MANAWATU ELECTION

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 186, 4 July 1884, Page 2

MANAWATU ELECTION

MR MACARTHUR AT HALCOME,

Mr Mocarthur met the electors at Halcombe on Wednesday evening, when a good attendance of some hundml persons were present. Mr Tompkius was voted to the chair, and opened the proceedings »-y li oping that there would be no demonstrations of that cordial, but rather unpleasant nature, which were shewn to another candidate oh aneighbouring platform, lie then introduced the candidate. Mr Macarthur then addressed thje meeting. He thought i I alcoinbe had, more than any other portion .of the electorate, felt their past position with Tegai'd to representation. On a former occasion they had been almost unanimous m their political feelings, and he knew them to i>e consistent, and theii great strength lay m pulling together. The Catholic Vote. He could have had a unanimous vote from . the Catholics at Palmerstou, had he promised to support a capitation fee m the education of their children. This he could not conscientiously do, and he had, told them so m a straight-forward manner. LOCAL OPTION. With regard to local option he had been quite misunderstood • when m Palraerston. He had meant nin.ee the present system of local option only gave the householder power to refuse a new license, and not to take away existing licenses, ho thought it might remain as it was, for it was right thai householders should have such a power ; but the Act was evidently not known. The householders had not the power to take away existing licenses. This lay entirely with the committee to do, which . was elected by the householders. He was no upholder of the bursting up of licenses, far from it; he thought such a thing an injustice to men who had invested their money m the houses. He thought by degrees and by the aid of the blue-ribbon movement, that the youth of the colony would see the. folly of spending thoir mouev on drink. But he was not m favor of , allowing licensing committees 10 have the pow«r of closing existing hotels without some cause for so doing. The licensing act really put power m the hands of the licensees, and he had a great deal of sympathy with those who had had their licenses taken away tor no reason whatever and lost i all the money which was invested m their houses. Politic \l Contest. A number of outside men were probably coming forward to oppose him m the election, and would split tip the- votes of the only two local men, but he thought the memories of the past were sufficient to induce them to vote properly. Questions and Answers. Mr Lacey then asked : Are you m favor of large companies acquiring blocks of land for purposes of settle menl, or of allowing Government to do it. , Mr Macarthur preferred the Governtiient doing it if they only wouid. Mr Harris : How long would you suggest that leases should be for 1 and when can settlers purchase? Mr Macarthur was m favor of long leaser, say 21 years, > with . pow er to , purchase after hay i or 5 years ; enforcing a larger amount of improvement .m the case of absentees than m the case of resident settlers, and would limit the holdings to live or six hundred acres. . • Mr Lacey : .If returned, are you prepared .to sever your connection with the Company you represent? , Mr Maoarthur: Certainly not. The company are on the same footing as the settlers, *nd anything that benefited them will benefit the setlets (Hear, hear). Mr Lacey : Why was the petition signed by three hundred ratepayers treated with contempt. Question. — Were you not charged with the heavy expenditure when representing the Council ? and did you not try to make Feilding the central station. Mr Macarth«r: I did not try to make Feilding the central station. No Government official ever interfer td with my expenditure m connection with the Council. No official would forget.his duty, so much as to do so; and no petition vras treated with contempt. (Applause.) . In reply to Mr Lacey, Mr Macarthur said he would decidedly try to obtain a monthly sitting of the K.M., Court at Halcombe, also he did not see how absentee landowners could be especially taxed, as they had bought land under the then existing laws which could not now be changed with fairness. Also that he was not going to advocate the interests of his employers more Uian anyone else, and if he found he could not represent both interests, lie would resign one position or the other;, also, that i«would be very difficult for him to do anything beneficial to Halcombe which would not benefit his company, seeing that they had such large interests m that place. Mr Woodhoad asked about the honorarium (which had already been touched upon) and free immigration? Mr Macarthur was m favor of nominated immigration, and m reply to Mr Linton would support that sys- j lem being reuewed. j

Mr R, Linton then proposed a vote of confidence m Mr Macarfchur, whom he had known for many years. Mr W. Bell seconded and made some highly complimentary remarks m reference to tho candidate. Mr Harris proposed an amendment m the form of a vote of thanks, but but not confidence. Mr Lacoy seconded the amendment, and spoke when any eensation m the stamping of the feet allowed him. (Cries of "put him out"). He said absentees like the Duke of Manchester had large tracts of land A voioe. "And everybody uses them.' 1 (Laughter and Applause). The motions were then put, resulting m three against and the remainder for the vote of confidence. The chairman declared the resolution carried. . . ' The usual vote of thauks to the. chair terminated the proceedings.