KAIAPOI NOMINATION.

Press, Volume XXIV, Issue 3215, 20 December 1875, Page 2

KAIAPOI NOMINATION.

The nomination of a member to represent the Kaiapoi district in the General Assembly took place at the Court house on Saturday, at noon. About eighty persons were present. C. Whitefoord, Esq, returning officer, read the writ and the advertisement from the Press, and then invited theelectors to nominate the candidates. He desired that order should be kept, and would allow no interruptions. Mr B. G.Kerr (Mayor) said it was hardly twelve months since the pleasing duty had last devolved upon him to propose the Hon C. C. Bowen as a candidate for the representation of the district in the General Assembly. Mr Bowen was then personally a stranger to the great body of the electors, and he had occasion then to point out that Mr Bowen had held several important public offices in the province for many years, and that he had discharged the duties connected with them in a most able and praiseworthy manner. Notwithstanding that Mr Bowen was then a stranger to the electors, they soon ascertained that the views he held on public matters generally were sufficient to justify them in thinking that as their representative he would be, to use a common expression, ■ the right man in the "right place—-[Hear, hear] —therefore, they elected him. Since, Mr Bowen bad sat in Parliament as their member, and as one of the leading Ministers of the Crown, in both of which capacities he had acted in a manner which justified tbe electors in saying that they do not regret the choice they had made. [Cheers and interruption.] -» The Returning OSw_tr--lf thaTperstoi interrupts again I shall have him removed. The interruption cont_g_ved.« *i The Returning Officeiire.iuestea' to remove' a tipsy person from thewoom. .Mr Beswick—Sir, to I understand you order-tfce man to be put out for interruptI'he Returning Oftaer—Yes; he is not in a fit state to,berhere at all. - Mar Beswick had n«oer heard before of a ._Bh» being removed tfor interrupting an : election. [He then went outside the door.] (p*9ftr Kerr continued—Most of those present •Were aware __that the public affairs of the ' cqlony were at present in a critical state, and that the new Parliament, at its first session, would be called upon to build up, as it were, '.a new constitution to take the place of the

one which had virtually and practically been swept away last session. It was their duty, therefore, as electors, as inhabitants ot New Zealand, and as guardians'of the interests of the coming generation to select as their representative the most able, honest,independent, and influential man they could find— [cheers! —and such an one was Mr Bowen, than whom no better man could be found in the province. [Cheers.J The questions to come before the Assembly were all important, as affecting the welfare of the country, and it was necessary that every elector should exercise the [privileges of the franchise and vote for both measures and men, and throw aside Borne of the petty narrow-minded cries that had been used during the present election to catch votes. [Hear, hear.] As usual, a good deal of personality had been indulged in during the election, but so far as he (Mr Kerr) was concerned, that course should not be adopted. [Hear, hear.] He bad much pleasure in concluding the few remarks made, by formally proposing the Hon. Charles Christopher Bowen as a fit and proper person to represent the Kaiapoi district in the General Assembly, and he hoped that, setting aside all that bad been said about Mr Bowen being certain to be returned, they would all come to the poll early on Tuesday and record their votes, so that the majority of last election should be increased, and that Mr Bowen should be shown that he represented not only a portion but nearly the whole of the electors. [Cheers.] Mr H. Blackett said he had great pleasure in seconding Mr Bowen's nomination, considering they could not have a more fit and proper person to represent them. Since last election the provinces had been swept

away, and now it was necessary to return the best men to Parliament, seeing that it would have before it the consideration of that important question—local government, and the localisation of theland fund, f Cheers.] With regard to the public works, it was necessary to connect Canterbury with Otago by railway, and on the other side Nelson and West Coast. This was a question of importance, as the present railways were incomplete as a trunk system. There were matters ol very great importance to come before Parliament, and on Tuesday he hoped all Mr Bowen's friends would put their shoulders to the wheel, and return him as one of the members of the new Parliament by a larger majority even than last time. [Cheers.] Mr J. McFarlane proposed Mr Joseph Beswick as a fit and proper person to represent the district in the General Assembly. He referred to his having been a member of the Provincial Council, and once in the Assembly previously, where he had given satisfaction to the public, and was therefore likely [to do so again. [Cheers.] He felt he was almost out of place here —out of his latitude—they must excuse him. If they did Mr Beswick the honor to return him ho would do his best to represent them, and he appealed to them to return an old servant. [Cheers.] Mr G. Weston seconded the nomination. He had nothing at all to say, as they all knew him. There being no other candidate nominated, Mr Bowen said he did not wish to detain them, as the electors had been Burfeited with speeches of late. All he asked was that they would duly weigh the questions before the country. He did not wish to catch a vote on personal grounds. The policy of the Government, in which he personally concurred, had been placed before them in the able reports in the public prints. He then summarised the policy of the Government, and in conclusion said should they elect him he would spare no labor in doing his best, as he had hitherto done, for the good of the colony. [Cheers. J Mr J. Beswick referred to the episode during the nomination, stating he considered tbe time was come when this form of nomination Bhould be done away with, remarking that in the old country nominations were also made in the open air, and he solemnly protested against the returning officer having removed a person during the nomination. | Voice—" He was not an elector ;" another voice—" He was drunk ."J He then went on to say that it had been reported by a Minister of the Crown that he had been brought forward by Messrs Peacock and Brown to support the Eyreton railway. Now both had voted against him at last election. Mr Brown bad promised to support him this time, but had no vote, and he did not know how Mr Peacock intended to go. He wished the gentlemen from Rangiora to consider this, as it had been stfd he would favor the taking up of the Oxford railway, when he intended nothing of the kind. [Voice — •'That would not pay Blackett."] They knew his views on most matters. With regard to the statemeat that the provincial leaders had— " Folded their tents like the Arabs, And as silently stolen away." They all knew that in poetry the ideal veins were not generally correct. [Voice —•••Why?"] He-did not consider himself one* of those leaders, but as one of the party he had not .elded his tent. [Hear, hear.J He was as strongly a provincialist as eve*. [Cheers.] The position now was very much that oi a big bully coming on to a playground and hitting in the face a slender boy who had his arm in a sling. At the public meeting held here some months ago it was decided to ask the Government to defer the question of abolition ; hut no, they paid no heed. The Bill was hung up, so that it was not a question for the hustings. His opponent had said he would not go in for tbe abolition of the Middle Island provinces, saying it would be a doctrinaire's policy. [Mr Bowen—*' Go on."] The hon gentleman went away, and it had leaked out that he was immediately engaged on the Abolition Bill, which he

said it took six months to complete, to* these f acts or not 7 ["Voices-—" Yes-* «w We Those who said •• No," he thought ?» "J nothing about it. This was an imporK time, and it was necessary that they Vxl,! show unanimity of action. If elMtiSi _ <1 would be prepared to support a GovormL he that would give them real loci govern^- 6ll--and control of the land fund security for education reserves. to go in unpledged, and if defeated wSS cheerfully accept the verdict, andsdTi* 1 ,! this district was concerned retire inXavrii? life to make dollars. [Cheers."! * The Returning Officer called for a abo» -.» hands, which he declared to be Bowen ... ... ~ Beswick ... ... "" 2 [Cheers.] *" "* w Mr Bowen demanded a poll, which «.- returning officer said would be taken 7»_ Tuesday, between the hours of 9 __m-nd s Woi'dend. POi ' Rangi ° ra ' EjrretoD » «« A vote of thanks moved by Mr Beswick to the returning officer concluded the ni«_ ceedings. * w * 1 *'