MR MACANDREW'S ADDRESS TO CONSTITUENTS.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3088, 20 May 1881, Page 3

MR MACANDREW'S ADDRESS TO CONSTITUENTS.

Mr Macandrew addressed his constituents at Port Ohalmers on Thursday night. He said the last session of Parliament had not been conducive to the public interest. The imposition of a most objectionable tax was one result of the session; depriving the local bodies of the 20 per cent, of land fund previously secured to them by law was another ; the abandonment of the railway policy initiated and all but unanimously approved in the session of 1878 was a third; the stoppage of assisted immigration was a fourth ; a return to the system of local roads and bridges being constructed by direct appropriations of a colonial Parliament, with all the favoritism and log-rolling which must inevitably be linked to it, was fifth. As a set-off against all this there was the great policy of retrenchment. There was however, little or no attempt at retrenchment brought down by the Government—it hart been forced on them by the House He feared that after all it would be found that retrenchment had been great cry and little wool. Of all absurd things under the sun the New Zealand Legislature was one of the most absurd. It was like a thousand-horse power engine under 'full pressure of steam driving a sewing machine. Probably the Grey Government had effected as much real retrenchment during their short term of office as had been done since—only they did not make so much fuss aboutit. Had they been allowed sufficient time they would have effected much larger reductions by simplifying the administration. He would set his face against any additional taxation for the mere purpose of governing the country. The practical effect of repealing the clause in the Act of 1877, which secured 20 per cent, of the land fund to the local bodies was to deprive the southern provinces, and especially Otago, Canterbury, and Wallace, of an enormous sum which otherwise would have been available for local works. In the case of Otago alone it meant two to three millions. Mr Macandrew explained the mode he had intended to carry out the proposals be made in 1878, and then spoke of the efforts that were now being made to construct some of the proposed lines by meaus of joint-stock companies. He did not think that anything practical would come out of those efforts for years to come, and the people were otiiy deceiving themselves if they expected otherwise. In his opinion the public railways ought to be made by the State without the aid of foreign gold. Looking at the enormous sum now sent out of the country in reßpect of foreign loans, he should hesitate before agreeing to any increase of the drain for any purpose whatever. They were now sending to England every day in the week upwards of £4000 to piy interest. Many people imagined that the colonial debt was incurred for public works and immigration. Not one half was so incurred for public works and immigration. Net one half was so ' incurred. It was impossible to predict the result of the next session of Parliament, but he kue<v what they should expect it to be. First, the railway policy I of 1878 ought ,'to be carried out in its entirety; secondly, the property tax should be repealed and [nothing put in its place ; thirdly, immigration should be resumed on the principle he had indicated ; and fourthly, the cost of education should be greatly reduced by fixing the minimum school age at six or seven years. He would, however, be disposed to let the matter rest now, but provision ought to be made whereby a fair proportion of the secondary education endowments should be devoted for the purpose of providing technical education, for though he did not undervalue Greek and Latin, he believed that in the circumstances of the colony the means for acquiring a practical knowledge of manufactures and agriculture would be more beneficial than the knowledge of those languages. There should be a radical reform in the constitution and practice of the Supreme Court, so that the coat of obtaining justice between man and man might be diminished. Mr Macandrew strongly advocated the institution of direct commuuication with Europe. The Assembly should divest itself of the parish business with which it was incompetent to deal, and transfer it to the local bodie?, assimilating them as near as might be to what the Provincial Councils were intended to have been. The section of the Act which deprived the loed bodies of the 20 per cent, of the land fund ought to be repealed. Mr Macandrew contradicted che statement that the Opposition were disorganised, and asserted that there never had been a more compact Opposition than the one last session. Mr Macandrew then referred to the fact that within the next few years three million acres of runs would fall in, and remarked that the matter was more a question for wise administration than for new legislation.

After several unimportant questions had been answered, a vote of thanks and confidence was carried unanimously.