ELECTION NEWS. MR. W. KELLY AT TE AROHA.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 218, 3 September 1887, Page 2

EL ECTION NEWS.

MR. W. KELLY AT TE AROHA .

Afit. Wm.-Kblly ai rived at To Aroh-i on Sunday last, nml lias since, 1 accompanied by Mr Jasi. Mills, been actively engaged in canva^ing t!ie district. . ..On W.'dne^-div evening Mr Kelly adl(fre^e4l tho f electors in'.Te Arolu Public Hn\\{.6h wliiull occasion .theie was a la rye gallieiing, numboiing probably over 150 The meeting was announced, by ' poster*,' to coniiriouce at 7.30 p.m., and shortly uftcr that hour Mr A Dow nes whs voted to the chair, who, without any preliminary observation^, opened the proceedings by introducing th<> speaker of the evening to the audience. Mr Kelly said : I am li^re to-night us a candidate to represent theT luranga electorate in the House of IlcpivsentativeK. I have not addressed an audience now i'or nearly two years, and must therefore recij nerft your indulgence. J propone to address you to-night respecting a few of the principal matters of interest now occupying the attention of the country, and lirbt with reßpect to lveticnchment. — I am not in favour of such retrenchment us is proposed by nuny candidate^ uitd which would mean the ! stoppage of roads, railways, and puhlic works generally. I think the first thin<» that should be attacked with a view to retrenchment is the Civil Servant- 1 . In every department (if the Civil Seivicc, there should be reductions, and also amalgamation of offices ; ami L believe a saving of £300,000 to £400,000 could be (made without in the slightest impairing efliciency. ThoMinister ot'Laud«,Treasurer, I and present Government generally are prepared to go in nnd cut down expenses. 1 myse f went into the estimate*, and lind that it was intended th.it large redm-tion-. should be made in till departments by the present Government. Protection. — Wilh regard to protection, if Joed industries are not fostered, and nvmufaetures are not started where will the young imn now growing up find employment? I am in f.ivour of protection, and think it is required. Himself. — f have no axe to grind, have no ambition to contest the seat now, but have voinrj out at the unanimous request of the electors in the district I come tr.mi, on the retirement of Mr Once. On four previous occasions [ have come out as a candidate and boon beaten, but always by a very narrow majority, an! always at the Thames cud of the elector- j ate. Taxation. — T'ais is a question that will crop up invn the. Ilou^e meets. J do not look upon the presont Property Tax as fair at all, as by it impiovements are taxed, Lun in favour of a Laud anil In come Tax. Depression :--Agreat djal w is being said about the deurenhion, but I contend things .ire not nearly so bid as are represented . In 18G8 9th i r>j was fir m >re d >pr e>sion thm now, an 1 the public men did not go roun I ami in m j 'tings, and through tin Probs, cry out about th ; depression a, now. My opponent (Mr Gill), whom I he ml in T.iuranga, m.idu a very poor show, an-I -nit! th-ro w.ts about £3.">,000.00.) or £'.16,000,000 oT debt; and when a^ked ti r the a-sets brought in ,ilrmt £19,000,0 )l) of railways. I 'jontend tho railways of the Colony arc worth I'ro-n £U,o<o,<)o>) to j £18,000,00), but \n addition to th.it there aie millions of acres of Crown land as an asset, and if these were settled on by sni ill fanners, there was no fe.ir for th j country. I think the County Councils in the vaiious places should be constituted Waste L.nd Boirds for their different distiicts. Lmd Settlement. — There are, four land settlement schemes to choose from. The Deferred Payment System was a very admirable system, anil woiked well on the Ei^t Coabt. The Village Settlement Scheme viw initiated by Mr Udhinc"*, an I from what I hear, tIwHJ settled under it are doing remarkably well. When initiated there were a largo number of unemployed in Auckland and elsewhere, and these weie now taken away. The Village Settlemn.t Scheme [provides that each settlor gets £l an acre for improving his land, and so much for putting up a house, etc ; and I think the money could not be belter expended than thus. With respect to the £70,000 said to be expended under this Scheme, when in Auckland Mr Stout said tlu>re w.i 9 only £.'3,000 spent. No doubt some the of settlers will leave the land they have taken up, but others will replace them. As regards the Perpetual Leasing System, a great many knew very little i about it Mr Gill said he was in favour of Sir George Grey's land scheme, for the life of me I cannot see « h^re the difference | is between the present Perpetual Leasing System and Sir George Grey's Scheme. Under the Peipetual Leasing System, you can at the end of six years acquire the freehold of the land at the price at which you took it up, if you have complied with the conditioiHjbut if you let the m ittor run beyond twelve years, you cannot. I Te Aroha. — I wis rather aimzed when around here the other day to see what a nice little town you have got, and everything' looking so prosperous here ; and from what I can .sec you have some very valuable land about. If elected I will be only too happy to come over at any time to assist your local b>dtos in any way 1 can in settling the lands of the district. Mining. — I have been connected with the mining industry more or less, ever since it broke out on the Thanjes. I hope something will be clone to deVelopc the untold riches of the distiict, and should like to see i"i om £25,000 to £50,000 put on the e-.tin.ate--, to bo given as a bonw* for the introduction of a suitable plant for the treatment of or«\ Only £31,000 voted for this department last year, it should be doubled. You h.ive a very good Minister of Mine. If returned I shall take my cue from the most experienced miner's in the place, whom I would get to put their heads together and advise me ; then if a uiuti failed, you could not blame him, and would know what to dj when the next election comes round. Defence. — A very groat reduction could be made in the vote for defence purposes on account of tho Russian scar, which was a mere bagatelle, m there was no danger, uud why should we tax ourselves to keep theni away. Native D 'partm int.— t think this D3partment should be done a.vay with altogether, whereby a largo saving would be effected ; of course ii7,ODO hi 1 to be voted every yo.ir in oonuoe Jon with this

• lopnrtmont, ivliidi could not bo stopped. In ooiiulii-Won I umy say il h 'ny opinion that on the estimates alone -i saving of jrom £400,0J0t0 £509,00) can bj ina.b.

Questions : In reply to various questions, Mr. Kelly said : — .(!.) If returned lie would do his best to get for the thermal springs of this district ;i t'.iir "share of whatever was noing ln'tho shape of votes passed for thermal springs. (2.) lie wm prepared* to support free secular education, a^ against Ijiblc reading iti schools. (3.) Lie would do whit ho could in tin) direction of the completion ot the Thames Te Aroha Railway, and oli the work being started at this end, also of the formation of Thompson's trick, which whs u work lie would wish to see carried out. (4) He would not be in favour of reducing member's sahui's to £lo(), or of the abolishment of free p i-.ses to membji", I but would do what any liberal Government was in favour of. (5 ) Ho woidd if returned, move in the direction of having the sain 3 privileges extended to holders of Town and Suburban Sections, re the purchase of freehold, as wore within the reach of occupiers* under the Perpetual Lease Syscein. (()). In reply to the question, Was he in favour of Locil Option? Mr Kelly said Up thought the residents now had the : right to abolish public houses. On b.;ing ! informed they had not, only of restricting j the number of public house licenses, he K.iid he would uot be in favour of Local ' Option. (7.) In reply to a queiy rejecting the periodical v.ilu itious under thePerpetu.il Leasing System, Mr Kelly said si man has not to pay for his own improvement:*, unless he wi-hes to sell out. (8.) he would pledge himself to generally co-operate with tlie gold-fields members of the Uolony. (9.) In reply to the question, Would he endeavour to do away with the powein accorded Thames Uarb. mr Board to levy rates in the up-oountry districts. Mr Kelly said he tho ight it ft veiy wrong tiling that the Thames Harbour Board should have this power, and would do what he could to do away with it. (A voice: The Thames Haroonr Board have not got any power to levy rates on the upcountry districts, and cinnot $jet it witbout the pausing of a Bill foi that purpose through the House ; but they can lev'} tolls <md fees). No more questions being" isked, Mr J.is. Mills moved tho following resolution, j "That Mr Kelly is a lit and piopor perrou to represent Tauian»a electoiate in the 11-Hise of RepresenUtu'es, aad pledges itself to io «il 1 in its pv>\ver to obtain hU return." Seconded bv Mr J. F. Cocks. Mr J). J. Fra/er moved as an amendment, " That a vote of thanks only be acconlml Mr Kelly." Mr Fia'/.'jr Haul : Although we know Mr | L'jni»;:h has done a good de.d of good, Htill they should remember that he had , d.xio harm to this distiii't by granting the j Th-unes Harbour Board extension of powers, whereby tho navigable portions of livers in Piako and Ohinemuri conntie-*, were now under the jurisdiction of tho Tli.tmps Bo ml ; ami Mr Larnach had done «ft''r assuring a deputatitm tliat waited this upon him on tlin o'T.hiDii of his )a^t visit to TeAroha, tint the matter should not \m dealt with until the Houmo met ; whiht it was only reasonable to snpjv»sn \\* must hive.knowu tint tho »*\tonded powers sought f'H bv'Lham^ would lie gi.mu'd, if not actually piomisod even fieri. With referorifi; to Mr (rill, he was of opinion that he spoke very fail ly of tlie present (Jovorjimont. ! Mr Fraz^r's amTulm^nt '>emu: i-n-nndiMl by Mr G. l)'vi»y, jun., it wm put h> the chairnriu to the m jet ing, an I twelve h<i»ids were held up in its fiv>ur. Tho chuirmn tl\(M-v put tho minimi resolution for which about '20 to 25 h m.ls w-ti h<-l I up. Tho chaiimin li iviirjf d 'claro I tln> vote of couriienco cirriol, th j unetin^ closod with a vote of tinn'cs to the chair.