Page 4 Advertisements Column 1

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 70, 9 November 1864, Page 4

Election Notices. TO W. ,H. CALDER, ESQ.. INTERCARGILL. . : SIR, — Wo, the undersigned, Electors of the Town of Invercargill, hereby request you to allow yourself to be nominated a Candidate for the Representation of the Town in the ./Provincial Council, feeling that your long experience in tho Province admirably qualifies you for that position. JAMES HARVEY WILLIAM RUSSELL ALEX. JERUSALEM SMYTH * WM. PETTIGREW A. S. CAMPBELL WILLIAM STUART PETER DALRYMPLE C. H. REYNOLDS SAMUEL BEAVEN W. A. MARCHANT L. TOWLEY ISAAC BROAD HENRY JAGGERS , RALPH SHAW P. HAMILTON W. H. BRAYTON T. HEMINGWAY BOBEBT CI/BAVB , JOSEPH HATCH JNO. MUNJRO J. HARNETT J. P. JOYCE G. M. K. CLARKE WM. GARTHWAITE WILLIAM ROBERTSON JOSEPH STUCK JOHN KINGSLAND T. It GK.ANGUK, THOMAS ROBSON 1\ ii. GEIaOW GERHARD MUELLER JAJ3EZ HAY* Gr. GOQDWILLIE E. HARGIN WM. hOCKSAUT WM. GRANGER WM. BLACKWOOD JOHN MORTON GEORGE SAUNDERS WM. P. GRIGOR, Invercargill, Sept. 29, 1864. To Messrs. HARVEY, RUSSELL, and SMYTH, and the other Gentlemen signing the Requisition. Gestlkhek, Before replying to the Requisition you have honored me with, I briefly premise that until within the last few days I had concluded not to offer myself for re-election. Those friends and electors -who know mo, will understand that no disrespect was intended in not replying sooner $ and to those "who have had any such idea conTeyed to them by misrepresentation or otherwise, I frankly apologise. Your member for several years, my views on the principal topics open for colonial and provincial discussion may probably be generally known ; however this may be, I hold ifc imperative at this critical period of pur history that every candidate seeking the suffrages of the electors should be thoroughly understood. Glancing hastily at the past, I may State that I took a leading part in supporting the establishment of an escort afc the breaking out of thj Wakatipu £ol ifields ; and had tho Government of the day acceded to the urgently expressed wishes of the people, I am persuaded that this Province would now have been in a vastly different position than it is. The present unsatisfactory relations between the General Government and the Provincial Governments of the Middle Island cannot long continue, and though beyond the immediate scope of Provincial politics, the question of separation of the two islands, if it should arise, would meet with my unqualified support. Twice during the life of the late Council, the expediency of increasing the price of ovr waste lauds was raised by the Executive Goveanment. I strongly opposed it then on the same ground as I now condemn the recent rise— viz., that its price was the principal inducement we possessed to attract a permanent population. Unlike Otago or Canterbury, we had neither goldfields nor a wealthy population, and to imitate these provinces — except in energy — was, to say the least, extremely hazardous. I fear the result will be fatal, unless the evil is speedily removed. Most of the Ordinances now in operation require modification, and several, perhaps, entire repeal — more particularly the annual- value-to-let clause in the Road 3 Ordinance. This principle, doubtless right in the abstract, is yet totally inapplicable to our circumstances, and met my determined opposition at the time of its introduction. I am in favor of an annual sum being voted by the Provincial Council for Education — to be allocated to the various districts under certain conditions — and would therefore only give my j Bupport to an Education Ordinance that excluded taxation, and was simply directory in its provi- i sions. - There are a host of other questions which it i 3 impossible to enter on in a newspaper ad- i dress, my views upon which I may take an opportunity of explaining before the day of nomination I cannot, however, omit the mention of our railtrays, .and of our extraordinary financial position. Tooppose the introduction of railways when circumstances warrant, would stamp the opposer with insanity ; but because our circumstances did not warrant'it, I opposed the Bluff Harbor and Invercargili Railway, contending that the opening up of the interior wa3 of infinitely greater importance than the "hobby" of a railway parallel < with T6TT fair water communication ; but on the other hand, I think it would be equally insane not i to stretch every nerve to complete it, after the j expenditure of nearly two hundred thousand ; pounds. The financial difficulty is of course the great impediment in the way of this ; and viewing the present troubled state of New Zealand affairs, it wonld puzzle the furthest-sighted to predict our ! powera or position in this respect twelve, or even j six, months hence. Everything depends on the action of the General Assembly ; but if our land revenue is not attached for colonial purposes, there is a hope of escape for us. Presuming we are left in possession of this, I would agitate the reduction of land to its former price, as a fundamental requisite in plan of relief, and if obtained, support the followiag policy : — Entire proceeds to he devoted to — first, the payment of unsecured oatst&ztd'mg liabilities ; second, interest and sinking fond on debentures already issued j and the balance, if any, mainly in pushing forward internal communication. The revenue derivable, from the three-eighths of Cnstoms, licenses, aaseesments, Sec., should be made to cover absolutely all departmental expenditure; and to say that this latter is impossible, or even impracticable, seems ridiculous with only & population to govern of some 8000 ; especially when it is considered that we derive a large Coetoms revenue from our connection with districta bejoxiA 'Cue j*M>>inee, winch, costs nothing in goxerning. -1 will only Surlier riger to flic quotum of the Superiniendency — 1 am opposed to the extreme powers claimed by His Honor the present Superintendent', ami if elected as your representative, vrould oppose the election to that oßire of any one who did not give without reaervation the. moat solemn pledge to act only in accordance with, the will- of --the majority of his Executive, i» all matters not deleg&ted hjthv Governor, TJte Ujfl passed in February B&onon of Council had this for its object, and did not interfere yrithib/} delegated powers of the Superintendmt, nor am I avrareof a single resolution of&ut CornieU 'attempting to do »o. And thankjug y<m for your eonfidmw in the pasfc r and for the iprmut requisition, I zxn,