THE WANGANUI ELECTION.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 454, 30 August 1879, Page 2

THE WANGANUI ELECTION.

(To the Editor of the PateA Mate.)

Sir, —Would you oblige me by inserting in the columns of your paper of the next issue, if possible, a few remarks on the address delivered in the Town Hall, Waverley, on the 21st instant, by the Hon Mr John Ballance. In commencing his address, he said the question might be put—why did he not stand for Rangitikei ? Yes, the question is, why ? Perhaps he wanted a change. Perhaps the Rangitikei electors wanted a change

too, and lie knew it. Ho said he had come to fight Sir William Fox on his oVm ground. He (Mr Eh) took good care to occupy the ground a good while before it was possible for Sir William to appear, so as ho might find out the best posit ion. The honorable gentleman does not mean to fight with the. sun in his face if he can help it. No drawing of lots for position with him; he means to choose his own ground, and stick to it if

possible. I am not going to review the whole of his address, as it would take up too much of your valuable space, and too much of my time* I will confine my remarks to a few of his statements. He said he was in favor of the extension of the franchise, redistribution of seats in the House of Representatives, and other reforms. He did not state how the Electoral Bill brought forward in the session of 1878 was withdrawn. I suppose he knew better, tie reviewed some of the measures introduced that session. He dwelt at some length on the Land Tax Bill, and said the electors were in favour of it. Well, Sir, what is their opinion of this child of Mr Ballance’s now, crawling over the length and breadtli of the land in charge of a poor unfortunate nurse, who only received £l2O for nursing it for a tew weeks. Next time it makes its appearance it is no longer a child, but fully matured, and is being presented at Court before taking its place in society. Let us watch the introduction. It is surrounded by a host 0 f patrons, paid by its parent to watch over it with vigilant care ; but what a host of enemies the poor wretch has got. Just look at that mob trying to kick the poor thing out of Court. Bat John Ballance and Lis partisans are too many for them ; however, I am afraid it will o-et its death blow sortie day in spite of all the protecting influences surrounding it. The effect this Land Tax is intended to produce is to break up the largo estates, so as no man may own land over the value of £SOO. In that case, where is the Land Tax to come from, which is so very much needed, and every land owner is so very willing to pay—Ml properties under that value being exempt from taxation. Mr Ballance says he is in favor of liberal laud laws ; that is, he is in favor of giving away all the land along side of the main lines of railway, in ten acre blocks, and selling land on deferred payment. Ob ! how that man does try to* fix no the long pole with the carrot cm the end of it in front of what he considers" the donkies, so that they may run themselves to the death after it, but can never get hold of it. Has tie not advocated these same liberal laws in the Wanganui Herald for years. Has he not been four years a member of the House of Representatives, ami for nearly two years a Minister of the totate. holding what is considered the most influential position in the Cabinet. Has he within that time cVer tried to shorten the pole on which the carrot hangs, so' that the poor donkies might get only a taste of it ? Has he tried to get land for the working man on these liberal terms ? What price has the deferred payment land been selling at ai'ound us 7 Is £7 2s fid per acre a liberal or small price ? Is £l3' 2? fid a liberal or small price? Is that a fulfilment of his specious promises ? Working men take the past as a precedent tor the future. Mr Ballance will, if you give him the chance, still hold up the carrot on the point of the pole ; but, believe me, you will never taste it. Can’t you see, my fellow workmen, that this deterred payment system of selling land is a cruel delusion—that, if there is a section of good land for sale under this system, you are ingeniously set to cutting each other s throats over it. You can see for yourselves, my lellotv ■workmen, si proof of this delusive system on the Momahaki Block. I will point out one instance, but you can find many more. A Mr Hugh Muldrock is settled on two sections he bought on that Block, one section on deferred payment, for which he pays £7 2s fid per acre, the other section he bought for cash at a # little over £3 per acre. The section he paid cash for is equally as good as the deferred payment section. Don’t we all know that as much as £l3 2s fid per acre has been promised for deferred payment land. Is this Mr Ballance’s mode of lifting on high the down-trodden serfs, if so, I do not think they will ever reach a dangerous altitude. Even supposing that Sir George Grey, in some voilent fit, takes Mr Ballance and them by the scruff of their necks, and pitches them down, there is not much fear of their being hurt by falling from such an elevation. Does Mr John Ballance take the workingmen of this colony for donkies. Does he think they will swallow any statement, however absurd, that he choses to make ? If the' working men can’t get out of the mud without Mr Ballance’s assistance, they will remain there until they die. What has he ever done for them ? Promises he has made in abundance, but when he had the opportunity, did he try to fulfil them? Think and judge for yourselves, my fellow workmen, and vote for the candidate who has not deceived yon with promises which he never tried to fulfil. The land-owners are quite willing to pay a land tax, but they don’t want to have the half of it squandered in collecting. There is one class of men who, I believe, must have been benefifctod by Mr Balance’s legislation—that is the storekeepers. I begin to think they mast have bad a better meal off the reduction of the duty on tea and sugar, than we were aware of. I suppose that is the sort of legislation in which the Grey Ministry is accused of trying to set class against class. I was informed the

other day that some of the electors Jut not intend to patronise the storekeepers who were trying to get a member returned to legislate for their hencliis, and theirs only, hat you know. Sir, be done. If legislation is not'tor the general good, the storekeepers will feel the effect along with others.—l am, &c., WiLSON MILNE. Wavarley. August 2(’th, 1879.