MR BRYCE AT RAGLAN

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 2750, 27 February 1890, Page 2

MR BRYCE AT RAGLAN

A lauqb number of settlers fmm all parts of the district met at the Raglan Courthouse on Saturday evening to hear Mr Bryce'a political address. Amongst those present were noticeable : Messrs Pegler. Cogswell, Sutt'm, Mitchell, Moon, Seccombe, T. B. Hill, Langley, Picken, Mathias, E. B. Hill, Somerset, Wallis, Galvan, McMaxters, Frissel arid others. Mr Mitchell having been moved to the chair, briefly introduced the member for Waipa.

Mr Bryce was received with applause, and spoke in a claar and lucid manner, and those who have had the pleasure in days gone by of listening to the speeches of the late John Bright, "the groat Tribune of the people," could not help observing in many respects a great similarity in the manner of theadiiress of our uie'mber. j Not perhaps in ]ti}k eloquence : of the departed 'stat'Sin the simplicity of the language used; the clearness of style employed, and thu fearless expression of his strong convictions,' feiiiing no mau in their exfiresu.in, though he might not have been in sympathetic accord with all upon some great public questions. The address was very similar to those given in other parts of the district. ::•'; i.

Mr Bryce, in returning his warm thanks for the kindly feeling which had been shown him by the great body of the electors, congratulated them on the example they had shown to the rest of the colony in rising superior to the petty feeling of localism at which they -had struck a heavy blow. Education : He was, he said, in favour of the present syßtem, which could only be maintained in its secular aspect. If there were an abundance of funds he would not hesitate to maintain it at its present rate of expenditure, hut he was very much afraid that unless this expenditure were reduced, the system would collapse of its own weight. He believed it was_ the duty of the State to provide primary education up, to a certain point, say the 4th standard, and in the cases of exceptionally clever children to assist them in the matter of higher education, by the medium of scholarships. He referred to the more recent attempt of Tawhiao to set up a separate government for the native?. The only hone for the native race he believed was for them t'i abandon such a course, and throw in their lot with the Europeans. The native courts weie a farce that the Eiiiofoeuris would not accept, and the bulk of the natives themselves had far greiter faith in, and respect for the European courts than they hiirt for their own. With respect to their lands he repeated what he had already s:iid at Hamilton, that an simple area should be sat apart as an inalienable reserve for their use, and that they should be left to deal with the remainder as they chose. He believed that a strong feeling of impatience existed at the frequency of elections to local bodies. They should occur at longer intervals, and that the local bodie* themselves should be fewer in number. Railway management : Though Raghn, he said, had no direct interest in the railways they were directly interested in their economical working and their effect on the general prosperity of the colony. When theywere constructed it was on the understanding that they should be worked in the interests of colonisation and settlement, but this line had been departed from. Even, however, if they were to be worked upon purely commercial principles, then he thought the tariff should be so arranged to assist as largely as possible the interior of the country as had been done in the United States of America and elsewhere. Loan: Mr Bryee deprecated any further borrowing. When the great borrowing scheme was introduced safeguards 'vere sought to be established by Mr Vogel, but there had failed to effect the object sought to be gained by them. He believed that had the loans been more carefully made, and more economically expended, good results might have followed. The colony had, however, reached that point when retrenchment must be carried out in a deeper and wider degree than generally supposed. The people must be content to give up services and other luxuries of Government they have hitherto enjoyed. He would not refuse to give the Government credit for what good they had done in the matter ot retrenchment. They had transferred much expenditure from loan to current revenue. They had done much in the matter of retrenchment, but he thought they could go much further, but this they could not do unless the people themselves went heartily with them and were prepared to assist by showing a partial spirit of self-denial. Retrenchment could only be effected by educating the public mind into a full comprehension of it in its true and broad-meaning light. The incidence of taxation and its nature were all included in the matter of thorough retrenchment. With the reduction of exuendit'ire the necessity of taxation would be lessened, and its more irksome forms cmld be abolished as the need for them ceased. The great desideratum was to cieate a sound sentiment in the direction of economical government, and if his visit to the district, which, had been to him a very pleasant <me, tended to about such a result he would be much gratified.

No questions were put to Mr Bryce, and on the motion of Mr Cogswell, seconded by Mr 0. Moon, a vote of confidence in Mr Bryce as the representative of the district and of thanks for his address was carried by acclamation. Mr J. N. Perier rose to support the same, and in doing so, said that at a late conference of Conservatives at Nottingham, at which Lord Salisbury, Prime Minister of England was present. A resolution was carried, " that it was desirable to establish a ,; National" party. If this was so desirable in an old country like England, how much more so was it in a new country like New Zealand, in which they lived. The lines on which they should proceed bud been spoken of that evening by their member, Mr Bryce, and it was such men the country required. For was it not aptly said " that an honest man was the noblest work of God."

Mi- T. B. Hill called the attention of those present to a meeting of the Raglan electors held in that buildingtwp years ag", and stated that Mr Bryct) was fully in accord with the liberal resolutions and the requirements of the oclony expressed by those then present.

In returning thanks Mr Bryce said that his visit to the district had been a most enjoyable one and assured them that ha felt most warmly the kind sympathy which he had everywhere met. On his motion a vote of thanks was accorded to the chairman.