Nelson Evening Mail. MONDAY, JANUARY 3, 1881. SUBURBS ELECTION.

'•' The nomination of candidates took place at the Provincial Hall at noon to day, but a limited number being present. Mr Baddeley, the Returning Officer, having read the writ, called for nominations, when Mr O. Curtis proposed Arthur Shuckburgh Collins as a fit and proper person. Having spoke of the necessity of using the utmost care in the selection of representatives, he went on to refer to Mr Collins action in the House at the time when Sir ' Julius Vogel's great policy was first introduced. Although the colony, including Nelson, was, by a very large majority in favor of its adoption, there were yet some who looked upon 'it with distrust, and, although powerless to check it; they determined to watch and to make it as ?afe as possible. Among these was Mr Collins, who was also one of the seven who determined to place on record their protest- against the threatened extravagance, and divided the House on the question. This was sufficient proof that his prudence was to be trusted. Two years later a stand was made against the rapidly increasing extravagant expenditure, and. Mr Collins was one of those who supported Mr Stafford at the time he defeated the Yogel „ Ministry, but their majority did not last : long, as the country was determined to continue to borrow and to spend. One of Mr Collins great recommendations, in bis opinion, was that he was essentially straightforward. . He spoke out plainly what he thought, and, what was more, he.did what he said, 1 so that they might depend upon him to .carry out to the utrsoet of his ability whatever he promised. Ha .was not, however, one , of those who wasted the time of the House by lring speecb.66," but was always ready to speak and to express his opinions very , plainly: whenever he had anything to say. The number of Nolson representatives had • ..always been small, and was likely soon to be smaller still. It therefore behoved' them to send up their best men, such men as would be likely to influence the House and be respected by the country. Mr. Harkness lamented very deeply the vacancy that bad occurred, but thought that Mr Collins would make an excellent sue- . cessor to their late representative. He bad known him for thirty years, during which . time . he had- been an, excellent colonist, a good citizen, arid a useful member of the community. He had been in the House before, but had been absent for some years, as it were on furlough, and now he would go back with renewed vigor and take, to the harness as one who knew bis work, and would do honor to himself and be a credit to his constituents. He had much pleasure in seconding Mr Collins nomination. Mr Carkkek willingly undertook the 1 ' pleasant task of proposing his friend Mr Alfred Harley whom he had known as a boy, „ they having been at school together, and as the boy was father to the man, so was Mr ■ Harley the same that he was then, determined and painstaking in carrying out any object he had in view. (The colony wanted men of hia stamp in the House at. the present crisis, and to Nelson especially whb it essential to get in an active man to look after its interests. The present was a very favorable opportunity for electing an untried man as it was only for one session and if they did not like him they could turn him out at the end of the year. Mr H. Lankow seconded the nomination, and no other candidate being proposed, the Returning Officer called upon Mr Collins, who said that he had great pleasure in complying witb the request of so . many of the electors that he should come •■ forward as a candidate. He was not ambitious of legialatorial honors, but felt that owing to tbe Blunders and extravagance of successive Governments the country had arrived at such a serious condition that it was the duty of all who were requested to do so and . had the tirrse,.to give .their services as representatives, and to work for the good of the colony apart from all local or clasa jealousies. Since 1870 the debt of the colony and the taxation had been gradually increasing, for each successive Government appeared to be more reckless, more incapable, and more ex- '■■ travagant than its predecessor, and the country should be grateful to the present Government for opening their eyes to the true state of the finances, if for nothing more.i Mr Collins then referred in terms of djsap-i probation similar to those used by hirn£HH speech at Richmond, which was 7 <^BSH

the time, to the expenditure in the AgentGeneral's department; to the expeusive and harmful works at Tiroaru and Oamaru which, if ever they were carried out successfully, which he doubted, would have the effect of largely reducing the traffle on the Government railways; also to tho large liabilities incurred in tho purchase c-f native land.fi, which at the. time Sir George Grey left c-ffice amounted to 2.\ millions, of which, however, the present Government thought they could sec their way to saving one million. lie con*trusted the actions of the Hall Government with the unfulfilled promises of Sir George Grey, and contended that their bona fides was proved by commencing tho reductions by taking 20 per cent off their own salaries, while Sir George Grey, who spoke about one class robbing another, had actually deprived the country of a considerable sum by assess-. ing his property at Kawau at somo £27,000 less than it was worth. lie approved of the property Inx os fair in principle, but thought that it should be reduced and supplemented by an income tax, and this being a maritime nation he thought it was judicious to exempt shipping, which would otherwise be registered elsewhere, and so we -should lose the fees, which in the case of the Union Company amounted to £8000 a year. He did not altogether approve of the beer tax, but thought there, was much, to be said in ils fnvor. The brewers as a class were well able to bear tbe lax, and beer was an article that had hitherto been ao heavily protected that it really was but a small reduction of that protection that they were asked to put up with. He thought/ that in .fixing the price of land at £2 an acre, the Grey Government had made a mistake, and attributed tbe falling in the laud revenue to that course. The reduction to £1 he approved of. He was in favor of the capitation allowance to the Volunteers whom he looked ufion as. a valuable body. of men. In conclusion he would say that if elected he would do hisduty in attending to .the interests , of his constituents and of the colony, and he thought thnt the Nelson members should no longer stand apart from the others but should take more interest in, and pay more attention ! to, the Reneral condition of the colony, and this they could do without neglecting local j interests. After every session he would be very glad to meet his constituents and explain his actions and hear their views, and lie would promise them that whenever they ceased to approve of him they would have no difficulty in getting rid of him. Mr llakley said that Mr Collins had told them nothing new." Ho had said the colony was in a mess, but-thoy all knew that before, and what they wanted was to bo told bow to get out of it. He (Mr Hurley) on tho contrary had comp forward, with a policy that he had been recently told by a gentleman was fit for a Cabinet Minister. He did not believe in cheap land. The land should never have been sold, and even now he was prepared to advocate that the Government should purchase it back again aud lease it. Mr Collins approved of the property tax instead of the land tax. Of course be and ! all the land sharks and large holders did, but j nfik the small farmers who had made New Zealand the garden it was, and see what they thought about it. He and Mr Collins were as different as light and dark. The one had a policy, the other had none. All he asked was that he might be placed in a position to do it, and he would clear the colony of its j uatioual debt and make the railways prosperous. At present the Foxbill railway was ' the ruin of the farmiug intereet. Horses J were no longer required 'for carting so it was >. no use to grow; feed for them, and men were not'wanted to mend the roajds. The farmers bad to work both brains and arms, , and then could not get ons. - Mr Collins was j in favor of the iniquitous beer, tax, which '■ worked thus : The brewers said to the farmers, we can't pay you so much for your ' barley because of the threepenny tax ; and J to the consumers they said : we must charge j you threepence a gallon more, aud so they; made sixpence a gallon out of it. What sort of men was it who brought the country to its present state ? Was it the working men? No, it was such men as Mr Collius aud his shoddy friends who were following him about the country. Such men as Mr Oldham, who prosecuted a poor man under the game laws. He would say no game Jaws for him. He would do away with these and all the mischievous work of the Acclimatisation Society. He (Mr Harley) had come forwurd as a volunteer, and not been dragged out like Mr Collins, and ho could tell him that, bo bad better retire at once, for he bad not a siugle chance. (Cheers and laughter). A show of hands was then taken with the following result : — Collins ... 19 Harley 14 A poll was demanded, and will take place on the Bth instaut. :