MR REES AT THE EDEN HALL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXI, Issue 279, 26 November 1890, Page 5

MR REES AT THE EDEN HALL.

A LIVELY SCENE.

SOME HOT WORDS.

AT the conclusion of Mr Vaile's attack on 2>ir Mitehelson's railway management ab Mount Eden last evening, Mr VV. L. Rees took up the cudgels on behalf of Sir George Grey.

Air Rees came forward amid applause, and after thanking Mr Vailo for the use of the hall, and after administering a pretty severe rebuke to an interrupter, be stated that he had come before them to refute certain charges made against Sir George Grey's administration of the land laws of the colony —charges made by Mr Mitchelson, by Mr Bryee, and by Mr Monk. He did not accuse Mr Mitchelson of knowing bett&ts, but he ought to know better. He, :iike Mr Vaiio, had invited Mr Mitchelson to be present. -Mr Mitchelson had said the property tax must continue, and that the revenue could not be obtained from a land tax. But. it was Mr Mitchelson's party which had borrowed £40,000,000 and necessitated heavy taxation —from J&ir Julius Vogel down to Sir Harry AtteSi/soti and Mr Mitchelson. This party, run the country for their own benefit; they get the public lands and the public minerala for themselves and friends. The figures show Chat the land tax proposed by fcJir George Grey would yield £200,000 a year, And the income tax and tax on bondholders would give £120,000 more than the property tax. Mr H. M. Shepherd,J.P.,had been interrupting Mr Rees pretty frequently, and the latter now " went for him," stating that all the Government were good for was to go about making J ustices of the Peace like Mr Shepherd. Mr Shepherd still interrupted, and Mr 8.Q03 made seme further remarks of a personal nature, when the Chairman, Mr Hirst, interposed. Mr Rees continued and said that if he was subjected to impertinent interruption from anybody he Would treat that person as he deserved. The interruptions became less frequenv.

Mr Reee, continuing, said that the property tax is a direct tax on all industry ; bat now man with big incomes are scot free except for the Customs. There is now £70,000,000 of foreign bonds the income from which absolutely escapes taxation. The burdens of taxation should be laid equally on all, and while foreign bondholders draw £4,000,000 or £5,000,000 from the country they should not go wifehoufc paying; taxation a-s they do at present. Ths Government say it would be against the public credit to tax the foreign bondholder. In England every bondholder, home or foreign, has to pay the income tax. There is no contract that there shall be no tax. Every Government has a right to tax all property under its jurisdiction. In regard to native lands Mr Rees pointed out that the millions of acres are now opea not to poor people, bub to men who can afford to pay native agents and engage with tho natives to get the land. The Government; pretended to be buying this land, but they are doing nothing. The Maoris are willing to deal with the people and open up for them these lands, but ucdSer the present laws nothing can be done. But Mr Mitcbelaon says the present system of individualising ownership and of carrying on native affairs is the right oue. By a few simple clauses a Bill might be passed for dealing with tribal lands as a whole. They ha& been told by Mr Mitchelson that there could be no great retrenchment. Yet the country was the costliest to govern in the world. He was sure there could be retrenchment, not by attacking some wretched officer here and theioV but by appointing H commission to deal with the matter in a Statesmanlike fashion. Mr Kees also spoke in favour of an extended system of local self-government. He next referred to the statement that Sir George Grey had, when Governor, sold large estates of land at nominal sums. The Canterbury Association had arranged with the New Zealand Company to take up largo tracts of land ia Canterbury under Church Of England auspices, and the Free Church in Dunedin had the same power to take land. The Free Church was to get 10s an acre on every acre of land sold : and the Church of England £1 an aeie on every acre sold in Canterbury. To Sir George Grey'B astonishment, he heard that an Act was being passed in the English Parliament by which every acre of land in the colony was to give £1 to the Church of England, and he sought to break down this monopoly. When the Constitution Act was passed in 1852 Sir George gob power to make land regulations. The Hundreds ordinations had previously been passed. When Sir George made hia regulations in May, 1853, he provided tor the continuance of the Hundreds Ordinance, and that the land should be settled in small lots. He only remained in the colony seven months after making these regulations, but in that time he founded the small settlements of the Wairarapa. No large eetates at all were sold under Sir Geerge Grey'e rule, but directly he left the colony, and wae fighting the battles of the Empire in South Africa, iis regulations were altered. The Aseembly handed over the power to the provincial institutions, and they made ordinances to suit the land monopolists; and then began the "gridironing"' in Canterbury. The large estates then began to grow up. It was not surprising: perhaps that Mr Mifcchelson should not know these facts; bub Mr Bryco, who boasted tha« he never told a lie, should have known better than to lend his name to euch statements as had been made against Sir George Grey. When Sir George wenb home to England from the colony, the strongest charge against him in the Commons and in the Lords was that he had overturned "Wakefield's system, dear land and cheap labour, and had substituted cheap land and dear labour. Sir John Packingfion and Lord Lyttelton, who moved voters of ceneure on him, could get no seconders for those votes, as all leading statesmen saw that Sir George had done a right thing. Mr Rees then read a statement made to him on Monday morning last* by Sir George Grey on his bed of sickness, in which he embodied these' facts. In an eloquent peroration he asked the electors to choose between the party of economy and reform as represented by Mr Greenwood, and that of " Sit up and do nothing," and of monopoly as represented by Mr Mitchelson. Hearty applause greeted Mr Rees at frequent intervals during his speech, and at its close the applause was long and loud. : Mr F. G. Ewington proposed a vote of thanks to Messrs Rees and Vaile. Hβ said Mr Vaile had spent over £1,100 of his own money in furtherance of railway reform. Mr Rees should remember the old adage that those who live in glass houses should not throw stones. There had been no greater political failure than Mr Rees when he waa in Parliament. A good deal of interruption here took place, Mr Ewington being accused of paying left-handed compliments, and he had ■ome difficulty in proceeding. - _ ; Mr Ewington continued that Mr Reee bad accused MAlitchelson wrongfully when he said that Mr Mitchelson had spoken in favour of the individualieation of native titles. Mr Mitchelson had not done so. (Voices • " Hβ did. We heard him," and others: "Hear, hear.") Mr Rees should ■withdraw that accusation. As Native Minister Mr Mitchelson had been obliged to etand between Mr Rees and the poor I natives in connection with the East) Coast kand Company. The poor native* had

quitted fcheir land and had received nothing for it. The people who had bought the land nowvan their sheep on it, and so did the natives, and there was continual conflict between the two parties. He called on Mr Rees to explain that matter. (Applause.) The vote of thanks wa3 carried, and then Mr Rees rose. Hβ said Mr Ewington had grossly attacked him, and it was not the first time he had been employed to injure him. Mr Ewington: " It's false." Mr Rees : "It is not false, sir." Hβ had had to pay Mr Ewington £1,400 at one time. Mr Ewington: "That's false." A good deal of interruption again took place at this point. Mr Rees proceeded to say thab Mr Ewington had come there to support Mr Mitchelson and would go anywhere to support anybody who paid him. Mr Ewington: "I dare you to say Mr Mitchelson pays me. Hβ dare not say it. You are a coward for saying it." There was now plenty of uproar, and both parties appeared to be sufficiently warm. Mr Rees, continuing, said Mr Ewington was there as Mr Mitchelson's champion. He would challenge Mr Ewington, Mr Mitcbelson, and the whole crowd to meek him. (Great applause.) He would undertake to show that this East Coasb land swindle was the greatest blot on Mr Mitehelson's Government of anything they had ever done. their lands to a company to get them settled. The, Government opposed febe Company's attempts to settle the land. When the natives were seriously involved, he (Mr Rees) went to England with a native chief to get? help; bub Mr Mifcchelson's Government sent a telegram to the Home Government, which was published all over the country under the heading, "Mr Rees's Scheme Denounced byHia Own, Government." On Lord Knutsford's advice he sent hia correspondence and proposals through the Colonial Office to the Government of this colony; but, instead of the latter's replying through the same channel, Sir Harry Atkinson sent the speaker a private telegram which was not worth a snap of the fingers. Then fche JMarquie of Lome,* Lord Aberdeen, and such men advised him to go back to New Zealand and see the Government. Sir Harry Atkinson told him—during an interview they had— thab the Government would help him, But he had not got 6d out of it. Instead he had,been obliged to pay £1,400. Mr Ewington : " It's not true." Mr Rees : "It's nob untrue, and you know it. Will you give £50 to the Hospital if it's true ?" Mr Ewington: "Yes." Mr Rees : "Here's a fair thing then. I'll give £50 if I'm wrong, and Mr Ewington "will give £50 if he's wrong." Mr Rees said tnat certain bills endorsed by Mr G. M. Reed to Mr J. B. Ruasell were nob paid ab maturity, and Mr Ruasell handed ovei these bills to Mr Ewington for collection. Mr Ewington : " It's not true." Mr Bees, continuing, said the East Coast Land Company had forced him into the Bankruptcy Couro with debts of about £8,000, mosb of which he had since paid out of his own labour. The Minister asked him not to make a fuss, and lie said all he wanted was, to see that the natives did not lose their lands. In the Bank of New Zealand in Auckland Mr Mitchelson, Mr Murray, and the speaker had sketched out the terms on which some of the blocks were to be taken over. Mr Mitchelson went to Wellington and telegraphed that ab a full Cabinet meeting the} Ministry had decided to take over the landa if the Minister of Lands thought them valuable. The Minister of Landa had visited tho district; and said that he had never seen better land. Bub then the Ministry threw the speaker and the natives over. Hβ wonld have the East Coast land question out, they might depend; Mr Mitchelson would not fehatik Mr Ewingbon for thab night's work.. He would put a public challenge in the newspapers to Mr Mitchelson to meeb him here in Auckland. (Cheers.) A voice : " He won't come." Mr Rees: " I know he won't, he'll send some creature." There waa again great uproar, and Mr Reea reminded the audience that he had not provoked the scene. Those people who wend about in the community— (Mr Ewington here interjected "Like jou.") in the garb of morality and religion, poisoning the minds dt the community were a curse. If they judged a man by hia company they should not send Mr Mitchelson to Wellington. Mr Reee again said that he would challenge Mr Mitchelson to fight out the matter of the East Coasb Land Company. He sab down amid great cheering.