MR. HUTCHISON AT THE TE ARO HOTEL.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 4991, 22 March 1877, Page 2

MR. HUTCHISON AT THE TE ARO HOTEL.

Mr. Hutchison addressed a large meeting at the Te Aro Hotel last night, Mr. Richards being elected to the chair. Mr. Hutchison said his political opiuione were now so well known that it was unnecessary for him to rehearse them at a public meeting, but there were several small matters that required a little further elucidation between him and his respected opponent. Mr. Travers continually started by declaring that he would not condescend to such trifles as mere city affairs ; he would only discuss the mysteries of law, and the highest and driest points of political economy ; he would be a star anddwell apart, but he never went far until he was back to earth and down upon the Mayor, in fact, floundering among mud and pigs. It appears that Mr, Travers would like to lay . some additional taxes upon the ratepayers of Wellington, and that the City . Council was wanting in pluck because its members did not tax the people more heavily, [Mr. Hutchison read from the Times a report of Mr/Travers’ Speech at the Caledonian Hotel bearing out this statement.] The ratepayers might learn, from this what they had to expect from -Mt. Travers. He (Mr. Hutchison), on the other band, thought it was the duty of the Oouncil,as representing the ratepayers, to work, economically, and keep down taxation if it were possible. He should resist the imposition of a single penny that was not absolutely re-. quired for the health and necessities of the public ; and therein Mr. Travers and he were direotlyatissue. Hefound next that Mr. Travers charged the Mayor with neglecting to put a.number of names of ratepayers on the electoral roll. The Town Clerk was first included in the censure, but he understood that Mr. Travers had since exculpated the Town Clerk, and said that the whole blame rested upon. - the Mayor. He did not knew if this matter was part of Mr. Travers’s high politics, but whether or not, the Mayor’s answer was ready and direct. He had seen that the list of rate-, payers required by the Act had been made out by the Town Clerk and forwarded to the Returning Officer, and he knew of nothing more that he could do in the business. It was not at all likely that he-would keep back names fromthe electoral roll, seeing that every addition to its numbers would be an addition to the votes that would be recorded in his favor.: Mr. Travers was simply laboring under a delusion. At the same time, if be had the honor of a seatin the House, he should most ’certainly endeavor to have a more easy and more correct mode of registering electors than the present—a selfregistering roll. He saw that the editor of one of the evening papers stated in that even- ■ ing’s issue; that had the Mayor done his duty regarding the return of ratepayers, the roll' would have contained some 3000 names instead of 1731,

An Elector : The Evening Post. Mr. Hutchison : No, it was not the Post, gentlemen. The samp Elector. :, Oh, we know—the most blackguardly and scurrilous paper in New Zealand. Mr. Hutchison : Well, .all I have to say gentlemen is that ' the charge* against me is entirely false. (Applause). About those private streets. He confessed the more Mr. Travers sought to explain himself on this subject, the more hopelessly confused he appeared to be. “ Letting-I-dare-uot-wait-upon-I-would, like the poor cat i’ the adage,” was pitiful policy after all. And Mr. Travers’ system reminded one forcibly of the peculiar handwriting of an eminent lawyer described in the novel of “ Ten Thousand a Year." This lawyer had three different hands—one which only he and his clerk could read ; another that only he himself could read ; and a third that neither his clerk,' nor himself, nor any living man could read. It appeared to him that Mr, Travers' legal opinions pattook of the obscurity of the handwriting. But here were the facts : There were streets in the city, called private streets, for the construction of , which the people owning property in them had to pay, over and above their general. rate, and no opinion of Mr. Travers’ would get over what was a stern experience. He was opposed to this distinction between one street and another. He wished all the established streets in the city to be placed upon the same footing, and all the ratepayers to. pay only the same rate. He believed there : could be no mistake about his opinion. Mr. Travers indicates, if he indicates, anything, thathe himself drew up a clause to compel the people in private streets to pay. And a very obscure clause it is ; and hereon hangs another charge made by Mr.- Travers against the Mayor in connection with a ratepayer in Haiuing-street, The Mayor and Mr. Travers did differ here. The former was anxious first to avoid the. Court, and thereafter, when the Court became unavoidable, to have the affair conducted as simply as possible. The latter, naturally enough, wished for a good deal of red-tape, and it was said to Mr. Travers that if he did not see his way to uphold the Council in the matter, he had better let the duty devolve upon some other. This was said because, on a previous occasion, when the Council went into Court to sustain the. valuation put upon Mr. Pharazyn’a property in the Tinakoriroad, Mr. Travers, instead of supporting theCouncil, at once yielded to Mr. Pharazyn—a course which he (Mr. Hutchison) thought should not have been taken by a lawyer-Jx> wards his clients in open Court. In the Hwib, ing-street case, however, Mr, Travers at once courteously yielded, and the Council obtained judgment. Mark what follows. “A man named Adams, Mr. Travers says, (he was quoting from the Times), who was summoned, had been put to considerable inconvenience and expense by the necessity of providing several witnesses, who would not have beenrequired had Mr. Travers' instructions been followed,” .The truth seemed to be that Mr. Travers had quite forgotten alb about the case. The wit nesses cost the defendant no expense. They were all officers of the Council, and he took care that they should make no charge. The only expense, therefore, was the unavoidable charge of Court fees, which would amount to a few shillings,-and very likely a fee to Mr; Travers. No expense arose from the interference of the Mayor, and if Mr. Adams had been charged any expense for witnesses produced by the Council, it was an unauthorised charge. He hoped he had now done with explanations about private streets. He observed that Mr. Tra.vcrs announced' a change of opinion regarding the duration of Parliament. He now thinks four years would be a proper time for them to last It will be three years in a few days more, and if the canvass continued long enough his friend might give us annual Parliaments. Mr. Hutchison °then referred to the Te Arc foreshore, for the obtaining of which he was not aware that Mr. Travers had done more than any other citizen. The proposal had been made ip the Provincial Council, and he (Mr. Hutchison) as then one of the members for Wanganui, had given it his very cordial support. He -wished to say that he thought Travers, in making a confession of bis ecclesiastical connection at a political meeting, had adopted a course which would be more honored in the breach than the observance. He hoped it would be long before the electors made membership of any particular church a passport to their suffrages-

What the electors oughttoknow wag simply this _Jo we kuow- the man'*' chars.cter.'sofficiently: to trust him? He giveeuis pledges; have we reason to believe he "wilt carry them out? All else, in a country like this, where every creed ftod elites were on e(jual footing - , appeared to him to be a mit take, and he did hope that Mr. Travers’ example would not be widely followed. Referring to another question, which had been brought to his notice within the past few hours, he remarked that in one of the evening papers there ap-eared a letter, in which he was asked what he was going to do about a certain scheme of insurance he had proposed. He might tell them that he regarded this matter as being one of very’ considerable importance ; hut the editor of that evening paper had put a little foot-note to the letter, saying that his (the speaker’s) head was full of abortive and impracticable schemes. As to that, Mr. Hutchison said that when a man was met with who had no schemes in his head he would just turn out to be us miserable and unhappy a man as the editor of the Post. He then proceeded to speak to them of the benefits likely to follow from the scheme he proposed, by which there would be less suffering to the people in case of fire. Mr. H utchison then remarked that it was quite unnecessary for him to go over the old ground as to his views on the large political questions of the day, with which, indeed, the people were very well acquainted. He should therefore conclude his address at that point, and thanked the meeting heartily for having listened to him so attentively. (Applause). In answer to a question as to whether he was in favor of assisting the working classes to land on the deferred payment system, Mr. Hutchison stated that he had already expressed his views on that subject, and assured the questioner (Mr. Michael Quin) that it would receive his strongest advocacy. One of those present then rose and gave the . meeting a little history of Mr. Travers, excusing himself from speaking to the question on the ground that at Mr. Travers’ meeting at the Caledonian Hotel a person had been permitted to speak as to the merits of the two candidates. He then proceeded to make some remarks, the conclusion to be drawn from them being that Mr. Travers as a politician was a perfect failure, and not fit to represent the city of Wellington. In reply to another question, Mr. HUTCHISON said he was certainly in favor of providing BCSao-Tneans of support for destitute children and old people, and for the education of orphans. Mr. Jackson proposed a vote of confidence in Mr. Hutchison.

Mr. Michael Quin seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. The meeting then separated.