THE PREMIER AT NAPIER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1615, 2 August 1887, Page 3

THE PREMIER AT NAPIER.

"Sir Robert Stout addressed a public .meeting at tbe Gaiety Theatre, Napier, on Saturday night. The building was crowded, and Sir Robert was received enthusiastically. He claimed that the ; policy of the Government was retrenchment, and the three l, D's"—Distribution of property to prevent it accumulating in a few hands, Distribution of land to prevent it remaining with the large holders, /lid Diffusion of education. He said the •policy of the Opposition was one to import Kaffir labor, to reduc* wages, and ../in raising revenue to tax the moneys of workiDg people, and to tax through the Customs what the working classes consumed, knocking off taxation upoo such things as silks, satins, laces, ate, only used by wealthy people. In support of his contention as to wages, he said that ten dayß ago, on either the Tuesday or Wednesday before he left for Auckland, the New Zealand Times stated that no working man ought to be paid more than ,', ' five or six shillings a day, whether for • skilled or unskilled labor. This was greeted with cries of "Produce the paper," • "Read the .statement," but Sir Robert * referred his hearers to the files of the papers at the Athenajum. The conclusion of the speech was an appeal in favor of education primary and secondary, which .Was received with thunders of npplause. ' X vote of confidence ia the Government was carried,'there being no opposition.

[By Telegraph.] A special correspondent telegraphing from Napier yeßt«rdny says : The Premier had an enthusiastic reception on Saturday night, 1700 being present at thp meeting. He made a splendid

defence of the Government administration, ' of the Tariff Proposals, Land Acquisition, and Civil Service Bill?,.; of the Tillage ' Settlements,and especia'ly of the education 5 BystetD, and a vote of thinks to the speaker and confidence in the Govemmeat was passed amid tremendous applanse. A num- ' ber of' rakiDg questions were asked and answered to the satisfaction of the majority at the meeting. Mr Ivess was , ; culled for and said a, few word?, and was warmly cheered. The Premier chaffed the Herald for blunders, but it made another attack on him this morning.