SIR GEORGE GREY AT CHRISTCHURCH.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2237, 19 May 1880, Page 2

SIR GEORGE GREY AT CHRISTCHURCH.

Sir George Grey addressed a public meeting in the Oddfellows’ Hall, Christchurch, last evening. The gallery was reserved for the fair sex, and the rest of the building was crowded to overflowing. Dr. Turnbull, President of tho Liberal Peform Association, presided. Sir George, who on rising was received with prolonged and enthusiastic applause, commenced his address by remarking that he was still their representative, although another person had been put in his place by a method which was a deadly stab at tho liberties of the people of New Zealand. (Hear, hear.) He had been ousted as representative of Christchurch contrary to all precedent, contrary to law and the decision of the Judges, by a decision of the House. The votes of 1300 of tho electors of Christchurch had been thrown away. (Cheers.) He pledged himself that every session he would'move that the vote which deprived the electors of Christchurch of their just rights should be expunged from the journals of the House. (Cheers.) It was his duty to do this, in order to defend tho rights of the electors of Hew Zealand which had been outraged in the persons of the electors of Christchurch. He then alluded to the exposure of private telegrams which had been made by the present Premier, in order to damage his predecessors in office. Every letter and telegram he had received he left in his office, and therefore for the present Premier to send and search the telegraph office was an unwarranted act, merely to damage those who had preceded him in office. (Cheers, and cries of “ That is Johnny Hall.”) He denied that he was a stump orator. His object was to teach his fellow-men—to teach them how to rule—and for this reason he did not go to any obscure village under pretence of addressing his constituents. (CLeers.) The people of New Zealand were divided into two classes; one was a selfish clique of monopolists, surrounded by parasites, the other comprised the genuine breadwinners, on whose exertions the future greatness of New Zealand depended. (Hear hear!) Against the former he was at war, because ho believed that it was for the good of the commonwealth that such men should not enrich themselves and their parasites at the public expense. (Cheers) With regard to the Auckland compact, which had been signed by the Premier, he characterised it as iniquitous, and one which would not hear the light. He could assure them that the Auckland people repudiated with scorn the bribe that had been held out to them. He contended it was the bounden duty of those, in power to openly proclaim what they intended to do, and he would venture to say that never, except in Hew Zealand, would it he found that a Premier went away to an obscure village in order to proclaim the intentions of the Government. (Cheers and laughter.)

He had been • wantonly and mercilessly abused, and driven from. office because he refused to play into the hands of private monopolists. He alluded to the position of the Governor, contending that His Excellency should be chosen, by the people, and not by the Secretary of State, and that such an alteration would strengthen rather than weaken the bonds that united the Colony to the Mother Country, With regard to federation, he contended that the federation they ought to seek was the federation of all English speaking communities in the world ; that, if carried out, would put a stop to wars, and unite those communities in one common band, very different from that minor federation which had for its object the assembling of a Federal Parliament in Great Britain, from which laws would issue—a scheme which he believed to be impracticable. Alluding to the necessity of economising the expenditure, he contended that a very considerable saving might be effected with regard to the honorariums paid to Legislative Councillors. Referring to the financial difficulties of the colony he emphatically denied that they were duo to any extravagance on the part of the late administration. The little money they had at their command was devoted to public works, to the intense chagrin of certain opponents who wished to see hundreds of thousands spent in the erection of forts against a mythical invasion. The necessity for taxation arose from the vast sums that had been given to individuals whose lands had been benefitted by the construction of railways, to pay for which those lands ought to be taxed—(cheers), —but instead of which they had been paid out of the public purse. (Hear, hear.) A number of these gentlemen had been placed in the Legislative Council, whilst others had been returned to the House of Representatives by small constituencies, so small that they might almost be termed pocket boroughs. Those people with great meanness shrank from bearing the burdens of tkc State themselves, and endeavored by means of Customs duties to throw them upon the poorer classes, rather than tax the land. Referring the property tax,he characterised it as unjust, It was suggested after one year the property tax would be abolished, and the increased taxation would be [shifted to the Customs duties °so as to spare the land tax, but he did not think the colony would submit to that. (Cheers, and cries of “ Ho, no.”) What lie advocated was an increased land tax and an income tax, so that taxation might fall on the rich as {well as the poor. Rather than tax the land, these men wouldaStop education for the next four or live years, in a similar manner to what had been done in England. lie and his friends were determined that every child in New Zealand should have a chance, and he asked them to stamp out every attempt to deprive the children of the blessings of education. (Cheers.) He contended that the institutions for higher education should be common to every young man in New Zealand who was worthy to receive it. The cardinal points of those now in power were to take the taxes from the land and tax the necessaries of life, and, further, they; would stunt the tree of knowledge. They likewise proposed abolishing the subsidies to local bodies and charitable institutions, which the present Colonial Treasurer had promised when lie advocated the abolition of the provinces. He believed a considerable expenditure might bo saved out of the education vote by doing away with Boards and allowing School Committees to correspond direct with the Minister of Education. He denounced the jobbery which was going on at present with regard to native lands, with the connivance of the Government, The lands, which belonged to the whole of the people of New Zealand, ought to bo kept from greedy speculators. God made the land for men,, intending that they should live upon it, and not that it should be seized upon by n few and then bo let out under such restrictions that those who occupied it should bo held under thrall by those who have got the land. Were they to have repeated here what had taken place in England and Scotland, where sixteen people hold two-thirds of the country and the rest were regarded as serfs ? A pledge should be exacted from the Premier that those lands would be kept open for the people and not reserved for a few speculators. He denounced the property qualification because it favored plural voting and concluded by announcing his determination to presevere in the course ho had taken until his life’s end. (Loud and prolonged cheering.) A resolution proposed by Mr Andrews, expressing regret at tho circumstances which had deprived them of the services of Sir Gcorgo Grey, their thanks for his address, their renewed confidence, and-that they still regarded him as their representative, ■was carried unanimously amidst loud applause. Sir George Grey Laving returned thanks, a vote of thanks to the Chairman, and a brief speech by Mr Montgomery,Member for Akaroa, terminated the proceedings.