CONDENSED ADDRESSES.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 20, 28 July 1887, Page 2

CONDENSED ADDRESSES.

No. i.—Mr. Locke. To the Electors. -I take this opportunity of setting forth my views so far as it is wise to do so, and in such terms as will, I think, help to secure your votes. You will understand [Aside: Perhaps you will not understand—l hope you won’t] the course I shall take should you elect me. The Colony is financially going to the devil. No doubt about that. The newspapers say it every day, a great many of them, and they are above suspicion. Political big guns do so too. I must say so also. [Aside: We have some 30 millions acres of Crown land unsold, and could, if necessary, easily wipe out the whole National debt; but this is a per contra that should be kept in the background you know. My party must try to let the voters suppose that the Ship of State will be wrecked immediately unless expenditure for education, special settlements, and the like excellent schemes, is at once cut down.] Finance, Gentlemen, is the great business to be tackled. The thought of it makes me pull a very long face as you see. It is vital. Not a red cent of expenditure shall be allowed beyond the present income of the Colony. The Governor, the Executive, and Parliament shall suffer reductions in number, and I

promise they shall be pat bn very short commons. Wild extravagance must cease. [Aside: The country bumpkins will stand ■agape at that; it is a fine stalking horse—Finance—to ■humbug with, It would be convenient, and suit to a T, if there were fewer members, and only men able to pay their way out of their own pockets were returned.] Borrowing shall be put an end to with all possible speed [Aside: ’Till the next time you know.]

The Education vote can stand to have /100,000 knocked off annually. £400,000 will certainly produce better results than £500,000. ’Tis quire plain, and no need to show bow. '[Zitak.' Too many children are sent to school, and too much education altogether. Further, none should be sent till seven years old. Higher education for the masses is preposterous ; let us use the Secondary education endowments, ' and Save our pockets from taxation-, in the shape of Property Tax, and probably Land Tax. The people won’t see the little game. They have got their noses at the grindstone pretty well just now, and a cry of saving and retrenchment takes.] The Maoris—well let them go to—the happy land. Their land, not their company is wanted. I will promote in Parliament any method calculated to ■effect this. Treat them as Europeans are treated exactly. Tax the beggars. Buy shares of land, and run the owners into the Supreme Court for partition ; let the lawyers, native agents, &c., have a lively time of it, and depend upon it while the Maoris “ will pay for a’ ” as the Scotch express it, we shall get the land. [Aside : McDonald I beat all to sticks ; he is only for freetrade in native lands, and won’t go the whole hog.] I am pronounced on the subject of Crown lands. I would attract the capitalist lender, and the capitalist buyer of land. [Aside : It would not do to attack the special settlements, because they are well adopted to that form of capital which consists of horny hands and hard work, but with the gloss I put upon the matter the special settler class are not likely to perceive that I do not want them.] Upon the subject of local industries, and the encouragement thereof, I will trim my sails to suit the wind. [Aside : I do not wish a large and well employed population ; sheep runs, and export of wool, and raw produce will suit me and my friends very well. The small fanners of course will be much better off with a local market for their produce, and if the tide should turn strong in that direction I shall be pretty safe, for you see I am not specific.] I will keep all the legislative old fogies. They are indispensable, but a more judicious selection might be made under Hare’s system. I must oppose the present Ministry as now constituted [Aside : I will see how the cat jumps.] On local matters I promise you to d 0 all that a sturdy beggar can—anyway I will make some fuss.

These be my views. Consider them, and give me your votes.