The General Election. SIR GEO. GREY AT AUCKCITY EAST. [BY TELEGRAPH.—special REPOTER.]

Waikato Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1462, 15 November 1881, Page 2

The General Election. SIR GEO. GREY AT AUCKCITY EAST. [BY TELEGRAPH.— speciaI REPOTER.]

Auckland, Last Night. Sir George Grey had a large gathering in the Choral Hall to-night. Two thousand in round numbers were present, and the galleries were largely filled by ladies. Mr Boylan presided. Sir George Grey said that a statement had been made to the effect that it mattered but little as to who was elected to serve in the forthcoming election, as no real difference on the question of policy existed. He denied that statement, and cautioned them from being led away by an assumption of its truth. In furtherance of his contention, he stated that as members of the community at large their interests were involved in the public credit of the colony, as also in its landed estate. By pleading the former a large and expensive railway system had been initiated. The original purpose of that scheme was that the large estates, the value of which had been greatly enhanced by the construction of the railways, should bo taxed for their maintenance. That, he contended, was only fair, as not only had these estates been benefited by the railways, but in the first instance these estates had been acquired on terms which to a large extent prejudiced the public interest. Instead of levying this impost on these estates, an effort was now being made to make them self-supporting. To make all the goods, produce, possenger traffic, &c, pay expenses and other cost of maintenance was most unfair to the colony, and operated in the direction of retarding its development. He instanced the fact that grain was carried between New York and England at little more than 2d per bushel, whereas in New Zealand the cost of carriage for grain between such places as Timaru and Christchurch, amounted to a sum equal to 3d per bushel. Here in New Zealand the grain produce averaged thirty bushels to the acre, which, for carriage alone, was equal to a tax imposed on the grain producer of 7s 6d per acre. That was a monstrous injustice inflicted upon the community afc large, and was, in reality, a but den shifted from off the shoulders of the large land owner on to those of the small struggling fanner. Similar injustice in the traffic rate was imposed on other branches of traffic. The inhabitants of Auckland were paying at least a halfpenny per pound for butcher's meat more than they ought to do, in consequence ot the high rates imposed on the cattle traffic on the Waikuto, and other Aucklines. Again, with respect to their interest in the landed estate of the colony, even greater injustice had been perpetrated. He dwelt at considerable length upon the pre-emptive right system in operation in Canterbury, and went on to say that its whole design was to play into the hands of the man of large capital. Such being the true facts of the case, he asked them to reflect for one moment, and having done so to say whether or not there was a mighty difference in the character and policy of the men who came before them soliciting their suffrages. (Applause). After referring to a number of other topics bearing on the same subject, and in further illustration of the contention with which he set out, he proceeded to review some of the features of the late session. It had been said that the present Government had carried into effect the liberal measures which he (Sir G. Grey) had inaugurated. He denied that such was the case. The Representation Act of last session was instanced as a case in point. That measure was in no respect similar to the one he projected. What he proposed was that there should be representation in accordance with population, and in order to provide that the more efficiently, his measure provided at the very outset that there should be certain self-adjusting machinery, so that the representation might be regulated in accordance with the result shown by each census return. That was the reaajiibtment of seats he proposed, and had it been carried into effect the representation would, ipse facto, have from time to time followed upon the fluctuations of population, without the intervention from time to time of Parliament. As it was, the bill passed last session was not a readjustment on a population basis, and he questioned very much, despite what had been said to the contrary, the voting power having been given to the South Island; they would be tenacious of retaining that power, and he apprehended that very great difficulty would be experienced in getting any alteration. He deplored that the more as he felt quite convinced that the day was at hand when the population of the North would outstep that of the South. As it was, the South had got seven members more than the North, and that was got by excluding the Maori population from the basis, which, to his mind, was a great injustice ; in fact, the injustice was admitted on all hands. He was sorry to say that men belonging to the South, who had heretofore fought hand in hand with him, had gone against him on that question, their excuse being that they dare not oppose the iucreased voting power the bill gave the South, but that next session they would be prepared to aid him in getting the numbers better adjusted. As he had said, he was much afraid that the prospect for a readjustment would meet with great, if not insurmountable difficulties. Another pro vision he strongly objected to was the sub-division of the number of electorates. Its effect was to enable men having property in the different parts of the town so cut up to exercise the franchise in each subdivision, thereby securing for property a large preponderance of voting power. In connection with the proposed leaseholders' franchise he had attempted to restrain the number of votes exercised by any one person to one. His efforts in that direction had, however, been defeated by the Government, who. becoming alarmed for their friends, withdrew the leasehold measure altogether. He asked again, would anyone believe that there was no real difference between candidates now soliciting their suffrages P Was there no difference between men who supported proceedings of the nature referred to, and those who supported him in his efforts to counteract and remedy such flagrant abuses ? Referring to the native difficulty, he said that he was of opinian that strong measures ought to have been adopted long ago. It was rather curious to him that things had been allowed to go on as they had done, and it was still more remarkable, to his mind, that the present, the very eve of a general election, should have been ohoten for a work of so much importance. The only reason he could give to account for the present inopportune time having been selected, was that men's minds might be diverted from the vital questions involved in the forthcoming election. [The address had hot concluded at 10 p. mi., when our message was despatched, that being the hour for closing the wire.]