MR. STOUT ON MR. BARTON'S CHARGES AGAINST THE JUDGES.

Evening Post, Volume XVII, Issue 318, 13 January 1879, Page 2

MR. STOUT ON MR. BARTON'S CHARGES AGAINST THE JUDGES.

(fkom our own correspondent.) DUfIEDIN. 11th January. The Theatre was closely packed at the Hon. Mr. Stout's meeting, but thorough order prevailed until towards the close, when a few noisy questioners, headed by the notorious Lloyd, insisted on receiving answers to a string of questions, although it was then close on 11 o'clock, and numbers had left. When speaking on the education question, Mr. Stout was interrupted by an individual who seemed very desirous of combatting his arguments. Mr. Stout charged the Presbytery with being utterly wrong in their premises. It was a misuse of the term to say that a teacher of reading, writing, arithmetic, singing, drawing, and sewing was "godless." He asked, "Is there anytuing godless in teaching grammar?" " Yes, there is ! " thundered out the interrupter amidst roars of laughter. "I am afraid," retorted Mr. Stout, amidst renewed laughter, " a member of the Presbytery has got here by mistake." Mr. Stout said he was surprised that the denoininationalists had accepted Mr. Curtis' bill, as by so doing they admitted that secular religious instruction ought to be separated. He intimated that the iuture policy of the Government would include law reform, triennial parliaments, redistribution of seats, a commission to be appointed for the allocation of seats, which should be based on population alone, and restriction of Chinese immigration by passing a bill similar to the Queensland Act. He claimed for tho Government that they had opened up more land on deferred payments than any previous Administration. So long as he was Minister for Lands he would opon up what lands he considered suitable for settlement. He did not care either for Baak managers or companies. (Loud cheers.) He urged tho adoption of the French system, equal division of land or 'a progressive land tax. The Government must soon deal with the question. The Liberal party should ba me ~ strongly represented in the Upper House, which could only be done by limiting tbe tenure of office to seven or ton years. They ought to look forward to the time when, as the colony went on, we should be fit to govern ourselves. We should not lose anything in loyalty by electing our own Governors. In answer to questions, Mr. Stout said he spent a week enquiring into Mr. Barton's charges. Colonel Whitmore's letter was drafted by himself. The charge* were utterly without foundation. He opposed leasing the railways to contractors. He was in favor of continuing free passos to members of Parliament, and would give one to each newspaper, but not to schoolmasters. Tbe Government would not repeal the Abolition Act. A r.fle match, City Guards v. North Dunedin, was fired to-day. It was a very exciting contest. The latter at first were supposed to have won by 2 points, but the accuracy of th 6 scores was disputed, and on carefully checking them it was found that each team had made 492; thu* the result was a tie. Complaints are made of the Industrial School being greatly overcrowded. The master has stated that at the present rates of commitment the institution in two years would contain 500 inmates. There are now 227. (.This telegram ought to have appeared io Saturday evening's issue. It is timed 11.40 a m., but did not reach us till 4.10 p.m. — half-au-hour after the paper was published.]