PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS.

Westport Times, Volume VII, Issue 1126, 21 November 1873, Page 2

PROVINCIAL ELECTIONS.

SPEECHES OP THE CANDIDATES.

On Wednesday evening Messrs Shapter, Hume, Fisher, and Lloyd, candidates for election to the Provincial Council for the Buller District, addressed the electors at the Masonic Hall, Palmerston street. Mr Thomas Bailie occupying the chair. Mr Shapter, the first to address the audience, said that as an earnest supporter of Mr O'Conor in his candidature for the Superinteudeiicy he thought that the best way to explain his own political views would be to explain why he sup.ported Mr O'Conor. Holding to the belief that the candidates for election to the Council should hold political views coinciding witli those of the can. didatc most likely to be elected Superintendent. The supporters of Mr Curtis had complained that Mr O'Conor had given a personally abusive tone to the election contest, that Mr O'Conor had no policy, and that Mr Curtis had not followed Mr O'Conor in his abusive behaviour, and that he had a defined policy. But he, Mr Shapter, would remind the meeting that at the day of nomination in Nelson the very first thing Mr Curtis did was to repeat some election jokes offensive to Mr O'Conor, and had also made statements about Mr C'Conor having bothered and bullied the General Government to give his brother a billet,

and made 'other offensive remarks culcuhtte i to anmse -Mr O'Conor's ire. lie had been followed by abusive and tit)gentlemanly articles appearing in the Examiner, a paper over which Mr Curtis held considerable control, it therefor? ill behoved the Curtis party to say aught in the matter. Referring to the speech made by Mr Curtis at Westp >rt, wherein he had attempted to refute Mr. O'Conor's statement that the prbspscts of the goldfields had suffered decadence under the Curtis regime, and had attempted to show that the revenues of the goldfields had increased thirty per cent since 1872, Mr Shatter gave calculations based on the official Financial statements to prove the incorrectness of Mr Curtis's assertions. The gold duty up to March, 1873.had been .610 845 Is 6d, while in 1872 it had been £ 13,909 2s 2d, and thus the revenue h;id fallen off nearly £3OOO. Again, the duty returns from the port of Westport and Nelson showed for the last half-year in 1572, £2OOB 14s 2d, and for the corresponds : period in 1873, £1970 12s 2d, or a deficiency of nearly £IOOO. After referring to the long continued outcry among the people on the goldfields for better government, and Mr Curtis's disregard thereto until immediately before the election, and the need existing for a Superintendent of the Prpvinje having some practical knowledge of the goldfields, which yielding a large revenue would well repay careful looking afte: - , Mr Shapter explained the powers hel I by Provincial Counc Is and their soirees of revenue—facts upon which he said few persons had any clear ideas, seeing th ;t the Statute Books of New Zealand com pri erl some 1200 Acts and 500 Ordi nances. By the 66th section of the Constitution Act it was decreed that Provincial Councils should have the expenditure of all revenue derived within the Provincial boundaries, after certain deductions for charges and appropriations, but by the Public Revenue Act of 1867, the payment to Provinces Act of IS7O, and its repeal in 1872, this past arrangement had been changed and the provinces were now receiving from the General Government, as an addition to incidental provincial revenues, a capitation allowance. This in IS7O had been paid at the rate of £2 per head, but had now been brought down by gradual reductions to a permanent payment of 15s per head of population. The provincial revenues had thus become very small, but, to aggravate the evil, Mr Curtis had not wisely or fairly expended either the revenue derivable from this source or from provincial sources, (Mr Shapter here entered into a lengthy and somewhat complex statistical statement to show that the money expended o-i the goldfields bore no fair comparison to the revenue locally derived therefrom or the capitation allowance paid on behalf of the residents on the goldfields.) and, as instancing the peculiar method of disbursing t'ae revenue collected, he instanced that the Dog Tax of the province, yielding in three years £BIB 17s 41, had, according to the Provincial Treasurer's published balance sheets, cost in collection £932 16s Id. The settled districts besaid had received afar greater proportion of the provincial revenues than they were entitled to, and although the money might not have been dl-spent, yet he maintained that a fair proportion of the revenue should be spent in the place where such revenue was derived, and that if public works were urgently needed, either in the settled districts,contributing little or no revenue to the province, or the goldfields contributing the greater, then such work would be best effected by borrowed capital, leaving the provincial revenues free for expenditure on works of necessity, but still of minor importance. Other provinces for years past had attempted, and in many cases succeeded, in raising loans, and had spent them profitably, but Mr Curtis had held back and would venture nothing until the very last session previous to his probable retirement from office, when he had made some feeble effort to briug in a bill for a loan to Nelson. Mr Curtis had told them that he had thought there would be no use in attempting to float a loan, but they, the electors, did not want a timid man at the head of affairs who would only think, but a man who would try, and in trying succeed. Referring to Mr O'Conor's introduction of a bill for a similar purpose, Mr Curtis had said that Mr O'Conor had done so, not with the slightest idea of success, but merely as an election move, a basis for a good canvassing cry to get the votes, but Mr Curtis condemned himself herein. The meeting would remember that in the dispute which some time since arose between Mr Curtis and Mr Shephard, the former had, in writing to the latter, used these words, " As regards motives I assume in your case, as J assume in all others, that they were these which should guide every honorable man who takes a part in public affairs." Now why should Mr Curtis in his contest with Mr O'Conor go behind these words and seek to show that his opponent was actuated by base or dishonorable motives ? Again Mr Curtis had accused Mr O'Conor of wanting all the goldfield revenue expended on the goldfields, but Mr Curtis knew that Mr O'Conor never desired this. Even if he had so desired, was it not to the electors on the goldfields another proof that Mr O'Conor, if elected, would at least give them a fair proportion of their revenue, and that he was thus a fit and proper person upon whom to bestow their votes. Then as to the railway offered to be made by Messrs O'Conor and Co , Mr Curtis had scoffed at tho idea

aud upheld tho Government agency as against a private agency, forgetful that either was but an instrument to effect certain purposes, aud that the one thing that was necessary to be considered was which instrument wouid do the work rncst economically, most expeditiously, and with the least complex transfer of powers to tho men whoso labor would actually effect the work. He (Mr Shapter) maintained that the Government agency was cumbrous, that its officialdom was stupid and slow in action, given to making improper appointments, overlooking the merits of subordinates who really understood their duties,extravagant (as instance in the dockyards of England where much waste prevailed, and the excuse always was, " Oh, ! Nunky p-iys " meaniug the tax payer.) Then officialdom was ina laptive an I given to red tapeism and routine, aud taking no advantage of passing opportunities. Mr Curtis seemed to prefer officialism to the encouragement of private enterprise, aud ins ead of opening up negotiations with O'Conor and Co., which might have resulted in

the railway being nearly finished by 'his time, had thrown every obstacle in the way of a bona fide enterprise. To show the inadaptiveness of the government agency, as compared to private agency, the Government, he said, would depute the work to departments, who would depute to engineers, who would depute to surveyors, who would depute to contractors, wh) would depute to sub-contractors, who would depute to workmen, and so on, in routine, until the work was slowly co npleted. How much easier would it be to at once hand over the entire con. trol of such works as the Ngakawhau rdlway to private enterprise. It had been said Mr O'Conor had no policv. He (Mr Shapter) thought that Mr O'Conor's policy was almost identical with that of Mr Curtis. They were now both advocates for public works, and the question was what policy beyoud that could any Superintendent profess. Governed as the Superintendent bad been aud would be by the decision of the Provincial Council to expend certain monies annually on certain works decided on by the Council, the presumption of any Superintendent to profess a great policv of his own was absurd. Mr Shapter then dilated at some length on the comparative merits of Air O'Conor and Mr Curtis especially eulogising the energy of the latter in his present canvass as a proof of energy in any cause he had set his heart upon. Mr Rapfehtv asked Mr Shapter whether, if elected, he would remove the obnoxious restriction against parties using the beach wood.

Mr Shapter said Mr Curtis had mide that regulation, and that Mr U'tionn' if elected could remove it. 3'r Couiitxev wished to iuve Mr Shapter an opportunity of refuting the rumor that, as a reward for his exertions on behalf of Air O'Conor, the latter had promised him the Provincial Solicitorsh p ilr SHAPTEB denied the impeachment.

Mr Hume next ro*e, and after apologising to the electors for not addressing them earlier, gave an exposition of his views political, and his claim on their suffrages. He had, he said, been resident on the coast for seven years past, of which six years had been spent in the Buller district, and hence he considered he knew somewhat of local r quirementb. He was an avowed supporter of O'Conor, and would state briefly why he condemned the Curtis policy, and for examples and proofs would refer merely to matters that had come within the scope and knowledge of all present. Mr Curtis himself had given a good illustration of the affairs of the province. He had likened it to the household economics of a private family. He had said the affairs of the province were like the affairs of a household wherein the head, expending his yearly income as fast as he earned it, would find at the end of every year that in proportion to his expenditure, he had very few possessions to show as an equivalent, but on the contrary would perhaps find that he was in arrears, having received more than he had paid for. But there were two kinds of domestic management that might be takeu as illustrative of provincial rule. In the one the head of the family was a good easy going man with a steady i ncome but trusting all details of expenditure to his wife, a careless woman, and one who gradually, although unwittingly, brought her lord and master into trouble. Then again there was the prudent man, who with a prudent helpmate, worked hand in hand and ruled their joint household with forethought, frugality, and judicious expenditure. The contrast between the two would be marked and significant, and he need not tell his

hearers which of the two would bear most apt comparison with 'the rule of Mr Curtis over provincial matters. They had only to look around them in Westport for glaring evidences of Mr Curtis's incompetency. Their town had been destroyed for want of careful expenditure of money, Simi3 had been frittered away in trying to stop the tide with triangular pieces of wood which had been tossed away by the waves, as if in derision. In a vain effort to stop the river encroachments groins had been built in the wroiig places, and money foolishly thrown into the stream in carrying out projects in direct defiance to all laws of hydrostatics. He, the speaker, knew little of that science theoretically, but as a practical miner who had worked at turning streams and utilising water supply, he knew somewhat of it practically. Then looking at

the Orawaiti bridge, a small matter in j itself, but indicating the general muddle m provincial management, he would ask waa nob tbat a proof of Mr Curtis's incompetency, a bridge first allowed to go nearly to ruin, then a sudden older to cut it down and place a punt on the river, tor use of which the miners should pay tolls ; a request by the miners that the bridge should be utilised; and then expenditure thereon, but so very cheeseparing that the bridge was spoiled for wheeled truffle, then compensation paid to the first proprietor, to whom protection had been granted without consulting the public convenience Referring to the expenditure of the revenue he said he did not agree with - the political economists who held that public moneys should be spent strictly in those portions of the state whence the moneys accrued, because such restrictions would be indicative of a state of affairs beyond which an advancineut could not be made and in this he did not believe, but would rather uphold the principle that public moneys should be spent on the goldfields, not as a right to be accorded, bin as an au expediency, for the development of the goldfields as the richest portion of the provincial domain and for the benefit of the entire province, and thus making the public expenditure productive of the most immediately profitable results. Referring then to general topics Mr Hume said he was in favor of and would support the borrowing of money for reproductive works in any part of the province, but especially on the goldfields, but not for works from which returns would have to be looked for too far ahead. He would be in favor of an amendment of the Local Revenues Act, making it more workable and of more extended use than under its present form, and in his opinion such amendment should provide that appropriat'ons by the Provincial Council for all minor works in the shape of roads, tracks, or bridges, should be entrusted, without present reservations, to the control of the various Boards. He thought also that to each local Board should be extended the provisions of the Highway Act, whereby the Boards would share in the annual appropriation of money made by the General Government. Referring to the gold duty he said that although, as his hearers knew, the Provincial Government had no control therein, yet whenever any influence should be brought to bear by the Council in urging the General Government to further reduce the duty he would support such appeal unless indeed the General Government would consent to tax the wool growers in like proportion to the gold producers, and then, under such circumstances, he thought the tax on gold might be borne unrepiningly as a fair contribution towards the colonial funds, and an easy way of paying taxation. In conclusion he assured the meeting that if elected he would be faithful and firm in purpose, working honestly in their behalf, and that although an advocate of the cause of Mr O'Conor he would not blindly submit to dictation against his own convictions or contrary to the general interests of the Province.

Mr Fisher next faced the audience and said that on the question of the merits of O'Couor versus Curtis, his opinion only differed from those of the supporters of Mr Curtis in this, they held that it was " better to cleave to evils we have than fly to others we know not- of." He maintained that there was always "hope in change." For four or five years past the province had been goiug back instead of forward ; on the goldh'elds the decadence in prosperity had been most distressing, the population had drifted away, business had fallen off, and those who remained had, Micawber like, " waited for something to turn up " almost hopelessly, while declaring, to use a local phrase, " that the Puller was the greatest stringer of a place ever existing." This state of affairs wa3 mainly referable, not exactly to the mismanagement, but to the nonmanagement of the Curtis government. He and his Executive had let things slide, lying idly by, in the hope that some one else would do their work for them. The General Government had of late done some good to the district, having authorised a considerableexpenditureonroadworks,and thus things had of late taken a turn, and were looking better than for some time past. The coal mines too, were also inducing the investment of capital of which this particular district would ultimately reap the benefit, but the Curtis Government could claim little credit for helping to bring about either result. The Province, to hold its own, would now have to go in for a loan for reproductive works, and the Government would have to treat the public estate as a landed proprietor would his own possessions, borrowing money for instance at G or 8 per cent, and expending it to bring in a profit of 15, and thus ultimately reapiug great advantages. This should be done to increase the general prosperity, but the Curtis Government, although now promising much in the future, had as yet shown little or no administrative ability in this direction. If elected he, Mr Fisher, would give his special attention firstly to the improvement of the management of the Waste Lands of the Province. At present it was an obstructive system, and the greatest difficulty was found in getting possession of even g.'ouud to rear a house on. In Canterbury or Otago an intending purchaser could g.iin access to plans of the whole provincial territory, sec what lands were for sale, visit the locality, select his block, go back and pay his money and get his Crown Grant without trouble. Here

if a unn wanted merely an agricultural le:ise he must first deposit money with the Warden, post and ad verrise Ins applications, wait five or six weeks until the land should be surveyed, and then at last, after going week after week to the offices, find that some one in authority had proclaimed the land he needed a reserve, and not open for occupation. In his, the speaker's opinion, all the reserves should be thrown open, and if, subsequently to occupation, gold should be found therein an act might be framed for the easy resumption of the land by the Government on fair terms to the occupier. He was in favor of the centralization of Government to a certain extent. The General Government should take charge of all the larger departments throughout the Colony,police, gaols, harbors, hospitals, and similar institutions, but the minor details of Government should be deputed to authorities acting under an extension of the present powers of local self-govern-ment, and the granting to such bodies, namely Municipal Councils and Road Boards, of funds to be locally spent as might be deemed best applicable by local residents. Referring to local •natters he would, if elected, endeavor to get the Provincial Government to urge upon the General Government the speedy completion of main trunk road communication with the Inangahua and Lyell goldfields. He would also urge the construction of the projected coach road to Charleston via Addisons, a dray road to the Karamea, a road up to the Mo'dhinui reefs, a bridge over the Totara, and an enlargment of the present ()rawaiti bridge. In these and in all other matters he would, if elected, return his best services to the electors, and whether Mr Curtis or Mr O'Conor should be returned as Superintendent it would make no difference to him in the discharge of duty. He had, he said, a great objection to canvass or ask for votes. It seemed to him like telling an elector, " well you dont know how to vote and so I'll instruct you." He, Mr Fisher, clid'nt care to ask a personal favor from the voters, but would rather that they voted on their own good judgment for whoever they thought the best man. Still he would ask them not to think him indifferent as to election. He had accepted their requisition and was very anxious to go in, and would therefore say to them, " If you can trust me vote for me, if you cannot, don't." Mr Raffektv rose again to ask some questions, but had evidently gob be-fogged. So far as could be made out Mr R. wanted to know why Mr Shallcro.iS slept iu his bed every nigh';, the altitude and ultimate fate of some wooden triangles once erected on the beach, and the extent of shade overshadowing the Engineering talent of the Province.

Mr Lloyd tliou addressed the audience. It was not his intention, he said, to dig down amongst the dry bones of statistics, or express opinions for or' against either candidate for the Superintendency. He though that they might well be left to fight their own battles, and that candidates for the Provincial Council should avoid laying themselves open to the imputation of being the nominee of either. Then reading the requisition asking him to stand for election he said he had thought it rather too flattering to place in print,, but with reference to one paragraph therein he might at least take credit tohimself and say that it was not overdrawn. He had done all business entrusted to him efficiently and well, and if their votes placed him in office he should still carry out a similar line of action. He would proceed to give a short resume of what he thought was required of any representative for Westport without any special pleading, and in doing so would tell them at once that he thought himself the very best man for Westport, for the place, and for this reason : he had worked much for the public, not on the platform, but unobtrusively and behind the scenes. He was the originator of their now efficient and tiusted Fire Brigade, and in that, as in a host of other matters, he thought he had done the state some service. Taking the other members in rotation he thought he thought he was a better man than Mr Shapter He had expected to hear from that gentleman an exposition of his political principles, and what he would do for Westport, but Mr Shapter as a zealous champion for his friend Mr O'Conor, had forgotten all about himself, and talked of nothing but O'Conor. He need't say any more about Mr Shapter Next as to Mr Hume, He had said a little about things he knew of, and a little about what he knew nothing. Mr Hume should have come to town a fortnight earlier, and made acquaintance with the electors. He, Mr Lloyd, had taken some considerable pains to interview the electors, and did not by any means despise personal canvass as a good moral leverage to secure votes. Mr Fisher had enlarged upon Mr Hume's ideas, and had told them what he intended to do, making it appear that he would and could do all he proposed, but he, Mr Lloyd, would tell them neither Mr Fisher, or Mr Hume, or Mr Shapter, could do anything of the sort. Roads and bridges and highways and by-ways were, so far as the town was concerned, now under the control of the Municipal Council, and outside the town, under the management of the Road Board,and thus to these corporate bodies the public would look for results. All the Provincial Council could do would be to grant them money, and what he, Mr Lloyd, intended to do, if returned, would be this. Item, Ndj 1, to get as largo a subsidy as possible to the Municipal Council. Item, Noi

2, to got ditto for tho Road Board. And in these two items were summed up all that the representatives could do in tho Council in aid of local purposes. Upon other matters of more general importance there was much work to be done in committee. That was the place where all the real work of tho session originated and was perfected. He should be there. His work would be in committee, and his voice would be heard in tho Council. Thoxo that knew him bout knew that he never wilfully quarrelled with any one, and his policy would be to make all the friends he possibly could in the Council, as best conducive to the interests of the district and of the goldfields generally. They had heard much of trucks to be made through the country, but there was a better track than all that wanted opening up, a trnek along the silent highway of the sea, whereon might run a steamer, freighted with merchandise for the "Waimangaroa, Mokihinui, Karamea, Wonganui Inlet, for Brighton, Charleston, and all other places along the coast, wherever the foot of civilization bad trodden. To visit these places a steamer should bo subsidised, to the extent of paying working expenses, and thus afford means of opening-up sources of wealth and enterprise now lying dormant. Some time since Mr Alexander Beid had, in the Council, got £SOO or £OOO placed on the estimates for such a purpose, but the people of Westport were not ready with their boat and the money lapsed. He would try to revive that idea. He should, if elected, send a short but truthful resume of proceedings in Council to the local press, so that without depending on newspaper reports, which were always contradictory, his constituents would get information from the fountain bead. Mr Bapfekty wanted to know if Jdr Lloyd would be faithful to his trust ?

Mr Lloyd referred to his character in private life as proof assertive of his conscientiousness, straightforwardness, ability. Mr Kafferty again : Did you ever ask O'Conor to make you his private secretary, to correct his spelling and indite his letters for him, if he goes in for Super? Mr Lloyd : No, nor do I intend to. I seek election for no other personal reason than the indirect advantage I shall gain from the position. I've more stake in the district than all the rest of the candidates put together. Mr Lloyd then made further remarks as to his special fitness for the office, and declared that although he had not been on the public platform for many years he felt confident that when once again in commission the public would find him Al at Lloyd's. The Ciiairmax asked if any one wished to put any more questions to the candidates, or resolutions. After a pauso Mr P. M'Kenna proposed " That Mr Eichard Hume is a fit and proper person to represent the district in the Provincial Council." The resolution was seconded and carried by acclamation. No other resolution was proposed, except a vote of thanks to the Chairman, which terminated the proceedings.