MR BUNNY AT GREYTOWN.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 244, 21 August 1879, Page 2

MR BUNNY AT GREYTOWN.

About 200 electors were present to hear Mr Bunny at Greytown, on Tuesday evening, in the Town Hall. Mr Udy, sen, was voted to the chair, and briefly introduced Mr Bunny, who commenced by stating the reasons of the dissolution. He then referred to the fact of himself and Mr Beetham being found on different sides of the House, He was a supporter of provincialism, and Mr Peetham was not. He then proceeded to review the action of the Government in the native difficulty, and eulogized Mr Sheehan. He thought tho action of the Government in taking the prisoners and sending them to jail was an action to be remembered. (A voice, " the settlers did that.") He made no doubt but the settlers had stirred the Government up, who lost no time sending help. When he spoke of Mr Beetham and himself being on different sides, he begged to say that he and Mr Beetham had always pulled together for the good of the district. (Applause.) He would next speak on the Property and Income Tax. He thought that a fair proportion the profit on the duty. For instance, a merchant paid so much duty, he charged a profit on the goods and on the duty too, and than the retailer, and lastly the conBurner. He approved of the settlement of knd on deferred payments, but it is useless to deal with waste lands if money is not found to open up the country, He would like to see townships at certain distances, so that the country might be opened up and prosper. Every year the country increased in wealth, and the Property and Income Tax would also increase. He was in favor of the triennial Parliaments, as it would bring the members face to face with their constituents, and if they did not satisfy their constituents, then they could elect another man. He would strongly support a vigorous system of public works. As long as money is wisely spent they may continue to borrow without fear of consequences; but he would like to see rolling stock and material manufactured in die colony instead of sending out large sums of money for these articles. Ho would support manhood suffrage, with a residents clause of say six months, He approved of the re-ad-justment of representation, but not on a purely population basis, as it would givo an unfair advantage to large towns. With regard to Native lands, at present the Government, by paying a small or large price, was enabled to withdraw the land

from sale before private speculators could step in and procure large estates at merely nominal prices. He should like to see the right of pre-emption restored to the Government, The natives should have their lands administered through the Waste Lands Board. On the matter of County Government, the Act required amendment. Counties should be'larger, and the Councils more power to borrow and expend money on their roads and bridges, and thereby do more effectual good to the district, He remembered, sixteen years ago, when he first went into the Provincial Council, that the only mode of conveyance was a spring trap from the Wairarapa, There were no bridges except one, and the roads 'in a bad, incompleted state. Since then he had seen four-horse coaches from Wellington to Masterton, and now the railway—which railway was one of the biggest fights he ever had, and then only carried it by one vote. He would keep them no longer, but would be prepared to answer any questions; but he with confidence asked them again to return him, The services he had rendered were great, The prosperity of the Wairarapa had increased through those exertions. In connection with their branch railway he hoped it would be a boon to them. He also wished to state that the Immigrants' Cottages would very soon be handed over to the Borough Council. He then sat down amid applause, Mr Salmon wanted to know how Mr Bunny reconciled the statements of abolition of duties and the encouragement of / local industries. J\ Mr Bunny explained that tax should be \ taken off tobacoo and spirits; the work- \ ing classes would be better if those necessaries of life were free of taxation.

Mr Wood wanted to know if, in the event of Mr Bunny being elected, he would vote for the Ministry which had received a vote of ''No Confidence" by such a large majority, for gross negligence and maladministration. He said it was very necessary to have an answer to that question, as he understood that when the new Parliament met the present Ministry would take their places until a vote was taken, he wished to know if Mr Bunny would vote for the present Ministry. Mr Bunny said.he would support the Liberal Programme. Mr Wood did not consider he had been answered, and repeated his question. Mr Bunny said he voted- for the Government against Sir William Fox, and he Fox and he would not turn his coat. Mr Revans commenced a long speech by an allusion to the administration in Canada, and the reform which had taken place there, and had caused the Colonial Office to extend the fame privileges to all the Colonies. He then attacked Mr Bunny s speech, and found it impossible to avoid personalities. He took as much in-

toresfc as anyone in mankind, without Sii George Grey's broad words " humanity,' &c. He then spoko of tho time Sir G. Grey first joined the army and went to Ireland and was sent out with some of the tithe-collectors to force poor peasants to pay their tithes, Of course, it had gone against his nature, but he put up with it (sooner than resign, as he—Mr Revans—would have done) for the purpose of pushing himself forward. Tho people were infatuated with'a clever man who was trying to do a mischief which would never be remedied. Last session Sir George Grey introduced a Land Bill; the Opposi"Sion had voted for it, but byc-and-bye Sir George Grey wanted to introduce another clause which any sincere Liberal would not think of. He had read five numbers of Hansard for the purpose of seeing if the Ministry would justify themselves. Mr Bunny was right to stick to tho programme, but not to the Ministry, They did not want eloquent men, but men who could study accounts, and ho askod if there was a man in New Zealand who would or could do it, and he answered yes, they had, and that man was Charles Pharazyn.--(Hisses and applause). The Chairman said that b.it for the permission of Mr Bunny he would not have let Mr Revans speak at all, an amount of confusion here ensued, but order having been obtained Mr Bunny wished to reply to Mr Revans, who had forgotten that the Atkinson Ministry was turned out for a very similar thing and he said every Government was bound to get out in the present state of the country for the same reason for it was impossible to administrate the affairs of this colony in a satisfactory way. He was sorry to hear Mr Revans speak of Sir George Grey in the way he had been maligned on the platform, and man who would do so deserved to be kicked out of society, and he hoped that soon Sir George Grey would come up to the Wairarapa and meet Mr Revans face to face. He would ask where they could get aller men than Mr Macandrew, Mr Gisborne, and the Native Minister.

Mr Thompson wanted to know why he wanted to repeal the land laws. Mr Bunny explained that by making,™ Income and Property Tax they would come under this taxation, and 'then he would disapprove of class taxation. In answer to Dr H. Spratt—He was in favor of ,1 duty on Timber, and he wished if the audience wanted to know his views on the Chinese Question, to state that he thought they were a very undesirable class and if any Bill were brought up for their exclusion he would support it, Dr Spratt asked some question but did not speak loud enough to be heard. Mr O'Connor said lie would speak loud enough—Mr Bunny was a man if he was in a bottle.

Mr Pharazyn wished to say a few words. Mr Ecvans had paid him a compliment. He did not wish to speak to-night, but he would take an opportunity next week, and hoped Mr Punny would be present at all his meetings, The policy of the Government was to get a lot of billet-seekers about them, and not honest independent members in the House. Mr Bunny said Mr Pharazyn had taken advantage of his meeting to do him all the harm he could, and he would go to Mr Pharazyn's mcctinr, and if he made statements as lie had done to-night ho would show him lie had a man that could answer him ; and ho would set every meeting dead against him. Mr Baillio had known Mr Pharazyn a good long time, and he could see the same instinct still. He was like one of the Greytown greyhounds-he was always aftei a Bunny. Mr 0, Cundy here commenced a lone speech, introducing Mr Bunny as the Father of the Railway, and spoke at some length on the roads and bridges, Mr Thompson proposed a vote of thanks and confidence in Mr Bunny, and thought he was a proper person to represent them. Mr Haines wanted to know if such a course was not in opposition to the ballot. Mr Wood proposed as an amendment, That a vote of thanks only be passed to Mr Bunny. It was not right to pass a vote of confidence till they had heard the other candidates.

Mr Bunny thought some arrangement should have been made concerning tin's matter, as the other candidates haofdene so ; but he would not press for a show of hands, and begged to move a vote of thanks to the clvurman,