MR SHERA AT ST. SEPULCHRE'S.

Auckland Star, Volume XXIV, Issue 279, 24 November 1893, Page 2

MR SHERA AT ST. SEPULCHRE'S.

The St. Sepulchre's Schoolroom was crowded yesterday evening, when Mr Sbera addressed a meeting of the City electors resident in the neighbourhood. Mr Dunningham occupied tbe chair. Mr Shera devoted some time to a retrospect of his own political career during the three years he haa been in Parliament, He had always,1 he said, been favourable to the party of progress, as opposed to the party of stagnation. He had always been a consistent Liberal, nob a Liberal like Jonah's gourd which sprang up in a night and vanished in a night. Mr Shera' then went into an examination of several of the measures of the Government. Ho was very; strong in maintaining that married women should be placed on an equal footing wibH single women and men under the Land Act. Speaking of the Alcbolic Liquor Sale Control Bill, Mr Shera said that Sir Robert Stout had told the House that it would take a hundred years to settle the drink question. If that were so, he thought it was nob righb that the people should be called on to decide bbc fate of a candidate in a Parliament which was only to lasb three years on issues which could not be settled in less that a hundred. This led Mr Shera to speak of the brewing interest, which he pointed out was so very powerful in the Old Country. The time, was coming, if the people of New Zealand did noo beware, when the colony would also be under the rule of the brewers. There was a time when men were ennobled, | for deeds of valour or great services * rendered to their country. But now in the Old- Country such men as Guinness and Bass were the recipients of high honours. The candidate further stated that he believed the railways should be managed with a view to promoting settlement in the country; that the volunteer capitationshould be increased to £5; thab the old, soldier claims should be Bettled ab once, and that publicans should be compensated for the loss of their licenses. Ab the close of the meeting a motion proposed by Mr Roberts and seconded by Mr Hutchison, that the thanks of the meeting should be accorded to Mr Shera for his past services in the cause of Liberalism, and of unabated confidence in him as one well fitted to represent the citizens of Auckland in the new Parliament), waß carried unanimously.