Mr W. Kelly, M.H.R., at Te Aroha.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 376, 12 June 1889, Page 2

Mr W. Kelly, M.H.R., at Te Aroha.

On Saturday evening last, Mr W. Kelly, M.11.X, for Tiuranga, addressed his constituents in this portion of the electorate in Te Arohi Public Ha.ll. Tlio weather was very wet and boiitTOii", and only some i'oity five adults put in an appearance, all residents at Te Aroha ; no representatives from Waiorongomai, and other adjacent out districts being present. The hour for commencing had been fixed at 8 p.m., but owing to the few then present, it wns half-an-hour Inter before a arai t was made. On the motion oC Mr C. A. Comes, seconded bj Mr W.llethrington, Mr Edward Gallagher was voted to the chair ; aud opened the meet.ng by stating th »y lmd come together (o hear Mr Kelly give an account of his stewardship, and he hoped those present would give him a patient hearing:, etc. Mr Kelly then came forward and said : This is the first opportunity I have had of meeting the electors at Te Aroha since the last general election. Very little was accomplished b}' Parliament during the Seßbion of 1887, beyond pieparing for the * Session that followed. The principal Bill passed during the 1837 Session was the Land Bill. This Bill waa well adapted for settlement, and I am sorry to say it has not been brought into operation in several parts of tha Colony. Unless land was fust proclaimed by Government and then handed over to the Waste Lands Board, they (the Board) could not deal with it under the provisions of this Act. In the Bay of Plenty I have tried to induce the Government, with respect to several blocks of land, to havo it declared open under the new Land Act, but instead it has boon put up for sale under the old Act for cash, been bought for speculation (and a good pi ice' paid for some of it) and lies idle. If the same land had been put up under the new Lvnd Act, men who were anxious to get some of it for settlement could have done so under the perpetual lease system. When I return to Wellington, 1 will try to have the Act of 1887 put in force with respect to land all over tho Colony. Apology : I wish to apologise for not coming to address the electors at Te Aroha earlier. When I returned from Wellington I promised some Natives to go prospecting into the King country, and was there for several weeks, got a severe wetting and waa laid up for six weeks, after which I went to fulfil another engagement to visit the Urewera country, prospecting ; and tried to induce the Natives to allow prospecting to be earned on in that country, and it is expected arrangements will shortly W nuuie to do bo. 1 took smno of the iro'd o-t— tainod in the Urowci.i counliy t.) Mr Ponii, who pronounced the gold to be of very inferior quality, having a lot of silver with it, buthe (Pond), thought if gold was £ot ( in that district at all, there would probably