Mr. McDonald at Gisborne.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume IX, Issue 1008, 6 December 1881, Page 2

Mr. McDonald at Gisborne.

On Saturday night last Mr. McDonald wasted an hour and a half of valuable time, in Mr. McFarlane’s Hall, in attempting to say something about the coming election. From what we could make out of the incoherences of the speaker it was to this effect: —

Mr. McDonald said that, on the previous occasion when he addressed the electors, it was for the purpose of telling them what he had done in the Assembly; now he intended to tell them what he was going to do. The other three candidates for this constituency, had said they would support the present Government; but for his part he decidedly said he would not support them. He thought he should not do the electors justice if he did support them—in fact he said he would not support this or any other Government. Mr. McDonald then dived into a sea of figures, attempting to give a reason why, through the faultiness of Major Atkinson’s Financial Statement, the Government were not worthy of confidence ; but we candidly confess our inability to follow him. He condemned the “four rats,” who had gone from theii- party allegiance, by leaving the Grey faction ; but gave no reason for ratting himself, and so help the Hall party to power. The fact of every working man having a vote, he attributed to the Grey party ; in fact all the Liberal measures passed by the present Government, were due to the Opposition. He again repeated the old mis-statement that he did not vote against the Native Land Rating Bill ; and said he was proud of the amount of influence he swayed in Parliament, for it was his vote on Mr. Ormond’s motion that shelved the Bill, notwithstanding which, he persisted in the contradiction that he did not vote against it. With regard to the £75,000 voted last session for the unemployed, he told the meeting that he thought he might as well go in for a share of it, although he did not say he thought it was wanted in this district for the purpose for which it was intended. He condemned the employment by the Government of Natives in the prosecution of Public Works, and had only that day heard that Natives were working on the Ruakaturi Block. He regretted having supported the present Property Tax, for he considered that Auckland paid more in taxes than Canterbury, and he should in future vote for a Land and an Income Tax, an astonishing statement which was received with approbation by a few of his hearers, others said it was all gammon. Mt. McDonald said he brought in a Bill to reduce the price of land. It passed the second reading, but Mr. Rolleston said the measure was not wanted. The speaker got rather more mixed than before, and said something relating to the absurdly low prices at which the lands of Hawke’s Bay had been sold ; instancing Mr. Nairn's and other properties. He then made a dart at the Liberal party coming again into power, and carried his recollection back to his leaving home at the age of 13, since when he had got his own living, adding the somewhat remarkable fact that he had fully made up his mind t_o do so for tho future. So noble and self-sacrificing a determination secured

a good round of applause. The wild rabbits occupied a portion of Mr McDonald’s address. He did not approve of the £lO,OOO voted for their extermination, and trod on the corns of his Southern friends by saying that if people will hold runs they should keep the rabbits down at their own expense, and not tax the country for it. He did not, however, allude to the cost the Colony is put to, to keep it clear of scab. Mr Gannon had said that the Rating Bill was not a good measure ; but he (Mr McDonald) had taken Mr Stout’s opinion on the matter (rather a strange thing for an M.P. to do), and he would prefer that gentleman's opipion'to Mr Gannon’s. He then floundered Somewhat between thp proposed harbour and the breakwater, lamenting the .ultimate loss of the Bill. Mr McLean interjected that it was “ a good *jbb too; and Mr McDonaldjntro'duced the usual red herring*by st'ating that “the result of “the--poll would-show whether we * A want-a • harbor- _ar not.” Finding •himself-a-little out of his depth in the harbor, MrMcDonald took a fight into the. Upper House, which he thought should be an elected body, the members of which should go to their constituents as he had to do. Having rested a while on this subject, he took another dive into the harbour, and stated that Mr Davies had undertaken to build a breakwater for £50,0()0. Mr Barker reminded the speaker that Mr Davies was to get £50,000 worth of land; and Mr McDonald finally left the subject by declaring, in reply to Mr McLean, that he did not care if tho £50,000 represemed 200,000 acres of land or not, and that he would have a harbor at any price. He then took cover under the Bill, expressing his opinion that had he been in the Upper House, it would have passed. He said it was not fair to tax us in the north for railways* down south ; and complained that both his private and public character had been attacked on account of his connection

with the Land Company ; what Mr McDonald’s meaning was is not quite clear, but his words were “ I don’t be- “ lieve in any Company,” and then proceeded to say that Mr DeLautour had pressed him to become a Director for 12 months, to which pressure he ultimately yielded, being persuaded that so many thousands of pounds would flow into this district, in consequence, and it would not be his duty to keep so much money out of it. This clap-trap statement was duly applauded, and Mr McDonald went on to say that if he found the Land Company interfering with the rights of private persons, he should resign—we suppose as a Director. He found that most of those who cried out loudest A about him and the Land Company, are now forming a Land Company of their own in Auckland, amongst whose names he found those of Mr. Robert Cooper and Mr. Samuel Locke. He said he “ would assist them ” —query who ?—to get lands out of the hands of the Natives. He had never interfered with private interests, although Mr. Graham had said so, he supposed because he bought shares in the Whataupoko block that Mr. Graham was trying to get. Whatever Government is in power he will support, if he considers they do gooa to the district. One Government to him was as good as another (he might have added “and a good deal better ") and he said, “ I shall stick to the Liberal party, but shall support any Government, so long as I can do so without' injury to myself. The runholders, Mr. McDonald declared, were dead against him, which he took as proof of his success, but success in what direction, was not stated. He declared that if he did not “ go in for Liberal measures,” it would be the duty of the electors not to put him in again. He explained, not sufficiently lucid to report, as to the benefit the Land Company would be to this district, and the “good terms” it made by converting shares into scrip ; and finished by stating it would be the electors’ own fault, if they return a candidate who will not support Liberal measures, In reply to questions Mr McDonald said he was not in favor of Denominational Education, nor in favor of any Bible being read in schools. He was opposed to insular separation, and would not “ Nationalize” the land, but give it to the people. He made the most sensible remark, and a good hit in reply to a question if he was in favor of the present system of Government pensions. He said he was opposed to it. He thought Government official# should look after themselves by economising their “ wages,” and he saw no reason for making an exceptional law in their favor, which gave them an advantage over anyone else. What difference, asked Mr McDonald, ( * ought it to make w’hether they work “ for the Government, or whether “ they work for me ” ? If a Land Board were established here, he would see that individuals did not possess unlimited areas of land. Mr McLean asked Mr McDonald if he thought any man would undertake to build a breakwater for £50,000, to which he replied that he did not care if the contractor would do it. The questioner was not satisfied with the answer, but he was prevented by the noise from obtaining a better one. With regard to the £20,000 which I he takes credit for having got the Government to. place on the estimates for this district Mr McDonald read from I Hansard the remarks made by Mr I Hall while speaking on the Harbor Bill. It was obviously intended to show that he, Mr McDonald, was so

constant in his watchfulness over the interests of his constituents that he lost no opportunity to remind Government of the fact. Mr McDonald, having finished reading, was requested by Mr McLean to read on, but he did not do so. In reply to Mr McLean Mr Me Donald was forced to i admit that the people of this district are indebted to the Hon. Major Atkinson and Mr McKerrow, the Surveyor General, for the £20,000 placed on the estimates. In reply to other questions Mr McDonald said he did not care whether the electors were “ pint pot men ” or not, so long as they voted for him. He would do his best to get the bankruptcy law altered, so that every working man would be paid. He was in favor of the working man having his pint of beer on Sundays, but was opposed to the Gaming and Lotteries Act.

Mr R. Cooper ascended, the platform, amid much applause, and remarked on what Mr McDonald had said about the Land Company; for his part he thought the more Land Companies there were the better; twenty would not be too many if they were properly and judiciously conducted. The great evil of them would be in their working one against the other. He dare say he was as bad as the rest, and he held to the motto, “ die dog or eat the hatchet.” With regard to the new company to which Mr McDonald alluded, he was only the representative of it, and his instructions were not to interfere with the East Coast Company. Mr Whitaker knew no more about the new company than Mr McDonald himself ; he is only the solicitor to the Company. (Murmurs of dissent.) Mr. Cooper began to explain that the new Company would be conducted on the Building Society principle, and requested the Chairman to read the prospectus of it, which he produced, but this was resented by the meeting, as not being the object for which it had been called. Mr File moved a vote of confidence in Mr Allan McDonald, and called on the electors to pledge themselves to secure his return. This was announced amidst cheers and hootings. He considered we ought to support the Liberal or Grey party. Mr McDonald had acted consistently throughout, and his being blamed because he did not “ rat ” was paltry. His past career had been straightforward and honest, and was a sufficient guarantee for the future. The Ministry were evidently afraid of Mr McDonald. He had helped to get them manhood suffrage ; and it was the duty of the working men to support him. This was seconby Mr McKenzie. Mr O. Gallagher proposed a vote of thanks, and no confidence. Seconded by Mr Barker, who wanted to know what “ this man ” had done for us that we should place confidence in him. The confusion and uproar became general, and beyond the Chairman’s control. Silence being temporarily restored, the original motion was put and declared carried by a- large majority, the announcement of which was received with deafening shouts, cheers, and groans. A large number did not vote either way, while some held up two hands for both the amendment and the motion. Three cheers were then given for the candidate, and the usual vote of thanks to the Chairman concluded the first badly-conducted, one sided meeting yet held in Gisborne; and our reporter sighed with relief from the infliction of having to put into readable shape the disconnected jumble of words of which the address was composed.