ME. RICHMOND HURSTHOUSE AT WAIMEA WEST.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume X, Issue 339, 21 December 1875, Page 2

ME. RICHMOND HURSTHOUSE AT WAIMEA WEST.

Mr Hursthouae addressed a full meeting of the electors at Waimea West last night, Mr James Arnold in the chair. He felt that it wa3 necessary that he should say a few words aboi\£ himself, as he had no political career to poin| to, arid came before them as a complete stranger. He was born in the colony in 1845, and he could say that the name of Richraooa Hurstbouse had never appeared in the records of & Police Court, or a Bankruptcy Gazette, he had never been behind hand in paying his way, and had never been known to shrink hia fair share of work in the harvest field or in the mine. If they elected him he would work for them in the political arena with the same energy and honesty of purpose. He had worked for mauy a master in New Zealand and had never yet got the sack,, and this he hoped would serve to recommend him to them. He would now give a brief sketch of his political views, and first with regard to immigration and public works, in originating and carrying out which the Yogel Ministry had conferred a great boon on the country, although perhaps their own district had not benetitted very much by the scheme. Eor railways and the extension of telegraphs, for the Post Office Savings Bank, and telegraph money order department, they were indebted to the Yogel Ministry, and he was quite prepared to give them his support in carrying out their policy, so far as was consistent with the interests of the colony at large, but he would always be found opposed to such works as poetical railways. He should look upon allthese matters in a wide sense, and would endeavor to regard the colony as one whole, and freed from . the thraldom of Provincialism. Therefore he was not prepared to pledge himself to purely local schemes unless they were calculated to advance the general good. The question of immigration was a most serious one, and though he was glad to see the population increased in this colony, he was desirous that only the right sort of men should be introduced — men who could shoulder their axe and blankets and go out into the bush and make homes for themselves. He. was therefore strongly in, favor of free nominated immigration, as those who sent for their friends would not bring out a useless class of people. With regard to the abolition question all must admit that Provincialism was dead, and that at the next session the earth would be thrown upon its coffin. The next thing was what was to be substituted for it? Every stranger in visiting a colonial chief town could not fail to notice the numbers of well dressed, well paid men who were to be seen about at four o'clock, and on enquiry he would learn that they were officers and clerks of the Provincial Government. By a system of Shire Councils a great many of these might be done away with, and their salaries saved. The heads of the Provincial districts, or wbatever the divisions might be called, should be elected, and not nominated., as, if the latter, it would give rise to a deal of corrupption. AVith reference to taxation, they all knew too. well that they were pretty heavily taxed. as it was. They could scarcely eat, drink, smoke, or clothe themselves without contributing to the revenue. He ahould like to see the duties on many of the necessaries of life removed, and a property and income tax substituted, if necessary for revenue purposes. Rich and poor would then pay in proportion to their possessions, and the absentees would be got at. There were certain other articles he should like to see admitted duty free, such as agricultural machinery, without which, as farmers had now learned, it was impossible to farm successfully. Other kinds of I rcaofcingr; should be placed iatto W*

category, as by ; soloing, capitalists mighfrbe induced .to ;come oaf, establish factories, and tnua no^Je Ife^ Zealand what it was eminently i adapted for, the Lancashire of the- Soutb.4^: good deal, he believed, was, with proper encourage^ ment, to be made out; of New Zealand flax, which, if not fitted for linen, would at least make excellent corn sacks and wool bales, and so save to the colony many thousands of pounds that now went out of it far the purchase of these articles. He would always be an advocate of opening up the back country by encouraging prospectors and making such roads and railroads as were necessary to develope; the mineral^ and other resources of the colony. The Nelson and Poxhill railway* as it was called, should be extended* for if left aa at present it would .have, been far better for the province had the money been placed in the Bank and. interest at 2 1 per cent paid to its credit; In framing an education measure he thought that our own excellent system should be kept in view. Colonists of bia own age rausfc admit that they had not possessed the advantages which were enjoyed by the boys of the presentday, as to the latter it wasopen to esquire the basis of a sound commercial education. . Wi{h a higher class the State 'should have nothing to do, but that should be left to the parents of those who showed signs of possessing more than ordinary" ability. The Legislative Council should,:, in _ his opinion, be an elective body, as at present it did not in any way represent the people. In declaring himself a supporter of the present Goverameat, he referred to their general policy, bat bis support would not be a blind one, for he should always to the best of his ability examine all their measures, and see that in all their details they would be likely to prove of real practical eood, and be should alao watch darefully that the money of wbi^n they had the .handling was laid oat ia such a manner as to prove remunerative to the country at large. Ia conclusion he would say that if elected he would serve them* with all candor and honesty. He was a working man and; a, gentleman, (tad there was not a house in New Zealand, be the owner rich dr pdory in which be had once been to which lie would not be again welcome. By doing to others as be would be done, by, and keeping a civil toogus ia bis bead, be had alwaya got on with his neighbors wherever ha was. He hoped they: would listea patiently to all the candidate* who sought, their vote's, 1 and' vole for the one they thought would serve them best. He could not afford to buy,, their votes, nor would he if he could. If he were a millionaire he woald not give five shillings for the vote of the best-; man in the roonu N^p measure: should pass through the House without his giving it his earnest attention and endeavoring to master all its details, and when ho came back from Wellington he would always be prepared to reader aa account of his stewardship. Mr HUR3THOUBE then, after stating his readiness to reply to any qaestions, sat down amid loud and continued applause. Mr W. Bell: Tou said you would be in favor of a property tai 1 which is well in its way, but would you not support an income tax as well. There are many, men in New Zealand and alao at home, who are deriving large incomes from money at interest here, and these are the men we want to catch. To tax property simply would be to tas industry, as many of us have little properties which have been acquired by our own hard work., Mr Hursthousb regretted that he bad omitted to mention ttis, but cpuld assure Mr Bell that he was certainly in favor of an income tax. Mr Eden: What do you think of selling Crown lands at cheap rates.' '„ Mr Hur&thouse thought that all lands leased from the Crown should -at the expiration of the lease be pat up to public tender. He thought every, encouragement should be given to bona fide settlers to tuke up land for the purpose of working it, and every obstacle placed ia the way of speculators purchasing land, merely for the sake of making money by its rise in value.' . Mr R, Andrew* : Will you support leasing instead of selling land so aa to let the colony have the benefit of the revenue from them ? Mr Hursthouse : Certainly not, I believe that one acre of freehold is dearer to the working man tbaa fen of leasehold. It would have a crushing effect upon the industry of the settler if he thought that his rent might be raised by the Government, say every: ten years. Mr Arnold : You stated that you would support the present Government. Now, they have beeu very dilatory to this province, and if they don't act fairly to it, will you still support them ? Mr HußSTHouss : I should support tbfem so long as I thought they were pursuing a policy that was proving remunerative to the country at large, and not doing injustice to any portion of it. Mr Arnold : If we were to send you a memorial asking you to act aa we wished, and your ao doing might even have the effect of upsetting this Ministry, would you do so ? Mr HURSTHOUBE : Decidedly. I should go to work for you, and if I received such a document signed by a majority of the electors, I should feel bound to act upon it. Mr Asnold: That's it. I've brought you to the eorawfc at; leaf, and

Mr Brow, senior, then proposed a ../Q^ $^ cqoMdficQ in Mv Hurathouse |#Jid-S|'p^ar.^ r to : Bini to be^b weitjjec;ie|ckp|j bef||rne<f bj- .every! bii'of a ? •§§ee|g| -If £.i" " ;^ j:: f y| Mr Sathe^let earried^ataiiiaiouslx' 'amid- loud applause. Mr Huwsthousb thaoked them sincerely for that expression of their confidence in him. He felt a prouder man |han vyfaea he crossed the Moutere Hills that morning. He bad been told that Mr Parker was sura to poll nine eat, of, teq._vp.te? in Waimea Weafc (Cries of Oh!) and this bad made "him" jfejal that this prospects were rather gloomy, but such a vole from such a '"meet-fog- was most, cheeriag, . aad he thanked them most, heartily for ifc. He then proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman which was carried, and the meeting broke apt