MR A. E. G. RHODES AT TEMUKA.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1731, 1 May 1888, Page 2

MR A. E. G. RHODES AT TEMUKA.

The questions put to Mr Rhodes at lomoka last Friday evening were as follows;

Mr J. J. Heap ; la it a fact that you went to sleep, as reported in Hansard at last session, daring a debate to the interest of our constituency, and bad to to be propped up by Vogel 1 (Laughter). - Mr Rhode* said it was very possible he went to sloop, but never when he ought to be looking after the interests of his cob* stituents. He certainly bad not been at any time propped up by Sir Julias Vogel. Mr T. Palmer : Do you think it a wise policy to e-set the rabbit fanes in the Mackenzie Country t—Mr Rhodes said he thought it wae. Mr Palmer asked whether there Were not rabbite 10 miles on this side of thn fence. Did they want to muster theth J —(laughter)—or did they object to the Otago rabbit* mixing with the Canterbury ones I (Laughter). How long would it take the rents of thejtfacksnzie Country runs to pay for the fence t—Mr Rhodes said he was afraid others beside the rnuboldsra would have to bear a share of the tax for the fence. He believed that all persona having over 500 sheep would have to pay rates for seven or eight years to pay for the fence, but the district was not defined yet. The leesae would fall due ia two years, and no doubt tie new lessees would allow for this tax when tendering for the new leasee.

Mr Palmer said that was hot an answer to his question. Hs wished to know how long it would take the rents from the present leases to pay for the fence I—Mr Rhodss said it would take about five months. Mr Palmer : Is it fair that settlers down here should have to pay for fencing the squatters’ runs, and thou not have even a rabbit to eat ? (Laughter)—Mr Rhodes said he thought settlers might very well forego ibo pleasure of eating rabbits if they could bs got rid of. Mr Palmer: What good is the fence when there are rabbite on the north side of it ?-Mr Rhodes said all reports agreed that there were no rabbite nerth of the f sues.

Mr Palmar : I can prove it. Mr Rhodes sa<d the fence was decided on btfore lie waa elected. Mr Palmer said it was a wilful waste of public money to squander it in that way. Mr E. Lee; Mr Rhodes, coaid you inform this meeting what revenue Government is receiving from foes paid by bankrupts, and if it is a fact that Government connive at fraudulent bankruptcy because of the fees!—Mr Rhodes said he did not know the total amount the Government derivsd from bankruptcies, but roughly speaking they got from £8 to £lO per bankruptcy. He certainly did not think the Government connivsd at fraudulent bankruptcy for the sake of getting fees.—Mr Gee thought so. They got £30,000 or £40,000 a year by it. Mr Lee: Would you be in favor of abolishing the law of bankruptcy Mf not, would you be in favor of so amending the Act that when a debtor finds he is unable to meet or pay bis debts he must call a meeting of his creditors, and lay a statement before them, before feeing a lawyer with hia creditors money, and give the powor solely to his creditors whether a lawyer administer the estate or not, seeing many small estates are entirely swallowed up by lawyers' expenses, which would pay handsome dividends if these expenses were not incurred 2 Would you be in favor of amending the Act that unless a debtor' files for more than £SOO he be not protecied to the amount of £25 of house-, hold goods, seeing so many file for sums considerably under £IOO, thereby defrauding small creditors and small tradesmen when they ars well able topty those debts if not protected to the amount of £25 | And would you so amend the Act that if a debtor does not within six months from the time of filing apply for his discharge, it shall be deemed a criminal action and reader him liable to be imprisoned for not less than six months, for as the Act stands at present no man can be punished for fraudulent bankruptcy until he applies for his discharge, and at present there are hundreds who have never applied for their discharge I—Mr Rhodes said there was an agitation going on at present in favor of amending it, sod would support any amendment he could approve of, but was not prepared to say he would abolish ' it. It was a question that required a good deal of consideration.- As to lawyers’ fees in small estates, he thought it ought to bo left to the option of the Official Assignee. In Magistrates' Courts fees were not allowed in small cases, and the a*me mlo might be applied to bankruptcy. He would not favor abolishing the exemption of £25, and bo certainly thought it ought to be made compulsory for a bankrupt to apply for hia discharge within certain limits.

Mr Lee ; Seeing that our charitable aid is coating £200,000 a year, would you be in favor of adopting the English Poor Law Act, the one brought in by Lord Morpeth, and establiah eniona f When tbia Act was brought into force in England about the year 1847 there were 11 paupers and 6 criminals, or 16 per seat, but in less thse 16 years this number had been reduced two-thirds, owing to the Act bsing passed. 1 think, at (be same time, ths name of whoever should bo receiving charitable aid should be published and displayed at every Road Board office throughout New Zealand, seeing that at present, if wo ere to believe public prints, that charitable aid is greatly abused, and persons are receiving it who are act. worthy of it. In continuing to apeak on thiijsubject, Mr Las said that Sergt, Carlyon had reported that a woman who had £I2OO of freehold property was receiving charitable aid. He also said there ware, able men in this district receiving it who had no right to it.—Mr Rhodes aaid he was not acqusinted with Lord Morpeth’s Act, but would be willing to give s trial to any Act that wonld reduce pauperism by two-thirds. It was within the option of the Boards to give or refuse charitable aid.

Mr Lse: In your political address yon said you would be in favor of granting a Tenants’ Right Act. The present Government are in favor of encouraging capital to coma into the country and establishing a good ysomenry class of settlers. 1 believe that the greatest drawback to that cUss not coming to the New ZsaUnd is because we have no Tenant*’ Right Act, wi-ereby tenants can be paid for improvement done, to land in tb|s country. X wv a case in tbe Canter-

bury Times which bore on this sebject. A tenant farmer In Ireland, under Lord Ashbourne’s Act, fot for his tenant right on a farm of 50 sens, rent about £42 a year, the nm of £630 by public auction, and I know that In this’country hundreds of formers took up land under a purchssin <; clause, but through 'depressed times tiny were unable to take advantage of the purchasing clause, and they lost their l»h : l and all thdir improrements thereon. K i-.v if these men ; ha<?* been under a T iants’ Bight Act iuao’y'of them would freehold fame at present, for many of the landowners would not have been ab's to have paid tbsro for their improve* merits, and they would have been bound to have made aatisfactory arrangements wi h these men,; and many of tbam would not have been rained ss they were. He alio mentioned that he kne w himself where a uuo spent £6o,in, fencing e farm of 40 iters* and got nothing for it, and ha had spent £3OO on : Martin’s place and get no bing for it.—Mr -Rhodee said ha had not said in his addr.au he was in favor of it. It would be diflcnlt to get any aeeh measure passed now, considering the contending interests.. that stood in tbs wty. As a matter of fact, ho thought there was a Teaante* Right Act in forea in the colony in respect to the native leases. •

Mr Bolton; Ae thecoleey miy havn to pay considerable sums of .monsy on eooonnt of Midland Railway land- not fetching XOe per acre, his any.provteipn been made to prevent the cdihpauy .fftyn making largo quantities; of Und: into the market, and thereby rendering, it:..very unlikely that 10* per acre-will' be realised ]—Mr Rhodes said under tha proposed, new contract the colony would have no liability beyond the area defined by law. He believed the company would have to gat tbeooaiantof the Governor or the Land Board beforn they could plica the land for sale in the market.

Mr Leach asked would he favor a Bill for preventing lawyer* and mioiaten of religion canvassing at election times, of'4 asking voters who they would vote fotf— ' Mr Rhodss aaid he did not baliave in lava which he knew coahLnot be eoforoed. Mr Fraser moved a vote of thanks to Mrßhodes for hia speech and confidence in him as member for-the district.

■ Mr Lawson seconded . the motion, and it was carried by acclamation. Mr Rhodes' thanked them for their expression of aonfidencs in him. He had declined votes ’of' confidence during the election times, but now they were acceptable to; him. Ha would now move a vota of thaakv to tbs chair. The mooting then tetfninatad.