MEETING AT NGARUAWAHIA. MR COX ADDRESSES THE ELECTORS.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 557, 14 December 1875, Page 1 (Supplement)

MEETING AT NGARUAWAHIA. MR COX ADDRESSES THE ELECTORS.

9th December. Upoy the motion of Mr Cox the ch*ir wasv taken by Mr Edgeoombo who beggad of those present a patient hearing for the candidate, whereupon Mr Ctox addressed the electors as foilowi : Electors r f Waipa living in and about N»arunwahia, unable to conduct a personal, or house to house oanvftß,' 1 am hero to address you collectively as a candidate for the honor of representing you and myself in the House Of Repre«e*tafives ] but before entering upon a full discussion of the measures and questions, past, present, and to come, that are oi interest to us all, you wrll forgive me if I occupy some portion of your time to, clearing the roid, so to speak, of certain charges and prejudices that have been mide and entertained throughout the dktrfcf in- roppeot to me. To begin with, I am branded as a Southern man, a* one whose interest* are outsido of and opposed to tho?© of the North, and as one therefore not to be trusted on any question likely to arise relating to the North. Well, gentlemen, I am able, I think, to refute this charge, by producing evidence from the reports* of Parliamentary proceedings, extending so far back as the | year 1867. In the discussion on the " Armetf j Constabulary Bill" I took a pnrt and spoke *» follows : With your leave I will now read a fuiil extract from Harisnrd. (EJCTBACT FBOM HANSARD, VOI X FAST l r BXBITB OH "ABMKD COUMABULABT mil) "Mr Cox said he would TOe for tha second reeling for nearly the same reason* which induced the honorable gentleman (Mr Burn«) to decline agreeing to it. He agreed in the h*>pe that the time would soon «orae when such a force would not be necessary. But the time had not arrived to throw upon the North ftUnd the whole coat arid responsibility of keeping the peace of the country. The honorable member for 1 Clutha (Mr Maeamlrew) spoke as though he represented the South' in that Hon*e. He (Mr Cox) took leave to say that the Sou'h was not represented by the honorable member for Clutha, or by any other individual member of the House. He would always raise a protest a<;ai st such statement on 1 the part of honorable members; Mr Macandrew begged to state that he represented the South . Mb Cox — T?he honorable member professes to represent the interests of the South. He (Mr Cox) would also teU the honor «ble member for the Northern division (Mr J O'Neill) that it was ungracious in him to a«sume that the South was unwilling to accept the responsibility of defending all parts of the Colony or voting money for any legitimate purpose in which the interests of the Colony, as a whole, were involved. Mr J O'NeiH said he hai no suoh impression, but hearing what had fallen from the' hdhorable member for Glutba, he thought that was ungracious. Mr Cox'— That honorufele geiitli'man 1 w^nld answer fdr himself, but it was ungracious to assume that the Soutfc hold suoh a position towards the North. Upon every member of that' House devolvfd the duty of voting the mone^ necessary for the' purposes of the Colony. What mifjhtf be the result of separation, he would not at preaenb say, but' thnt subjpot wfcs nt present a merer speculation. It would' perhnp^ be wel! that the North sho'tild consider what hrf'po-ition, after 1 separation, in rif'peot to internal defence, would be. The active sympathy of the Southern members had never yet been withheld from the North, and he would take leave to' say never* would be, so long^ unity of the Colony was proserved. And again in 1868 in adebiWo on tfio " Policy of the Government" he was reported to have | spoken thus :—: — Mr Cox— l say thlf th* duty of th 6 Governrnent is to maintain to the utmost peace ah I order in the North lalxni, but that it is to bo maintained at the expense of the South an-i North: I* iay this, thnt there rau^t be some system of finance which will make 'X* chA^gM." fall equally 1 , on the North, on tbe South, an<l all' over the Colony. Bir. it will be said that we are looking for the interference of the G&ner>»l ! Government, but V say that we want no masters of lo6ai Qovdrnmenr. We drj' notr want a' ♦* "Wellingtonia gigantea" planted in the hole left by the uprooting of the Provincial trei ; but what we do want, I think might be almost got oat of ttie Committee ou the Koad Boards' Bjil, the result of whose labour will' btf, I trust, to j meet the wants of moat districts in the yo'dhy. ' Tbe point' interesting to us is t , what Was the policy of this Government? We find, in 1867, in the first session, that the Government oon : gratlilated the country on'the e*4tablishm<>nt .of peface, arftt that no systemitio or «*u<tained hostilities \#ere to be expected.' There did seem to be a disposition on the part of the Maories to bef'quiet, but' l suppose the Government are no more to be blamed for the present up-rising- ori the West Coast than previous GoteminentB*h»ve been, for since 18R0 there has been always a party atriongst the Afaoriee' determined to'get : rid or the Enropeant.' The other night, after tho Bon tho Colorilal" Seoretary had spoken, an honorable member holding a responsible" position in the North' Island nald to me, "This means blood and i treasure. " Possibly so, Sir, To the South I would Bay*, in conclusion, not'our blood^ but tha blood of our brothers in thef' Nortb; shall we refuse to find the treasure, they being calleJ upon to furnish ant equal contribution. I ! for one will not do this." For my present ptirpdie I' need 1 not 1 read' to ybu any more lengthened extracts from this debate.' The debate referred to being upon the General Policy ot the Government of the day, touched at a matter of c mrse upon other questions in addition to that of native poTioy, and very fully upon tha vexed question then as* now, of Provincialism v Centralism, and' hefece' it will bo found that my remarks related' to that question | also. These being my wntimetitsi convened in' wordscapabl© of but one interpretation delivered in 1867 and 1868J when I sat in Parliament for a Southern constituency, and before I owned an I acre of land in the North Island, or had invested sixpence within its boundaries, I think prove very fully that when I had noth'ng to gain, by advocating Northern interests so railed, I' did not hesitate to speak out my mind, and to remind that section of the House repudiating their responsibility in native affairs and Police' Expenditure, that their duty to the Colon'} and to the North, involved them in tho liabilities incurred 'in the past and essential to tho future

peace of the wholaO»locy, North as well as South. If this proof of my independence in the put, be regarded ** incomplete, I have none otSer to offer. Again, let me refer you to sntim taken by me in the House about the sane time, in connection with a Bill establishing somfo measure of Local Government within the limits of the province nf Canterbury. I refer to this tfow shortly, to 1 prove how little the i-'terrsto of my constituents suffered at my h-uiiit, although h squattpr at the time. T hfl measure advooated by me, and paused through the House, was wholly, so to speak, in the interest of farmers nnd bona fivie settlers; its ten\lenoy being to promote settlement — mew amongst whom I lired r a nd who certainty had nothing in- the world to do with scpiattinp, yet thVse' men, big and little, trusted me, and showed erery disposition to u'iliz* me as fheirj representative, Tediou* as I b/ive been in these reference*, you 1 will admit that I had some right to be heard in evidence upon tho chirge of my being untrustwor'hy as a Representative of the North, and as being a dangerous mnn — and ft squatter — in matters involving the interests of farmers and settlers. And now to- the real business of tho mfeeMng. The subjects upon Thich — as candidates — w# are to speak, are rßnny and important.. First and fore* mo»tl among't them' is the question of Reform, embracing a» it does the ques'iors of ab ilttion, separation of the i*hnW»,- and constitution of the Upper Home.- The first I will n-"»t take up' i your time in discussing. We appear te be in one mind in respect to it. We regard it> as a : settled th'nfc that tbo' provinces are in poiVit oT ! fact already abolished. Of greateY importance at this time is tihe question of separation 1 .- We mi»t look at it from all points of view. How it will nffect us in the North. How it will affect thof«* in the South'. Efo# far ii will promoto or injure the intercuts of small provinces and remote outlying distinct?, nnd hovr from a colonial 1 point of view such a constitution Would tend to develop© a colonial or nation 1 spiHt in: the rUm> generation. For nws-lf, I am opposed to §ebe>ation. Have ever been in the 1 past, continue to be so, and an* likely to nrmnin of th> same opinion in tbe future, ft wouPl not tvnt the North, from a j financial point of view, except on such terms a? the Sooth would never oftVr. It would as 'ittle suit tho South' except on such terras as wohfi be never accepted by the North! It would not secure local government to small provinces, and outlying districts, su'-h as this. \ part of the scheme proposed is that there shall he one Provincinl Government, with increa«cd functions for tho whole N*»rth hUnd. sitting, n& Auckland y that thus the people or Auckland, the men, women, and children of the City of Auckland, would live within sight of what Sir G. Grey calm, ani rightly calls, a groat e^ucitiwnal institution -r- but the Provmc-j of Auckland is* not mo»*ely tho City of Auckland — tho people of th- province do not a'l l|ve wHtifc-' in its wall*. Tlie Province of Auckland' is a territory — some measure of local government — wider than' that, yet not «o pretentious — is what tho peopb of the provin'-e yeirn for, and what v-©! ! h<ne to fee advocate i by whomsoever is electe-t to renrevnt t'is district in the Assembly. As little vrould nubh a syrtenr'sitiafy the legitimate demands nf the smaller » rovinces of the North. A* Provincial Legislature with increased functions pitting- at A\i kUnd woul A* hnrdtv be to" them, remot'o m they eta from Auckland, an Eflucaliooil Institution: Th-s proposed system is neither eood. in itiielf, nor hia it, any the slightest ch^no? of bein«4 »dop*.e<i by oth«r Pronnoe^ and riwtricts of the North. And finallj wodfd' not, e«t«blijh**cl «s proi<o«e \ at the expense ot the Gerierul Legislature aft lie Ooldhv,' tend to educate the mind of the ri'ing generation' ir.tfd'r,*»lWtig th*^ the pflbi Ie North and South belonge-i to o^e united C»lony. AY *o the oorepoi«ition rf «n Upp'-r Houie, 1 I' will a'lmit at ntartiiig thht IMo not t^ink th*t the vory existence of the Colony, or rathar the interns of all claMPi, the tons^rvat-vo clftB«i inclu'lni, wl ich in the m*in r'epresunt pfope'rtV' is involved in Wi«r net of an Upper Ifbuae. Ii asked to ex'prp«s my opinio i us to' tho form a second chamber should tiks nt this tim"), I' should be inc'ine'lto B»v,. 1 t it be notnihateil na ( at present., brit for a limited period, iay for 10 years. To mak<) it elective would bo mhre or leas tV> reproduce the present Ho'i«e of Repre■entativYs*.' If not to 1 bo nominated and for a limited period, l<t it ca*e to enst. Tho great use it is meant to serve is to eh*ek" h-nty legislation, and to bo a'<tari'l'ng wftrning to'thel^dwer House that thrre <s « power cntiide of itself equally authorise i to express an opinion up >n all subjects b'fougHfc' unrlef* thAir oon^iderattoh. A* high authority, one at once a philosopher ahd a' statesman; bAs declared th<»t the gp'at thing to be guarded agnin«t is' *' the «vil j .e«»''t' produced upon the mind of any 1 holder of pow**^' whether an individual or nn"A*sombfy, b» the con»cioufiriejs of having only th<»mielv«* to consult." 80, tlwt «n the absence .of an Upper House it J will be the duty of the Prew an'cl the Public to watch j even more c'o*ely than' now the opmions atui a^.ts ot' their ReprcsAntativfli. A^ to tho Pubfij Works — The public worki s^hemi may b't almost said [o h>v« been done with. \V\» in VAaikato at l^ast hive no cau«6 to' ,comp'atn of being ignored in the general appropriation. The question' of the extension of pubfio .works is however 1 of interest all round. What next will come before v.* as a great scheme remains to be seen. As to Railway extmsion, we know 'that ah art' has been pasnei empowering the Grovernraent to deal with individtials and Oompanies willing to undertake such wbrks. In respect to'unsofd lands and the futuri? settlement of jpeoplo upon them,* it would bo wise to boar in mind that no community can be forfred calculated to prosper and' develope into material greatneai,' where you 'ignore the necessity of making due provision for a representation of capital as well as labpur, or to put it. more plainly, that does not mike provision' for the settling men of every degree in regard to capital. Take the very best portions of a given block, 'sub-'diride it ibto 60-aere lots, and lay off at the same time farms of sufficient sizo to attract men with more capital— these working; in the same district will be of mutual benefit — and" \hh larger men will in addition be the means of enabling many a labouring man, who comes " to the counti y with A ut a£s note in 'his por-ket to earn' wagee,' and save sufficient to enable him alsb 'to become in a short time a proprietor, arrl be too,' in time ? ' an employer of labor. A fair field ' fer an experiment in colonizing was furnished jby the Province of Canterbury, as it existed in earlier days. There, unlike tho North in this respect, you had an endless streth'of native grass land* The problem to solve was how to utilise thfs'source of wealth without, in any way, obstructing the advance of tho cultivator and imall settler. The solution of it wa«, what some would calf a eorapromiuo. It was hardly that, however. The system, nimply was a toJeratidn of the license-h6lder, during the tftne the land was'unbought — no tenure was given t to the njuattiratthe'expotafli of'lbc free aelector.

A run was yours to day ; tomorrow if he chose to pay the price for it, it beoamo the propeity of the farmer. And this 1 systiun hot borne fruit whioh every one witnessing it, is willing to pronounce a success. As to the question of Natira policy, 1 bare niothirtg to say boyond what 1 hare already said first in 1^67 and 1888, and lately throughout the district. Whether during the past three or four }ear» the system followed ou?, deserves the nairie of "policy" or not, I am not going to argue now, lam satisfied with the rseult. My one desire is that wo miy lire on in penct with our neighbour over the boundary, that they realising thto advantages of a chwer intercourse with Europeans will inorease their business with US', anJ finally bow to the inevitable. I hare but one more subject to direct your attention to this evening, and that it Education, whioh though last in the order of my reference is by no means of the least imoortancW. I hare said on a former ocovion, and now repeat it, that it a the dvity of a Government to educate all its people, that it it impossib'e to establish anything short of a general system, that no system of education is complete wintitg in the religion* elemfent, and that therefore a Government is bound to afford facilities to the represent.!tiveS of all denominations of religion Co' mftnipulatu its little ftbok at suitable tirrros and seasons. A few words in conclusion' — I think I have shown you that on a former occasion when I had the' honor to represent a constituency, I was sufficiently unselfish to' vote in apparent opposition to my own interest, sufficim Iy independent to rote against What, in a pecuniary sense, would be regarded as ihe interest of mj constituents, and finally succeeded in procuring for mj constituent's measure of justice w*hich they, it least, attached great importance to the possession of. What I nave done and shoWn myself ready to do in the past, 1 am again ready to undertake, — viz, the representation of an important constituency. , Upon this' conclusion of Mr Oox's speeoh a vote of thanks to trim was moved by Mr HWpatrick duly seconded and carried unanimously. It was followed up by a vote of thanks to the chairman whioh concluded the proceedings of tht rafeetingi