MR. PRATT AT NASEBY.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 103, 3 February 1871, Page 2

MR. PRATT AT NASEBY.

On the evening of-Saturday lust Mr. Pratt addressed a. meeting of the elec-. tors, in George's Victoria Hall. There. was. a very large attendance. Mr. H. Mulholl.and having been, called to tjie chair, h]treduced ' Mr,, Pratt to tlie meeting h\ a fewp appro- : priate remarks. Mr k 3?ra4it commenced by observing i that though personally ho was. almost I unknown to the electors ol' Mount Ida,. | as a journalist he had ever advocated they; interests, and the interests, of the peo.plje. The most important questions at present' agitating the, public mind: were the land question anjt the mining interest. On the land question his views were, if possible, ultra libera!.; He would support a repeal of the Hundreds- Regulalions Act Mo was also in, favor of making the Upper House elective. He wan in, favor of deferred payments for land, and eonaidered that fair commonages round the mining districts were essential. He, Ipoked upon the Fox-Yoge!,, financial &ehemp as a grand one, but objected to the details, .which'showed an expenditure of £3 to £1 in favor of the. North, Island, tljus making Otago and Canter-r, bury the.Provinces wbieli would ultimately to '• pay the piper." He considered that a very large portion of the loan flight be judiciously spent upon really- reproductive works on the. Goldfiekbt of this Island. The sludge channel for this place could only be constructed out of the loan; Mr. Vogel, though a Goldfields member, had only placed upon the Estimates the sum of £200,000. for general Goldfields purposes, but had subsequently, when the amount of loan was increased to £13,000,000, placed on an additional £IOO,OOO for water supply. If returned, he promised he would endeavor to cause large si,ims to be expended o;> the nogburn on reservoirs and other such works —(Confusion). Mr. Pratt entered at considerable length into the question of the financial scheme—(lnterruption). Mr. Pratt remarked that, if the meeting wished to badger him, lie hoped they. would listen to him patiently first, as had been done in other places where ho had addressed the electors. Speaking of the proposed railway scheme, Mr. Pratt complained of the large amount to be devoted to that object in comparison with that destined' for the Goldfields, and pointed out that the security for the_ proposed loan was land. He would, if elected, be prepared to advocate the.doubling of the anount set apart for water supply on Goldfields. The sugar and blanket policy of the present Government with regard t6 Maori matters had not his support. He believed in insular separation ; but that for which he chiefly contended was financial separation. Speaking further . of Maori affairs, Mr. Pratt said that £790,000 had been put down for tho defence 0 f the North, and put it to the Electors if such a sum would not make I their sludge channel. Ho looked upon

f the land question, commonage, and- reserves, as the most important questions of the day. He would support a modified scheme, which should have for its object the construction of really useful and reproductive works. Though a sum of £370,000 had ; been squeezod out of this Proviface, H during the last twelve months, not one shilling had been spent in reproductive works—it had all gone m salaries. He would like to see' the whole of the Middle Island Provinces T united under one (xovernment. The debt of the Colony, irrespective of this Prov'nce,. was £lB per head, and that °* and child. He would'not detain the meeting longer, but would be happy'to answer any questions. He looked,uppn the educational system of 6tago as "a good one. A number of questions were here put some of a bantering and some of : a nature, to which Mr. Pratt's answers were to the following effect: —Was in favor of railways from the j»coast to the interior. Was in favor of \ the Government assistance beiug given to poor miners to construct tail races in the proportion of £1 to £2. ' CoriI ! sidered that the question of reserves demanded considerable attention and study. Was in favor of a gradual re- £ duetion, with a view to the ultimate abolition' of the gold duty. Was in favor of female immigration to a certain extent— (A voice : I'll takptfb.ur tickets for that). Would advocate the setting apart of large commonages for the use .of the miner?. Would, tax goats, and all other nuisances. Thought he knew soine-thing of the requirements of the Grol fields. Did not think a poll-tax on Chinese necessary in this Province, their number being so few. Was in favor of a tax on bachelors. Did not I consider that the revenue could afford \ any reduction in the price of the ■ miner's right. Was in favor of a sludge ■ channel for INaseby. It was the duty Bof constituents to make known their wk local wants to their representative. I Was not in'favor, of reducing duty on I grog.' Was not in favor or a Permisk sive Bill. sweep away all speW cial taxation, throughout the diggings. Considered:';i?he question of sludge chan-' nel a very iinportant one. Would adyoci'.le its. immediate construction if he knew whence: the funds would come. Co.n^d<sred that v ; *ted interests should N be protected at a fair rafek Would take time 16 consider the question of ■ "buying up:existing water rights. Would :he electors: returning .a squatfer ...or .any genileihau w.hose views were, pot- soundnn the land question. Was iiot in favor of free.se]ec- '- tion oh:- Goldfields—no. land, likely : to prove .auriferous should ; bo thrown opeu. '-..;.'■:-'-: : ,: >■ ;/ .■■;/ . '• Mr. :Kerm"o;do moved, Mr. John "Creightbpj seconded,' that Mr. Pratt is a, fit and proper person, to represent this district in the Assembly. : -- ■ 'H'. B-own proposed that Mr. Pratt is a fit and proper rperson to represent "^aikouaiti. . Mr. Kyan proposed, as an amendment that, aeei rig-that Mr. Pratt is en- •' tirely ignorant of G.oldfields requirements, that gentleman, is not a fit and proper person to represent a G-oldfields district. Here ensued so Tnlucjh of confusion and discussion as to. the question of motion and amendment, that it was impossible to say wjiich of the two. was L carried. Ik A vote of thanks to the chairman W* terminated the proceedings.