The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1885. MR MONTGOMERY'S SPEECH.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 2010, 8 June 1885, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1885. MR MONTGOMERY'S SPEECH.

Mr Montgomery, the Mefojber of Akavoa, who led the Opposition to ijje Atkinson Government on (sufferance for one or two sessions, addressed his constituents on Friday evening last, and, as rajgh.t have been expected from such a remarkably inactive community, he received a vote of confidence. As a rule, Mr Montgomery's speeches lefer more particularly to finance, and as he was generally considered to bo one of the principal clogs on the wheels of the coach of progress, they have therefore been looked forward to with a certain degree of interest, On the present occasion his address was invested with a new interest. It will be raenibpred that he assisted in the establishment of the Stout-Vooel Government, of which he was actually a member for three or four days, and that he thus assisted, accordingtohis formerideas, in putting the colony from the frying-pan into the lire, as, with all his objections to borrowing, he supported a Ministry that avowed its intention of borrowing more money. Quite recently Sir George Grey has made a very bitter speech against the Government, and rumor had it that he, Mr Montgomery, and Mr MaOANdrew were making efforts to form a compact Opposition. Judging by the opinions formerly held by Mr Montgomery, there was every reason to expect that he had reflected during the recess, and come to the conclusion that he had acted inconsistently in supporting Sir Julius Yogel, and that, having returned to his old ideas, he would be found quite ready to support Sir George Grey, Those who believed that he would lift the curtain were certainly disappointed, because he said not a single word on the subject. Like a careful player, he preferred not to show 'his cavds .until the- time came for playing them.; indeed, ho .did not

even indicate that he had a game to play, , That he has, may, however, be gleaned from the fact that he did not, according to the telegraphed report, evnn allude to the manner in which his name has of late been coupled with the supposed combination, His reference to the local government scheme of the Government looks like a careful piece of finesse, He is an ultraprovincialist at heart, yet he believes thatSirJuLiusVoGEL.whoabolishedthe provinces, will be able to devise means te give the colony a scheme of local government which shall satisfy the people for ever, Such a result must be desired by all; but for our own part we shall be astonished if it satisfies Mr Montgomery, If it does not, he will be in a good position to express his disappointment, and to play a good card. That he is not entirely in accoi'd with Ministers is shown by his utterances on the subject of reducing taxation. This, by the way, he expects to do by means of a heavy increase in the customs duties—in other words, by means of protection. While on this subject ( he appears to have entirely forgotten that Sir Julius Vogel proposes to negotiate further loans, for be says, after referring to the settlement of,the land and protection:-"The increase of population thus iuduced would remove the depression, because the taxation, which almost crushes 550,000 people, would becomp comparatively light upon a million who were profitably employed. On two millions it would be a mere nothing." Such a statement borders upon the ridiculous, We all want to havo taxation reduced, but it will never be done in the way proposed by Mr Montgomery. To increase anything for the sake of reducing it, is quite a novelty. To the large majority of the people it must be almost a matter of indifference whether Mr Montgomery supports the Government during theensuing session, or whether lie assists in forming an opposition.' His following is not large, and all his efforts must, in any case, have a tendency to keep Sir Juuus Vogel in power, because in the one case he would increase his supporters, while in the other he would keep a better opposition out of the field.