THE HUTT ELECTION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 4609, 29 December 1875, Page 2

THE HUTT ELECTION.

A meeting of Hutt electors was held on Friday evening at Mr. Corbett's, Taita, Wili liam Beetham, Esq., in the chair. The chairman, in introducing Mr. Hutchison, said he ! was not a stranger, but was well known to them as' a councillor, and as an editor, as a man of character and ability, and quite eligible for any position. He was much struck with a remark in the Times, "that Mr. Hutchison was a gentleman irreproachable in his character, but that he should not have come forward in opposition to Mr. Fitzherbert." Their object, on the contrary, was to return Mr. Hutchison, and any person but Mr. Fitzherbert. After the valuable services Mr. Hutchison had rendered to the caxise of abolition, he did not need to go far to seek a person to propose him. Most of the electors were agreed that the conduct of Mr. Fitzherbert had been veryunsatisfactory during the last session, and they would now have an opportunity of hearing Mr. Hutchison's ideas upon political matters, after which he would be willing to answer any questions the electors might put, Mr. Hutchison said that Mr. Fitzherbert had lately been making some remarks upon his (Mr. Hutchison's) official connection with the city of Wellington, and thought the duties of the Mayoralty would fully occupy his time, an advice that he would profit by; but he was of opinion some of his time would be usefully employed in representing the Hutt electors, for they did not all appear to be satisfied with their late member. Mr. Fitzherbert had the rare faculty of saying a great deal out of which very little meaning could be extracted, and it reminded him of Tallyrand's famous adage that "words were given us to conceal our ideas and opinions." He was also remarkable for sneering at everybody and everything, for the strong personal dislikes he cherished, and for hiding poverty of thought under a cloud of words. It was difficult to answer a sneer, and Mr. Fitzherbert had seldom anything impulsive or generous to say, his utterances being generally illogical to the core. But sneers and sarcasm public men had to face, and they must expect frequently _ to be called to account for their sayings and doings in public places. About Mr. Fitzherbert's nomination speech, and the persons who proposed and seconded him on that occasion, he would make a few remarks. Mr. Cruickshank, the proposer, was well known for being everything to everybody. Mr. Milne, the seconder, was a provinciah'st. But there was this difference between Mr. Fitzherbert and Mr. Milne, the former had made a very good thing of it, the latter nothing at all. And if abolition be taken now as an accepted fact by Mr. Fitzherbert, why did he obstruct the public business and hinder it becoming law. And if the Opposition are strong enough, may they not yet prevent abolition coming into operation. (Mr. Bunny : Nonsense). I say it depends on the constituency whether it comes into operation at all. (Mr. Bunny : The tipper House would never allow it). Ar the salaries of no consequence ? Mr. Fitzherbert said at the nomination that his (Mr. Hutchison's) speeches were absolutely filled with personal abuse of him (Mr. Fitzherbert). This was not true, for in his remarks on Mr. Buckly's position as Provincial Solicitor, be was borne out by the facts, and Mr. Buckley's confession. (Mr. Buckley said there was a personal allusion to him imported into Mr, Hutchison's speech at the Hutt Mechanics' Institute [great uproar] ; but on Mr. Buckley

bem" assured that he would be heard at the "conclusion of Mr. Hutchison's speech, he quietly sat down.) And there were a few of Mr Fitzherbert's friends who would be likely to lose their salaries as well as himself as soon as the Bill came into operation. Mr. Fitzherbert eaid the alteration was "a revolution, and thafe-Mr. Vogel ought to have proved a change was demanded ; but this Mr./\ogel -had proved conclusively-tbe financial arrangemente of the country rendenngit a dirty incumbent on the Assembly to abolish the variety of legislatures. The Opposition and Government "candidates are-now neck-and-'neck. Mr. Fitzherbert goes in as one of her Maiesty's Opposition and the real leader, Sh Sir G. Grey is the ostensible leader. Fitzherbert said we should not have Wertaken abolition now when our hands were full of important matters and the colony in a critical state, but he forgets the famous Roman who sold apiece of land on wh.eh the enemy had encamped outside the city walls, and we have equal confidence in the future prosperity of this colony. The public works policy relieving the provinces of some of the duties devolving upon them, rendered it necesm to abolish provinces, and perhaps to borrow more money, if more war e needed Then th«e were charges of wasteful and shameful expenditure, but not a single instance had been proved. Mistakes and blunders, would Ute place under ™J Government, i'or inSance! he railway Hue in this neighborhood waTa mistake, but the Govermnent in this case was at the mercy of their officials, and we S know that for very obvious reasons Mr. Fitzherbert was a strenuous advocate of the line of rail along the other side of the There was a policy propounded by Mr. Fitzherbert at the nomination Ihere was abundance of charges, andabundance, of sneerL. but not the slightest hint to tell us what h»°wffl do but turn out the Government. ISo matter what the Government, brings forward, the business will be obstructed. Last session, vhen the Bill for local self-government was brought forward, the Government was Warned for oiving a poor piece of patchwork. He did not comeTto them, as Mi-. Fitaherbert had suggested he ought to do, and isay he would reduce their rates. The rate question was one for themselves to settle, and for the Government to supplement, as soon as a measure for local self-government was passed He would <-o with person who would abonsh the duties on articles that were necessaries of life, and impose duties on luxuries but not too bi-hsoasto lead to contraband trade He « favorable to a tax upon property and income, not to one on small properties, but Landed property, and not on incomes.under say £IOO or per annum. He did not mean to ask votes; he thought the boot should be placed on the other leg, and that it was rather a favor to the electors to come forward, lo Co hand-in-hand, he thought, was the proper position, and he was not disposed to go and Lk for votes. Mr. Fitzherbert had said he would have sufficient to do to look after Wellington, but he thought he could attend to the Hutt too. (Mr. .Valentine: You ought to have enough in Wellington.) Mr John Martin assured Mr. Fitzherbert that he would be elected ri"ht enough. (Mr. Martin : I should like to put some money on it.) And as to what I said about Mr. Buckley, I stated what I thought was true, and did not indulge m pergonal abuse. It had been asked, what was to be substituted for Provincial Governments ? Last session Government proposed a measure of local self-government, but her Majesty s Opposition gave them no time to amend it, arid the new measure would be substantially the same. They had the road boards already. The people will manage the road boards, and two or three or four of these road boards would he joined together to form a shire or county. All the rural roads in the district, all the bridges and public works would be under the Shire Council (A Voice : What are we going to have.) There had been a <reat deal of talking about Government nominees— (A Voice : Keep them out)—but they •would have nothing of the sort. Their affairs would be managed by these two kinds of Boards, and a secretary would be required to •do the clerical work. (Mr. Martin: Will these Boards have the power to tax.) They would have the power to tax to a certain amount. And with regard to the land laws, he wished to see them all consolidated into one uniform land law for the colony, and so framed that any industrious man might select a piece of land and settle down upon it. He wanted to see the land divided, not into large pieces that would suit speculators, but into small farms that would nourish a yeom:tnry, that would be a stay to them in a time of need. The land should be cut up in special blocks, and twenty or thirty families settled upon them; and the principle of deferred payments and our immigration scheme will become a failure unless something like this is done, and in this way we would get the colony settled thoroughly. Having done this, we should look to legislation of a social and sanitary kinc, such as would promote temperance, nationality, and the unity of the country. What we do must be done comfortably and intelligently., for, as Mr. Fitzherbert said, "What we do now is not the present but for generations to come." The present Government had been subjected to a kind of nagging legislation, and the Opposition, if they got "the rein 3 of power, would give us not a fatherly but a grandfatherly, or a grandmotherly government; and this sort of legislation might be tolerated for a time and until our personal liberty came to be interfered with. (Mr. Daysh: But what are you?) Mr. Hutchison: I am an Anti-Provincialist, and I tried to make it clear, but it seems I have not been able to explain it to Mr. Daysh. Mr. Buckley here came forward and charged the chairman and Mr. Hutchison with being the authors of aletter Bigned " Not Alphonsus," which he characterised as libellous and most insulting to one of the candidates. The chairman said he knew nothing about the letter till he saw a copy in the hands oi: Major Ludlara. Mr. Hutchison said he had seen the article in the Thnaru Herald, but was not aware that it had been reprinted. Mr. Buckley reiterated the charges, although both tjie chairman and Mr. Hutchison indignantly denied the authorship of the letter; but on the entreaty of Mr. John Martin he calmed down. He then said the Mayor of Wellington hid raised a false issue ; that the removal of the seat of government to Wellington' wa3 chiefly owing to the exertions of Mr. Fitzherbert-: and as to their having indicated no policy, it was not the part of the ()pposition to do so. A vote of thanks- was then passed to the chairman, which was earned by acclamation, and the meeting separated.