MR BUCHANAN AT GLADSTONE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3657, 8 November 1890, Page 2

MR BUCHANAN AT GLADSTONE.

The meeting held at Gladstone on Thursday evening by Mr W. 0. Buchanan, when he addressed the electors of the distiiot, was the best attended gathering ever held there. MrN. Grace occupied the chair, and made a few brief introductory, remarks.

Mr Buchanan, besides touching upon many of the points dealt witl in his speech as reported by ub it detail at Carterton, said that ho gave the Government credit for reducing the expenditure to a point which liac restored our credit m England, and left a balance to the good, even after paying off a portion of the deficienoj left by the previous Government Referring to this property-tax tables ha might say that they showed thai the total unimproved value Of th< taxable land in New Zealand, with out any deduction whatever, wai L67|827|715, and that a land tax al one per cent would yield onlj L 670,000. One per cent, too, meani nearly 2Jd in the L, whereas tlx existing rate under the property-ta> was only Id in the L, a differenci which would fall principally upon th< industrious country settlor. Mi Bunny had also conveniently for gotten to remind them of thi property tax exemption which appliet in cases where the value was undei LSOO, whereas his land tax woulc bring everything even down t< the quarter acre section uncle: levy. The only conclusion to bi arrived at was that Mr Bunn; was content to hold out thepleasin{ prospect of abolishing customs dutiei ; on all the necessaries of life as at allurement, when at the same timi I he must know tint such a step to . impracticable. Mr Bunny had ai l well insulted their intelligence b; J saying tliat the profits of the frozei : meat trade went solely into {hi [■ pockets of the large landholders am graziprs, He (Mr Buchanan) tool , an honest pride in having assisted ii , developing this very important expor t trade. It could, without exaggeration r be said that its introduction ant i phenomenal increase liad beet 3 almost, if not entirely, the salvatioi ' of the Colony, and it woulc ° materially help on the settlement o: Crown Lands. It was incorrect tha P the consumer had had topaymon since exportation had becoini established, or that he got an inferio; y article, tl A number ot questions we the: n satisfactorily replied to, and upon thi lf resolution of Mr W. Millar, a vote o thanks was passed by acclamation tc ,« Mr Buchanan. A desire to inoludi an expression of confidence was n withdrawn at the request of the l( candidate who, expressing pleasure ai I- his kind reception, sail] tliftt {hi d polling day would afford at it opportunity for the record of theii convictions in that respect.