PRE-SESSIONAL ADDRESS.

Te Aroha News, Volume VII, Issue 477, 4 June 1890, Page 5

PRE-SESSIONAL ADDRESS.

Auckland, May 30. Mr F. Lawry, M.H.R., addressed the electors in the new hall near Howick on Thursday evening. There was agood attendance, Howick, Paparoa, and Eakuranga being well represented. Mr John Smith was voted to the chair. Mr I.awry was well received, and during the delivery of a lengthy address obtained a patient hearing, and was frequently applauded. Speaking of the education system, he said that it- was a good system, and nothing must be done to impair the efficiency of primary education, and he believed the country would set its face against any increased vote for even primary education, whilst the cost of secondary education must be subject to sweeping reductions, which should bake precedence of any reduction in the cost of the primary system. (Applause.) Mr Lawry also spoke of the difficulty of effecting retrenchment, bub emphatically declared that the country would yet recognise that only the initial step had been taken, and no administration would be secure bhatdidnotfearlessly grapple with the question, and any Ministry effecting necessary retrenchment would have the country at its back. (Applause.) Speaking of projected public works, Mr Lawry said ho would oppose the expenditure of any large sum of money that might be necessary for a beneficial work in his own district, because he was satisfied that it could not be obtained without forming an unholy alliance to help in securing large expenditure for works the execution of which might well be delayed for years; and unless we remained satisfied for a time with the completion of work for which sums are already voted, we should most assuredly at no distant date be face to face with the necessity of raising another large loan. (Applause.) The electoral law of the colony was dealt with at considerable length, but great reforms are still necessary, for instance, the speaker strongly denounced the ' present system of open nominations at the hustings, pointing out that it entailed a useless expenditure on the part of the Government, a needless waste of the time of the electors. That generally all the bitterness of an electoral contest was engendered at those nominations. That the candidates indulged in were personalities, or made speeches on matters previously threshed out; but-, above all, it was a direct violation of the spirit of the ballot for a body of electors to indicate by a show of hands at a legally constituted meeting the man for whom they intended bo record their vote, or if they did nob violate the spirit of the ballot they stultified themselves perhaps for the sake of interest, by holding up their hand for a candidate and afterwards voting against him. The system under which the nominations lor local elections were taken was infinitely bitter, (Applause.) Mr Lawry dealt with numerous other questions, being especially strong in urging upon the meeting to resist any attempt that might bo made to foist any of the liabilities of local bodies on to the colony. Mr Lawry resumed his seat amidat loud applause. The Chairman briefly reviewed the salient points of the address, after which some questions were replied to, and on the motion of Mr James Lindsay, seconded by Mr Macky, a hearty vote of thanks for the address and confidence in their member was passed unanimously. A vote of thanks to the Chairman was passed by acclamation.