THE CHRISTCHURCH ELECTION.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9323, 25 January 1896, Page 8

THE CHRISTCHURCH ELECTION.

♦ . MR CHAS. LEWIS AT WALTHAM. Mr Chas. Lewis, one of the candidates for the Christchurch seat, addressed a well attended meeting of electors in the Waltbam school last evening, the room being filled in every part. The Mayor of Sydenham presided and introduced the speaker. Mr Lewis, who was well received, said he would first ot ail deal more fully with several matters that he had only touched upon when replying to questions after his recent address at the Tneatre Royal. He had been asked if he would be in favour of a scheme of State fire insurance, always supposing that it was surrounded by proper precautions. It appeared to him that the great difficulty in the way was this: In large towns, wbere they had Fire Brigades and water supplies, and where the rates were large, it might work aat'3facborily ; but in small boroughs, where Fire Brigades were not very effictent, and where there were practically no water supplies, and where the rates were small, they would have to face the question of providing for losses caused by large fires, such as occurred at Hawera and Ma3terton and many years ago ab Lyttelton. If a measure providing for State tiro insurance were brought forward ho would endeavour to put it into workable shape. (Applause.) He thought that in cities and boroughs the members of Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards should be elected by tbe ratepayers, because tbe ratepayers could not make a greater mess of it than the City Council did a shore time ago. In the large country districts, where not much was known of members by the ratepayers, it would be better to leave the election in the hands of the local bodies, the same as tho election of members of the Boards of Educacation was carried out by School Committees. Tne method of electing members of the Board of Governors of Canterbury College was a question that had attracted much attention. He was supposed to be behind the times, bub he could tell them that some years ago he was one of those who attempted to get some alteration made in the system of electing the members of the Board. It was at the time of Mr H. O. Forbes* dispute with the Board. A great many meetings were held and a certain amount of public support was gained, and then the matter dropped. It was pointed out by Mr A. E. G. Rhodes, who was then in Parliament, that Canterbury College had a largo number of endowments which were looked upon with jealousy by other parts of the colony which had no such endowments. If the matter of Canterbury College had been brought up iv Parliament the whole question of sudowments would have beeu gone into, and probably all endowments would have been thrown into the public purse, which meant, of course, that we would have been robbed of our portion. For those reasons their efforts in the matter were not proceeded with. He thought the present method of electing members of the Board of Governors was a very unfair one. The graduates should have some share in the election, and the proposal had been made that School Committees, Boards of Education, County Councils, &c, should also assist in the return of members 10 fie Board, and any measure embodying thoss proposals would receive his support. (Applause.) He pointed out the inherent defects ot party government, and claimed that the evils it was productive of wore the result of its abuse and not of its use. He failed to see how party politics could exist without party government. He did not see that they would get much more for ward under a system of the Elective Executive as proposed by tho Hon, Major Steward. If it had been in force ab the time the present Parliament first met, tho same Ministry now in office would have been elected. It would not take away from Ministers the power they now abused or the power of resigning if their measures were rejected. The only way to get rid of the evil was to return men to Parliament who, as Ministers, would not abuse their powers. (Applause.) As to the question of an Eight Hours Bill, he held that to make it of universal application was out of the question, aud he mentioned a number of avocations, such as butchers, bakers, milkmen, grooms, ploughmen, shearers, harvesters, &c, the application of the eight hours system to which would almost stop the business of the country. As far as shops, offices, factories, foundries, var-ious trades and occupations and the day labourers were concerned, he was perfectly willing that the eight hours day should be legalised. (Applause.) Mr Lewis then went on to speak on the subjects which formed his speech at the Theatre Royal. Referring to the land question, he said that tbe land for settlement should be in districts where employment was fairly plentiful and the markets close by. He noticed that the Government had purchased a property called Highbank. This was a case in the opposite direction. He would be told that he was crying down the purchase, but he would use this to illustrate the way in which the matter should be administered in future. The property in question could not be s.iid to be in a district wbere work was plentiful or the markets close at hand. It was in the neighbourhood of Mount Hutt. As far as the land was concerned it was good enough. It was near the mouth of the ltakaia gorge, and as high as some of the Peninsula hills, and in a nor'-wester the soil got blown away in heaps. Ib could not be called early land, and early markets were out of the question for the products from it. The money could have been more profitably spent oa a dozen or more properties iv Canterbury. In concluding his remarks he said that if he were sent to the House he would nob show any factious opposition to the present Government. Ho would not go to sit there as one on a rail, for he recognised that while there were parties a man must ally himself to one party or the other. (Applause.) If things woro the same aspect as they did last session he would be found sitting in opposition to the present Government. If the Governmsnb brought down a Bill he would vote for it on its merits, and if they regarded tho rejection of it as a vote of want of confidence, that was no concern of his. If, however, a purely technical motion of want of confidence was moved, he would not vote for ic. He hoped that no one would be disappointed in what he would or would not do. He was not going to make promises which he could not fulfil, and was not going to say anything which would produce an impression which was not likely to be realised. (Applause.) When the present Government took office there was a gulf existing between labour and capital, between employer and employee, and that gulf was as wide now. Ib appeared to him that the time had arrived when some effort should be made to bridge it, and he believed that his return would be accepted as an indication that the electors were prepared that the gulf should be bridged, that more friendly relations should prevail where strife and discord had prevailed in the past. (Applause.) Ia answer to questions Mr Lewis said that he would nob give the same voting power to residents as ratepayers on the raising of a loan for any particular district. He considered that men working in factories should have a half, holiday as did those working in shops. He would do what he could in the way of remedying the existing anomalies in the railway charges. There was no such thing here as freetrade. His idea of the Customs duties was that we should kill two birds with one stone. While we received revenue from these duties we should offer such protection as we fairly could to deserving industries. The only case in which free trade applied was in connection with the other colonies. If federation became an accomplished fact we should have, freetrade with the otber colonies and we should have nothing to lose by it. He would be one who would support a measure which would tend to the solution of the difficulty i*_regard to an old age pension scheme. "fffeVroutd be prepared to support the Midland Railway being pushed on by a Company if one cou'd be found to take ie up oa terms somewhat similar to those of the lost. The Undesirable Emigrants Bill would have his support so far as it applied to Chinese, because be was one of those who did not want men here who did their business on the tail of a cart. The necessity for the Bill was brought about by the policy of the Government in letting it be known that we were going to give work to every man, and stating, on the other side, how well off we were, At the same time that he was speak-

ing the other night, Mr Reeves was saying in Sydney that the unemployed difficulty hod disappeared here. No doubt that the gentleman meant that ib had disappeared from his sight. It was a cruel thing to say, and a curious commentary on the Bill. He was in favour of the three-fifth majority in connection with local option, which was a differeut thing from prohibition. He understood that railway employees got free passes on the occasion of their annual holiday. This was a thing which no man with auy preten sions to reason could objoct to. (Applause.) He understood that there was no Company in the world that withheld these privileges, and he did noG wish the New Zealand Railway Department to become the meanest in the world. When Mr Reeves was here he did not deny the assertion that the delegates of the Trades and Labour Councils revised his Labour Bills. Had he submitted his Bills to a Committee from the employees and the employers there could have been nothing said against ib. Bub his action was one-bided, and tended to widen the gulf between labour and capital. Mrs M. A. Jones moved—" That having heard Mr Lewis' able, instructive address, this meeting accords him a hearty voto of thanks aud pledges itself to use its utmost efforts to secure his return as a representative for Christchurch in Parliament." Mr. McCleaky seconded the motion. Mr J. Hawley moved a3 an amendment —*• That while this meeting thanks Mr Lewis for his address, ib wishes to express its opinion that ib ha? no confidence in him as a representative for the Christchurch district. *' The Chairman ruled that the latter part of the amendment was a negative, and Mr Hawley altered ib to a vote of thanks only. The amendment was lost by a large majority, only 12 voting for it. The motion was then put and carried by a large majority, not more than 12 voting against ib. A vote of thanks to the Chairman closed the meeting. A largely attended meeting of the Ladies' Committee in conjunction with Mr Lewis's candidature was held yesterday afternoOD. Several members of the Executive Committee were also present. Arrangements were made with regard to canvassing aud other matters. The General Committee of Mr C. Lewis met la9b night. The reports received were of a very satisfactory character. It is understood that the Government have selected Mr R. M. Taylor as their candidate at the forthcoming by-election. A meeting of the Liberal organisations was held on Thursday evening, when it was decided to supporb Mr R. M. Taylor. A well attended meeting of Mr T. E. Taylor's Addington Committee of workers was held in the schoolroom, Selwyn street, this eveniug. Very encouraging repovts were received and arrangements made for a meeting next Thursday evening, which will be duly advertised. Mr T. E. Taylor has arranged to address the electors in the Public Library, Knightstown, on Tuesday, the 28th, ab 8 p.m. All electors are invited to attend.