MEETING OF ELECTORS.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VII, Issue 99, 25 April 1872, Page 2

MEETING OF ELECTORS.

o The Provincial Hall was again crowded last night, wben Mr. Luckie addressed the electors. The chair was taken by Mr. Acton Adams, who said that he trusted he should receive the earnest support of the meeting in preserving order and decorum. The election of a representative in the House of Assembly was a matter that demanded the serious consideration of the people, and the best means of enabling the electors to exercise their judgment was their meeting the would-be elected, as on the present occasion. The chief cities in a country were supposed to return members ol higher intellectual calibre than the outlying districts, and the electors of Nelson were fortunate in having two such candidates offering themselves as those who had come forward. He trusted that the manner in which the election would be carried on throughout, and the fitness of the representative elected, would reflect credit upon all concerned. He would now call upon Mr. Luckie to address the meeting. Mr. Ltjckie said that he appeared before them under considerable disadvantages as, in the first place, he had for some time been very unwell, and consequently unable to devote that attention to the preparation of his speech that he could have wished, and secondly, in addressing them so shortly after the hon. gemleman who was his opponent, and who had for so many years fought in the political arena, he felt that he was coming forward in the position of a mere tyro, He hoped, however, to be treated with leniency, and that the meeting would to his feelings be a little kind. Seven years ago he had offered himself as a candidate for their suffrages, and on ..that occasion had been .beatenjpy^fa^^ but he had then madeiupj^ forward again whejAOTOprtunity qfffire|j^Svhe had an ambition to represewhis 'fellow Bara^in^lie.Parliament of the country.^ /'J^atJo^pb^jiiud^^^. arrived; and he hoped'^hapibh^i^Me'heiehpuld meet with 'success. He confessed thafe?.t^^d(flbre§s^pf the . previous evening had placed him .in; a more favorable position than that Mr. Richmond had occupied,

as it enabled him . to comment upon what had fallen from his opponent, and he must say that he had been surprised to hear that gentleman devoing so much of his speech to denouncing place hunters. The frequent references to that class of men coupled with what had been industriously circulated about himself, rendered it necessary for him to refer to the rumor that he had a few months ago been anxious to obtain the appointment of Resident Magistrate in Nelson. The story was so circumstantially related, and had on the face of it such a seeming air of probability that he had had great difficulty in persuading many people to believe that it was a pure fabrication. He hoped however that such reports would now cease, as he felt that he could look back and honestly say that in all his actions he had invariably displayed a strictly upright independence. He understood it was possible that there was to be triangular duel over this election, as Mr Saunders had been asked by a small party to stand, but this he looked upon as a little electioneering trickery such as was exercised at the. last election in the matter of bringing Mr. h'ichmotid forward. Mr. Saunders was now to be used as a catspaw for the purpose of splitting his (Mr. Luckie's) votes, cut he hoped and believed that the electors would not allow themselves to be made parties to that sort of thing. His address had now been before them some days, and he did not think it necessary to say much in addition to it, but would merely amplify a Utile on some of the subjects referred to. Mr. Richmond had entered into a lengthy discussion on financial and native affairs, but he would not now go into the financial statement which was too abstruse for an occasion such as the present. He had however prepared a few figures with reference to the native war which showed that between 1P59, that melancholy period when all our woes commenced, and 1870, a year that marked a new era in our history, as it was then that the war party left office, an expenditure had been incurred for native purposes alone of £3,189,000. It had been said that this debt was a legacy from Mr. Fox. but to this he gave an unqualified denial. Mr. Luckie then read several extracts jrom the Blue Bcok to show that the blame of the native war did not rest with any member of the present Ministry. That the war had been disastrous to the colony in every way could not be doubted. It had not only burdened it with a heavy loan, but had put a stop to its progress by preventing immigration, as people at home, who were not generally conversant with the geography of New Zealand, were under the impression that war prevailed throughout the whole country, and consequently were deterred from coming out. He had always contended that the sugar and blanket policy was by far the wisest and most economical that could be pursued, and the soundness of this opinion had now been clearly proved by the success of Mr. Maclean's endeavors. Mr. Luckie then contrasted the famous three million loan with that raised by the present Government. The former had gone for ever and nothing was to be shown for it in the shape of reproductive works. The policy of the present Ministry was the policy of the country as had been shown by the overwhelming majority of Government supporters that had been returned at the last general election. Taking this for granted, and seeing that there was a probability of a wise, careful, and prudent expenditure tending to the improvement of the country, he thought it but right that the Ministry that had inaugurated the policy should have an opportunity of fairly testing it. In the older countries of Europe the governments were gradually taking over the railways and telegraphs, and it was fair to suppose that by their taldng in hand the construction of them here beneficial results would accrue to the community. Twenty-five or thirty years, though a long period in the life of a man, was not so in that of a young colony, but great changes might take place in that time, and it was probable that by the end of it the colonists would have obtained possession of a rich and valuable tract of land, now in the hands of the natives, which would enable the country to meet all its financial difficulties. With reference to the Foxhill railway, Mr. Richmond had said that in the event of money running short the weakest provinces would go to the wall, and Nelson would find her railway hung up. But he (Mr. Luckie) did not beiieve in having it hung up, and it was only by half-heartedness in the representatives of the Province that it could be hung up. It they sent up men who had the pluck and courage to make the Government listen to them, and to insist upon its granting their just demands, then they need not be afraid of their railway being hung up. He believed iu fighting and winning, and that was the reason he was there that night. On the subject of direct taxation it would be enough for bim to say that ever since he had been in the colony he had been an earnest advocate of tbis method of raising revenue, as he was convinced that it would prove the surest means of ultimately reducing the pressure of taxation. At present we did not know where the shoe pinched. The collector dipped his hands into our pockets, and took from them we did not know how much, but when a man paid an Income Tax he knew what he was parting with, and in consequence was anxious to know how the money was spent, and whether it was not possible that a penny could be taken off. Especially was there a necessity for such a tax here in order to touch the absentees who knew nothing of the troubles and expenses to which the settler was liable. They must be reached, and it was in the power of the electors of the colony to reach them by ' choosing as their representatives men who. would support such, a tax. We : frequently heard of millionaires, successful . merchants, and wealthy land owners at home bestowing handsome donations upon hospitals, asylums, and other charitable institutions, but did we ever find those who had amassed fortunes in the colony and who had gone home, sending their money odt here for such a purpose. Was it not entirely the other way, and that we had to send to them, year after year the means to enable them to live in luxury at home ? Was this right, was it just ?. Certainly not, yet it was only by levying some tax analagpus to the income, tax that we could ever get at their pockets. : He was surprised to find that Mr. Richmond did not understand the principles on which this. tax was based. He had said with regard to ,it . something to . the ' effect --that property of all kinds, t and possibly l wool, would be taxed but he did not think ah'incometax practicable. Now he (Mr. Luckie) had over and over again stated his opinion that it was impossible to. make any dissension :between a property and an income tax. They were too firmly wedded together. The latter might be more precarious than the former and therefore the' tax • should be fixed at a v smaller rate, but the receipts from landed property, and --the earnings of the professional man were both

incomes, although the one was derived from land, and the other, was the product of the brains. It would be clearly seen if the matter were carefully studied that there could be no difference between the two taxes. With reference to education, it was quite unnecessary to say much. On this question there was a singular unanimity, a wonderful harmony among the Nelson representatives. There could be no doubt that the system which prevailed in Nelson was the best and soundest that could be obtained, and would prove the most desirable for the whole colony to adopt. On the question of Provincialism he would say a few words. Mr. Richmond had promised to make this one of the subsectious of his speech, but when he catre to it, like Juliet, he spoke and said nothing. His only remark was that he had not opposed Provincial Governments, but had always looked forward with satisfaction to the time when their functions would cease. He too (Mr. Luckie) would wish to see them wound up when their functions ceased, but the question was, when was this to be ? If elected he should do all in his power to carefully forward reproductive public works, Too much care, he considered, could not be exercised wiih regard to the letting of contracts, and to tho selection of those places where the money was to be expended. In their public works policy the Government had not yet had a fair trial, and it was only just that such should be awarded to them. The native troubles had ceased under the present Ministry, no matter what Mr. Richmoud said to the contrary, and with this weight removed irom the country, if the House would now give its earnest attention to the carrying out of a careful and economical system of spending the money on reproductive works, great benefits would [result therefrom. In Mr. Richmond's speech there had been no distinct opposition to the present policy, while Mr. Stafford had some time ago complained that the present Government had stolen his J clothes, that thty were adopting his views. This surely was a proof that ths Opposition had no real fault to find. Nothing was easier than fault j finding, and no Government could ever avoid making occasional blunders, and the opposition papers greedily seized upon any little mistakes whereon to base an attack upon the Ministry, and occasionally in the absence of any such ground | they did not hesitate to invent some. If ever the Ministry were found wanting, if jobbery, such as that of which they were accused, were proved against them, no vote would be more readily given against than his, but before he condemned them he must have the fullest proof that they deserved it. In the pursuit of his ordinary avocations, he sometimes wrote pretty strong ! things, but the reason was that his complaints or accusations were based upon facts that could not be overturned, and if the same course were pursued by other writers it would redound more to their credit. The Scandinavian immigration called for some remark, and on this subject he would say that true colonisation began with husbandry, and the immigrants must go to the land. If the lau is were properly peopled, and the new arrivals were kept irom hanging round the fringe of the islands, and planted in the interior, where they might subdue the wilderness, then an immigration policy would answer. He thought we had had enough of Scandinavians. In Wellington, the experiment had not been found to answer as well as was expected, and he thought it was time we introduced men of our own blood. In conclusion, he would ask ihe electors, if they had full confidence in his ability and willingness to serve them honestly and faithful'y, to give him their support, if they did not think him upright and sincere, then let them vote against him. He would remind ihem that the ballot box was an impenetrable secret, and that it was utterrly impossible that it could be known how their votes had been given. Mr. Luckie, having expressed his willingness to answer any questions that might be put to him, sat down amid loud cheers. Mr. Rowell : Do you approve of the present Ministerial immigration policy ? Mr. Luckie : Not as carried out, but if quietly managed and carefully restricted, I

think it would tend to open up lands now lying waste. Mr. Rowell : Do you think it can pay the working man to be taxed for the purpose of bringing out those who will compete with him in the labor market ? Mr. Ltjckie : There would be no such competition if the immigrants were placed on the land. In America the new arrivals are not looked upon as competitors by the old settlers. I They go on to new country which they open up. ' Mr. Rowell : Yes, but the Americans do not tax themselves for the purpose of importing them. Mr. Luckie : I do not approve of the immigration policy as it now stands. For remainder of news see fourth, page. - in ■ "tHh — ; — r~i i ;• ■= . " i 'nva

Mr. Rowell: What is your opinion of the Stamp duties ? Mr. Luckie : I think that the two-penny duty is a mistake, and that an addition to the existing stamp duty ! was impolitic. Mr. Rowell : Will you support the bread tax? Mr^LuckiE :.. I hare riot made up my mind on the question of protection. In theory I am a freetrader, but I see that arguments of considerable weight may be advanced in favor of protection in a new country. I cannot say that I disapprove of the small sum already placed on wheat, which I look upon as an equalising duty more than anything else, as the other colonies tax our produce. Mr. Rowell : Will you support the San Francisco mail service ? Mr. Luckie : I opposed it from the first, especially with regard to the coastal service. At present I dp not exactly know what are the arrangementsmade by Mr. Vogel in Australia. If our subsidy is reduced to £18,000 or .£20,000, I should be disposed to support it, as I look upon the American markets being thrown open to our wool as repayment to a certain extent. It would be scarcely wise to condemn it until we know all the circumstances, lut before the £25,000 was taken off I was dead against it. Mr. Rowell • Will you, in the event of any question of importance arising, support the views of the majority of electors ? Mr. Luckie : Ido not know that I should if against my conscience. I hope none ot the electors would attempt to tie down their representative to vote against his conscientious convictions. The man who would s;6 to the House tramelled by such a bond would not be worth sending, and I for one would not go upon such a condition. Mr. Rowell : I think a representative should be bound to support the views of the majority. Mr. Luckie : If I found that I could not fairly represent the electors I should resign. You may depend upon this, that if a question of such importance should arise I would come over and discuss it at a meeting called for the purpose, and if I found that a decided majority requested that I should support a certain policy I would adopt it. Mr. Collins was disappointed that Mr. Luckie had not spoken fully on the present financial state of the colony instead of avoiding the subject as he had evidently done. He had not said whether in his opinion the Government was confining the expenditure of the loan to works of a reproductive character, but it would have been more satisfactory to the meeting had he done so. He had said that he would give the Ministry an independent and discriminating support. If his really was an independent support surely he should say what he thought right and what wrong in their policy and manner of carrying it out. Did he think that all they had done was right ? If not, in his capacity as editor of an influential and widely circulated paper, he ought to have pointed out when he believed them to be in error. Had he taken notice of two or three of their actions, their iniquitous attempt to create the well known Board of Works for instance ? In his speech he made no reference to the deficit, nor how it was to be met ; he had not said whether he thought the Road Boards should be subsidised out of the loan ; whether the money borrowed for reproductive works should be kept entirely for that purpose, or whether Ministers had the right to diverge it in another direction other than that for which it was voted ; whether he approved of the Brogden contracts. He had defended the Government with considerable ability against attacks thst had not been made, but not against such accusations as those he (Mr, Collins) was then bringing forward. He would first ask Idm : — Did he at its first commencement oppose the San Francisco mail contract ? Mr. Luckie : I believe I did, but you might as well ask me what I bad for dinner a fortnight ago, which I should be just as likely to remember as what I then wrote. I may state that I cannot but admire the cool calmness with which Mr. Collins steps on the platform and catechises me as the editor of a newspaper when I do not appear here in that capacity but as a candidate for election. I say that it is utterly impossible for an editor who is in the habit of writing as voluminously as I do to remember all he has written, but on thinking over it I believe, I know, that I did strenuously and repeatedly oppose it. Mr- Collins : What do you think of the proposed Board of Works ? Mr. Luckie : I consider it was a most mistaken scheme, and I quite agree with Mr. Richmond that it was an attempt to place conaption on the Statute Book. Mr. Collins : Why did you not say so before ? What do you think ot the Brogden monopoly ? Mr. Luckie : I don't know enough oi it to express an oainion. Hflttis a monopoly I should certainly lye against iflk Mr. Collins :- Ydfcay you would support direct taxafeiflp; why aßrypuin lavor of protective duties^Bd'atf increased tariff? Mr. LudSHj'here are H» many different points in connection^Rh protectionin a new country, that it might possibly' be wise to^dopt it in a place like this when it would not be so at home. At present my uind is on a sort of balance on the subject. Direct taxation, I believe, would be the means of eventually abolishing indirect taxes in the way of Customs Duties, but some time must elapse before that is brought about, and meantime, it may be necessary to foster certain jindußtries to give employment to our' children. Tbat is the question in my mind, Mr. Barnes : Will you introduce a bill to remove the twopenny stamp ? Mr. Luckie -. I will support such a measure, which I have no doubt will be forced on the Government. Mr. Rowell : Will you support the Permissive Bill? ' Mr., Luckie : lam ignorant of its clauses, but would support any measure giving two-thirds of the inhabitants the power to prohibit the opening of a public house. Mr. Rowell.;.: My .opinion is that neither of the two candidates is satisiactory, and I have a .good-naind to put upmyself. Mr. W. Gabbabd : Will you support any measure for taxing working men more than at present ? Mr. Luckie : No. - Mr. J. Levien then proposed a resolution to '• the effect that Mr. Luckie Was a fit and proper! person to represent the City , of Nelson in the Mouse of Representatives/, ;.; J Mr. MpTJiBAY seconded, the resolution. : , Mr. HaddoW objected to 'such a resolution; being put, as the meeting wasj .not. called 1 for the purpose of pledging the electors io;any, particular candidate. He p moved as an ; amendment that a vote of thanks beJgiveniaMr.,Lubkie for his address. ..This wasseconded by Mr. Rowell and carried almost unanimously. fi . ..; ;.;;• ;,:Avoteof thanks to the-cbauynan terminated tbe proceedings.

Colonial Enterprise. — Messrs. Alcock and Co., the billiard table manufacturers of Melbourne, Victoria, offer to give £100 reward for the first billiard-cloth web made in the colony. The whaling brig Louisa sailed on tbe 19 f h February, 1871, and during her 11 months' cruise has only taken 15 tuns sperm oil. Captain Davis reports that during the last six months he had not seen any whales.-IZboartf Toxiu Mercury, February 7. Iron Paper. — Some of the German newspapers state that this article, which is simply common paper mixed while in the pulp with iron filings, so as to increase its weight, is beiDg greatly pushed amongst shop-keepers in England and America for wrapping up their wares ; and as the paper in which groceries are put up are generally weighed along with the article, there can be no doubt that the use of such paper is fraudulent. The Hobart Toxon Mercury urges the cultivation of the Phormium tenax in Tasmania, the climate and soil of which, it is informed by an Auckland gentleman formerly resident in the island, are admirably adapted for its growth. Our contemporary concludes as follows; — "It will not be creditable to those who now complain of beitig ruined by their land , being fiuky, it they fail to grow a crop so valuable, and so specially adapted to such land, as is New Zealand flax." " Sambo, what your ompinion ob dat bankrupt law?" "Tink him fust rate, Pompey, I imply for the application mineself." "Just explain him principles." " Why, you see me now ; jest lend me dat half a dollar you got for whitewashing. (Pompey hands him the money and Sambo deliberately puts it into his pocket). Dere, den now I owes de shoemaker tree shilling, and you half a dollar, besides de grocer's bill ; now, dis half a dollar is all de property I got ; I divides him according to de debts." Pompey ; " I take dat half dollar back." Sambo (with amazement): "Do you tink dis child green ? I be um bankrupt ; you gets your share, wid de oder creditors." .