WAIPA NOMINATION.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 563, 30 December 1875, Page 2

WAIPA NOMINATION.

By twelve o'clock yesterday a considerable number of electors were present at the Court House to nominate candidates for the representation of Waipa in the General Assembly of New Zealand. The returning officer, W N Searancke, Esq., having opened the proceedings in the uaual manner by reading the writ, Mr Roche proposed Mr Edward G McMinn as a fit and proper person to represent the constituency. Mr Mc&tmn. he said, was a man of their own choosing, one «f tkennelves, and one of whom he believed that he would do his best in caring for the wants and requirements of the district. The next Parliament would be a most important one, and it bekoved them to send there men of sound seme and, practical experience who would prevent the «raste lands of the Province from going into the hands of a olasi. Mr McMinn, he felt sure, would do his bost to retain them lor purposes of bona fide settlement. Mr Hadfield secondod t!ue proposal of Mr Mo Minn. He knew him for a man of sterling worth, one who would act in the interests of the whole district Mr Cox, he believed, was respected more than any other gentleman by the whole of the country Bide, but he was a supporter of the present General Government and to return him nouldbe to endorse the general policy of the Abolition measure. The measure itself w»i good, but it had been passed in defiance of the people. If the Government hid had confidence in the people they should have left the matter to hare

been titled by them at the pretest elections. He referred to the Piako land transaction. Ma*y people thought it to the btttefit of the co«Dtry. It might be as, but that waa an opea quesiaon. He did not lik* that men of poiitiea J and influence sheuld be able to get hold of land contrary to law, while ft small man like himself if he went in for 200 or 300 acres would be badgtrred from one office to another and probably not gel it after nil. The laws should be to administered that a 60 acre man as well as a 50,060 acre man should get bis just right*. He did net approve of the indemnity act, arid he was quite sure tb*t Mr ICcMinn would nover have voted for it. If one op two members did wrong, punish them ; bat ' dont make a besom to sweepthe whole Assembly* The native oflJoe he Relieved should be abolished, and be strongly condemned the action of the Government in buying lands for the settlement of nakves Tsere and there among the European settlements in Waikato. It would end in oenfusion and inoenvenience and was a bad pre» «!?*•*-% w * uld ***** iecend thenominatiom of Mr McMinn. M? S Steelt proposed Mr A Cox as a fit and proper person to rapreaeab them in Parliament, and aa one well able te look after not only tke / interests of taw district bat oi the country. M* JoLm itTati able speech seconded this proposition. All, be said, were agreed that tke affairs of the colony had arrrred at a -crim and that the next session would be a most important! one. It therefore behoved them to sea.d to the Assembly not no-vices bat men of experience, ability, end integrity. He seconded the nomination of Mr Ccx believing him to come fully up to the requirements of these three qualifications. He beiieved that tbat gentleman would go in to use those qualities for the benefit of tke colony as a whole. Mr McMinn then addressed the electors and in doing io -explained how it was that be had not before put forward his View* to the people of Hamilton one of the most important district* im the Waikarte- He was net persoaaHy aeqaaiated With any Hamilton settlers, wad bad written to oneankiog him to name a suitable time and place convenient to the electors te hear him. To this" after waiting a fortnight he reoeived no answer. He then wrote again authorising this gentlemam to a* Mr dsarancce for the ase of the Courthouse, again ke was kef t waiting for an answer and after a long delay received * reply from the party written to stating that he was a supporter of Mr Cox and could not more in the matter. He, Mr McMinn* thought that in common courtesy the person thus applied to should have written at once stating this. In thin way it was that ha had the appearance of being guilty of a slight towards the electors of Hamilton. The principal questions before the country, continued Mr McMinn were tkose of Abolition, and the new form of lecal Government. That of Abolition he looked upon as settled. Much as he respected Sir George Grey and high as waa his opinion of him in other respects fee shoald oppose him both on the question of the sustentation of Provincialism in any and every form, and in the separation of the Colony. Sir George Grey had done a great deal of good in ferretting out abuse* — but he showed evidence of weakness on these two points. In forming a new constitution he would approve of an elected Upper House instead of a nominated one as now, while is the case of the Houbc of Represeatatives he nould be in favour of triennial rather than quinqueaial parliaments. The co«nty Board system as pro*" posed by the Government Bill was good, butiie did not thiak that county Boards ekould supersede tlu> local Road BoarJs, but th»t the two should work concurrently, the former undertaking the njore iaspertant, and the latter, werks of minor magnitude. At preseat there was no clearly defined respeajibility. Now, sometimes, when a public work was wanted it was the General Government and sometimes the Provincial Government they kad to look to, and sometimes the local Boards. There shouli, he thought, be county Boards, say «ne for tb« Waikato district, for instance, working tke same as the counties were worked under the flrand Junes system at heme. Tkere, they even had the cjitrol of gmJs, public asylums, &c, te«t these latter, he thought, tkey might in the case of tho colony well leave in the, hands <e c the Central Government. Massing from the subject* of Education and Public Works, Mr McMmo'i views oa whic'j, bate been fairly reported of late, he went on to say that he strongly advocated, whenever po6>ible. the further eitenaion of the railway, and that it should be curried right through the L<lanJ. With respect to immigration, he tkmjjht assisted immigration the best upon the whole, though he admitted that a ver}' useful class of immigrantt had beea introduced by the Government. For the present, however, and in contemplation of what might be expected, he thought it desirable to considerably contract the flow of immigration into the Colony. As to increased taxation, he looked oa that as a certainty, but he did not believe ia taxiag only those lands that were contiguous to railways but that a land tax sboald be universal. Another tax quite as desirable to resort to was an income tax, one that womld catch moa with bank shares and incomes derived from money invested other than in the direct purchase of lind. An income tax was even fairer taan a-pro-perty tax , but be was prepared to advocate botk impartially, while ke would vote for the removal of duty from tea, sugar, and lour. He referred to a misreport of what he had said, at Ngaruawahia, of Sir George Greys'* action ia the matter [ r l.e mistake was that of our correspondent, a strong Bupporter of Mr McMinn], and statel that he believed -Sir George Grey deserved the thanks of the country for trying to get the duties taken off these articles last session. He condemned the action of the Government ia giving land in the settled districts to kingite natives as a rotrograde movement and bad policy. Mr Roche— Am I 'to understand you thai you are going in to oppose Sir George Grey P Mr McMinn — I ant going in a* a free laner v but I will not support him in his attempt to retain the provinces or to erect Auckland into a •eperate colony, Mr S Steele— Are yoa going ia for private or public objects? Hay« yoa applied for a New Zealand war medal and been refused it ? Mr McMinn— Such a question at the first should not have been asked of me (obeers.) I have applied for a medal and been refused, the refusal was due to Col Haultain, To Mr Hadfield — I applied for it as a matter of right and was told it could not be given without passing a special act of the Assembly. It is scarcely an object to be ve»y kighly coveted. To an E'ector — I have frequently during the last 9 yenra represented to General and Provincial Governments the state of the roads, I now complain of (Raglan to Waipa and Alexandra to Ngaruawahia.) To another Elector — I would oppose the bible being read in public schools but would give every faoility to the clergy ef all denominations to hold religious teachings at suitable times to be attended a "■ the option of the scholars, I am opposed to the opening or clewing of schools with prayer.* It has been said of me to my disadvantage — and I dojTfo know hostJtlie report got about — that lam in favour. of a denominational ' system of education. Beltgious education, should, I think, be purelf voluntary. To Mr Roche — I will support Sir Qeorge Grey on all other points except those I named. The Piako swamp transaction kas been for the benefit of the district and colony. The fault was that it was done illegally. As to tbe proposal that the Government should have improved the land and tken sold it, such a system would be altogether wrong, I was sorry to see Sir George Grey raising the qucstioa again in a recent speech at Auckland. lam opposed to Provincialism in any and every form, and am neither an Opposition nor a Government man. Sir Georgo Grey has proposed the erection of Auckland into a separate colony, and yet Mr Whitaker who now is a candidate for another part of Waikato and u unopposed, not so many years ago drew up and sent home a petition to the Queen asking that Auckland be erected into a separate colony, and for what I knew, may be of the same opinion still. Mr Cox then came forward and addressed the electors, travelling ever much old greund already reported. It had been urged against him that he was a big man, but to reject or chose a man

•became he was of "'wkf- wMrtlcular degree j>£. wealth was abiurd. man wfio vent in as such to repreient his particular lection, whether big •or small, waa unfit to represent the community M ;* whole and to do bUttle for the rights of the vh** He was neither a supporter or opposer 'of the present ifiaistry, but an absolute suppor- <j "ter of Abolition. jKtfwatnot goiag to' ignore the claims of alittlvioan or bow down to the ■supremacy of a great oa«. He -was surprised at a previous meeting to (hear Mr MoMinn state that-be thooght w« oould swim on comfortably <ia Provincial waters for another five years. He could not reconcile %his to Mr McMinn's present „ "statement in favour of Abolition. He had been * vrged wilh being a aquaiter with a desire to vpolise land, bub -he showed conclusively tbat /as in favour of only allowing runs to be held tinder-license, liable at any time to be selected (from }Sf boa a fide purchasers, occupation to precede survey. Mr Cox touched on many other subjects referred to in previous ppeeches and published in fall in thes* columns, and to wLicb therefore we need $ot*««fer • again. Mr Oox concluded a long and brilliant speech, and then -stated that he was rafy to be questioned. Mr.Boche put Sfftn^ question*, .made several •speeches, ana entwed into an argumentative ditc^s.«ion with >tIM o<»did«t#, cemiog out decidedly second best. Not the worst of the good things said bj Mr Cox yesterday was a Parthian tflhot sent after Sir -George €trej, fie- had just' tone thing more to say. He quite agreed «with Mr Roche that Sir Oeorge was an exceednngly useful man in the Opposition, and if re* turned he should so vote as always to keep him there. A show of h&ndt being called by the Returning Officer there weae. for Cox ' ... * v ... 24 MoMinn ..; ... 3 A poll was, demanded by Mr Roche in rftffoour 'of Mr MoMinn. Jt nB .Returning Officer told■him he could «4«in%nd. one. on behalf *ot Mr McMinn, but soiroely in favour of him. Amidst .tome laughter this was done, and a vote of 'thaaks to the Returning Officer concluded the •buunesfl. , -^ '

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