MR BEETHAM'S MEETING.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 242, 19 August 1879, Page 2

MR BEETHAM'S MEETING.

The upper room of the Institute was filled last night with a large number of electors who assembled to hear Mr Beetliam's address.

The Mayor, who was appointed to the chair, bore his testimony to the zeal, and energy, which Mr Beetham had displayed in his duties, to the influence which he had exercised in securing great boons to the district in the shape of Government subsidies, It gave him great pleasure to preside on the present occasion, as he had the highest possible respect for Mr Beetham who deserved the warmest thanks of the meeting. Mr Beetham, who was received with applause, expressed his gratitude to the Mayor for his kind remarks. He was then before them to explain his political action in the past. He was not a public speaker, but hoped to be able to place his views clearly before them. He would begin by referring to a subject of great importance viz.,

WASTE LANDS SETTLEMENT. The present population of the Wairarapa was 8,703, but he was sorry to say that the increase was more marked in the towns than in the country districts; he trusted that this inequality might be remedied by amending the Waste Land Laws. He would, without reference to party, assist in extending the settlement of land on deferred payments, He alluded to the energetic, hard working settlers of Eketahuna

and Mauriceville, who had not had a fair opportunity of making great progress, as capital and labor had not gone hand in hand with these settlements. He next considered the question of

IMMIGRATION. He agreed that free immigration was no longer necessary, but he believed by an elaboration of the Nominated System they would get exactly the stamp of men that the Colony required. He, however, thought that female immigration might the department, though lie did not know the reason.—(Mr Renall: " The valuators !")—lt was not the valuators; in the Wairarapa especially, the valuators had done their work thoroughly:—(Applause). He stated in his address that ho would advocate the re-imposition of the duty on TIMBER ANI) GRAIN. He was a free trader on principle, but in a new Colony it was difficult to draw a hard and fast line, and lie considered it unfair to admit timber from America duty free, and by doing so close saw mills in New Zealand. The geographical features of America enabled it to deliver timber cheaper in New Zealand than they could cut it at. Again, America had prohibitive duties on their productions and there was no reciprocity in the matter. He then came to the question of, ELECTORAL IIEEORM. He had not mentioned the word liberal in his address, but he thought that they all knew him to be a liberal. He claimed that certain members of his own party had been more liberal in the matter of the extension of the franchise than the present Government. Referring to Mr Stout's Electoral Bill he explained that it gave the Maoris a right- to vote as ratepayers, but subsequently the clause was altered so that any native whose name appeared on any certificate of title could vote. The effect of this would he to

give the Maoris the power to determine the elections in six electoral districts, and the Maoris would probably vote at the bidding of the Native Minister; disenfranch-

ising five or six constituencies in the North Island. The measure was sent to the Legislative Council, which excised the objectionable part of it. It was the pet scheme of Sir George Grey, who deprived the people of the colony of the franchise, by withdrawing the Bill rather than consent to give up the point of the Maori dual vote. During the session of 1878, he tried to induce the Government to bring down a measure to consolidate THE FENCING LAWS, of New Zealand. He was also of the opinion that a general DRAINAGE ACT was much needed, In his address lie had mentioned that the COUNTIES ACT required amendment. He advocated Counties being' enabled to borrow. He

came then to the very important question that of the construction and maintenance of, - , . ; MAIN ARTERIAL LINES, ' A burden which boro very heavily on their own County. In the Forty Mile Bush bridges were breaking down • every day. He did not think it was just for them to levy a rate to repair them. In the Middle Island som# districts were so rich that thoy had to fund their money. Ho contrasted the respective positions of Canterbury and Wellington'in road matters, and contended that it was unfair that one part of the Colony should be rolling in wealth and the other starved through the operation of the snbsidies granted by the Government. He thought that certain arterial linos should be specially provided for by theSGovernment. He also referred to the Native Lands in the Forty Mile Bush which could neither be bought nor taied. Another question which affected most of them was the

RABBIT NUISANCE. He urged united action in stamping out the pest. He declared that the whole of the Wairarapa ought to bo brought under the operation of the Rabbit Act, although the Act was imperfect, and it would be his duty if returned to assist in making it more perfect. He felt th.at his next subject was a difficult ouo to handle, viz., THE NATIVE QUESTION. He confessed that Mr Sheehan had disappointed his expectations. He thought the Native Department should be noupolitical, and left pretty much in the hands of permanent officers. Personal Government could not be successful unless Mr Sheehan could be in a thousand places at one time. He was favorable to a vigorous prosecution of PUBLIC WORKS. Nor was he afraid of borrowing. The five million loan will go a great way towards completing their main lines. He was not, however, sure that the formation of road lines was not almost as necessary as an extension of their railway system, (Hear, hear.) The next question he would refer to was that of MALADMINISTRATION.

He qualified a general statement lie had made on this subject in his address by eulogizing the manner in which the Minister of Public Works had always received and attended to applications for local wants. Before speaking of Sir George Grey, he desired to recognise his ability and disinterestedness; but still his administration had had an injurious effect on the colony as a whole. (Hear, hear.) He claimed that Sir George Grey had never had the confidence of the House. The Premier had always attacked one class in the colony, viz,, the propertied class, which, to his knowledge, was as poor as any in Now Zealand. He had come between capital and labor. In England they believed that Sir George Grey's intention was to crush out the propertied classes, and so they were withdrawing their capital from New Zealand. The land tax was now a first mortgage on property, and English loans fell into the position of a second mortgage Hence the withdrawal of capital, and the hard times. He referred to Sir George Grey's utterance at the Arcado ' that very little capital was required in a new country.'—(A laugh.) He admitted that the Premier had done good in politically educating the people and that their electoral privileges were' dearer to tlieni than tliey once were. He, however, censured the Premier's action in the matter of the Bay of Islands roll, and the Thames Railway. He claimed that they should carefully guard any imfringement of the law when public money was being expended—(Applause). In concluding his remarks, ho desired to refer to an old and valued friend whom iliey had lately lost, (Mr Bannister) and ,vliose loss he and his brothers in common yitli all of them felt deeply. The Speaker resumed his seat amid pplause. In annver to Mr B. Boys. Mr Beetham bought that incomes over £l5O should be übject to an income and pioperty tax. Mr ieetham also explained with reference to lonarium, that fifty guineas of it would go nto his own pocket, the rest would not s ho did not consider himself entitled to t. In answer to a question from Mr Holda■ay, Mr Beetham said that ho would not ipport a Local Option Bill which would ueprive travellers of facilities for obtaining <jfreshment». He thought the public /uld now, if it chose, exercise a fair nfluence on Licensing Commissioners, le considered the houses in the Wairarapa were well conducted as a whole, and /should not be interfered with.

Mr A. W, Renall had an important document in his hand of the list of votes in the Session of 1878. Did Mr Beetliam vote for increasing the Speaker's salary from £6OO to £BOO. Mr Beetliam: I did!

In answer to Mr Renall, Mr Beetliam said that in 1878, he voted against triennial Parliament. In the matter of the franchise, he was prepared to support manhood suffrage, limited by two years' residence in the Colony, and six months' in the district where the claim to vote was made, He also answered a series of ques ; tions respecting his votes in the Sassion of 1878, with special reference to the different sides on which he and Mr Bunny had voted.

Mr R. G. Williams three years ago had the honor of proposing Mr Beetliam for the House of Representatives, and now did not regret the action which he then took, in bringing him forward. He moved

That tins meeting thanks Mr Beetham for his address, and assures him of the continued confidence and support of the electors, believing that his past conduct as their representative had been honorable, consistent, and beneficial to the district." He spoke highly of the willingness with which Mr Beetham sacrificed his time and attention to his duties, and he could bear personal testimony to the influence Mr Beetham exercised in the House, and even with a Government to which he was op-posed-applause). MrF. G. Moore had very great pleasure in seconding the resolution. At the then late hour, he would not supplement Mr Williams' remarks. Mr A. W. Kenall thought from the speech of the mover that they were a road board discussing a bridge instead of a political meeting debating great questions affecting the interests of thousands He ridiculed Mr Beetham's address. He then went into the question of triennial parliaments, characterising the opinions of Mr Beetham and his supporters as' bosh' Trionnial parliaments were neceaasry he urged for the political education of the rising generation, and they were unworthy of the name of Englishmen if they did not claim their' rights- He defended the land tax as one which would benefit the working classes. The poverty of the propertied classes arose out of their greed for land. He maintained that measures not men should guide candidates. He also referred to the settlement of the Wairarapa, and Sir George Grey's action in placing,46,ooo acres at the disposal of the

working classes. He cited France as an instance where a country had become prosperous only after cutting off the heads of the large landholders. He declaimed against capitalists. He concluded a lengthy address by asking the audience not to promise their votes, but to give them concicntioualy.—(Loud applauae.) Mr J. Y. Smith was surprised to seß how the real question before the meeting had been lost sight of, viz., the gross negligence and maladminisiration of the Government, as declared by a majority of their representatives.—(Hear, hear.)—He also spoke strongly against the dual vote to Maorics and Sir George Grey's conduct in the matter. Had the dual vote become law it would have been enough to make the white settlers from Wellington to the North Cape rise in open rebellion against the Government. He also censured, the Goverument for its frightful extravagance. Sir George Grey's great cry was the people, but lie squandered the money of the people, and set at defiance the representatives of the people, Mr Burton Boys followed oil the Loan Question, and trusted that the Counties wouid get some of the one recently voted.

Mr Casolberg followed in support of Mr Beetham and of goodadministration. He condemned the Grey Ministry as promising well and doing ill.

Mr H. T. Browne made a few remarks in answer to Mr Renall.

The mover of the resolution replied briefly, scoring one or two points against Mr Renall.

The resolution was then put to the meeting. By this time (11,45) the audience had thinned considerably, CO persons only remaining, and of this number 59 voted for the resolution, and one—Mr A, W. Renall—against it. The meeting coucluded with the usual voto of thanks to the Chairman.