KUMARA DISTRICT ELECTION.

Kumara Times, Issue 1622, 8 December 1881, Page 2

KUMARA DISTRICT ELECTION.

MR. R. J. SEDDON TO THE ELECTORS AT KUMARA. Mr Richard John Seddon, one of the two candidates seeking election, or In his case re-election, to the House of Representatives addressed a large meeting of the electors at the Theatre Royal last evening. The spacious room was crowded as on the previous night, when Mr Ed win Blake addressed the electors, the interest seeming to ripen as the day of election approaches. Mr Ream was nominated to the chair.

Ml’ Johx S. Pbarx said: Gentlemen—l beg to introduce Mr Richard John Seddou to the meeting. Ho is a candidate for your suffrages in the coming election for menders in the House of Representatives. He has served you in the capacity before. He is da old, tried, and faithful public servant, who has redeemed all the pledges he ever made to you. I claim for him a fair and attentive hearing ; and if the policy which he enunciates from this platform suits your views, and you think it in the interests of the district and the colony that he should tie returned, I trust yon will honor him with your support on Friday next, when you 20 to the ballot-box. With these remarks, gentlemen, X leave Mr Seddon in your hands.—[Loud applause.] 1 Mr R J. Sbudox then stepped forward, and addressed the meeting, de.ding fully with the principal political questions of the day. [We reported Mr Seddon very fully in Saturday’s issue of the Kumara Times, and’it is scarcely necessary for us to do more than give his concluding remarks, which were as follow :—] Gentlemen ; You are on Friday next, the 9tb December, to determine whether or not I am a person well fitted to be your representative. I have this evening given you my views <m the general politics of the colony and pointed out what my intentions are regarding the same should yon do me the honor of returning me to Parliament. As regards my past actions I challenge any person to truthfully state that I have done anything detrimental to your interests or the best interests’ of the Colony.—[Loud and long-continued applause.] Since I have been your member, the district has progressed, the Colony has progressed, and I am entitled to a share of the credit for this most satisfactory slate of things.— [Applause.] Some of my opponents say I have not much influence in the House. Without being egotistical I deny this, and defy them to prove their assertion. On rny entry into the New Zealand Parliament, I had no one to take me by the hand j I had no wealthy or aristocratic friends or relatives to introduce me, or to smooth the way. I had to fight against the prejudices that existed against the goldfield representatives. In spite of all difficulties I shall from facts prove that prejudices are removed, that grievances have been redressed, that urgent works have been constructed, and that we have had a fair share of expenditure of public money.—.[Applause,] And further, that I have made very many firm friends amongst the members of the late Parliament; that on goldfields matters my views have had weight with the House and the Government. Look at Hansard ! you will therein find the Minister of Mines complimenting me on my earnestness in gettin» the gold duty ab dished ; also in Hansaid 30, you will find he thanks me for suggesting a way of disbursing the £IO,OOO vote for minor works on goldfields, and promised to subsidise the miners’ labor at. the rate of £1 for £l. In the Goldfields Committee I drafted and passed the reports on Kumara Water-supply; On Humphrey’s Gully water-race ; Mikonui Hace ; and Argyle Water-race. Nearer home I c aim a fair share of credit for bursting up the Kumara Education Reserve [Loud and continued app au&e] ; construction and completion of sludgechannel ; increased water supply • Dill man s road j road to Teiemakau

bridge ; and • Hungerford bridge ; ns also the vote for tracks for opening uplands for sale. I am the first member for the last ten years wild can claim with the, assistance of the whole of the goldfields niembers of the House, hiving passed the Gold Duty Abolition, Bill tlir mgh all its stages through the Lower House, and that, too, without a division., and in spite of th.e Government.—[Tremendous applailse.j As regards the Aliens Act of 1880, an alien can now be naturalised on payment of the fee only of one pound. I redeemed the pledge I made them two years ago, and they are now three times better off. And I hope ere long that residence alone for a terra of years shall entitle them to all our privileges.—[Applause.] Now as regards expenditure of public moneys, the fob lowing figures will speak for themselves ; Sludge - channel, £U,OOO j Water-supply, £8000; tracks to open Lands for sale, £25,000; Dillraan’S Road, £I2OO ; Hungerford Bridge,' £2OOO ; Hokitika Harbour Works; £18,000; Teremakau Bridge Road, and Dolphin piles, £700; Westland County Council, £5000; Flood votes, £2IOO j making a grand total of £76,000. So you see that though it required hard work to get the Government to grant the money, still on the whole they have not treated us so badly as regards expenditure of public moneys. [Ap: plause.] Now you have been told I want to go to Parliament to make a living; Thank God, my parents gave me education and a trade, .and I made a living long ere I bothered with politics, and it were better for myself and family in a pecuniary sense had I left politics alone. Ido not stall'd before you to l nig!it a spotless angel, pure as snow, a second Csdsar’s wife, without a blot ori. any letter of my name. No man is perfect. But Ido claim to be an tried, trusted and faithful public servant. To use an old scotch axiom “ tis better to hue the dei’l you ken than, the and you clont ” ; therefore vote fdp me on Friday.—[Prolonged cheering.] Several questions were asked, and satisfactorily answered, and then

Mr A. O. Campdei<l3said : Mr Ohairiilan and gentlemen : A shdrt time ago, I 1 had great pleasure in moving a vote of confidence in Mr Seddon on his return from the lust session of Parliament; and I now propose him as a fit and proper pei son to represent this district again; You all know him perfectly Well, Mr Seddon was politically born in this dis-s trict arid has served you frequently} faithfully and well; Some few persons are in the position on this occasion of being like the gentleman between thd two ladies who said to himself, “ How happy I should be with either, were t’other dear charmer away.”—[Laughter and applause.] Politically the creed of Mr Seddon is sound j and he is preeminently the best man we can return.— [Applause.] He has been tried. Hd has served us thiee sessions of Parliament, and notwithstanding his coming in contact with landed aristocrats and capitalists, he remained true to the district. To reject him now would be an injustice, and to say that we did not requite his services would be consigning him to political death.—[Loud and long-continued applause.] True to the spirit of fair play and justice, We have appreciated his services in the past, and have every confidence in returning hint again. Let ns now return onr late member as our future member—at thes head of the poll on Friday next—[Loud applause.] Mr W. Barxett said : Mr Chairman and 1 gentlemen : —lt affords me great pleasure to second the resolution now before this meeting, because I believe Mr Seddon will represent us in Parliament in a true, honest, and honorable manner. My reason for thinking so is that three sessions ago he made ns certain promises that he would perform, if elected, and, gentlemen, every one of them he has fought manfully to perform, and many he has succeeded in carrying out in a straightforward and praiseworthy manner. It behoves us as people living in this district to send a man to Pailiament whom we can depend on representing us as we should wish to he represented ; and, gentlemen, from his past career and the fact of his b*ing one of ourselves, I have no hesitation in saying that Mr Richard John Seddon is the most eligible man to represent us in Parliament.—[lmmense applause.] The Chairman then called for a show of hands, to which there was a very general response.

The Ciiaiumax : On the contrary ? Not one, gentlemen; carried unanimously. —[Loud cheers and immense applause followed the announcement.]

Mr Seddox then thanked the audience for the flattering reception he had met with and the attention they had given him ; and, after proposing a vote of thanks to the chairman, the meeting terminated.