greymouth would tend to facilitate trade, and he would approve of borrowing money to complete that important work. la reference to the Licensing Act, he was strongly in favor of the principle of local option. With regard to the education question, he was of- opiilion the Government educated the children too highly. He believed in the secular system of education ; and, if returned; he would advocate the establishment of higher schools, with scholarships of say £25. Mr Guinness touched upon, several other other questions, which, being of a less important character, our space must exclude, but the following propositions from a pamphlet on the “ New Zealand Public Works Policy of 187 V published recently by a Mr H; J. iSealy, 1 Mr Guinness read, saying that he thoroughly endorsed, the proposals, and would, if returned, go to Parliament, taking them as his programme :—- 1. —That the Public Works Scheme of 1870, known as Sir Julius Yogel’s Policy, contained in its original form all the elements of success, if only it had been carried out in its integrity; 2. That iu the original scheme, the bona fide settlement of the land by farmers on small blocksj was one of the essential features; *3,—That such settlement was frustrated,• owing to the prior occupation! of the country by the rimholdcrs, and the great power possessed by them as a class. 4. —That the comparative failure of the Public Works Policy, and - the present stagnation of the colony, are due in a great measure to the monopoly of sd much of the best laud in large estates. 5. —That no permanent improvenlent hi the affairs of the colony can be looked for until the majority of the large estates are broken up and settled upon by a numerous population. 6. —That in order to hasten tlie above process it is desirable to abolish the Property Tax, and impose in place of it, a Land Tax on a sliding scale, increasing amount per acre iu proportion to the extent of the estate. 7. —That no reforms in the taxation or system of land tenure can be expected, unless the Hall Ministry, representing as they do the landed proprietors, are supplanted in' office by a Liberal Ministry, representing the interests of the people at large. In answer to questions, Mr Guinness said he would support any vote of no confidence iu the present or any other Ministry if they did not carry out his viewy.—He would he in favor of opening runs immediately ; he would open theta to any persons who would go to farm upon them.—Most certainly lie would be in favor of constructing an arterial road from the Grey district to Canterbury.—lie was iu favor of manhood suffrage, pure and simple; we have manhood suffrage now, Mr MicriAEU Dwyer then proposed and Mr Edmund King seconded “That Mr Frank Guinness is a fit and prope'tf person to rCpiescnt the Greymouth district in the House of Representatives.” The motion was carried unanimously, and Mr Guinness then thanked the electors and also proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman for the efficient manner in which he had presided. The proceedings were then closed, after which M r Guinness met several of the electors at the Junction Hotel, where he was also cordially received.