ALEXANDRA.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 551, 30 November 1875, Page 2

ALEXANDRA.

pf tlstffen vil&tQuntry, who lived in Auckland at the Oiabimd did not contribute m tnufih tb ih£r*rel>ue as the poorest settler JftuWngstthem. Was that fair? Great injustice wa done to tht North Island in reprete ntetiom. To equalise us with the South, w# should ha* »t leait ten move mtmbers— but with the powers ' theft be; sheep are vf snore importance thiin men, and to the majority of votes are given to runholders and the like If tbe ©lector* were of opinion be wowlA suit them, he was willing to come forward m their representative, (and ratbsr ineonsistenfly) would stand by the present Government. Ur Brignt wai' frequently interrupted by one* of the electors during hit long speech, ani, as he has what Mr Weller would call " the gift o' the gab werrj gallopin," I only made a few notes. Io j»ply to question*, he stated, " That as would . hare one sjstem of education for the whole Colony, to be paid fer out ot the Consolidated Revenue. He considered that sfparation would be the jreateit oolamiby that •co«ld W«U the Colony, and should never be thought of unless driven to it by the sheer neglect of our rulers He thought that all Waikato land n4es should be held in Uhe district, and if elected would ende»veur <to have it«o. Mr J D Bill asked Hr HoSfinn would te, if' "lcctfd, take his st>at on the Opposition Benches ? Mr MoMinn had a very high opinion of Sir G-eorge Grey, for his exposure of many abases ' ronneoted with the purchases and disposal of thwwiute lands of the country, at the same time he in some things he had gone* too far, and he was not disposed <to blindly follow any leader, he .intended to act thoroughly independ* tent, and he believed in the present Government's I Public Works policy. Mr M Dillon proposed and Mr James seeonßed a vote of confidence in Mr MoMinn, as being ■* fit and proper person to represent this district in the General Assembly. Mr H Pohlen proposed a vote ofconidence in Mr Bright. Mr H Kirkwood thought that as the meeting had been pilled by Mr McMinn and not by Mr Bright, it would be out of place in passing such a vote, on the present occasion. He would, as a« amendment, propose ''That the thanks of this meeting be given to Mr Bright for-hts address." Seconded by Mr W W Hig gin son, and cariied. The vote c f confidence was then put by the •Chairman for Mr McMinn, and carried. Mr McMinn thanked the electors of Alexandra for their vote of confidence in him as a 'fit and proper person to r< present them. It was his first meeting, »nd-it wm cheering to him to receive such n mark of approbation, 'l'hey might depend that he would, it elected, do all in his power to advance the interests of the districts. He had great pleasure in proposing a vose Of thanks to the chairman fer his fair aid impartial m »nner m the chair. This was carried and terminated the proceeding.

NATiVE NEWS, Tawhiao came down from Hikurangi to Kaipiha on Thursday lost, the only new to be obtained from him, was that the in«eting at Hikurangi will take place abmt fie B>h of next month. The Kawhia Hangatiki, Kuiti natives, and of other settlement* around will be/in 'to assemble there ou the sth. Whether Sir George Grey will come or not, it not oertain. >fl George wished old Takcrei te Rau to go foa him and bring him up t but Ta Kerei tbinkg he is too old to trar«l. — Fboh ovt own Cottutn'YoVPlNT.

November 29 th, 1€75. Kr 'Edward McGinn, candidate for Waipa, addressed the electors here, on Saturday last, in the public hall In oonsequeace of the hall being occupied by the Road Board Trustees, the unsettled stite of the weather, aud the lateness of the hour i o'clock p.m, there were only some forty persons present. After several persons had been proposed and several declined, their innate modesty preventing them from occupying so prominent a position Mr Jesse Sage was finally induced to take the onair. After reading the advertisement from the Waijcato Tikes convening tht meeting, the chain* n introduced Mr McMinn asking the audience to give a fair and impartial hearing to the gentleman novr about to address them and -noltcit cheir vote*. Mr McMinn in ruing said he bad several reasons for aspiring to the position m their Representative in the House of Assembly, ho as they were aware had received no requisition to [ come forward and seek the honor ut their hands, but it had first been suggested to him by many of the electors, whan canvassing for their vote* at his election for the Provincial Council, many of them were of opinion that from bis kn >w.le ige of the district, he would bo a fit and proper person to advocate any lootl measures tor its advaucemenc He was greatly dissatisfied with the manner-in wbinh the laul purchases of the Government were conducted, and would go in f or a reformation in that qunrter, as he was of opinion that it wm anytbiug but the corre -I, thing, that the Government Agents should be allowed to purchase large blocks of land for private individual*. (Cheers ) There were now three great questions before 'the country, namely : The Abolition of Provinces, the .Public Works Policy, and sJfiducation Question. With regard to the Abolition of the Pr oviuce*, he considered that was a gue-tion already settled, the old state of affair* of Government would have to be done away with, he for one was not going to the House for continuing them, still he would like some way of bee I Government, that could un lortake the construction of the maiu rovis. More powere shoul 1 bo be* stowel on the Ro.-id Boards and he would like some form of County Government -established, tiep-ra-tion of the two Islands No.th and South h<? con- : sidured a most suicidal palicr, a -small country ' lite New Zealand should not be divided, let taeni look at all the ({teat natives, how they wore alt concentrating into large federal Governments, and for this country to divide itself he thought woulil be f 'olitfh. At to the Publio Works policy of tbe ! Government, he was of opiaion it would be most inadvisable th*t it should be 'interfered with. The ministry shoul Ibe allowed to carry it ' out, aud. as far us he s<iw, it had his approval. ' In regard to local work?, be had heard, tout it had been fi-eely s atel since he came out as a candidate, that he was only going in to get the Raglan ami Waipa road constructed ; this was entirely .false, bu> ne considered the making of tne roa i between A?Liandra an i Nij.ruawania the most important local w»nt tequired, and ha should if elected, do all in hii.puwer than that work be at once commenced. He certainly \vos of opinion that the ' Raglan road "wa next in importance and would also do all he could to get, th road (nade ; was is not a great sh ime that a large body of lettiers should in an old set lenient UkeHiglan be completely isolated from any other coiL.munitj, and often at gve-tt distress when a Bm ill cutter, their only dependance, did net run regularly, with no road whatever as an outlet for then produce, or obtaining supplies. The proposed route for the Railway he thought wis most sai isfacory; if it did not come righ to their doors, it came within a few mih», »s proposed through »-he Del a He wus Sjrry the Government; as h* inferred, were going to <ontinue'the same system for the maintenance of Education in thu Province. He i nought thac fun fs should be provided out of the co laoiidated rjveiue of the colony, by the General G»verninent out he would rather s^e, the pn sent unsatisfactory method adopted than the sohoo's closed. A property and income tax would be most just and fair if feasible. A'l lands should be purchased from the natives by iihe G »vern ment alone as agreed upon by the treaty of Waitangi. Mr McMinn concluded a very well delivered speech which was m «8t attentively hntened to and frequently applau led, signifying his willingness to answer any questions that might be put to him. Mr Samuel Bright rose and asksi the Clmrman, if the present meeting was only for {he purpose of headng Mr McMinn's viaws, or could any other per» «n a idr se tha en ottujj, as4ie wished to say af w words :— Mr Mutfinn —•If you <o.ne hern as a canditite fir the Rspresfnfcati »n o of Waipa, I for one have n » objection. Mr JBn«nt ihen came forward ani made a' long-speech, ata«iking«no«t unmercifully the pre seta GpTernmeiit, which he ch*ractt>rised as the nmsf. disuouest aad corrupt, on the face of 1h« earth, ii s members forming aregular " Tammany Hmg" for the s )le em jlumeat of themselves and supporter-. Tiii* was the mest unfairly taxeJ country in the whoJe worM, every man, worn in, and child, were tamd £70 per head, and npw»rd« of one million went out of the country »very year to a foreign creditor, interest on raonoj borrowed and squanderel away by the parties in power. 'Jho<e who have roost, should pay most towards the revenue of a country, but here it wascrai'etht yevtntj he could Initwe* somt