CITY EAST ELECTION.

Auckland Star, Volume VI, Issue 1829, 28 December 1875, Page 2

CITY EAST ELECTION.

To the Editor of the Star,

Sir,—Since I have been before the public as a candidate for the suffrages of the electors of City Kast, it has again and again been advanced by my opponents that I am a supporter of the present Government, that I am the Government candidate, and that I am opposed to Sir George Grey and his party. These statements I have distinctly denied, and still they are repeated ; their refutation is to be found in my epeeches, but as many of the electors have not time to go back on long speeches, will you be kind enough to give a little of your space while I state our relative position as briefly as possible ? For some time back it has appeared to me that, with tho exception of Separation, there was no practical difference between the policy which Sir George Grey would advocate, between the measures which he would introduce and what I would be prepared to support j and now thpfc Separation has almost been left out of the question, we are agreed upon every important point. Sir George Grey, in his speech in the Choral Hall, merely spoke of Separation as something to be thought of, and Mr Reader Wood considers it altogether impracticable. I have expressed myself prepared to support an Opposition with the view of turning out the present Ministry on the ground, even if there wero no other, of their maintaining the localisation of the land revenue, thus perpetuating that gross injustice from which Auckland has suffered so much ; also, on account of their reckless expenditure regardless of the votes of the House, and of the corruptness and obstructiveness of certain portions of their administration. I shall be glad to have an opportunity to enrol myself under Sir George Grey's banner to fight for the formation of a new Ministry, with the following as the main features of their policy : —The unity of the colony, and one purse, not in name only, but in reality ; the land fund of the colony to be made colonial revenue ; railway extension to be continued until the main centres of population in the North Island are connected ; education to be made a colonial question, and to be provided for out of colonial revenue ; the incidence of our taxation to be readjusted to make it fall on the people in proportion to means, and the endeavour to carry out reform in administration and retrenchment in expenditure. That is something like what I believe the great majority in the North Island and a portion of the South Island want, and it is what Sir George Grey and the bulk of his party, always excepting those from Otago and Canterbury, really mean. Some for their own purposes have raised the cry, Separation and Sir George Grey, but Sir George Grey does not join in the cry for Separation, and if that word is left out, we may be said to be at once. To bring the question now to the election of a member to represent City East, Mr Rees says that he approves of the policy of Sir George Grey, and will support him, but not unthinkingly, not servilely; and leaving oat Separation, admitted now not to be a practical question ; that is precisely what I say; the issue is therefore narrowed to one of personal fitness for the position, and that issue I leave to the judgment of the electors. I take this opportunity of correcting a misapprehension under which Mr Wood labours. In his address to the electors of Parnell, be said that I snubbed Mr Eees for having stated that the deficiency for the quarter ending 30fch September last between estimated and actual revenue was £80,000, whereas it is only £62,000. It was not so : I did not know that Mr Rees had made a mistake. I accepted his figures, but made them do duty in supporting my argument that Separation would be disastrous to the .North Island, and this they do, whether the deficiency is £80,000 or £62,000. —lam, etc.,