MR HURSTHOUSE AND THE EGMONT SEAT.

Motueka Star, Volume III, Issue 129, 7 November 1902, Page 4

MR HURSTHOUSE AND THE EGMONT SEAT.

Mr Richmond Hursthouse addressed a large meeting of electors at Inglewood last week. We clip the following personal references from the Inglewood Record : Mr Hursthouse said it was necessary to say a few words about himself, as he was probably a stranger to ninety-five per cent of those present, though the older portion wno nad been long Irfithe district would no doubt know him. He would not be new to Parliament, as he had served there three Parliaments and, as they knew, some time ago the Parliaments were five years, not triennial as at present, so that he thought he was actually in Parliament about eleven years, which was long enough to enable him to say that he was not a novice. He noticed that some enquirer had asked through a newspaper, if he [speaker] was the man who pulled down the triumphal arch erected at New Plymouth in honor of Sir George Grey. Well,t;o this he could say no, he was not, for in the first place the triumphal arch referred to never was pulled down, and he never tried to pull it down, if he had it would have come down. Another question asked was whether he was the Mr Hursthouse who represented Motueka until beaten by Mr McKenzie. To this he must say he was the Mr Hursthouse who had represented Motueka in three successive Parliaments! and had never been beaten until the boundaries of the Electorate were extended until you could smell the sawerage from Lambton Quay, so near to Wellington was the boundary taken, and including a large proportion of people to whom he was a perfect stranger. He might further add that he had never been beaten in any local election in his own district. He had done nothing to be ashamed of in his life. Tie went .over to Motueka an unknown man, and was soon sent to Parliament. He went into Parliament and there became a Minister of the Crown, and he was quite sure no Minister ever did less ha m than he did, fci he wasn’t in office long enough to do much harm. He had been described as an old cripple who wanted to come back to Taranaki to die—none of them knew when or where they would die, and as to being a cripple, he would run anyone present of his own age a hundred yards before breakfast -to-morrow. He had been called an interloper, but he was no more an interloper in the Provincial district of Taranaki than any one present there, as he was born in New Plymouth, and spent his early years there, fought through all the wars there and afterwards went to another part of the colony to live, and he was now looking round where to make a home, and if elected by this Electorate, he should live within it as he did not think any electorate should be represented by an absentee. Concluding his speech, Mr Hursthouse said he wished to say that he never solicited votes, beyond those of his hoary headed old fiiends perhaps, but if returned he would feel proud of their confidence. He offered himself for whatever he was worth, and would do his best for them if returned. He had had a wide experience, had been everything a man could be from a bullock puncher to a Minister of the Crown, had worked above, on and below the ground, and if they wished to have him for their representative, they must of course put the ballot papers in the box with the other fellows’ names scored out. Mr Hursthouse then resumed his seat amidst loud and prolonged applause.