MR. HUDDLESTON AT MOTUEKA.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue XVI, 5 November 1881, Page 3

MR. HUDDLESTON AT MOTUEKA.

( Communicated ) On Taesday, the Ist instant, Mr HaddleRtnn me* the electors of llotneka at; the Church Schoolroom, Mo*npka, as previously advertised, when over 100 Jarlie; and gent'emen residents of the district attended. Mr Parker, J.P., was called to the chair, and nfter explaining the purpose for which thev were met together thr.t evening introduced tbe sppaker. ?v'r Huddles'on commenced hy explaining the reasons whi^h iDdueod him to coins forward, namely, th^t havin? at the last pen?rsi elpeh'on eontfrifd the CoUi'-pwood seat and been by the action of certain nonrpsident, electors, who tnrned bis local majority into a smsll minority, he had at the rfqncFt of the local electors pledged himself to stand ajnin on tbe next vacancy. Thi« he : n£ the next vacancy, and in fulfilment of that plH£?, h^ now cim' > forward. At the Faroe time he considered that Mr Hursthouse daring the pa=>t three years had entirely rejected the interest of tbe district and simp'v ssrved himself, allying him^olf to the RUU-Afkin3on p3rfy ani acting as Ministerial Whip, a nosifion which entirely prpven'ed independent sc/ion on his part. Mr Huddleston then alluded to what hsd been clnne in other portions of the colony for out lying districts, quoting f rnni Mr A. Saunders' speech to shn-w wha' he (a mere outpide supporter of the Governmr-nf) hai ohtoinrd for Cheviot, srd enmpsrin? his action with that of the Motueki membrr, who contented him-F-elf with boasting that he, perhaps, asked for less public money than any member of the ITonae, and further, judging: by his speech on the Crnwn an3 Native Linda Riting Act, confiid^rpd bis connee'v^n with one of the powerful governircr families of Xew iJoa'acd U> be quite a snffi^ipnf-, honor for the peopls of the Motneka district, and a circumitance abuurfantly compensating them for any nhoTtcominfrs on hip pirt. Mr Hudfllfa'on briffly and Eurclnctly dfscribrd the duties rrqaired from ft m^mHer, rm] Bhnwefl how f->r ypsr? past the N^isoc repre^entntives bad heM the ba'ancfi of powor in the Homo, ar,d could, bafi they been so disposed, have pained s fnfi'm?rs* of the eft rcpeatr>rl promi" 3 ? ma-jfi to th? X^lson fli>*rict. Instead nf which they hnd befn Fupporter3 of the Government of the day, and ever held to the nreserst Government up to the time they introduced the Reprfanntitifin Bill to enrry oat the resolutions of tb* Ilonse fnr altarine tbe stiff r.npf>. Mr Iliidiilectin then ajiaiieri to the won.'l'-Tful eff-ets a few in timationa an<? telFtrrims s.'fnud to hive had on these ?p.ii nif m!;;r?, ir.dur-inj? th c m to nbar.dnn their v---r'v, p.<--d <**?.rt that rmst ohjecfionnhlc er-.y.z? cUni rt^nn^aliinir, wbic l > =irr.ply raw.n! the n'ino;itv r ,,]; {i o- f r , e rrnj-irifcy. a pr f , r . f . ff ]; nff v/hfe'n V.r.uM n^t bo, tolerp.tf-ri by anv L^-jrislative hor?y } an ,} wVa'-fh was of npo°=sitv pu<- <sown a Ftrnnsr hin<l. With rrsprct to the T?eprep'ntaf;ori Act Mr Huddlo^'m expr.-ssr-ii the opinion that the conr-e adopts was p.n injintioo tonl! outlying fli?tric's, ps a mfmkr cnivA much mnre easry nvd efficiently repr^smf 10000 voters rrsMr-nt in r.r nr-ir a csntre of pop'u'stion than he conM "i r OO pcitt'-red ovtr a wirle and phy«i>r>.i!y divcmS-d dis'rict, such im th^ present Motnflca electorate. At the same tim" ho pointei nut thst tbc interests of the towns were generally at variance and superior totho?e ot the agricultural districts so that the over reprpser.tation stippo=ed to be pnps'^SEd wou'.rj not in practice possibly prove so di-iatrous aa many people imni?iatd. Ilaffdl^sfon nr-xt reviewed the political event*? of tha pist thre% veiirs commencing with the positinn BUd acts of tho Grey Government, the tactics ncd action of the Hail-AtUlugon

j p.irty, their success and the Hue of action adopted. Tn allndinpr to the financial scare ?ot up evidently to frighten New Zealand into supporting the Ministry of the day, Mr Tf. pointed out that the statements so | per?i?tently circulated and reiterated, re- | iafive to !hc couniry being on tho verge of J bankruptcy was as purely n. political dodge ■ :-•? p.ny rrer mventcl, from the incontroverti- ; bin fnot, viz, fbat the larger portion of the ■ .i'fj ,ooo,ooo loan was not only unexpended, | l.ut :>.! the service of the Government, had any ? uc h emergency as was then described arisen. Mr Huddle'stmi then alluded to the rc-pral of the land tax and introducing a property tax which was intended to prevent an Income Tax being levied and to enable j the !;:rgo landed interest represented by Mr Hai! ami his friends to escnpebeinp compelled topay their uue share of the public burdens, the Act working thus : — All valuations £500 over less all amounts represented by mortj jra/res and other liens bt-inir thonet value ujion i which taxa'ion was levied, a plan which ! enabled the large hud speculators of New Zealand still to bold their immense estates without being in any way obliged to improve or subdivide them," and thus allow settlement to follow to its legitimate bounds the great national expenditure incurred on account of public works. Mr Huddleston [ then alluded to the evident wish which existed among certain members of the present administration to reduce or cripple the national system of Education now working so well and satisfactorily. Mr 11. gave the well known supporters of Education their due, and pointed out how much we were indebted to them for defending it against the insidious attempts of a small section calling themselves the Tory class, who aped the establishment

Gf an upper ten in X.Z., and who wisbtd the settlers below them to be purely :i working chiss, these being ihe party, who, not only in theory hut in practice, desire to set cinss against class and not tiio.^e who tried to piexent ihe privileged clas.se.-> becoming a recognised estate in a new country. IMr Huddle.ston next spoke on the question or' local government, which he considered the most important question relegated by Parliament fo the electors, indeed, on all hands it was admitted to be the key -stone of thu arch, without which the structure of government could not be complete or safe. Afterreviewing favourably the Provincial Governments and the benefit which had attended their efforts in co'onisarou, during a time when the divided nature of the settlements; in New Zealand gave special scope to tla-ir actions, Z\lr Huddlcston next aiiialeJ to abolition and the c-tabii.-rhinent of the Counties Act as a s.ui >iitute for I'rovincialism. She corsoiidation of the laud fund and the delusive bribe of subsidifij cliered in li'ju tin-roof, which the present administration found it most convenient to repudiate, leaving the counties almost without funds, and Lut recognising their existence as a means of getting over the difficulty of supervising hospitals, asylums, charitable aid &c, now so severely taxed from theetllcts of indiscriminate immigration introduced during the public works policy by the Vogel and continuous Governments which followed. Major A Hnson'.-- local government endowment scl erne as set fo (h in the Cro vn Lands and Nelson iiatiu^ Act, was explained ami its probable working pointed out. A< regarded Native lands the thing was absurd, and as all knew, we were on tlm eve of a Maori disturbance when s -<:h an act was as impolitic aa in The Queen's writ did not run through the island, and there wove districts, so pureV Native thar no European dare nor co ild put a foot into them, and yet, strange say, a proposal of the kind named received co isiderable support. The Eating of Crowu Lauls bec-mer- au t qu=. liy caforionoie ti'.fe-mpt u letiielttiua. A pticr wae fixed wheieon So levy rraiegf. TLi». rating in tbe met Instance was to be paid out of tbe Consolidated Revenue of tha country, by ukinc the low eoelolidated Land Fund out of ihe ColBolidated Revenue nc^kicg it p. fucd for the purpose of «uch paytaen s. Mr HadJiesten i Ijetretea its v.oi kia.v by a eaEe in point He took tbe hills around the place where they were met that night, and afked his hshnrs when sucb Una would be likely to cneet with porcbaiere Bt the Government valuatioo, expressing she cpiaion that one or two geceraticcs would hwe ptssed away tefore ?acL a much tc-be-dtsireJ event heppened. Then ikkinz iato eoEciueisiioa that z local iotn was aanctioced end ??n^ being a; pres^ct eubEeribed fcr tt £5 (.er cent ictertsf (which first of all ck-arly showed wcould not mike both end,? meet whhou-. borrowicg iD eoni9 &hbpe er otht;) it followed that \\ b money get tci-t fa; the purpose of paying the Ciowt. L?nd ratings wes only so c'oiie by rfqairic-g other money to be feubfioribuii for it, coaling the lax piyera the interesl paiJ on nil local iouns cocEiqaeptly, iuhivg 15 jears 86 ihe ptrioi wben tht«e r&ticjfa would reprcaeal the fee simple value of the laud ii followed that if cot eo'.J within 15 yeere we sLculd be %\a:\\y scl.jitg to the icdfbiedtcga of the nation, mid if 50 or 60 y<are elapsed (which Wf.fi probably even too a tiaeis ?, LioL to lock forwtrd fo eelling (Lo bock lands of Nelson) we would be .limply adding to cur Katiccol Debt End speeding it under tie dtlosivo Li-ati of Lend Fucd. The- thiug v/hb so njaaifestly ebeurrf that the speaker saw co re&son to follow it funbtr. ]( emcunted in short to robbing Peter to psy Paul, Btd e«.t«»biiehin» a cu&ibrous and expective addilien to the &lrcai3)< over-gro«n Cectral Goveramcnt machinery oat of all proportion *to the wants r.nd m(&xia of the Co'cny to do it. Mr HuJdleston z.ext pa?e his vif-we a3 to the fcrm which Local Government most necessarily take — having Ehown that we could not possibly resuscitate the provinces, the only thing which remained waa to make the best of the existing local government, and so endow it as to become a useful and beneficial institution. To do this Mr 11. proposed first to repeal this Property Tax, and rc-intrc-duce a La^ d Tax pure and simple, as also an Income Tax reaching to all loaLs, mortgage?, and borrowed capital under every head, as was the case in iugbrid acd India- To hand ov;r to the Counties the Land 'lax as an endowment, which tax should be raised and levied on the Eoad Board valuations, snd|collected and evens ually spent in necessary public works through the ioad Boards ae a direct and local agency, having of course first been apportioned by the Counties to these bodies. By adopting this line of taxation, all settlers resident in a district would net only be contributing their fair share tu Public Bevenue, but directly benefiting the district in which they held property and resided, fatiefied at the same lime that this contribution was spent without the cht nee of parliamentary interference or diversion from the object fcr which it waa raised. As compared with the mythical proposals of Governraent, Mr H. considered this a tangible and realisable project. Mr Huddleston next reviewed the measures passed during the last Besbion explaining their provisions and showing the almost unworkable nature of many. In speaking of the Licensing Bill, the question ol pure ale cropped up, and a suggestion evidently (by the meeting) deemed •worthy of further consideration was made, viz., that as a means to prevent drunkenness, to provide a local market for the barley grown in K.Z , and na a mrtter of general policv, the Beer Tax should be remitted to all brewers pn - ducing pure alea in which only malt and hope were "used, the Government analysts being rr;ade available for the purpoet; of deciding ca to tfae quality Following up the idea of stitnuiating local productions, Mr Iluddle^ton strongly advocated the establishment oi s "fair trade Jesgue" by which Wf 8 jaeanfc 4 either reciprocity or protection t 0

local products, the case of a colony being compared to that of a child whose career would be unlikely to have a successful issue without parental guardianship. The hop and fruib prowinrr interest of the Kelson district were particularized, as also the industries of other centres of population. r Jhe wants of the district, more particularly aa connected with the Railway Construction Bill of ;the last session, were dwelt upon at length, showing, that, R8 '-anterbury was an over producing district she wisely intended under thai Act to connect with the Weut Coast loathe full ol jeefc of providing a market and inierchanging commodities of w i lio . h . botll s , tood ln need. The effect ot tU-? on Nelson agriculture must of course be ruinous in the oxtivnio, and us the sponkor was l>y occupation one of those who must feel it in a special manner lie pointed out the necessity for vigorous auJ. strenuous cilbrt oil' ihe pint of the district through their representative, whoever he might be, to provide funds for carrying out a proposal he had previously, three vetirs ago, made to the. Collitigwood electors, and which by them—with a full and local knowledge of the circumstances and district — received endorsement and approval to a decree of unanimity most encouraging. That proposal was to connect tlte Co]iin<;\vood diggings with the AVe.-t Coast digging by coach road across the Golden Downs through the Iloaphy and Xaramea Valleys and tiionce by t! e coast, removing the few natural obstructions which existed find so providing the means for a larire digging population extending itself over (he «.lio!e urt?a of the r.orlt-vy«-s!nn &i e of this island. By eo ■ ioitu' (hi* umli-vt-iiipfd if serves cf •-■.}. a t v?na known hs one of the •■Mub: nuVn-.l t'id'.rio'a in N sv Z'-Uh-' Wi-.nl.J be brought HrK.-ut, e !or&] nj-ikef wnuM ha c-eruljlish'. d preventing jhr X-!fon fiirmer-, eo lo*, being too «J*pT»r?ent en t!.e C>est ranker, an* orimn'aJfny Uifm fo fuither efforts ir pul-ivaiinn plc! mock rearinjj. To rr.ake tho oiicuit more complete it vns proposed to form the present Tukukn briJle (rnrk info o chU road, thp pradients beine throughout most favo--ah|p, end thp n make the coromucicatiun between Motoekn nnd Nelson a ecnt:nuoos coach road !o Weetport. To s disfrief, situated as Nelson wae, such n prr jeot would he one of the prfatcet loons that could he conferred upon it, os rot cn'y a market and demand for labor, lut new and good fields fcr profitable secernent would be opened up tken, and en outlet at prosent much required by the children of our fetllers provided for them. Allusion was also roade to the stultificetioD of enterprise orcaesicnari by the Dutrerous reserves forcing the mvln portico of the Motufka town and district, «nd en Acteungested which would sanction their beit>g told and the rcocey accruing "being reinvested in funded securities fcr the purpose oHho original rndowcneDt, a change which if possible would be pregD&Mt with immense gcod to the settlfrs cf the district and coTony at Serge. The Acts not passed were s'>=o Ellur]?d to, erj'] in Btveiel cates B'rrngly rr-rotnmended to the attention, considers? ioc, and supper! of the electors! After the address, ocrnpying about 21 hours, several questions were asked particularly as to whether Mr H. if returned would support Sir G. Grej'e return to power. An sssurance that he was not io any wcy ar.rious for such an evect, end which he considered waa _ impossible, fully taiiefied the mPftiDrr. Other queaUous followed ac.l were evh'enily acawered satigfactorily, and (he proreerJinga closed with b uranimous vote of tbanka to the speaker rs a!»o to the Chsiruiaa for his able conduct whilst io the choir. The rnreiing sejarttsd Isle, and is generally considered not only the largest, but the moat fcuocefgful political gathering held for m&nv years past in the district.