MR. G. W. RUSSELL AT WAIHOU. WAIKATO ELECTION.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 221, 24 September 1887, Page 2

MR. G. W. RUSSELL AT WAIHOU.

WAIKATO ELECTION.

Said his veto will be given in favour cf keeping in the present Government, whose land policy lie specially approved of, nevertheless he held himself free to join nny new party thnt might be formed. Ho thought lie had sufficient common sense to steer himself clear amongst the men who would be in tho House. If returned he would give the head of the Mines Department £100,000 a year for expenditure. He would give a man half a million if necessary to find a piocess to treat refractory ores satisfactoiily. He deprecated the expenditure on defence. They (his hearers) must judge whether Mr Whyte or himself wns the most likely to carry out retrenchment ; he thought a man like himself, however, would he the more likely. Mr Russell referred at long th to Veile's schemes, reading snatches here and there from addresses and letter^ published by Mr J. B. Whyte, and laboured hard to represent that gentleman as very inconsistent in his actions, and an opponent of railway reform ; in doing so he, however, paid a very high compliment to Mr Whyte, and the respect and influence he commands in the House by declaring if they wanted Veile's scheme- they must ke^p Mr Whyfce out of-tho House, ns if returned members would come to him and want infonnatiou on the subject from him and his influence would be felt very considerably in tho House. He stood before them as a Protectionist, and said a very large proportion of the £6,000,000 or £7,000,000 annually sent out of the colony, with proper protection, and were industries established might be kept in the c6untry. The policy New Zealand should lay itself out tor n;»s so ns not to inipoit manufjictuied goods at all. (Mr Russell

here quoted Canada as an instance in. favour of protection). Keferring to the land question, — He believed the future private ownership of land would he done awny with. Touching on the hi hour question, he referred in a very snroistie tone of voice to working men attaching themselves to the farms, and being slaves of llie owners of the soil, and asked "what hope <r ambition a Mian could have who win only an uppendagc of the soil, [Je also inferred in strong loiius to woiking men submitting to reduction of wages, and to the yaltnj Ji GO, OOO or i! 70,000 inclined in connection with Village Sctilemcnts by Mr Ballanee. Koadm^ I'ioni the report of Mr Whytes recent address at N&aruawahia, Mr Jiusacll bt.itcd th.it at last it would appear as though Mr Wliyto had a policy, just three weeks before llie election and ho took the credit to himself (the speaker) of devising a policy for Mr. J. U. Wliyto as in two of i»d planks it closely resembled his own (This sally caused great amusemeht to many present). The result of the meeting was reported in our columns last week.