MANAWATU ELECTION

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 185, 3 July 1884, Page 2

MANAWATU ELECTION

MR MACARTHUR AT FDILDING,

On Tuesday evening Mr Macarthur met the electors m the Town Hall, Feilding, when there was a good attendance nearly 200 being present. Mr Sherwill took the chair and opened the proceedings by say ins; that it was hardly necessaiy for him to state that the electors wore met there that night to hear Mr Macarthnr put his political views before them. When his address was concluded, they could ask any questions of the candidate who would be pleased to reply to them. Mr Macarthur then came forward, and was greeted with applause. He had, he .said, appeared before them many times before on the same platform on which he then stood, to solicit their suffrages, but he now appeared before them to ask a higher honor, which was their suffrages as their representative m Parliament. He would commence by making a .few remarks concerning the electorate, iheir late member had been elected three times just through the internal divisions m the district. The North had never pulled well vrith the couth. When Mr Halcoinbe was standing, the North supported him, and the South uupported Mr W. W. Johnston. Just before the last election the district was cut up by the redistribution of seaU, and the present existing district was ouiy the remain?, of the once large electorate of Manawatu. But there still remained one difficulty which he hoped to see removed — the feeling of dissatisfaction aroused by an absentee representing them; On this feeling his return depended, and he hoped any feeling of local jealousy would thus be done away with. He believed the people of Prlmerston had now lOtne to a conclusion that something must be done to secure a local man to represent them. No one m Palmerston was prepared to come forward, and they had accepted him, as the vote of confidence which was passed the night before fully testified. Here (.in Feilding) he need not say anything about being a local man. They must agree that he was right m telling the Palmerston people that he would. not take any move interest m one place than m another. An opponent had just come forward, and he expected shortly to hear that there were two more. He referred to Dr Buller, which was no secret, and' another gentleman. One or two Wellington lawyers had i.een telegraphing up to know what chance there was fcr them, bub he thought they, would return a local man m preference. They must not expect his address to be free from repetitions of what he had spoken when at Palmerston, except m the matter of question of local interest. The local question m Palmerston had been the railway j auction and the Gorge Railway. The local question m Feilding was the Oroua Valley route of railway. If possible they must get this line adopted. The speaker then dealt with the various broad questions of policy issue of the Standard of July Ist. Touching education, he quoted as an instance that the Wanganui Education Board had been pressed by a meeting of householders to keep up the high school- If this had been done by a country school committee, there would have been an outcry at onoc. (Applause). The Manawatu County Council had applied for LIIO,OOO, under the Roads and Bridges Construction Act, out of a possible sum of L 200,000, at wb eh the G-overmnent had taken alarm. Local bodies were now only allowed to apply for LSOOO apiece. They then curtailed their application to LSOOO and only received L9OO. LOCAL OPTIOX. The speaker had reason to believe that what he had said m answer to a question at Palmeiston had. been misunderstood. He had said that he did not think. r it was a matter of much consequence to have this Act amended, as so few had voted at the last .election, or shewed any interest m the mutter of local option. He believed the principle was a good one, as it only affected the issue of new licenses. If the law gave the power of shut ing up existing houses, without compensation, the thing would be different, as many men had invested all their money iv houses. He was glad* however, to see that the true method of introducing temperance was going on by teaching the youth of the colony temperate habits, and that was the proper way to set about i fc - OROUA VALLEY. . This was the great question affecting 1 Fielding. He had resided m thin district many years, and he knew tills matter of the railway to be what was considered the most important factor of the future prosperity of the district. He had pressed the matter upon the attention of Mr W, Johnston two years ago, and received promises, but they were not fulfilled. He had since seen Mr Mitchelson, and he had promised that this route of railway would be looked into m about H days' time. But no surveyor came. He then wired to him, asking him to send a surveyor at once. The reply came that one would come up m a week's time. But still no surveyor came. This was getting too much, and after some more wiring and promising, Mr Rocheforc came up ju«t before Parliament commenced, when he had only three or four weeks to explore the route m. It seemed to him that it was their intention to burke this line. He didn't want anything unreasonable, but he did want to have the central touce thoroughly i surveyed before it was discarded as impracticable. Mr Rochefort had since said that this route opened a vast amount of most beautiful country. He knew they had been taking* the levels at Martbn, which seemed as if the Minister had made up his mind already what route would be adopted. This was not fair. If elected he would urge the central route to the utmost of his power. It was formally agreed that Bunnythorpe should be the junction for the railway, but of late many settlers bad come into Asbursfc and 'thereabouts, and the West Coast railway line had become a fact, so he agreed that Pal" merston was now the proper place for

the junction. The JFeilding people would certainly have to go a few miles further if they went to Napier, bat very few had business m Napier, and it was far more important to be easily accessible to Palmerston. Besides, the Palnierston people had rendered them great assistance towards getting the central route decided upon. They must not expect, thai he was .i^oing to stand for Eeilding any more than any other portion of the Mannwutu electorate He did ] not believe that tho interests of any portions of it would clash, and he would try to be impartial to all, and attentive to each ; and would appear before them iv post, or pre-sessional addresses, and render au account of his stewardship. Mr Macarthur then concluded his address, amidst loud and prolonged applause. Mr Warburton said there was a: Bill which had been brought m, and which would be brought m again, (here a rotten egg came squash on the floor), which would appoint lawyers j for judges m the local courts. Was | the candidate m favour of this? Mi\Macarthur : Ye.*, if the lawyers j can he got at reasonable salaries to do ! the work. A voice : What about the honorarium ? Mr Macarthur gave a similar reply to that given at Palmers ton to a similar question. Mr Sexon : Will you refuse to take more than £100 1 Mr Macarthur said he did not care personally what the amount was, but thought LI SO was low enough. Mr Smith : Will you oppose Sir Julius Vogel's claim for L6OOO against the Government ? < Mr Macarthur : I cannot say until I know the facts of the case. , < ]A playful gentleman then deposited a flour-ball on Mr Smith's head, who thereupon gracefully subsided.] Mr Bartholomew then proposed, and Mr Gosling seconded a vote of confidence m Mr Macaithur as a fit and proper person to represent them m Parliament. No amendment was made, and the motion was carried, only two dissentients being, visible. Mr Higgins then proposed, and Mr Lethbridge seconded, " That this meeting pledges^ itself to do its utmost to ensure Mr Maearthur's return to Parliament." Mr Higgins explained that he used not to be a supporter of the present candidate, but now considered him to be the best representative they could have, and took this opportunity of telling them so. He cordially re* commended him to their suffrages. Mr Macarthur made a shori reply, and a vote of thanks to the chair terminated the proceedings.