TUAPEKA NOMINATION.

Tuapeka Times, Volume III, Issue 161, 9 March 1871, Page 4

TUAPEKA NOMINATION.

The nomination of candidates to re--present the Tuapeka District in the Provincial Council, took place on Tuesday last, at 12 o'clock, in the Courthouse, Lawrence. There was a good number of ejectors present. The Returning Officer, W. L. Simpson, Esq., read the election writ, and stated he was prepared to receive nominations.

Mr. John Michael proposed Mr Horace Bastings ; Mr. William Hayes seconded.

Mr. it. M'Kimmie proposed Mr. James Clarke Brown as a tit and proper person to represent them in the Provincial Council. He was a gentlemen who was well known to the electors. Mr. M'Swmey seconded.

Mr. James M'KinLiy proposed Mr. Matihew Hay as a fit and proper person to represent them. He did so with tho more pleasure besause the electors knew Mr. Hay and his antecedents. He had tilled many responsible positions, and j there w.ts nothing that could be said I ngiinjfc him. Mr. Hay, they wera all a Wire, WuS a keen, open, straightforward man, and thu°e were qualities which eminently fitted him for their representative. Mr. Hiy had also been a member -■of the Council for the past four years, "and during that time had been of some ssevviud to the district. He had got more money for this district than any othejfc , member. He is of that open disp^^S^' that he lias no enemies —he may have, ! however, the most despicable of all enemies, namely, political enemies, but that is all. He had much pleasure in proposing Mr. Hay.

Mr. James Harris seconded. Mr. James Hopkins proposed Mr. John Francis Herbert as a tit and proper person to represent the district. ]\lr. Wm. Mears seconded. Before calling for a show of hands, the Returning Officer called upon the candidates to address the electors if they thought necessary.

Mr. Horace Bastings spoke as follows : — lie could not say, " Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking," but he was somewhat stale in election speech-making. He thought Mr. Hay would have opened the ball. He might state that had he studied his own interest, he should not have stood for the Provincial Council. But there was one thing which he believed in, and that was gratitude ; and when he considered that this community had done a good deal for him, he thought it but right that at the call of the electors he should come forward to endeavour to do something for them. These were the feelings which had induced him to come forward. He hoped and trusted that during the election no personal matters would be brought up. He had heard that such was to be done If he had a supporter who purposed any such thing, he would much rather not have his support. If the electors think the other candidates possess a greater aptitude for the office, then he would say by all means let them elect those gentlemen. As for Mr. Brown, he would say that he was a gentleman who had always done his best for the goldfields and for this town ; and with regard to- Mr. Hay, he had worked hard for the district, and he (Mr. Bastings) had often watched his actions with admiration. Referring to matters occupying the public attention, the first and most important was the water supply for the goldtields. The electors were pretty well aware of the action he had always taken in this matter. A water supply would be one of the most reproduccive works that could be undertaken. He did not believe in a vote of money to buy up existing rights, but a vote to get water brought upon ground which is well known to be payably auriferous. There are very extensive areas in this country ; in fact miles and miles of auriferous land which would support fifteen or sixteen thousand additional miners ; and there is no country more bountifully supplied with water which only requires to be utilized. The action which he would therfore take, if returned to the Provincial Council, would be to get a larger portion than that already voted for the purpose of water supply to the goldfields throughout the country. The next matter he would refer to, and which he would advocate, was the establishment of a Mining Board. He considered these Boards very much required in this country. The advantages to be derived from them are very apparent. Many of the disputes'and much of the litigation which have taken place-, in the country would have been prevented' had these Boards been in existence. Agricultural , leases which have been granted for land that is auriferous would ' not have been granted, because they

would first have been considered by these Boards, and the necessary recommendation been given to the Warden to refuse on account of the aurih^My character of the ground. The nran "matter he would refer to was the abolition of the gold duty. That was no new cry of liis. He took credit to himself for being the first man in Otfago who advocated the abolition of that duty. When he contested the city election in 1864, lie strongly advocated that matter — so much _ so that the "Daily Times" accused Mm of going in for up-country districts aud not for the city. The people of Dunedin are under the impression that Dunedin is Otago. They forget that if tlie country is not prosperous there will be stagnation in the city. Some £30,000 or £40,000 are voted every year in excess of the amount expended. No sooner are public works initiated than those in Dunedin and its vicinity are immediately let by contract, and any works of importance up-country are left over till the winter, the consequence being that they cannot be proceeded with, or the money is all gone, and votes of necessity must lapse. But returning to the gold duty, Mr Bastings considered that the time had fully come when .that obnoxious tax should be abolished. Taking into consideration the fact that the miners are indirectly taxed in many ways, and that they have been the pioneers of the country, there was no reason why that direct tax should not be taken off. With reference, to the expenditure of the special golditelds taxation, he thought it only fair aira just that such taxation should be expanded on the goldfields. -There were some giant obstacles springing up on the goldlields, which would require large sums of money to remove. He referred to the accumulation of tailings in many important mining districts. Then there was the necessity for the construction of sludge channels in various parts of the gcldfields. These and such like works - should be executed by the Government, and considering so much direct taxation has been paid by the goldfields, these works should receive the first attention. He would now pass on to the land question. However great and important the public works — such as railways and water supply — may be, the land question was, above all others, the most important thp.t could occupy the mind of the people in this country. If the people are to be happy and prosperous, they must have an interest in the lands of the country, and such a consummation can only be achieved by men being returned to the Provincial Council and General Assembly, who will insist 011 the lands being thrown open for settlement. He would not go in for taking the land from the squatters without compensating them for it — on the contrary, he considered there was as much, reas >n for regarding the invested rights of the squatters, as of the claimholders or raceowners ; but, he would say, let the Government borrow money to compensate the runholders for these rights where land is required for the people. He had heard it argued that sniiill farming would not pay, and his friend Mr. Robertson present was of that opinion. He (Mr. Bastings) remembered in Victoria where

•■eople occupied small farms, and *Ai,-ugsJled away for years, that it did not "'pay them ; but he found, on a recent visit there, that things were now in a different condition. A large influx of population had taken place to that colony ; the farmer gets a good market for his produce, and things are now in a prosperous state. What, he might ask, did people leave the home country for but to obtaiu a patch of land they might call their own. As an evidence of this feeling, lie could not but observe, during a recent visit up-country, how the land on the Spylaw Station, recently thrown open, was being taken up. He noticed eight teamsters with their waggons and horses, and found these men had taken up, one a 100 acres, another 200 acres, and so on, and were going to huild houses for their families, their intention being to follow their usual avocation during the summer months, and improve their property in the winter when the roads were bad. Had this been done with Bellamy Station, and others between Lawrence and the Teviot, years ago, instead of a barren waste, we would now have had smiling homesteads. lie considered it the duty of Government to give every facility for settlement ; to compensate runholders in every centre of population, and throw the lands open for occupation. The man who would go in to oppose these views, he said was an enemy to his fellowmen and to the country. With regard to the Hundreds Regulation Acts 1869-70, he would, by all means, get them repealed. He was in favour of deferred payments for land and depasturing rights. If these things were brought about, he believed the electoi-3 four years hence would have reason to congratulate themselves. The Public Works scheme had been occupying a deal of attention, and he would therefore give liis opinions upon it. Any person who knew him (Mr. B.) could not say that he was timid and afraid to speculate either in public or private matters — lie found it quite the reverse, as lie generally had to put a brake upon himself, rather than require pushing forward. The expenditure of the seven million loan should be closely looked after. If it is not, it will be like the three million loan, which was poured out to keep the Maories quiet. He had no confidence whatever in the Yogel Government. Look at the principal man in it, Mr. Yogel himself. Here we have him starting for Home, a self-constituted commisaioner. By whose consent he had gone, he (Mr. Bastings) "did not know. He always thought responsible Government required that sucli appointments were made by the House. He thought the public works scheme must have greater and better supervision than Mr. Yogel could give it, and therefore hoped it would be narrowly watched. He "was free to admit that money should be borrowed, and if judiciously expended in re-productive works, a great benefit to the country would be the result, His opinions on the Immigration question he ' could give in a few words. He was totally opposed to immigration as promulgated by the Colonial Treasurer. He said it was simply madness, and any Government that would send money home for such a purpose should be committed for lunacy. Take, he said, Hub money proposed to be borrowed for immigration purposes, and compensate Mr. Maclean

and other runholders, and have the country thrown open for settlement ; then those of us who have friends will soon bring them to the country, if it will be for their benefit. The policy of Government should be to make the country prosperous and attractive, and not to bring people to it who, as soon as they get to Dimedin jetty, snap their fingers at us and go elsewhere. While jnot in favour of the Government's general immigration scheme, lie was in favour of assisted female immigration. With reference to Provincialism, he might state that, if returned to the Council, and his casting vote were to do away with the Provincial Council, he would give it. He believed the people were ruined by Provincialism, and he would therefore vote for its annihilation. He found that a quarter of every hour of our daily labour was given towards supporting some Government or other. But while having come to this determination, he would like at the same time to see inaugurated Shire Councils. A bill was passed in Victoria, which is now working very well, and which, with slight modifications, might be made to suit New Zealand. It must be apparent to those present that we can expend our own revenue and make our own roads as well, if not better, than people far removed from the district ; and he thought they had got amongst them quite sufficient talent to conduct their own affairs. He heard Capt. Mackenzie state, at a meeting addressed by that gentleman at Tapanui, that the Provincial Government during the last year had spent £90,000, and £87,000 of it was swallowed up in salaries and expenses of administration. Some people might think, from the action he hacl taken at the late election, that he was going in to oppose Mr. Macandrew ; but he would inform those electors present that he would go in to oppose no man, but as their representative, and not as a delegate. If Mr. Macandrew pursues a liberal policj 7 -, he would find in him (Mr. Bestings) a strong supporter ; but if he pursues the same policy he has carried out during the last four years, then he will not have a stronger opponent than Horace Bastings. — (Applause.) Mr. Matthew Hay then stepped forward and said that lie did not intend making a long speech, as he would take the opportunity of addressing the electors in, the district prior to the elections. It was not very necessary that he should address them, as they had seen him, and he had lived amongst them, and it was well known that it had been his constant endeavour to further the interests of the district. He believed there would not be a stone left unturned so far as his going back to the Council was concerned. He went in for roads and bridges all over the country. His career in the Provincial Council had been so far a successful one — not one resolution had he lost ; and he had obtained votes of money, not only for this district, but for Waipori, Manuherikia, and others. He thought, therefore, that a representative who had been so suscessful must hold a position and be respected in the House. With regard to the water supply for the Goldtields, they must remember that this was no new question. The Provincial Council had advocated this water scheme long before it was taken up by the General Government, and they sent Mr. Millar, F.S.xi., to survey the Tuapeka Basin and perform other valuable services to the country. Ho hacl no doubt that the Tuapeka Basin would yet be used for the purpose for which it was surveyed. After the elec- j tion, a mining conference was to be held, and to take the water supply question into consideration, together with the evidence obtained by Mr Haughton. He would decidedly be in favour of giving every protection to vested rights, such as \ those of the Blua Spur, but he thought a water supply might be obtained for Waitahuna, Waipori, and Tuapeka Flat. There was a great difference between getting a vote passed and getting it carried out. He had always taken care that all the votes lie got passed were carried out. He thought there was too much discussion of Colonial questions by candidates for the Provincial Council. It must be remembered that they d'd not go into the Council to discuss Colonial matters. The man who goes into tho Council has to see that the provincial revenues are properly expended. A great deal of the time of the Provincial Council has been occupied during the last two years discussing questions which are beyond their power to decide. If he were returned would follow the same course he had formerly pursued. With regard to immigration, he always opposed the vote for immigration purposes passed by the Council. If people are brought out to the country, give them, he said, land to settle upon— give them 100 acres for nothing, and do away with free immigration. He quite agreed with tlie previous speaker in Ms views on Provincil Governments. He would like to see Canterbury and Otago united under one Government, when the other smaller provinces would soon fall in. He believed they had too much government, and he gave Ms vote to join Canterbury. The gold duty was a matter which he desired to remark upon. He said, your members of the Council have not been to blame in that matter — the electors were themselves purely to blame . Every session of the Council there had been a resolution brought forward to abolish that duty, but what has been said 1 Wliy this : the miners don't object to the tax, they don't want it remitted. He would therefore inform them that the only way to get the duty reduced or entirely abolished, was to agitate for it. Let petitions from tlie miners be sent to the Government, and very soon that unjust tax would be done away with. With regard to miners' rights, lie thought them valuable and well worth being maintained, although, lie considered 10s. a sufficient sum to pay for them. In reference to the loan lie (Mr. Hay) said he was entirely in favour of it. Some time ago the Council asked the Assembly to allow them to raise a loan, but they were refused. The province must look to the colonial scheme if they expect any money, It must be remembered that this seven million loan is to extend over 10 years — it was not as if the whole debt were to^come upon the country at once, and before the whole amount was borrowed, many of the reproductive works would be' 1 contributing towards the interest. He believed it would be cheaper to make railways than macadamised roads, for the simple reason that it was so difficult to get good I metal for the purpose, The road from

Dunedin to Tokomairiro, he was informed, cost £1000 a mile. The Government were afraid to make the road from Manuka Creek to Haveloek because they couldn't see how they could keep it up. During the last session of the Council there were no fewer than seventy questions asking why this and the other vote of money vvas not expended, and the answer given by the Secretary was the Government had no money. By opposing the Hundreds Bill, tlie Provincial Government had locked up the lands, and they accepted a compromise for tlie purpose of keeping their seats ; and what he could not account for was this, that tho gentleman who moved the compromise also moved for the repeal of the Ace. He would not detain them further. The Returning Officer took a show of hands, which resulted as follows :—: — Horace Bastings - - 18 James Clarke Brown- - 10 Matthew Hay 8 John Francis Herbert- - 2 Mr. Eastings and Mr. Brown were declared to have the show of hands, on which Mr. Hay demanded a poll on his own behalf. The Returning Officer said the poll would take place on Tuesday, the 14th March, at the polling places as advertised. Tins closed the proceedings.