Page 3 Advertisements Column 3

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume I, Issue 41, 15 September 1887, Page 3

TO THE ELECTORS •:■ or THE” EAST COAST DISTRICT. ENTLEMEN,— Having announced thati VJT owing to the retirement o£ Mr Locke, I am a Candidate for yb'ur suffrages at the forthcoming election, I jow beg to place before you, shortly, my viqwe on a few oi the leading' questions at present before the country. A very serious crisis in the country’s history has come about- Never before has such anarchv and confusion been apparent in the Government and in the House: never has trade been so depressed ; never has our credit as a country sunk so low. Our rulers seem quite incompetent to grapple with the situswon, and the ship of State drifts helplessly along, her crew squabbling and wiangling among themselves, he being considered the smartest man who can say the hardest things of his opponent, not he who shows the most aptitude for navigation, or keeps the sharpest Look-out for breakers ahead. It is of no use enquiring who or what party in particular is to blame; we have all been to blame. It is every thinking man’s duty now to face the position.

Thu first and most pressing necessity is economy. The finances of the country must be so adjusted that our expenditure does not exceed our revenue. These annual and constantly increasing deficits fault cease, and the gap must not be filled up by extra taxation, and least of all by furthei borrowing. The word Retrenchment, which is in everybody’s mouth just now, must be the order of the day. At the same time the pruning knife must be applied by a practised hand, guided by a skilful eye that can detect the next, and even the next again, season’s fruit buds, end use his knife accordingly. The spasmodic attempts at retrenchment to which we have been treated lately, a cut here and a snip there, axe worse thin useless. I believe it quite possible by judicious retrenchment — somewhat on the lines indicated by Mr Locke in his farewell address—combined with a strict watch over expenditure, to see that value is obtained ior every pound spent, to bring our expenditure within our income without further taxation, ana without affecting detrimentally either the public service or the education scheme. Borrowing, in my opinion, should cease absolutely ior sometime, l.f at any time resumed, loans should only be got for specific and reproductive purposes, and no other; not, as heretofore, in large sums, to be appropriated after the money was obtained. To this practice 1 attribute much of the demoralisation of New Zealand politics,

The Native land laws are a disgrace to the country. The framers of the varrous acre (they are all ike) did not know at the time what they meant, and neither the Native Laud Court judges nor the Supreme Court judges, and least of all the unfortunate and bewildered interested individuals of both races, have yet succeeded in finding out. It ie surely a grim satire on Government, this placing men in office to make laws for us, paying them tor doing so, and then spending tens of thousands oi pounds every year trying to find out what these laws mean. A strong Government, with the assistance of men who understand the position, should have no difficulty in passing such measures us would put a stop to this heedless expense and uncertainty, would guard against the native owners being deUauded, or left paupers without sufficient land oi good quality, to keep them, while enaiiliug them to sell if they wish the largo areas oi pastoral land which they themselves will never use. Crown and native lauds should contribute equaiiy with other lauds to uouniy and Road Board rates, and the natives, many ot whom are wealthy, should pay Property Tax. The laud laws of the colony should be simplified as much as possible so as to promote settlement. A dislnot Waste Lauds Board is urgently required here, composed of practical men who would make themselves thoroughly acquainted with the nature ana positions of the ditfeiem bioeks and put them up in such a way and with such conditions as . would ensure settlement. The present Waste Lauds Board in Auckland know nothing about our land. As io the cry of Freetrade and Protection, I consider the present tariff quite ample proteotion for any industries now or likely to be successfully established in this colony for many years, I consider that the Government's endeavors, in a country like thia riiuuld be in the direction ot fostering and protecting everything to increase the output of raw and food products, to assist the agriculturist, the siieepiarmer, the fruit grower, and the miner to produce as cheaply as possible their various commodities, tor which we know there is an unlimited .marketi at a profit if only they can be produced cheaply euough. We cannot attempt at the present stage ot the country’s growth with any hope of.success to establish factories on a large scale,'or tor the supply of anything outside of our colonial wants. I am opposed to the present Ministers, as I consider they have altogether tailed: they are a house divided against itself, and have not confidence of the countiy. In conclusion, Gentlemen, you will have noticed that the political platforms of the three candidates are very much alike. It lies with you, therefore, to consider carefully which of the three you believe to be the most sincere in hie prefessiona, the most able and willing to carry these out conscientiously, the one most to be trusted, and to give him your votes. I have the honor to be. Your obedient servant, ANDREW GRAHAM. Gisborne, August 4, 1887.