MR MCDOUGALL AT THE SPIT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3253, 5 December 1881, Page 3

MR MCDOUGALL AT THE SPIT.

Mr J. W. McDougall addressed the electors of Napier resident afc Port Ahuriri in the old school-room, Spit, on Saturday evening, 3rd instant. There was a good attendance, considering that the meeting was so hurriedly called, and with the exception of a- few drunken interruptions the speaker received an attentive hearing. Mr D. Cotton was voted to the chair, and briefly introduced Mr McDougall to the audience. Mr McDougall said, before he attempted to speak on political topics, he wished to apologise for calling a meeting on such an awkward night; but as he found, when he attempted to engage the hall for another evening, that it was engaged for every night except those nights when meetings were to be held in Napier, he had no other alternative. The first question of importance he would touch upon was taxation. Under this head the speaker defended himself from the charge of not having been aware of the provisions of the property tax, and said that, when he urged the property tax should be converted into a tax dealing chiefly with land and personal property, and exempting agricultural implements, machinery, and merchants, and traders, stocks, it did net at j all follow that he was unaware of agricultural implements being already exempt—as a I matter of fact he knew it quite well; but in giving a list of exemptions such as he considered a fair tax should include, he gave the whole of them. He next invited the attention of the audience to the fact that he was opposed to an income tax, and that one of tho other candidates, Mr Buchanan, had expressed himself in favor of one ; and that, although two newspapers in the town were fighting against him (Mr McDougall), and both had expressed themselves in the past as more or less opposed to an income tax, they yet took no notice of the difference between candidates on this point. Tho speaker hero repeated a great deal of what lie had urged in the Theatre Koyal when opposing an income tax, adding that, while any form of property tax existed, and Customs duties were levied, it was evident that all incomes were taxed fully ; for if a man spent all his income he paid an enormously heavy tax through the Customs, and if he saved lie paid under tho property tax. Tho speaker then dwelt at some length with the land question, his main contention being that land, should neither be taxed too heavily nor sold in too large blocks. Ho urged that all were interested in this question, because, although some persons talked of settlement upon the land as if only farmers and agriculturalists were settled upon it, yet, if they thought over it they would see that all persons, whether living in town or country, working in factory or field, were settled upon the land and interested in a just treatment of it, by virtue of the self-evident fact that everything came from tho land, and that, apart from its producing powers, neither man nor beast could exist. Upon tho question of education Mr McDougall reiterated his strong belief in the efficacy of tho present system and tho good that would come out of it, saying that more real benefit woidd spring from the education system than from a great part of all the legislation of the last ten years. He contrasted this belief of his with Mr Buchanan's statement in the Theatre, when he spoke last, to tho effect Hhat he (Mr Buchanan) was somewhat sceptical as to the supposed benefits expected

frora the educational system. Speaking on native matters, Mr McDougall warned his hearers against believing that any good could come from the attempt to rate native lands, unless tho Government first introduced a bill providing for compxilsory individualisation of titles for registration purposes. Native lands cauld be taxed when the ownership was determined, not before ; unless we wished to be landed in a series of squabbles with the natives ending in confiscation pure and simple. The speaker then dealt at some lengtii with the harbor question, tho Licensing Bill (the underlying principle of which he endorsed), triennial Parliaments which ho favored, the local government question, separation, and the question of an elective Upper House. In speaking on this point he said that, if two Houses were elected by tho people, both assemblages could claim that they equally represented the people ; and if, in the course of time, two Houses elected in this fashion came to a deadlock, neither being willing to give way, both sides could claim equal authority for their actions, and the only solution of the difficulty would be an appeal to force—a civil war. He hoped the two papers opposing him would notice the arguments he had adduced on the various questions he had treated; if they were unsound let them refute, if sound endorse them. He hoped all would dismiss the question of wealth or no wealth from their minds, and if they thought he had ability to represent them to vote for him ; if not, to j vote for some one else. The speaker resumed his seat amid considerable ap-

plause. A vote of thanks to Mr McDougall was moved and seconded, and carried unani-

mously. A vote of thanks to the chairman con eluded the proceedings.