THE COMING ELECTIONS.

Evening Star, Issue 7307, 3 September 1887, Page 2

THE COMING ELECTIONS.

MR CARGILL AT KNOX CHURCH,

Mr E. B. Cargill addressed a meeting of electors of Dunedin Central at old Knox Church laafc evening About 200 gentlemen were present, and the chair was taken by Mr R. Wilson.

The Chairman, in introducing the speaker, said that he had known him for twenty-six years, and knew him for one who had done a lot of good for Dunedin and for the count)y. {Applause and cries of “Name one instance!”) In many ways Mr Cargill had done good, and they wanted more men of his stamp to represent Dunedin. If they did not return him it would not say much for the people of the district, and they would not be grateful people. He hoped they would rally round Mr Cargill and return him triumphantly. He had nothing to say again-1 Mr CsrgiL’s opponent, Dr Fitchett, but thought that he was too young to represent the district —that the time for him had not jet come.— (Applause.) Mr Cargill said that he stood for the district six years ago, and was well received and supported, but was not returned. Since then he had not appeared in the political world, but recently some of his old friends suggested that he should offer himself ac this election. Mr Hodge was then the only candidate in the field, and he (the speaker) agreed to offer himself. Mr Cargill then referred to Mr Hallenstein, and (when he retired) to Dr Fitchett being put forward to oppose him, on the Protection ticket.—(A Voics; “Were you not a Freetrader six years ago ?”) He (the speaker) replied: “No, I was not.” He had all his life been content to look on himself as one of those stupid people who could not see the beauty of Freetrade —he never could see it, and anyone who said that he was a Freetrader did not say what was a fact. Six years ago the question of Freetrade was not before the public as it had been since. Some industries with which he bad. been connected, such as the Mosgiel woollen factory, for instance, could not be successfully carried on without a somewhat protective tariff ; neither could their scap and candle factories—they could not even have been started without it. He always recognised that fact, so that they would see that his opinions had been quite clear on the point for a long time past He would say plainly, with reference to the encouragement of native industries, that he was firmly convinced that they must do their very utmost to encourage their local industries, and he would therefore strongly advocate that protective duties should be imposed so far as necessary for that purpose. He did not, however, advocate extreme duties, such as luled in the United States, where duties of from 60 to 70 per cent, were imposed in the interests of individual manufacturers. With reference to his opponent, he had nothing to say against Dr Fitchett, but he thought he should not have been put forward at that time, but that he (Dr Fitchett) should have been one of his chief supporters. As to his claims on them, he might say that he had made a great deal of money here, spent a great deal here, and lost a great deal here: so that ho thought he might fairly claim their support.—(Applause.) He had heard someone ask what he had ever been connected with. Well, lie thought that person must be a newcomer if he did not know the many public institutions he had been connected with; while, if he did know, he must be a very shabby fellow to ask such a question.—(Loud applause.) He had been a member of the House of Assembly, the old Provincial Council, tho High School Board, the Town Board and Municipal Council, the University Counci 1 , and many other public bodies; while he was also a director of the Mosgiel Factory and of the Union Steam Ship Company—a company that gave employment to more people than all the companies in the Colony, and always tried to throw their work into local hands. Then there were people who said he had no sympathy with local industries—why. he was sutprised at such statements.— (Applause.) He started steam shipping here with the late Mr J. Jones, was a director of coal companies, of the meat-freeziog company, and of other projects of an industrial nature, besides being one of the promoters of the Natimai Insuiance Comja y and the Colonial Bank. Therefore he claimed that he had not stuck his hands in his pockets and looked on, as others had done, but had taken a good share in the development of the country’s resources.— (Loud applause). As to the matters that were now chiefly occupying the public mind, there was no great diversity of opinion between the persons coming forward for election. The principal subject was that of the present depression, and all recommended the same thing; but the question was not what was to be done, but who would do it. .*o doubt a great check had come, and the country could be seen to have gone down into a very depressed state. For this some laid the blame on the Public Works policy, but he held that that was a sound policy, and all men of progressive views supported it. No doubt, however, it was carried out on a larger scale than was at first contemplated, the eid being that the interest the country had to pay now totted up to about L 2,009,000, and the question was whether they should follow on, with the views of Sir Julius Vogel, and go on borrowing. Very sensibly, he thought, the pebpl > had determined not to go on in that course, but to pause and consider their present circumstances before getting further into debt. Their business, it seeme i to him, was to set their house in order and see that there were no needless extravagances; to reduce their expenditure; and effect retrenchment on the best plan possible. As to the state of local enterprise much might be said ; for a time all had gone on well, but of late prices of products were going down, and the farmers were reduced to great straits. Men were going out of land poorer than they went in, and tho situation was very unsatisfactory—he only wished he could see his way out of the difficulty more clearly than he did. All this made it imperative for them to see that nothing was done to increase the burden of taxation. There should be a good future before the country, for all things were in its favor—its climate was better than in any part of the world, the country was well watered by beautiful rivers, its flocks and herds were unsurpassable, and living was cheaper than anywhere. With a good country, and good people in it, there must I be a good result, but in the meantime the quesI tion was what they were to do. His reply i was that they must do all they can to encourage local industries, and not send one penny out of the country that could be spent in it with advantage. By so doing they would soon bui'd up a local market. As to the land and its settlement, their successive Governments had been too greedy in their endeavors to get revenue they got people on the land and then squeezed all they could out of them. The ■ deferred ■ payment system was originally intended to give land to the people at a minimum cost, but the principle was departed from, and land was put up at auction, the consequence | being that a great many people bought at too high a price. The great object in dealing with the lands ought to be to get people on it on terms of advantage to themselves and to the country. Some remarks that he had made at a previous meeting had been twisted into a wrong sense; he had always been of the opinion that there should be pastoral settlement and agricultural settlement. He had no sympathy with the present system and never had; he was always opposed to large tracts of country being held by absentees, and those who said different wilfully misrepresented him. (Atplause.) If people lived on the land and spent their money in the country he would like to have them; but not otherwise. Some spoke of him as being in favor of the Equattocracy; but it was untrue, and such people were only semi-slanderers who did not represent him as he was. Ilis view of pastoral settlement was to have resident men, living on the land and bringing up their families on it. He had always advocated that, and he still looked forward to its being done. As to tho education question, Sir Robert Stout prided himself on this system, and he sympathised with him very greatly, but feared he took up somewhat too exclusive a position; ho ought to remember that there are others as keenly interested as himself. He (the speaker) thought there must be some departments of the system in which a saving could be effected, and the whole cost cut down so as to meet the exigencies of the times. As to higher education, it was a great blessing that the Legislature had set apart endowments sufficient to keep up the institutions without the necessity of having to go to Parliament every year for votes. A g.iod deal of saving conld be effected in connection with the administration of the country’s affaiis. A few years ago there used to bo an ostentation of simplicity about Ministerial establishments, but now things were very different. fie thought it of great importance that

a large ieductipn should be,.*rnade in the S' » of members j they colild well be reby one-third, and thus a great saving would be effected.—(Applause.) To the pro* gramme of the Financial Reform Association he gave bu adherence, for he considered. it had many good points. As to the Governor's salary, a he believed that there were jmmbei| of suitable men of talent and ability in England who would be glad to take the position at a much smaller salary. The Ministerial salaries also should be reduced. He did not see why Ministers required larger salaries than in the days of Stafford, Fox, Domett, and others of their greatest statesmen, —(Loud applause.) He did not believe in effecting retrenchment by the cutting down of a clerk's salary, but rather by sim> plifying the expense of government. His views were that the depression was severe, but that there was no doubt of an ultimate recovery if, in the first place, they put their house in order, and did away with all extravagances; secondly, they should promote and encourage the employment of the people in native industries ; and thirdly, they must make settlement on the land as attractive as possible. To the Ministry, as he had said at a previous meeting, he had, personally, no hostile feeling. To Sir Julius Vogel he gave credit as an able man; still he did not think him exactly a man fit for going in for the kind of economy and restriction of expenditure on public works which it was tho mind of the Colony to go in for.—(Applause.) Ministerial expense and extravagance was part of his nature—he began it in the days of the old Provincial Council and kept to it ever since. As to Sir Robert Stout, whatever Government got into power he would be part of it, and he (the speaker would certainly not be opposed to him —though he did not agree with all his fads in connection with the land, and though Sir Robert might have to come down from some of his lofty ideas on the education question. He might say that during the contest he had not canvassed electors personally—he felt a hesitancy in intruding himself in a man’s private house to ask him for his vote; and if any elector had noticed his emission to cadi on him it must not be attributed to any other reason than the one just given. If any thought he had been slighted, he hoped that he would accept his explanation.—(Loud applause.) Mr Bryant asked if Mr Cargill would, in the event of being returned, support a vote in aid of Catholic education. Mr Cargill said he had be n asked that question at a previous meeting, when he replied that, as far as his opinion was concerned, he thought they would find considerable relief by giving the Catholics the capitation allowance. They would thus get rid of the feeling of harshness that prevailed, and which kept up a spirit of illfeeling towards and opposition to tho present system. He thought frankly that a concession of that sort would add greatly to the strength of their public schools. Mr W. D. Sutherland said that Mr Cargill was by far the best of the candidates; he was a man to be listened to in the House owing to his great experience in the business of the country, and as such they should support him. He would move—“ That Mr Cargill is the most fit and proper candidate to represent Dunedin Cent-al in the coming Parliament, and that this meeting pledges itself to do all in its power to secure his return."

Mr G. P. Clifkobd seconded the motion, which was cat tied nem con.

Mr Cargill thanked the electors for their vote of confidence, and added that though in tho course of his add/ess he had told them of his past services to the country he did not want to go in on those grounds alone, but on the ground of what he could still do. A. vote of thanks to the chairman concluded the proceedings.