MR. PYKE MAKES A GOOD SPEECH.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 128, 8 June 1885, Page 2

MR. PYKE MAKES A GOOD SPEECH.

Ho Thinks tlio Ministerial Cards aro Local Government and Protection.

(BY TELECRAPII — OWN CORRESPONDENT. )

Dunedin, this day. Mk Fyke's speech at Tapanui attracted considerable interest. Ho thinks tho Government wish to be defeated during the ensuing session, and chooso their own battle-field in order to go to tho country. Ho thought they would appeal either on Local Government or Protection. He severely condemned tho proposal to reestablish tolls. 110 thought they were more likoly to proposo the abolition of the Proparty Tax altogether, and an increa»oj}f Customs duties. If ec_they would findf^fehim ono of their mo3l determined oppjjHits. Property should bo taxed, and ho -WB t>f opinion that Customs duties should bo swept entirely away. He was a Freetrader to tho backbone With regard to Local Government there was a great deal of confusion. When Mr Stout was head of tho Association formed in Dunedin with a viow of promoting Local Government, ho suggested that each educational district should be a division for tho puyposo of Local Government. That would mean, for instance, that'Otago ond Southland would bo ono district. Ho had no objection to the districts being educational districts, but ho would begin nt tho other end and make tho educational districts smaller, and then let them become Local Government districts. Educational matters should be managed in tho district itself, and the present constitution of the Education Board was an injustice to tho members and to tho public. He did not see any difficulty in giving Local Government bodios control of tho police, tho gaols, the charitable institutions, etc., without at all destroying tho present local autonomy. So many counties might be taken and made into ono district and given considerably largor powers, This might be done, but it was a pity to sco such men—ho respected such ns Messrs Macondrow nnd Montgomery —attempting to bring back Provincialism, a thing thoy never could do ; but wo might have local bodies with very largo power to tako over from Parliament tho duty of dealing with a host of trumpery affairs the consideration of which would disgrace a pariah vestry in England. Tho proposal he should mako to Government was that thoy should bring forward a bill and aufe the House to read it a second tiuiv and givo a pledge that thoy would carry it no further until the peoplo had oxprossed an opinion upon it. A mistake was mado in passing tho Abolition Act in IS7C without consulting the people. He had seen this ever since, nnd although tho outcome had not been so lamentable as somo peoplo would have them believe, yot any other such change, Local Govornmont for instance, should be before tho peoplo for at least 12 months, Tho Government might possibly choose as their battleground Protection, and they would find him a stern and uncompromising opponont. The Reciprocity Delusion. Another fad wo had boen hearing about lately was reciprocity. Victoria, after for many years encouraging what Bhe was pleased to call "nativo," but what were really exotie,inanufactures, had come to the conclusion mat sho would like to enlarge her markot, Hhe had induced Tasmania to fall in with her scheme, although ip did not believe tho Taamanian Parliament would agree to the arrangement, and somo of our oomme»oial lunatics in Dunedin were now trying to induce us to do tho same. What Victoria wanted was to force off her locally-manufactured goods, and to arrange so that we should be compelled by forco of prices to, rooeive Victorian goods. It mean tour continuing to tax English and American goods, and just letting in those of Victoria duty freo. He did not know if this wild soheme bad supporters in the present Government. He did not think so, but it it were attempted, they would i;tid in him a most determined opponent. 110 would have no reciprocity of that one-sided kind so long as he could raise a voice against it, As to Protection, if tho peoplo accopted it they would find it the hardest yoke they had ever put on their necks.