Page 8 Advertisements Column 1

Southland Times, Volume I, Issue 74, 18 November 1864, Page 8

- •. . - Election Notices. TO W. H. CALDER, ESQ.. INVERCARG-ILL. Sl^—We, 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 ProTincial 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. MAROHANT L. TOWLBY: • ISAAC BROAD HENRY JAGGERS .- RALPH SHAW , F. HALOLTON W. H. BRAYTON T. HEMINGWAY ROBERT CLEAVE nl r. ; : JOSEPH HATCH ; l v ; «;-•. JNO. MUNRO J. HARNETT J;P. JOYCEr K.''OI^AJCKB .-. WM. &AIIT3IWAITE '. .'" • _ WILLIAM ROBERTSON yr, :<:;i JOSEPH; STOCK JOHN KINGSLAND .■'i--^v-fc;ißf>GßAiljrGEß:.' . THOMAS ROBSON P. H. GEISOW . - GERHARD MUELLER JABEZIHAY ' G. GObDWrLLIE E. HARGtN WMJiiOOKHART ■ : WM. GRANGER WM. BLACKWOOD ',' JOHN MORTON GEORGE SAUNDERS WM. P. GBIGOR. InTercwgilV Sept. 29, 1864. To Mcsrs. HARVEY, RUSSELL, and SMYTH, - and the other Gentlemen signing the Requisition. Gbktlbmbk, ; Before: replying to the Requisition you have honored me. with, I briefly premise that until 'irithln thVl&9t fevr days I had concluded not to offer myself for re-election. Those Mends and electors who know me, will understand that no disrespect was intended in riot replying sooner ; and to those who have had any such idea conreye'd 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 it imperative at this Critical period of our history that every candidate seeking the suffrages of the electors should be thoroughly understood. Glancing hastily at the past, f may state that I took a leading part in •upporting the establishment of an escort at the breaking out of ths Wakatip'u goldfields ; and had the* 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 our waste, lands 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 | : Tfas, to say the least, extremely hazardous. I 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 Roads Ordinance. Thi3 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 hy the Provincial Council for Education — to be allocated to the various districts under certain conditions — and would therefore only give my support to an Education Ordinance that excluded taxation, and was simply directory in its provisions. There are a host of other questions which it is impossible to enter on in a newspaper address, my views upon which I may take an oppor- . tunity of explaining before the day of nomination. I cannot, however, omit the mention of our railways, and of our extraordinary financial position. • To oppose 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 Invercargill Railway, contending that the opening up of the interior was of infinitely greater importance than the "hobby" of a railway parallel with very fair water communication ,- but on the other hand, I think it would be equally insane not to stretch every nerve to complete it, after the 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 would puzzle the furthest-sighted to predict our powers or position in this respect twelve, or even Bix, months hence. Everything depends on the action of the General Assembly j but if our land | revenue is not attached for colonial purposes, I thera is a hope of escape for us. Presuming we ! are left in possession of this, I would agitate, the j ■ reduction of land to its former price, as a funda- ' '= ' mental reauisite in pi»n of re b'ef, and if obtained, iupporfctheiollowing policy.:— Entire proceeds to be tie voted tor-first, J the payment of unsecured outstanding liabilities ; second, interest and sinking fund on debentures abready issued j and the balance, if any, mainly in pushing forward internal communication. ,;.-.. The revenue derivable from the three-eighths of ' '■" CwUhob;^licenses, • assessments, &0., should be made to cover absolutely all departmental expenditure; and to say that this latter is impossible, ! Qt even impracticable, seems ridiculous l with only a population to govern of some 8000 ; especially •when it is considered that we derive a large Customs revenue from our connection with district* beyond the Province, which costs nothing in eoxerniag. I -will only furtuer refer to the ' question of the Superintendflney — I am opposed to the extreme powers claimed by His Honor the present Superintendent, and if elected aa your 'representative, would oppoae the election to that oJttie of any one who did not give without reservation" the most solemn pledge to act only in . iKjoordatxce with the vnll of the majority of hio Executive, in ' oil matters not delegated by the Governor. The Bill passed* in February Seauion ' "of Council had this for ita object, and did not interfere mth. the delegated powers of "the Super- - iafcendent, nor am I • awuro' of a single resolution • of th© Council attempting to do bo. And thanking you for your conMcmcd in tlie pant, and for $he pwwnt ieqro«t«w»» %m> )