SIR GEORGE GREY AT AUCKLAND.

Oamaru Mail, Volume IV, Issue 1278, 12 May 1880, Page 2

SIR GEORGE GREY AT AUCKLAND.

(by telegraph.) Auckland, May 11. Sir George Grey addressed a public meeting of the citizens of Auckland tonight at the Theatre Royal. The building was crowded to excess. The chairman having introduced Sir G. Grey to the meeting, he commenced his address. He said they had met that evening to consider the state of the country, and what was best for the people. He proposed to confine himself to the leading questions of the day, avoiding petty and personal details. As the inhabitants of what would be a great nation, it would be beneath their dignity to consider matters of trifling import in view of those questions which closely affected their highest interests. As the first inhabitants of New Zealand, they would consider the platform on which was being built up laws and customs which would affect themselves and their children's children. The greatest production of a country was noble men and women, and what they had now to do was to plant such institutions as would produce nobility of character, public morality, religious feelings, and fit citizens for this world and the nest. Writers of history showed that a nation might be moulded to anything by its instructions in its earlier career. They could now mould in like manner New Zealand to whatever they liked, or in whfit fjiode they thought fit. There was great difficulty in doing so after institutions were well grounded, as was shown in an effort to found a Republic after centuries of monarchical government. But terrible as was the effect of the French Revolution, it paved the way for a better state of things, The New Zealand constitution had only tieen "in existence twenty-seven years, and without any great their rulgrg had been permitted to sweep away one of the most perfeot forms of self-government any country ever enjoyed. At all events, when those institutions were taken away people should have seen to it that they retained the right of self-government instead of a qijasudpspptisin uqw prevailing. He sa\v in one of the journals a report of a speech by Sir W- Fox—he could not say whether it q,n accurate report or npfc—in which that gentleman said that the difference between Sir George Grey's party and his was that he (Fox) favored American institutions, while Grey was inclined to those of France. To that statement he must give an emphatic denial. He never inclined to the views thus tp hi' ll ? an< l could not believe that the accusation had been seriously jnade. !3ir W. Fox was to have been the leader of his party or Premier after lastelection. They would hereafter know whether he was in favor of American institutions. The President of America elected by the people, and enjoyed a modest income. New Zealand had a Governor nominated by the Crown, enjoying an enormous salary. If he had to entertain large numbers of people, or keep up a grand style, jt -syas nppessary. Jiut the result of the system was 'flunkeysm, which seemed tp be inherent in human' nature. Every petty official or district magnate felt bound in his degree tp imitate the Goverppr, and thug was brought about a reckless social extravagance which injured everyone. With all due respect to the Governor and his office, he believed that the Governor ought to be elected by themselves. The office ought to be an object for every worthy citizen —one to which he might finally aspire. He saw no reason, for instance, why a son of Auckland, if duly qualified might npt fill jt. The

Governor's place was a power in tho. hands of those in office in England to damage the people of England by awarding such prizes of patronage _ to sycophants and dependents. In holding these views he was not holding those of American statesmen. Their titloa were unknown in America; in England no title could be given without the advice of a Cabinet Minister. For instance, the case of William the Fourth, who wanted to make his son-in-law a peer when the Earl Grey Ministry was going out. When he (Sir G. Grey) was in office his views concerning titles and election of Governors were well-known to the authorities at the Colonial Office, yet communications were privately sent to Mr. Fox or Mr. Stafford asking them whether, they would accept titles. He knew nothing of it, though head of the colonial Government. Had, for instance, Mr. Gladstone or any other distinguished politician been made a peer without reference to Earl Beaconsficld, the people of England would have risen as one man to resent it. This attempt to raise a landed aristocracy here, persistently carried out for years by tho party in power, did not look much like favoring American institutions. What analogy was there between the principles the party in power with regard to political representation and those ruling on that head in America? The Liberal party in New Zealand proposed manhood suffrage, but their opponents wished to throw tho whole power into the hands of property holders, and of land lessees or occupiers. Ho had found the Auckland public intelligent and ready to hear reason for a course of conduct, and to lean to the side of truth. Following the principles of the constitution which he had drawn up, the party in power were going to base representation upon population, but without disturbing the present representation of the North Island. It was absurd to partly practise the principles and partly violate them. He would advise the Auckland people, notwithstanding any temporary advantage, to repudiate such proposals. Auck- | land would in a few years be settled by a large population, and then the balance would be restored. They had no occasion to fear the Middle Island settlors, who had no intention of wronging them. It was the large land-holders, who would do anything for their interests, and he was sorry to see jealousy of the South instilled into their minds by sections of the public press. He would now come to the land question. Those_ who were going to give them American institutions, as they said, to trample on that communist, Grey, with his French manners, wanted these public lands for themselves. They prevented him from passing a law by which the Government would buy the land, the natives getting fair value, instead of being made drunk or swindled, or by which that, land would have been sold, by auction in suitable blocks, or on deferred payments, without favor or partiality. Was he a Communist in endeavoring to carry out such measures as these ? Those who were working with him desired to make the best land laws possible, and to give every man in the community a chance of having a stake in the soil. Mr. Sheehan last year, in a remarkable speech, had shown Auckland citizens how the natives were done out of their land. He advised them to ponder seriously over the statements made in that speech, and they could come to no other conclusion than that such an iniquitous system must come to an end. Coming to financial matters, it was stated that large deficiency existed. In reality, it wag about LBO,OOO to L 90.000, for the defiency was in the land revenue to the extent of L 35,000 ; but the land was all there—it had not run away, or oost anything for storage ; everybody born increased its national increment, for mofe land would be wanted. Would the merchant who had goods in his store, which in a short time would find sale, and increase in value, consider himself bank-i rupfc 1 The party in power made their own estimate, and could make any de-» ficiency after the fashion in whioh they had made their sketch of a number or works which were never intended to be made (say in Auckland); place an appropriation against them, and the thing wa3 done. That was no deficiency at all, but their opponents said there was a deficiency in the revenue. He would refer to thati hereafter. Was there anything so b.ad as meanness ? If a man was not so well oft as people thought, and economised, he did not consider that mean. If he wore an old coat, but fed others, he did not consider that mean. But it was meanness for men to draw taxation from the property of a whole people and expend it on works which would increase the value of their own properties ; to filch from the poor to make the rich wealthier. It was robbery of every child in tho Colony to increase the Customs taxation for such a purpose. He left it to the people to judge whether, in acting thus, those in power were following America, or wllQtJiev ha was a Communist. He urged that they should be reminded that those who worked with him were endeavoring to better this state of things. In Auckland there was some apathy, and he must say it; and unless they bestirred themselves, it wou}4 bear inevitable fruit. There never W a 9 better chanoe than nqw to make of Colony a great nation. The first thing that had been done after some difficulty was to give free education to evsry child, of a solid character, and such as would enable it to think and act right, and their American gentlemen, or so-called imitators Of American institutions, wanted something very different. It was a struggle to achieve what had been done, but it was accomplished, Tfl}e public sohools should be fertile springs', leading to discoveries and inventions, which would yet give preeminence to the Colony. His party would ever strive to give every man ft share in the government of ths country, and a chance to develop in its service every gift with which Providence had endowed him. In his youth he had seen that money, not ability, pay§d the T°ad to preferment, He hoped never to see that system obtain in New Zealand. Turning again to the question of land f for it was the most important one, these American gentlemen, who were endeavor-; ing to. arrange a system of Jar(d had stopped |h§ pf thp country for years to come. numbers of persons had got the be§t portion of th§ Colony in their hands, wrongfully ip= reparably, he believed? In Canterbury, for instance, with whioh some of the Ministers were oonnected, where unsold lands had been declared open to all, and where a man might select and go to Christchufgfy and pay his L2 an acre an 4 hte tion, a systeni of gqdirqmng had obtained, whioh effectually closed the country against small selectors, whiph he explained at length. An effort pugfyfc to be made by law to remedy the wrong and injuries that had been perpetrated on individuals, There were' instances in other provinces" of men' holding IQQ.QOQ acres of land, There was one case in Otago were a number of capitalists bought large tracts of land, formed a company, and now informed the public, to whom they were offering it for sale, that they had selected it so as to pyeYpn| the adjoining land be\ng bqqght by any- u body, and whioh block was being u'sed &q a run, to be purchased when necessary. Such a land system led to pauperism, sucli I as that which' afflicted Ireland. 33e ha 4 in his youth seen peasants flogged fop standing op a field wall and turning the fox. Modern writers had laid it down aa a noteworthy faot that, in a new country the idlest and most cunning would acquire the lands of the State unless they were watched. It was done by intrigue ant} without labor, while the tradesman wasj absorbed in his business and the in his toil, If the did not endeavor to get equal rights for all in purchasing

the public estate, they would be serfs to those who held the land. Look at the legislative Council, nominated by the Crown, and representing landed interests, and those only, though the people had no voice in their election. Yet no law could tie made or altered without their consent. While he was in England he heard of laws being altered in the Council and sent jown to the Lower House, a form which had proved injurious to the interests of the Colony as a whole. The Legislative Council could resign their seats, get elected for small constituencies, anit take their seat in the Assembly. Even if they were rejected as representatives, the Governor could call that man to the Upper Bouse and put him in the Ministry in spite of the people. They had no chance of getting good iaw3 while auch a state of things existed. W hat riijht had any class of men to get vast tracts of land by methods which the public could not use, or to work the land Laws so as to obtain special aggrandisement I Would the people of Auckland stand a system of gridironing here ; Then a system of confidential letters had sprung np in the Government. There was no such thing in England. Could any of his audience write to the Minister for Lands treating for 8000 acre 3 on terni3 not known to the public \ Such a practice as confidential letter-writing would have to be stopped, as Sir R. Peel had stopped it in England. Large blocks of land were now being purchased by private parties, over which the public had valid rights. In one case they were going to allow some English gentlemen to acquire 250,000 to 300,000 acres conditional on advances being refunded to the extent of LSOOO. He saw by the public journals that it was proposed to sacrifice the education system, and impose fresh taxation through the Customs to meet the financial difficulty, but such a scheme would greatly injure the country. Under the Counties Act property had an immense preponderance of voting power, and would not scruple to nse it for class purposes and interests. He looked forward to such a state of things with apprehension. It wa3 said that the Constitution was 27 yeare old, that the Legislative Council wa3 a venerable body, and reforms must be made cautiously in the Constitution. It would take centuries to get their rights, if they allowed the present state of affairs to go on. The people had a right to a convention to prepare thetr own destiny. . If they were in favor of the American system, that was the way to do it. Such was their duty to themaelve3 and to the Colony. The hon. gentleman sat down amidst loud cheers. Mr. Samuel Luke proposed, and Mr. J. T. Boylan seconded, the following reso* lution :—" That the thanks of the meeting be accorded to Sir George Grey for his able address just delivered, and beg to reassure him of their unabated confidence in him both as a representative and leader." Carried by acclamation. Messrs. Tole, Wallis, Harris, Hamlin, Speight, and Swan3on being called, addressed the meeting. Dr. Wallis and Mr. Swanson got an indifferent hearing.