WAIPA NOMINATION.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1124, 6 September 1879, Page 2

WAIPA NOMINATION.

The nomination of candidates to represent the Waipa constituency took place on Thursday, m the Courthouse, Hamilton. There was a large attendance. The Returning Officer (W. H. Northcroft, Esq.) having formally opened the proceedings, Mr Roth-well came forward and proposed Mr Hungerfard Roche as a fit and proper person to represent the district m Parliament. The nomination was seconded by Mr J. G. Berry. Mr W. Johns proposed Mr James Cunningham. A great many, he said, were asking who Mr Cunningham was. Over fifteen years ago, when the place they now stood on was covered with fern, Mr Cunningham was fighting for the safety and defence of the district. He was, m fact, an old identity. He had known him ever since as a man of inflexible honor and integrity, and, as such, he could recommend him 4o the electors as one on whom they could rely, and who would frame taxes so that those who can pay them shall pay them, and not as now, and that they shall be paid by the poor man. The statement made m the local paper, that Mr Cunningham, at Raglan, said that, m taxing property, he would tax improvements, was a gross misrepresentation. All should pay according to their means. The gc-eat landshark had been swallowing up the land for the last 16 years. Only a few had the opportunity of getting access to the land. If they were all willing that a few men should own the land, he (Mr Johns) was not. He wanted to see the land held, so that all men could have land. (A voice : So they can.) If the country was assailed, it was the men who held land, who would make the stand m its defence, not the aliens or the slaves. The men owning large blocks of land, seemed. to have thought, up to the present time, that the Government of the country was a legacy left to them from one parliament to another. It was time such a state of things was altered. Mr Cunningham had got no large block to keep on speculation or retail out at large profits. Mr Cunningham had been chosen to represent the liberal interest m Waipa, and the rest of the candidates had been repudiated. Mr Corboy seconded Mr Cunningham's nomination.

Mr Gormann proposed Mr McMian. He had known him for eight years and found him honest and straightforward. He had worked hard for his constituents m the last two sessions. No man m the House had worked harder for his district than Mr McMinn had done — and for all parts of it alike He had heen held up as 1 an opponent to true Liberalism, but he held now the opinions he held two years ago and they we're the Liberal opinions as given m the Governor's speech last session. Mr McMinn was true to that Liberal programme though he was opposed to the administrators of it. He could not at any rate be called one of the land ring, and was he to be hounded down now, because he had voted independently and conscientiously ! Would they send a man to Wellington who would blindly follow a leader- and should they be dictated to by Queen-street. He, (Mr Germann) thought not, but that they would select their own representative without outside jnter» ferenco. He felt sure that if returned, Mr McMinn would continue the same independent course of action that had characterised his past political career. Mr S. Westney seconded the nomination.' He had vqted for Mr MoMinn before and had not regcetted doing bo. While their representative, that gentleman had done equal and exact justice to all parts of the district, and if he was again returned he would go to the House as the nominee of no clique, ring, or party. Mr John Fisher, m proposing Mr F. A. Whitaker, said he had. proposed him at the last election, and he came forward to do so again, because now Mr Whitaker held tlj.e same principles and liberal views ihap he iii at that time. Mr "Whitaker was well-known to the electors, who would, he (Mr Fisher) trusted, agree with him that tho candidate he 'now

proposed was the best man. , He could only hope that they would show themselves of this opinion by placing him at tho head of the poll on Wednesday next. Mr fiadfteld seconded the nomination. There was no need for him, he said, to speak as to Mr Whitaker' s fitness to represent the district. That gentleman was quite able to speak for himself and put forward his views clearly, forcibly aad with ooncisiveness. Many objected to him thinking that he was m opposition to the Grey interests. He (Mr Hadfield) had, however Mr Whitaker's assurance, m indeed they all had, that he Avould support the policy of the present Government, and go with the Auckland members using his best endeavors to keep the Auckland vote united. The late member was the only man m the district he believed who thought that the North hud been other than unfairly treated m the matter of public expenditure, but those who thought differently had come to the conclusion that the only way to get jusiice for Auckland, and the North, was to send down their eighteen members as one united body. Whoever they sent should go, not as the delegate of a clique, but as representing the whole district. Mr Whitaker was not only capable of representing the whole district, but the whole colony.

The Returning Officer having called upon the candidates to address the electors, and having ruled that they should speak m alphabetical order,

Mr James Cunningham said: He had been referred to, to-day, as being the nominee of a Queen-street clique. He was the nominee of neither Queen-street or of any other place. When he came out to represent the district, m was on the requisition of many old friends, who had earnestly asked him to do so. The Central Greyite Committee was not then m existence. Since then, he had had no personal communication with that body, but having enunciated his opinions, and the Central Greyite Committee having approved of them, they had resolved to support him. Other candidates, opposing him, had applied for their support, and had been refused. (Cries of, name ! name !) No,_ he would not give the name (great excitement). [The speaker was again pressed for the name, but remained silent.] (A voice: Mr Whitaker.) It was, because the asked for support was refused, that all this virtuous indignation arose against his (Mr Cunningham) receiving the support of the Central Committee. If returned, he would go into the House, to break up the land ring. That 'ring was worse than aay political clique. Land should not be held m large blocks, to the exclusion of themselves and their children. Should the Opposition get into power, the liberal measures would be thrown out.

In answer to a question, Mr Cunningham stated that he had no claim against the Goverment, for 3,000 acres of land. Mr McMinn, subsequently explained that the matter was simply a petition to the Government, which he had had m charge, praying the Government to include a certain name m a grant of land belonging to Mr Cunnigham's relatives, which had been accidentally omitted. Mr Cunningham went on to reply, that he was iv favour of the present means adopted, of electing Education Boards, but thought that Waste Land Boards should be elective. He was not m favor of the County Act, as it stood.

Mr McMinn said, he was an example of the proverb, " give a dog an ill name, and hang him." He did not think he deserved all he Lad got, the last three weeks. He had explained his political views already. A reference had been made to land rings. The principal land ring he knew of, was started by a gentleman who had put the present Government m power, Sir George Grey's former Colonial Treasurer, Mr Larnach, who had been sent home at the expense of the colony, and, when there, had floated a gigantic land company, of which two of Sir George Grey's colleagues were directors. He had not supported the Government, because they had neglected to carry out their Liberal policy, when they had every opportunity of doing so. It was entirely the fault of the Government, and he spoke from the knowledge which his having been a member of the House gave him, that the Liberal policy enunciated m the Governor's speech was not now the law of the Colony. But for Sir George Grey, the Electoral Bill, giving the franchise to 60,000 new electors, would be now m operation, and these men would be having a voice m the present elections. Xet, sooner than submit to the loss of the dual vote, Sir George Grey allowed the bill to be thrown into the waste-paper basket. He knew all this, from personal experience, not hearsay, and defied any one to prove to the contrary. _ After such action, he could not believe m further promises. Mr McMinn went on to prove that the North Island had not been unfairly treated m the Public Works Expenditure. la answer to a question, Mr McMinn said: The Government have had every opportunity to carry out every liberal measure before the Colony. In the matter of the carrying out cf these measures, the House was not hostile to them, as he knew, by experience. Mr Roche was glad to see so many electors present, us it showed they took a lively interest m the political concerns of the colony. It had been rumoured that he Yvas going to resign. There was -no truth m the report. It was a ruse of the enemy to injure his candidature. It would rest with the electors to reject or accept him. He had represented them before, and his action had been satisfactory ; and they would find him as reliable, and trustworthy m the future as m the past. A statement had been made to-day, that the Premier could have carried any Liberal measures he liked. He (Mr Roche) thought that the Ministry only held office by their eyebrows, and would have been quite unable to push measures without a strong wording majority. Mr Boche spoke, as on previous occasions, m condemnation of the Land Purchase system, and the continuance of the. Native Office. So long as Sir George Grey kept to the same way of thinking, he (Mr Roche), if returned, would be found supporting him. He taunted the Opposition with claiming the Liberal measures of the Government as their own, but, if so, that during twenty years they had never tried to bring them into force. Everything now depended on the unity of the Auckland members. When m the Provincial Council, they had a caucus of nine country members to which he belonged, and they met and disqussed every important question and voted together, and. they made themselves a power felt and respected m the Council. He believed the North had not received its just due m the m the matter of expenditure It would be the duty of their representatives to see that they get their fsir share of the present lorn. Be did not believe m taxing on valuation to sell— taxing the sweat of a man's brow. A. farm might be worth £2 per acre when the tax valuer went rouncj. thj.3 year ? and because during the next twelve months the occupier, jiaised its value to £1 per acre by the expenditure of capital and labour, was his rate to be doubled? He believed m legislating fairly for all men. As to the Counties Act, he would make the adoption of it, m its entirety, compulsory, or abolish it altogether. He was also prepared to continue a pligiiaj^ty of votes m local elections. As to t|(ssSunor set about that he had been offere^ihoney by the Government to resign, there was not money enough m the Treasury to buy him. "What h e Jnesnt was

that all the money m the country would not render him false to his party and his pledges. (Loud Cheers.) In answer to a question, Mr Roche stated that he had been asked by John King to do the handsome to the Grey Committee and retire, bis reply to this was that he, (Mr Roche), would do the handsome to the electors and go to the poll.

Mr Whitaker said that m having tho last turn to speak he had the advantage for he could pick holes m his rival's speeches, all round, and there were plonty of weak points m their armour. They were all, however, good men and he was glad to meet them at Hamilton. To fight them here where he was surrounded by his own friends would be unmanly and taking a mean advantage. He did not say he was not prepared to fight them, but it must be m tlaeir own stronghold, m such a place as Te Awamutu or elsewhere. (Loud cheers.) One matter he must refer to, and that was the statement made by Mr Johns that Mr Cunningham had been grossly represented by the local paper m his opinions expressed at Raglan on taxing improvements. That statement was made by Mr Cunningham, and faithfully reported. The people of Kaglan could bear out what he (Mr Whitaker) was now saying. The Waikato Times was under his absolute control. He had been running a hard race, and did they think if he would stoop to use the paper for the purpose of misrepresenting his opponents, he could not have done so to some purpose. He was quite smart enough to have done so, but he had carefully kept the paper out of electioneering matters. (Loud and continued cheering. 1 It was often a difficult matter to avoid mistakes, and he, himself, had suffered quits as much as any other candidate m the words put into his mouth. [Mr Whitaker here read the reply to the question put to him, anent the Chinese question, on Monday night last, as reported m the Times.] Could he have been made to aay anything more silly or absurd than that. (Laughter.) If Mr Cunningham— and lam assured that ho has said, as much outside— has heard that I applied to the Central Committee for support, and believes suoh a statement, he Mr Cunningham must bo very oredulous. His simplicity must be very great. He (Mr Whitaker) would have scorned to have anything to do with any committee connected with the name of the present Secretary of the Central Committee. He would tell them, privately, if they cared to know, why he held suoh a contempt for this man. He never did, however, apply to the committee for any purpose. He would fight the election on his own merits, and if he was beaten, he would take his beating like a man, as be had done, last year, but he would not stand by, without a struggle, to be beaten by Queen-street and John King. (Loud applause.) A show of hands was then called, with the following- results : — Cunningham '. . . . 8 McMinn 5 Roche .... .. 8 Whitaker 63 A poll was demanded on behalf of the other three candidates, and, with a vote of thanks to the Returning Officer, the meeting dispersed.