MR MENTEATH AT BRUNNERTON.

Grey River Argus, Volume XXXII, Issue 5361, 4 December 1885, Page 4

MR MENTEATH AT BRUNNERTON.

[FROM OTJR COBRESpbNnBNT.] "''

| Mr A. S. Menteath, M;Bfcß.; -for; f. Inangahua County, addressed the "electors 7 % laet night in the Good Templars Hall, JVIr, t Bishop in the' chair. ' . ' ' '. ' jb, ■ The chairman explained that Mr Men-:. t^ teath had altered his condition of - life. W considerably since his ; last visit; amongst I them, in having joined the'order kilownas fc "St. Joseph's Order," whjch gave^iman m certain privileges^ ' Oneiof ;them"\j;as thaf. i: tiro heads could lie on one* pillow. He p was glad to see him looking so, well. He, 15.;., felt 'certain that they would all join him 1 in ' [?■' wishing Mr and Mrs Menteath every I happiness this world afforded. It was not" I necessary for him (chairman) to ask them | -to give the member fa [patient hearing I f That 1 was always accorded to visitors by 'a 1 : Brunnerton audience. f Mr Menteath on rising was greetedf with cheers. He thanked them for the £ hjgErty reception they had. given him, and * smd< th_ajr he 'ttef jaj^r^airi amount fbf . '; diffidence in addressing them as to what he* I di4(last session. The present Government,' 'I he said/ was a bat one from many points.' of view, but he proposed to deal first with! P the prevailing depression. Unfortunately I for the -.colony, v prices ..for products -W.ere_j I not nearly as t high as&iey were two. years t ago. r We' hatt'ftibre competitton io meet 7- an 3 overcome. "India, " "America, and t. Bu^tj'iirißrel f .all; competing witfriusj in/ (■■ the: markets at home. They also | suffered from the fact that the I money which they had borrowed 1 had*j : not been spent as wisely as it should have i 1 been. They too often saw this take place, ! s^_ Two or three settlers'twbuld take, tip 'land, ijfethen work f themselves into -the tßoad P^Board, and then become a"\ political' : nuisance, say to the intending "candidate. ; They would say to him, you must promise 7 me tjiis-or^hat, and I -will get ypu^.or^ ■ : 30 votes f^and;6ften v tlie mohey^was spent on this v or t jthSt particular road, though the jGovernmentiknew that it was.npt wanted; and would; cause extra taxation.; Andfsp long as you make roads with bomwed; money you have nothing to. chec ti-ggnr -downward career. He/iristancgd f ;T/Jmkies >- farm, which "cost about ; s £10( 0 and pays about £5 rates. 7 The Loan : ' and public Works policy waa^a gigantic^ \, failu|a£Eraigration money should be spent %. out mithe revenue. Hewas.ra favor of | assis {^immigration, but free immigration fl he d sapproved of, as it only caused many {:■ imddsirable^persons to come here. The s. share of debt we have to pay, caused mainly I thro jgh mismanagement in various direc- & tions Jwas' enormous. Just fancy that everj^ fifteen years we have to pay com- • pouqd interest on our revenue. Every ; inhabitant amongst us has to pay !■•■""■ nearjyf £5 per head, or £2 6s 6d to the 'customs. Men with two or three, children pay about ,£lO/ per annum. taxes. Cominc; to the question of reducing taxation,* Sir. Julius Yogel proposed to lighten . taxation, jfcju '+■ they all- knew that his power ::' lies in findnfg but what was wanted, and" wheije topti.t extra taxes in order to get the ne^^isftry- revenue. His card was to encouo^e local Industry, nut a tax on tea. ;-■ and ion .bacon 'also, a ..thing we export largely. -He. even proposed to tax hams and butter : all these things we export, and have done so for years. But taxation of that jkind would not go down with, mem- : bers.; As to the East and We&t Coast railway.; At the commencement of last " session he said that the Government did not intend to make it. The syndicate was a me^u^le. It was never intended to; ; come off. The delegates were sent home : by sub>cs.p;ti6ri, and he, for one, was sorry f. '£ that he had 'ever helped to pay their ex- |. Ipenses. [.[They were Home six months, but H Tfjfrere unable fo do anything of any value. K^TSTow.'Sffi/ Julius Yogel must -have misR judged *fhe. market, or else he was de- ||; ;;ceivrag usi " Nobndv would take up the p? proposals unleHS £97,000 per|innum was l|; , guaranftW^. besides working .expenses. W When^l;|OTbught this before the House I he was greeted with ;_a ;burst of howling, as | Meiggs's proposal was -more unfavorable H than had the county undertaken the I. work.- Not a single member whose district would not be benefited by it j would., hear a word of .it. There was aroar of derision, and;the:feeling was that he niust be driven out of office at any . cost;, pfif.he must go. A committee w^ t proposed to inquire into ih'e t cheraej I)ut s the proposal was rejected-r^-a' very, .unusual thing in the House. Major Atkinson and himself used all their influence to get a committee, as he (Mr , Menteath) showed them that one-third oLthe wealth of New > . Zealand, -was represented ;in the ; ni^cterji r" the people had a right to b,e lieard.;' I " The whole iof Mr Stout'a'f bllowers^ v6ted^ against him and the proposal was rejected.

'H* 'i'ih The Otago Central he considered one of The most unproductive works ever under f in any country. ..The North Island <Trunk av^ld also be a nios.tr unpro%uctive worK-tor ylars'to come. -As yet there was nothing to make it productive. -But by pushing the Grey-Brunner Railway on to Reefton, each section would help to pay its' way Hand help tha^Ealp;fa|^ T .!Wsst QSt&b ,Railway^' , But tha| railway, -he felt cer&iri, would be treated' as a toy ( that every Government would dangle ; before.them, like a. -.carrot before, a cow's -.&ose. 'The 7 Wes^basV line sHbuld gb'bf ..steps, or else thgy would be likely ip^fi»d ,that if they "attemptedvto-jump. to^'lthe moon they would, fall in the ditch. . As to . the if uture'rW iwo^ld y:be f jv-ery (bfie'f . d >He' .' was in favor of establishing local bodies ' with more-power. They Bhould endeavor first to withdraw all works from Governnient cpiitrolf. De'centfaliS'e^as narich as 'could be'done^safelyarid^berieficiaily. The roads, bridges, and railways, . Hp wpi^ldi askVfJr^whb^' b'elefit j were J they. J The; working man got a coti tract. f or jperhaps six I weeks' worfii, ajid^.after that a permanent )tax : -f6Bthe l .'be^rieißi)6f l Jandholderß. As to education,.hethought secondary education lie abolished, or, only .: oiie or two colleges h be kept up where students who had proved themselves to be of some prpMse f jßhoiild ;/be -, -ladmit^ed-./ 1 1 (Central Government ! Just fancy 95 highly paid -members whormust ,do something^for their ftuckef. So they irried to make new laws. 'To his mind' "it "was better to have had - # laws that everybody knew than new laws every year; from men with no ability save.\ -for^parish 3 politicsy! wh6"Jwere b'Btter'Mted -to be on & rpad-Road,Bj)ard- than in the 'Hous.e r pf Representatives.^ 'In conclusion hethanked>th'e 'irieeting^or i\\e. cordial reception and hearty welcome they had given announced thaOfeiwas '■■ ready _to answerany questions that might be put tp hlmyfiSeveral* questions; |rere asked with 4 reference to the riiine proprietors chaTgitfg' i rent } ] for - ; the t -surface.! 7M* 7 Menieath said he could not answer that question-" unless -he' Saw thei agreeme"ri^ (AvpiceyOrthefee:) 1 ' ; v '" ' ! Wi ' J r Mr George -Newton proposed a hearty •vote WtiUnk^tttfo -continued confidence in Mr Menteath. .jlSepnncled^y Mr Malcolm and carried unanimously amidst loud applause. „•. AfVjotejpf ihanJis tp JJie .Chafepropoded 1 . by^Mr Menteath closed the proceedings.