MR MONTGOMERY AT AKAROA.

Press, Volume XXXVI, Issue 5058, 23 November 1881, Page 2

MR MONTGOMERY AT AKAROA.

Mr Montgomery addressed a meeting ef tL 3 electors of Akaroa at the OddMowa' HaL ! , Akaroa, on Monday evening last. There mi only a moderate attendance. Mr J. D. Garwood (the Mayor) occupied the chair, and te_% introduced the candidate.

Mr Montgomery Baid he came boforslsg-tj g've an account of what he had dans dos&g to last session of Parliament, and to espies fcfa opinions regarding matters that would tera to be considered in the future. After rflfsßiig is the question of the Little Biver railway, tasez, plaining the provisione- of the Akaroa School Aot, which he had Bnooeeded „p««!&. la?t sessfon, he proceo-Od to speak affecting the coieny generally. .Tie. mt aware that one of the most importaat messira passed last session wsb the Liconsi-f _eUhj two principal features of which were, Hwssl™tntion of an elective instead of the pmsot pai-n-ted Benob, and the adoption d ifokal option- principle. With regard te>: tlse Jtapoint, if the people of a district like Atas. for instance, were not able to ohoaia teiMstsKa and sensible men with character and j_sgms_l, to say whether the conditions on which fl«s» were held were complied with! and .n-tOM- eS licenses should be renewed and dot fifiii granted—if the people werenotit tolati-6, they were not fit to have a voice is as. pnblio matter. Being of opinion that tha power should be in tha bands of tbe people, he voted very cordially for -> trusting them with the privilege of electing the licensing Bench. With regard to tie qua. tion of compensation, be bad always cowdtethat when a license was granted end the -oa» was properly conducted, instead of being amsisauce it was of service to the district; and iiaro was no more danger in entrusting the -scision as to the renewal of such a license ta * oosl. mittee elected by the people than in oJJowi-g tite matter to be decided by a no—inse Be_o_ irr*. sponsible to tha people. Wiih raspact totto granting of new licenses, the power was bo» left in the hands of the people, and he heped they would use it wisely. Another measure t a which he desire- to refer was the Gaming and Lotteries Act. Everyone would agree that gamins, houses were vicious and dosioralisiJJi?, and that no law could be too strict that was devised with ttte object of suppressing, them. Bat oh the sabjeotof lotteries there might be some difference of opinion. It might appear harmle-'B for a man to put a IMe money into ft sweep or a lottery, hut tha evil that was .ought to be guarded against ia tbis respect was • . growing one. In conn-isa where lotteries ware allowed people were attracted from tha path of settled and steady industry by a desire to bseoffll suddenly rich by means of lottery prjsea, sna believing that anything which tended m M direction was detrimental to the interaafajl.o! tto State, he had cordially voted for this part of to Act, knowing that it could do no.harm *"«!» certain to accomplish some. good. * M ■&* subject to which he woald alßu&s was, "Ute Corrupt Practices Preve-tioß Bill .Hi«tt» he did aot think there had been much csssg tien at elections in New Zealand, bat s.gres* deal of money waa Bceot, especially In Christoburch the last election had.ciO»!~» candidate about £800 or -31CO0; .anettaeis. Wellington had paid somewhere »bmimm* amount, and a member had openly stated is «® House that his first election on the W«rt.»_». cost him _SOO. A candidate could not *W» such t\ large amount as that legiti'jaatety, sas w meaning of it was the employment of ws««a.» obtain a seat in Psrliament. If the monsj*** only given away it would not r_-_4erise»» but its expenditure called forth host« Wffl. who were not seen at other times engagfflf» settled industry. Thsrefew, no* only ««• ground of bat also jb edf'» give the man of !*nodera*E me-M—he M a» like t_ee_ares_ie_ *« poor man"--a has etaw* aaaiast the rioh man, he had voted very «*• diaUyfara more stri_g»_t measure corrupt practices at elections. L'r r_os. Important Bill of last Bessioa wss m ** presentation BUI. When last before tto »» expressed his opinion that representation wou» be according to population. On that erases *» B*id that he was in favor of equal triots, but failing to obtain that the next best thimr, namely, *#"355fl according to: the population la district. The Government brewMJ* «.*». whioh accomplished this > '■"* ft Bupported it. They were no djmbi ,«wj«'" what took place respecting «s actum tt& the stonewallera hod teW h U: 52 prominently before the noticpof pa p» * |? Nelson members especially S because it took away W.;*f*g£d£f t their district, and gay* sis » *_*S»«. as and three to Ota<o. tt» **tf a *£. they contended, «* TheW were, other. i»J* £?* J£ were also angry agafe-U-sKB. »• """Eg to eayvthat %£» whom he would «f*f£ to have acted on broad meas-re bec-usetbe NorU eouW wAjgf.JfK. eentation accor-ing to Hk*\ m «««*« European popnlation. MrHsaa.p«gWS JHStoTJeSW « this' ««** **£■ Government Tost some of espeoi&Uy tie Nelsea aiembew, wk» vm jwg b/some otaars from the North, *ntamut : »» George Grey's name; and then hewtot||» cay that tbe Oppos-d«Btrenn^yoPP<^ r f. Bill. New time- the .word *'Owo-*» might be taken te apply only to t_» Stawa members and those acting wrfn thentJw. S put with a «i|Stal 0, and would .«■»*£. Oppoiition as awho%-tbose who opposed to tfa* Haß'toernmeOi, M-amdrew an* the whole of the' «•_» Wg in opposih'oa to the Government eapported «» BOlf m m also all-the Cautarbury ™>^g* Premier skiald have been and given credit to thete who loyalls the -bthr-ugh thick and thin. this that the late Piwfiament wouldJm ff™ s *g as having m*sed most liberal #*"•"»**, " hade_ten_e_ thete_u_ise,so1 that every wg« the eotoay who ha* ,»sidftd_m « <tooW». district for six mootlw could vote at the el^fa- 3

of Parliament. It had-siaipUfied <"2Srf electors. It bad relegated _£ gfof »*« elections to the Suprema 169 of their being deaded as fomerly committee of the HouEe. It -stabMSSSu Parliaments, which *<»» *«• ?Ksk_sTbrißgingthe reprssentafavescf the the people themselves, and of doing *_-W_«b years; when, if they ware not m they would have to others who were. They had at a measure which gave represenfatipn **_S«to SuTw-lattan of each provincial j fISS? _ltt_mgh there were still some thing* _Sk* tto faanchise and. repres-ntafaon SSwould like te see altered andimproved--he glad if plaral voting were abolished *Sr-yet he waThappy to say that pracpWr~_ now « the manhood of PX«lonr-that the people had really got the that thosghbyplural votiog;wealth KlT_Teater advantage than it should have, bat as dust m the balance comS_l *Hh the inflnence it exercised in the past. X rested with the people themselves to tfontfte future. [Cheers. J . Ihit though s?_*--_-ie-t which had jast expired would be __,«*h_red somewhat in the same way that the 2g_H>arlia-eßt of 1832 > wWch P* B ?** l the Sfom Bin, was remembered, yet he wished to ?St oat that what it had done during the past {__*•» was simply the outcome of public -fsioaformed before teat time-before the Sowers chosen to go into that Parba--5 ftj might as well say that the men STf-soeS a good harvest were deserving of all JtaiaS-Hter that harvest, and forget those who S the soil and sown the seed, as say passed the Electoral Bills last Sfflfhada right to credit for those liberal "_!_atts. That credit was largely due to those -STwhe formed public opinion before the Sj_entwt. .Cheers.]. He made these refits because different opinions had been ex--SLa as to whether these measures belonged gSiaatry or toe Opposition; whether the ji_S f„ not steal the B:lls of the latter, and in the borrowed plumes. There 2Shi_g deeper than that-there was SkTop-ion, there was the opinion of the SeSressedat the last election, and that carried those Bills. [Cheers ] fTW e»me to-two measures, as to the Saiity of which there was ao qnestion-they Kdoubtedly the «&s?rw« ° f ««* ?*"*** ffimeni 5 «4 *> Mr Hall had stated in his !£_& at Leeston that the Government would See them again next session and eng_to pass them, he would be obhged to JSrto them at greater length than if, as he Sfo_gined was tbe case, they had been oonSto the Umbo of forgotten things. He .S__d to the Boads Construction Bill and the Sand Native Lands Bating BiU-Heasures Sif passed, would be most pernicioua to SfflWry. The former wag an old friend name, having been introduced 'Sffi"the previous session under the title of -fef_»_ Public Works Bill. It was then conriSwslraok* ridiculous measure that it never "Sto a sssoad reading. Its author. Major T_i_k wtbarew it. in fact, it was laughed f£?_i£ House, and members thought thoy of it again. He would firat ■„_fthsjr attention to tho conetitntion of the &_ri wHch it was proposed should aid the 'l__fbodies. It was to consist of four members tSt Miniate* '« Pnblic Works and three __*___-to be elected by tbe House, to whom «*-Kssa»Uficat_9n Act should not apply, and «9 ihooia each receive a salary of perhaps §86 et .£6OO. Of cot-re those three members Sm be chosen from the majority, no matter <£s_ fewa-ment was in office. Now, what suite Beard to do? First, what were the ___'wUh which it would have te deal? It >„Tto he' entrusted with £150.000 from tsa land fund, .ffl&O.OOO from loan, and £100,000 from the 'trust funds of the ■ettlaoj. How were they to dispense that money, Was to pnt local finance " upon a sound and gsl_iactorj b__s? fr He would give the words Massif who put it in ajnanner '■mm :'was eSapSc_y itaelf. JTte speaker here =gt»ted from the tpe»h mdicated, and also ' several clauses from the Bill.J In order to ob•to ssy £100, a local tody would hive to make m appHcatioa to the Board fa* Wellington, sc- ' Bfflnpaaying it with plans and specifications, and M the Board agreed they ware then to call a ' s&eti-g of the ratepayers to ascertain if they vsalil take a poll, bt&ides having to advertise it Nothing co_d be more objectionable than S»i the local bodies throughout the country , stasia have to depend in that way upon a Beard •ia WeStegtea, composed- of the Minister •of vfsiii! Works, and three members chosen from $g>_fesse ef Beprsse-tefcives. Why the Board >wa3d to the means of buying the people the country. The proposal was so ti&eakms that the friaadaof the Government j__ "You must not let a Bill like thai be •carM: it is all nonsense." He now came to -feCrjim and Native Lands Bating Bill, and :psl_ Snt refer to the provision affecting 'MreUadfl.' They were well aware that in the 'Khla-nda consilerable quantify of Native had had been acq.uired by jßuropean settlers. ; _fea set-ers n-torally desired to make roads, '«Meh when cotatr-cted ef course benefitted the __da oJ the adjeinaig Natives, and it was said, Wflj ehoald not these pay rates. It was pro,si__din tha _5_ that whenever a rate was made by sire Jocal body, a certificate of the amount s-onM-be tra-smiited to the Colonial Treasurer, ■ißho stouM the rate to the local bodies. The

Tr__~rer thought it would be inconvenient < far the Natives to pay, and might cause ' ifebfe, "so he saSi he would make them : ijgstribute by and bye, and this was the < asnsios he proposed for the purpose:— j "whenever any Native land is sold or ex{staged for the first time, and whenever it is : Jssssd, after the passing of this Act, to other : ■_a aboriginal Natives, then the amount of. all Bfesgaid by the Colonial Treasurer in respect . efvsa- had shall be repaid to the Colonial , ___»___ and shall be deemed to be a duty < pj-bSe oa such sale, exchange, or lease, and ■ _ul be payable as such." So that, in point of fist in localities where people had got their • hß&i«ssorlos_nacre, and wanted roads to i tfesuthsy desired that the Colonial Treasurer : &n_ pay the rates with which the Native -J_di«ere' charged, and the Minister proposed 3a-_8 money of the people should go inpaysats? those rates, to be recovered from the I-_sw_-n they Bold the land, which might ' 'tofefoeniy or thirty years time, or in some in--BVer at all. Even if the Government *BErSs_esp it as a debt hanging over the gj*iis» did anyone think it would be enforced ? mMipsut think that any scheme of a Colonial MSBnrar, and especially the present one, would years ? Certainly not. Did not *a F-r-ament when it passed the Public Jnifa'ud Immigration Act in 1871 distinctly SJ _»t if the net profit on any railway was ; *®|ifi£ae_t to cover the interest on the coat of 38sfess_ju the deficiency should be a charge -fflStspforinciol district in which the railway |Wat__ted? And did it not in 1875 repeal test provision and make the deficiency a charge sp&a the whole colony P It was a delusion and: * "pre te'suppose thai the money of the colony gnu for these rates would be recovered in w»_fy « Qfoty years time. If these persons ?ho had pur-based their lands for 10s or 12s an saewante- reads let them make them. If J*» roads benefitted Native lands, let -ass lands he rated and made to pay -ireet.- The proposals made in this Bill .__,»lfrepoeterous, and the Board to.be con,«B«fe_ Wkder the 80-da Oonstruction BiU was l B * a w» ma co dsagereus to the liberties of Trf tl "* to P** l * o bedfes, that the friends ««t8 Qov-nuaa* :_aid *' We cannot support "wo Bbcm a . „ _s_u nonsense;" and Mr •SPS&.'.P I ' B * l *W consultation whatever _™« *to Opposition, feat being in confiaentiawith many members of the side, and observing their discontent, waled a motion to the effect that the proposals )?_____,Gorsrhment were unsatisfactory. Mr y»«« wpseted to have a majority with him, »« oefcra a vote was taken a Minister of the ffl" Promised ihe ordinary supporters of the who could not vote for these Bills ■»*« they would -Sow them to be read a ***« time and save toe Government from §*__ the Buls would be dropped. Yet the "«as~ now said he was going to bring those 1 forward again! If the country re«~a*iambers who would pass such Bills as it would be doing the worst thing it had !*?f«*ha last twenty years. [Cheers.] He *P*ire_ to Bay.afaw words as to the financial gfiaeno! Sfeeolony. The public debt, after sinking fund, amounted to the interest on that sum was •VHS.uOO, aad tha profit on the railways came &**«_; for last year. "'Now the fffseace between the latter sum and the in- - wrprt oa the debt waa £1,200,000, which had - Jll'jF* s6 OP by taxation. They would see at «*»«>» the question of the incidence of taxajfff?"*e - a very important one. Eva a—teethe 2*"J*l Treasurer first took office he had differed jjjjga him in his management of finance. He (the ***o_er) had-ever succeeded in eqaalisißg toe rev-nue and expenditure—■apart from ]___? M ™ pubKc works—and was too fond of Treasury bills. It would be remem~g&* aat when Major Atkinson went out of - Sr 5 ? ™ 1& 77 '"as a great outcry -gainst S B «ae.of Treasury lulls. When he took g« again in 1879 he drew a very gloomy * c position of the colony, and issued j Si*?? bills to meet a deficiency in the revenue • rassriy a million,ihe greater part of which during the time he held office. In **» n? started with a balance of £88,000, to jgwhua to eke out the ccnsolidated revenue. SsSS 166 was never Kra - a 5 a riSnr provided to cover the ordinary expendi- :*™>> is was, of course, some-hneanecessary to gg» Treasury h__ to cover the deficiency for Woaeyear, feat alt sound financiers took care - ffl'wchTreasury bffls were redeemed by the 2™f*_a subsequent years. The wave ol had recently been felt in the wla-ies had reached New Zealand, T*_* en&need by the fact that the Cu_toJ__ ' ffiTfn?ffi-*" 6 qnartar showed an increase over corresnonding quarter of last y__i *|*«-» £60,000 and £70,000. This\£_ " "ttpwve-M-t in the cc__Son of It weddbave been bettor had the

in 1879 have said, " We are suffernnr from a depression which is passing over a_. the Australasian colonies and from a great f4ling off in our land revenue, and we will have to meet the difacnlty by- increased taxation and greater econeihy.'. While the colony of Victoria waa redeeming Treasury bills which it issued in time of depression, we in New Zealand were not doing so, but were adding to our national debt. Then with regard to the Public Works fund. Notwithstanding Major Atkinson's statement that when the Grey Government went out of offtee the whole of the five million loan was spent, and the gloomy secount he gave ef the finances, there was to the credit of the Public Works fund en the 31st March, 1879, the sum of -51,860,000. Wonld it not have been better, when the people were gasping for money and paying as high as 10 and 12 per cent, for it, and when men could not get employment, to have put that money in circulation instead of having it on hand now ? If that had been done, would there have be?n as many commercial failures, as much trouble and difficulty, and so many unemployed as was the case in 1880 ? It was a very nice thing for a Ministry on tbe eve of an election to have a million of money to spread over the country. It made them very comfortable. When there was plenty of money everything went swimmingly. But it would have been better for the colony if that mo-ey had been spent at the time when it was so much wanted. The next question he came te was that of further borrowing. There was no doubt that authority to raise fnrther loans would be asked for next session of Parliameat. Money' should only be borrowed for the prosecution of public works that were proved to be of permanent value to the country. It should be definitely allocated to specific works, otherwise it would get into the hands of a Minister and be u_ed to purchase political support. This had happened in the past to an enormous extent. What did a candidate for a northern seat in this island say recently? That *' latterly he found himself in a position ef power more than formerly, and used his influence to get money for his district." If the colony was going to borrow more money—and he did not say it should not— it should be for works actually required; there should be proper surveys ana estimates as to cost, and it should first be ascertained that the works would be of permanent benefit to the whole country. With regard to the question of local government, the first condition to be insisted upon was a complete separation between local and general finance, so that local bodies should not have to look to Wellington for funds. It was absolutely impossible that the Parliament in Wellington could attend efficiently to local aa well aa colonial subjects. At present nearly all the session was taken up by members asking questions and tabling motions concerning purely local matters, and the large questions of colonial importance, as well aa the estimates, generally came on at twelve or one o'clock in the morning, and were disposed ef in two or three hours. He did not see why the people in their respective localities could not attend to such subjects as hospitals, charitable aid, asylums, prisons, and police. As to the best description of local body for the purpose,!-, out of the way places Boad Boards wou]d_-lways beneceeßary, but there might be constituted a local body chosen by people with a community of interest. From the Bangitata to the Bakaia, for instance, there might be twenty men to look after all local matters. The money Bent to Wellington to pay the property !tax would be sufficient to defray tha, cost of administration in regard to the different subject, he had mentioned, and why should not the expenditure of that money bo in the hands of tbe people themselves. With regard to taxation, he was in favor of a property tax. but wished to exempt machinery, and he would support an income tax which would reach those whom the property tax did not touch. He thought the time bad come when a progressive land tax should be imposed, and would be prepared to support such a tax upon all lands fit for cultivation but which were not cultivated. On the subject of education, he would only say that in Canterbury religious instruction was given in many of the schools outside of the ordinary school hours. There should be no sectarian teaching in the State schools. There was one question which, he would not like to sbiA—the Native ques- ; tion. He held that both Native and European were equal in the eye of the law, and when tha alleged murder of McLean by Hiroki took place, he would have been willing to have pursued and taken the latter at any cost, so that the law might be'upheld. He would have spent any amount of money in maintaining the law, but would not have mixed up with a breach of the law the taking of the land. (Cheers.) The present Government succeeded to a difficulty which it was admitted was created by their pre-; decessors. and whioh led to the surveyors being turned off the plains. He alluded to the neglect ef the then Government to lay off reserves, and their carrjiftg the BurmßjrsthroUfihTitokowaru'a cultivations. For..Shis.Mr Sheehan was responsible. Those who wished to obtain a knowledge of this Native question should study its history sis traced in the exhaustive and impartial report of the Boyal Commission, which was a most valuable document. . It appeared from this report that Te Whiti was peaceable, when all around him were in rebellion. In 1867 the Opunake block, comprising 44,000 acres, adjoining Parihaka on the south, was given back to Wi Eingi, a loyal chief, aad the land, in the Stony Biver block,, to the North of Parihaka, was returned to the owners who also had. not been in rebellion. But Te Whiti's land was not given back, although he never joined in the war. [The speaker g_ve an outline of the proceedings on the West Coast from the date of tha First interview between Mr Parris and Te Whiti in reference to road making at Parihaka, quoting largely from the report of the Boyal Commission.) Te Whiti was a pure living' man, without spot or blemish, and possessed a mesmeric influence over all who came in contact with him. Believing, as he no doubt-did, that it was his duty to do good and to preach good things, it was no wonder, considering all the circumstances, that he had become imbued with a certain amount of mysticism and fanaticism; and if, when speaking on the 17th September, he had committed a fault, at any rate be should not be tried by the people of Taranaki but by the people of Otago and Canterbury. The settlers ef Taranaki had heard from their fathers of the ruthless acts of Titokowaru, and regarded the Natives as a people who should be kept outside the pale. Mr Hall, when speaking at Hororata on the 2nd April, 1877, said:— " Giving the North Island members credit for every desire to be fair and impartial, we must feel that they are so mixed up with Native matters, their feelings must be so influenced by these circumstances, that it must be exceedingly difficult for them to be impartial and unbiassed judges, and it ia almost impossible for them to be disinterested." If members of Parliament would take such narrow and partial views, what could be expected from people who had been brought up to hate the Maoris. They might form an opinion on this point from the action of Mr Parris in flitting upon the Bench during Te WMfct'e trial, and browbeating his own witness. It would have hem better tor the colony to have paid JB2O an acre for the 15,000 acres to the seaward of the road than to have adopted tbe cour_e which had been pursued. In what he had said to-night on the subject of Native affairs he had not been attacking the present Government. He was afraid be had detained them too long. He came before them to ask that they would re-elect him again. He had represented the district for seven yeirs. Twice he bad been returned without a contest, and on two other occasions he had been opposed, but bis friends had stood to him well. If elected again he would endeavor to do Ma best for the colony, and for Akaroa as a part of it. But whether returned or not he would always be grateful for the many kindnesses he had received at Akaroa, and never forget the g-uerons support accorded to nun. 'Loud cheers.] ■ _ , , Mr Billena moved, and Mr Bruce seconded, a resolution expressing the thanks of the meeting to Mr Montgomery for his services in the past and its confidence in him as a fitting representative for the district in the future. The motion was carried unanimously, and a vote of thanks having been passed to the chair the meeting terminated.