SIR ROBERT STOUT AT OAMARU.

Clutha Leader, Volume XVI, Issue 832, 27 June 1890, Page 6

SIR ROBERT STOUT AT OAMARU.

►Sir Robert Stout addrnssod a large meeting afc Oamarn on Monday night. The address was mainly a reply to tho Hon. Messrs Ilislop and Richardson. Sir Robert said he came before them as a citizen of the Colony, but he would make some reference to what other speakers had recently said. He had never asked Mr Hislop's consent to address the Oamaru meeting, and Mr Hislop's strictures on that matter went for nothing. The speaker first dealt with tho land question, and more particularly with the remarks Mr Hislop had made on the speaker's socalled changes of opinion on the subject. The speaker said he had always held the opinion that the land should not be sold : Mr Hislop had voted against the village settlements being hold in perpetuity by families, and by his action had swept away the perpetual ltiasc system. Their member had also voted against the area of the runs being limited to 20,000 acres. Mr Hislop al^o at first had expressed his satisfaction at the alliance of Stout and Yogel and had afterwards spoken against it. For the sake of getting revenue the present Government had parted with the perpetual lease system, but with the growth of labor unions and other factors he expected to sec the same tiring that existed in America — the State holding the monopoly of lands in its hands. The overthrow of the StoutYogel party^s village settlement.' scheme had hindered tho progress of the colony. The present Government had not given due attention to the settlement of bona fides settlers on the land, but had by their cash sales opened the lands to all and sundry. The Midland Railway Company had got a better contract from the present Government than from the Stout-Vogel Government and he read extracts from the contracts of each government to prove his asser tions. The present Government had granted concessions to the company that -would cost the Colony three quarters of a million of money, besides giving 40 per cent, of the earnings of the railway to the company. He charged the present Government with sacrificing the Colony to the demands of the company. A portion of the address referi-ed to personal matters between himself and Mr Hislop. The Government took credit for doing something for education, but they had endeavored to raise the school age and that was doing very litt l^ for education. TJie speaker then dwelt on the good that would follow the State's keeping possession of the lands of the Colony and concluded his address amidst much, cheering.