THE SUBURBS ELECTION.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 256, 20 December 1880, Page 2

THE SUBURBS ELECTION.

MR. A. HARLEY AT RICHMOND

There was a full meeting at the Richmond Agricultural Hall on Saturday night, when Mr Alfred Harley addressed the electors. On the motion of Mr Talbot the chair wa. taken by

Mr Kelling, who said that owing to the melancholy event of which they all knew they were unexpectedly called upon to elect a representative in Parliament. Mr Harley was a candidate, atd proposed to acquaint them with his views. Ifc was not necessary for him to introduce that gentleman, as he was well known to all of them, having always taken an active part in local matters, nor waa he nett to politics, as he had on one occasion contested an election for a seat in the Provincial Council with bim (Mr Kelling). and bad run bim so close tbat the Returning Officer had to give his castin? vote. He waß sure they would all give him a patient and attentive hearing. Mr Harl'-y, who was received with considerable -applause, said: I wish we bad a more comfortable place to meet in. There is a tremendous draught blowing in at these windows, and I am rather given to colds, and really don't like to take my hat off, but J feel bound to do fio .out, of respect to you. Keally Ihis is a disgraceful rootm As Mr Kelling has told youj I once before contested an election, when I tied him, and the Returning Officer gave him his casting vote, but we didn't fall out over thafc election, and bare been friends ever since} in proof of which Mr Kelling volunteered to take the chair for me this evening. I have a tremendous lot to say to you, and if you were to stop and listen to ail I could talk about you had need have brought your blankets and a week's tucker, but it won't do for me to keep you so long as that, so I'll only just glance at some of the principal topics. Now to begin with, education is tbe principal subject of the day, and one that's sure to be brought up at every election. I don't intend to mention my opponent's name. He behaved very well to me, and I respect him very much as a gentleman, but as a politician he's quite out of place. -I differ from bim about education. I think it is your duty to see that every child, is taught to read and write, and to get some knowledge of bookkeeping, as very much follows from that, there's many a poor farmer comes to grief through not being able to keep his accounts, and then he gets bankrupt and .goes into Court, acd the Judge blames him for not having any booka. Bookkeeping is too much neglected. Why it's not even taught at the College, of which everybody speaks so highly. I have a son who a good many people say is clever, at all events I think be is myself (Cheers), and, bless you, wben he left College he didn't know nny more of bookkeeping than a young child. And yet it's the principal thing. But about education. My opinion between secular and religious education is that if you want to have a thoroughly national system it must be secular. lam not going in for the Catholic vote. I should be happy to accommodate Roman Catholics, Wesleyans, Jews,and all the lot of them, but what I think is thatif you begin to tamper with secular education the whole thing will fall to the ground. (Hear, hear.) I think, you know, tbat the Government aim at too much, and make the standard too high. Reading, writing, and bookkeeping is all that ought to be taught, and if you want more you must pay for.it. (Cheers ) I could talk to you a long time about education, but I don't want to tire you, and I've got a lot to Bay yet. (Laughter.) Now the next thing on my notes is a subject of vital importance — the land question. The Government should not be trying to get rid of the land. It's just like a ; father who has a fine estate and leaves it to his son, and before the old man's buried the young one sets to work to get rid of it. That's what the Government is doing. Look here, if tbis was a new colony and I was Governor of it with sole control there wouldn't be any taxes at all. (A voice : Hurrah, Harley.) Yee, you may cheer, but I tell you it's a fact. Now we've gone so far and everything has boen so mismanaged that retrenchment and taxation are necessary, but if a different principle had been adopted there would bave been no taxes, and not an acre of land would have been sold. The land's our birthright, and no one has a right to sell and no one has a right to buy it. It should have been let in perpetuity. (Cheers.) But now all we're got to do is to try and retrieve our errors. My friend (I won't mention his name) said last night there were twelve millions of pounds' worth of land unsold. Twelve millions ! There are hundreds of millions. We have untold wealth here. I tell you it's the richest conntry in the world, bar none. (Cheers and laughter.) I can prove it. I'm not ono of your repudiators. Why I'd go round witb the bat and get enough to pay off the interest. (Renewed laughter.) Wby, what do we owe ? A trifle of thirty millions. You give me the chance and I'll pay the whole of that off in twenty years, and put you then in a far better position than you are now. (Tremendous cheering.) I tell you I've studied it ; I've been in correspondence with our members about it ; I wrote to Vogel about it ; I've got some of bis communications now. (Loud cheers and shouts of laughter.) I can't tell you all about it now. I havn't got the time. I know you're saying " Oh, cut it short "—(dries of no, no ; go on)— because there are no windows, and then the reporters want to get out of the draught. But you only put me in the House and give me a chance, and see how I'll talk to them I'm here tp defenfl my cpijntnr, and I

tell you I trill so long as I've a drop of blood iti toy teins. You talk about it's being cold because the windows are broken, butl tell yon I'll make it warffl as Igo on. (Deafening Cheers and shouts of laughter.) Now, perhaps I needn't tell you I'm not an aristocrat. Ido a day's work every day ; I have no pretentions ; I come bere as a working man, and I don't hold my head higher than my neighbors. My opponent (I mustn t mention his name) said he was a free trader. Now I'm a thorough-going protectionist. A yoling country like this can't compete with old ones like America,*nd Eogland,and Australia, and it wants to be protected. 1 coald give ray reasons if you would onW give me the opportunity, but you don't. I tell you I'm not blowing. (A voice : Good on you Harley.) I only waht the chance, and you never give it me ; bufc I tell you I'm not to be pnt dflwn -with one licking. (Cheers aod laughter.) What j wotild do would be to protect every local industry in New Zealand. I will just mention oue iostanco. The Nelson cloth manufactory. Now there never was better stuff for woiking men's wear made anywhere than there. (Hear, hear.) And now it's shut Up. Why ? I got it from one of tbe proprietors himself that if theie had only been a threepenny duty on imported cloth, tbey could have carried on. (A voice: "Only threepence I Think of that now." Laughter ) But there, if you talk and laugh like that I can't keep my ideas together. Now you've made me go cfl: to a different topic, and I see by my notes it's Road Boards. I have been a member for many years, and although there have been seme Httle misunderstandings about fhe districts, I think, on the whole, tbe work has been well done. Aa for separation, it is the worst tbiner that could possibly happen, for you would be just playing into the hands of the County Council, and very soon there woiild be none of the smaller Boards left. We manage as economically as we can, and though there is occasional grumbling, I am sure wfi ail do what wc can for the good of ♦he district, YoU once get into the power of the County Council, and you will eoon find that instead of a shilling you will have to pay half-a-crown iu the pound. Put then seme of you say « Tho members o£ the Board get poid." Well, what aro they p<»id ? I get 10s every time I attend the Board meetings, but then I'm Mire I spend a pound, besides losing my day from home, and having to leave my men with no oue looking after them. It's no gain to tne, 1 can assure you, and I shouldn't do ifc only I've got the good of the country at heart. Besides he must be a very poor man indeed who isn't worth his dinner and a drop of beer. Now then, just a word about the electoral roll. I thiuk that this wants altering. Many men who spend a good deal of money in the place can't get on it because they have only lease?, while those who are strangers here, and have only been residents for sis months, get on at once. This ought to be attended to, and I'll : see to it if 1 get into the House. Now,, gentlemen, there is the preservation of the ■ timber of the country, which should be a source of great wealth, and yet many people Blaugh-; ter it wholesale, especially the birch, but I

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