MANAWATU ELECTION

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 195, 15 July 1884, Page 2

MANAWATU ELECTION

MR DONALD FRASER AT STONEY CREEK.

Mr Frnn«i- addressed the electors at Stoney Creek last evening. The attendance was not very large owing no doubt to the impassable state of the roads. Mi Paul was voted to the chair ,ttud.with. a f<w. introductory remarks called on Mr Fraser to speak for him■olf, Mr Fraser said that his appearing before them a<* a candidate was not of his own seeking ; it was a thing he had never dreamt of, but being asked by a number of the more influential elector* thought it his duty as a colo» nist to answer to* the call, and should it fall to his lot to be returned in Parliament to represent this district he would to the rery best of his abiily act in their interests. Should be not feel himself competent to represent them after being returned, he would | come back as a man and say he thought they might have a better representative. Although he had been jvskod to come forward by a number of the electors he did not bind them to yote for him nntil they had heard bis opinions and those of the other candidates* and 'then he hoped they would vote for the best man. The other candidates he kuew well. Mr Macarthur was a man with whom he had a good many transactions, and he could honestly any Mr Macarthur watt straightforward and endowed with good ability. The other man he never had any transactions with, and could not say what his capabilities were. He went on to say that his policy will be strict economy where" ever possible to be used whether in public works or otherwise. He thought we must have more borrowing but it should be with caution. There is no very great ha*»te that New Zealaud should be finished up in a year or two. We want the country opened up and properly settled on. LAND. There no doubt -a great many land xchemeH were talked about. Some wore desirous of Helling the land at low prices, othersof leasing it; more again for perpetual leasing ami another section wanted nationalization:' His 'idea from experience should be in favor of the deferred payment syatom, and at as low a rate of interest ax the Government could possibly afford to take, so us to enable, the the people to go on to their land. NATIVE LANDS. : He thought that the sooner the Government put machinery in force to make thn Natives pay raten the same as we do, the lietter. He should hold with Mr Bryce's preemptive right. Should a bill come in force affeoting this question we should have the Natives placed on the same tooting as ourselves. He would not hold with one portion of the population^ allowed to .go irce while the other should be made to pay. , BATLWAYB. There is a good deal to bo said on 'thiit<4u.estion. This is. a very young country and unfortunately we have not got many railways. He did not think it advisable to sell those we have got. Some would suggest their management by a non-political board. On this he was not prepared to, give an opinion. ; EDUCATION. ; This question seems to have caused a good deal of agitation, and it was I thought there might be a good dtfal of reduction in the expenses He held that a good sound education in the three R'g — reading, writing, and arith roetic,BDould be quite sufficient ground work. It seemed to him that at present the rich man gets the advantage over the poor, for the latter cannot afford to leave his children long enough at school, as they must as soon as ever they are able help to earn thvir living, besides which the High School* where the more advanced su 1 jects are taugtifr are confined to the central towns only; -'• WftU'regftrd to whether education should be secular or denominational, he thought it a pity anything should be done to break up the present system. If you give to one sect you have to give to all. LOCAL MATTERS . It is a hard thing to regulate the rates to suit everybody. The Koads and Bridges Construction Act is no doubt a very good thing, only it seems they have not got sufficient to carry out what they want. He did not .see why district roads should be burdened any more than main roadx. rjfe thought it quite possible with the ass.fctanpe of (government to capitalists the rates and! pay pff t>b.e !p» n 8 ju IP, 13, or 15 years, JJy this moans we have a bulk of capital to spend vrheveas you now get only LSQQ or LIQOQ. He was asked in Palmerston if he would, on being returned, endeavour to have the tolls removed from the Gorge bridge, and he had promised he Khould. He thought if there is any piece of road that the Government should complete it is the Gorge road. He did not see any reason why the members for the vatious districts should not combine and succeed in this project. It was his lirm convjctiqn that the grant could be got, and if it Cftnnof, wljy pf t^e two evils choose the lesser and keep the tolls on. VOiajJ^TEERS. He thought if reductions are made in other things, the Government should allow a little more capitation. HONORARIUM. He thought the members of the House should be paid, but seeing that the session only hurts about three month* he was of opinion that LIOO should be quite sufficient. The members in the Upper '"House he thought ought to be satisfied with the honour conferred on them, and receive no pay whatever. He thought a considerable saving might be made in the reduction of the members, as for a population of about half a million we have over 150 representatives. He believocj a proportional amalgamation of the electorates advisable an>i feu* sible! 'His 'policy ?4 a wpjrd jf strict economy in every department; at the game time he conld see we shall require more borrowing, but it must be judiciously managed.

QUESTIONS. Mr Edwards : Do you think the Government should assist the establishment of local manufactures ? Mr Fraser: I think the Government ought to assist any kind of local iudastry that would show any prospects of reasonable remuneration. Mr Eu wards: How would you propose this should be done, by i onus or protective duty ? Mr Eraser: I should prefer the adoption of bonuses. Mr Edwards said he himself was in favor of the protective duty, and he believed that until local industries were established instead of the present system of sending away their wool and other produce to be manufactured for them, tho depression would last. . , Mr Praser thought a good deal of the depression could he tmccd back to tho Public Works scheme, and nob so much to the fact of there being «o few local manufactures ; and a good denl also could be attributed to the fall in tho prico of wood. At the same time, he thought that any remunerative local industry should be fostered by the Government of the country, but he should not like to give a decided opinion as to whether the means used should be by bonus or protective duty. \ Mr Paul : Why is there such an enormous difference in the education capita tion of the Natives and ; the Europeans, the former being some^ thing like £12 per head and the latter only Jg3? Mr Fraser had not gone into this question and could only think the reason whs on account of the small* ness of the number of the Natives. In answer to Mr Paul, Mr Fraser. said regarding this question without very stringent rules the Natives could not be placed on the same footinp »vith the white people. Mr Squires : Where should you be in favor of the Gorge railway junction being made, if the Government refuse to give compensation to the Bunnythorpe settlers who purchased their land on the understanding it would be made there ? Mr Fraser: I thiuk Palmerston the most reasonable. The main traffic coming by the Gorge railway would go to Wellington. I would depend on the engineer's report. I think it only perfectly* fair that if the provincial Government sold the township referred to and promised the junction of this line of railway to be made there as an inducement, that those people who bought the land are entitled to compensation. I do not think the fact of the Government not granting compensation will affect where the junction should be, but think if the engineer's report favorable Palmerston would be the best-place. Mr Fraser : There is one matter 1 forgot to mention and if y oh will al- \ low me I will do so now. Different reports have appeared in the papers as to the party I should support should I be returned. I may way that I would not pledge myself to any party until I had heard their .views and -seen what they were like. • . Mr Waugh projjpsed a vote, of confidence in Mir Fraser as a fit and proper person to represent them in Parliament. ..-..••" \

vMr Haggerty seconded. .,. >■:•• , - : Mr . Kavanagh proposed as ia'ii amendment, a vote of thanks only. . Mr Sfeace seconded. ; ■ • '

The vote of confidence was ' declared cairied. ' j After a vote of thanks to the chair the proceedings terminated.