MR J. NEWMAN AT CITY WEST.

Auckland Star, Volume X, Issue 2923, 27 August 1879, Page 3

MR J. NEWMAN AT CITY WEST.

Mr J. Newman met the electors of City West at the room of the Young Men's Christian Association. There was a very limited gathering, which may be accounted for by several other meetings taking place on the same evening, especially the important one in the Mechanics' Institute.

Mr C. Atkin was voted to the chair, and stated, in a few preliminary words, that he had known the candidate long before he had come to New Zealand, and asked the electors to give him a fair and impartial hearing. Mr Newman, on rising, said he would first explain a question which one of the electors had put to him, namely, why he had or by what right had he to come forward and offer himself as a candidate for City West ? In reply to that question, he would state that lie had been asked to stand for Eden, but had retired in favour of Mr Whitaker, who, he thought, was a more fitting candidate, and one who would have more inllucnce in the House in advancing their special claims. no had contested many elections, and never lost but one, and that was through fraud. He then proceeded to explain his views with regard to political questions. He had always taken an active part in the interest of immigration and the settlement of lauds in the North of Auckland,and especially in the Albcrtland settlement, which had not been fairly settled, owing to the neglect that had been since shown iv the making of roads and bridges. This had been a serious drawback to the settlers, many of them having been driven away owing to the lands being inaccessible, for so far as loads and improvements went the roads were pretty much in the same position that they were twenty years ago. He would moreover advocate a railway to the Bay of Islands, and said if the people of the South had a district with the same advantages they would insist on the Government advancing the money. He then referred to the Canterbury Plains, and showed that the rivers there would always be a source of an immense expense in erecting now biidges and making other improvements. He contended that the Noith had resources in coal, timber, and minerals far superior to that of the South, but we had been shamefully neglected; we had also rivers of which the South had no equal. The rirer Kaipara aione had GOO miles of water frontage, sufficient iv itself to make a nation wealthy. On the Wairoa river a 400 - ton ship could sail sixty miles inward, and there was no other river in the colony in which that could be done. If he was returned he would do his best to turn onr vast yatural resources to proper account for the use and benefit, not of any one class, but of the colony itself. If they made the poor, or the working class, wealthy, they would increose the wealth of the colony itself. He would therefore endeavour to get a fair share of the jrablic expenditure for public works in Auckland. Mr Newman then referred to the Native Lands Purchase Department, and traced all the disturbances with the natives to the gross mismanagement and shameful conduct of this department. In respect to this vexed question, he would do away with it altogether, and having got rid of the land purchase, the Native Office would have then nothing to support it. This department had been the means of corrupting both natives and Europeans. HeapprovedToftl).c Biji which Mr Sheehan had proposed on the subject. From the beginning to the end there had been nothing else but one vast imposition on the natives in connection with their lands, and had been productive of discontent and disorder. He next referred to the question of franchise.and he saidhe was a Liberal to the core. He was very early taught the principles of Liberalism, his father having taken part in the passing of the British Reform Bifl, and had likewise been instrumental in procuring Catholic Emancipation. All his antecedents were Liberal, therefore it was nothing new to him to advocate Liberal measures. [He was a staunch supporter of free secular education, and would, m the event of his being returned, do what he could to uphold it. He next referred to Mr Whitaker's Education Bill, passed by the Auckland Provincial Council, which levied 'a poll tax to raise the necessary funds. He opposed thai tax to the utmost. As to the Local Option Bill or Permissive Bill, he expressed himself in favour of that measure, and thought the residents should have a voice in the question of increasing the number of licensed houses in the district. This scheme pf taxation was rather to tax that which -was evil JJian tp tax luxuries, and, if more moijey iyove needed, tp spread the tax over as wide a basis as possible. He approved of a property tax anil would be in favour of doubling the present Land Tax if necessary. He approved of Sir George Grey's policy, but would not go to Wellington as a mere delegate lo support Sir George Grey in anything he plight do. If a noconndence motion >yej:e brought forward he would oppose [It until the Ctoyem r meut had sufheient■time to carry out their measures. Mr Newman answered a number of questions which were put to him by the electors, and which occupied the remainder of the evening. A resolution was unanimously adopted that, while the meeting express their thanks to Mr Newman for expressing the views contained in his address, they are strongly of opinion that ho is ineligible for the position of a representative of the constituency. A vote of thanks to the chairman, and three cheers for Sir George Grey, brought the meeting to a close.