EAST COAST ELECTION.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume III, Issue 386, 5 December 1889, Page 2

EAST COAST ELECTION.

MB REES AT TOLOGA BAY. - At the meeting ot the electors of Tologa Bay on Saturday evening Mr Henry Williams occupied the chair. In speaking of the local wants of Tologa Bay Mr Rees alluded to remarks which had been addressed to him before the meeting as to having the Paremata Block thrown open for settlement. Mr Bees stated he was in oommunioation with the Government and the mortgagees on the subject, that Mr Mitobelson was himself shortly coming to the district, and that if the inhabitants, both Native and European would draw up a petition to the acting Premier, Mr Mitoheleon, he (Mr Raos) and Wi Pore would give every assistance in opening the land for bona fide settlers, especially those now resident in the district. This announcement was

received with applause. The candidate having alluded to the circumstances under which a party of immigrants, under MrFord, had come to New Zealand, stated that Mr Ford was himself present, and would no doubt address the meeting on the truth, or otherwise of the statements made concerning Mr Rees' promises and assertions to him and his paity. Several questions were put to the

speaker and were answered in a manner satisfactory to those assembled. At the close of the questioning, Mr W. F. Hate proposed and Mr Ford seconded a vote of confidence in Mr Rees. In the course of his remarks Mr Ford took occasion to state that no promises made by Mr Rees to him or his party had been broken, nor had any misrepresentations been made to induce them to come to New Zealand —that they were well pleased with the country and the people, and had no doubt as to their future success. Mr Ford also stated that

persons, evidently enemies of Mr Rees, had on many occasions endeavored to entrap him into making statements which they evidently desired to use to Mt Rees' detriment, and that he had coma many miles through the bush to attend the present meeting in order to Bhow his friendliness to and confidence in Mr Rees. Besides this, having been a staunch Liberal all hia life, be was happy io say the views enunciated by Mr Rees coincided en> tirely with hie own. No amendment beiag made, the vote of confidence was carried unanimously, Mr Bees expressed his p’easure at the prospect of the large amount of support which had been volunteered him, and the meeting closed with a vqte of thanks to the Chairman. Mr Beee returned on Sunday afternoon from Tuloga Ray, and on Tuesday afternoon proceeded to Wairoa, where he was to address the electors last night,

THE "INTELLIGENT SQUATTER" AT PATUTAHI, On Tuesday evening Mr Arthue addwsad a meeting of about 70 electors at Patutahi. Mr Hatton proposed, and Mr Evans seconded, that Nfr G. L. Sunderland take the chair. Tfie meeting was a very patient qne and gave a most attentive hearing to all that . Afr Arthur had to say. The address was mqinly a repetition of that delivered at Gisborne, but some of the “gems” of that speech were evidently considered unsuitable for a Patufcthi audience. The “ mute, inglorious Milton" was left untuned, and ths “autocracy tempered with assassination," which Mr Arthur told a Gisborne audience was the form of Government he believed in, was a view not paraded at Patutahi. Mr Arthur informed those electors that “I am a follower and a believer in Sir Harry Atkinson.” He perpetrated » nice little “ hull ” when he said the Colonists were told that they “must not borrow any more money because if we did we would not get it and if we did we would have to pay a heavy interest for it." He acquainted the Patutahi people with the wonderful fact that by cutting down salaries and wages and heaping taxation upon the people Sir Harry Atkinson had managed to run the colony to pay and even had a surplus.. He did not mention, however, that a portion of that “ surplus ” wag the unexpended balance of the education vote, which was held back while many of the schools in the out districts were almost tumbling down for the want of a few pounds spent in repairs ; nor did he mention that a scheme of retrenchment was forced upon the Government owing in a great measure to Atkinson's profligacy in tho past; nor that it was the Atkinson Government plunged the colony into tho last debauch on the Landon money market, a loan which was only required for the convenience of a financial institution of which there is. good reason to believe Mr Arthur has an intimate knowledge. He supported the property tax because he felt that in another year or t vo.w< | vould be able to do without it. He again expressed hia displeasure that Mr Ballance, who, he said, was certain to become Premier of New Zealand, had expressed' his intention of bursting ” up the big estates, for if that was begun they would come down to “ bursting "■ up the litttle ghee—down to IjOO acres, and then to 160 acres. Any Government would cut up beautiful flats like that at Patutahi for the benefit of small farmers, but only the big men could make anything out of the back country, where a man with a small area equid not make a living. The speaker appeared to have forgotten about some beautiful flat land at Matawhe'ro, and it did not seem to strike his imagination that his comparison was a little bit out of place at Patutahij «h’ro there is to be found as industrious a settlement as anywhere ‘else’ in Nevy Zealand, but where much of the beautiful flats is still occupied as a sheep pasture. Mr Arthur also bewailed the downfall of Mr Bal|qnoe, when that gentleman wished to tax B'bsantees, He again dilated on what a grand advertisement absentee squatjtete were for the colony. Why, when people saw these men drawing tljjir n}oqey from the colony th<y would B'ay—“ Ah I that ib a Nb'V Zealand sheepfarmer’• ; the inference injendtjd to be drayn evidently was that to be a New Zee? land Sheepfarmer was a very profitable thing, and an occupation which hardly required one to ba a 11 working man.” If they taxed those Whq were in England and drew money from Nett’ Zealand, why not tax those who lived in New Zealand and draw mitney from England f Mr Arthurls want of linqwledge of poUtjos may be considered sufficient excuse for his arguing in favor of a tax (income tax) which he has said he is opposed to, When, said Mr A., Mr Ballance said he would tax absentees he was speaking to a crowd of people, and wanted to say something new, and ha thought that ■ would please them. Mr Arthur was apparently not aware" that the proposal to absentees has been again and again brought to the minds of intelligent electors, and that Mr Ballance would be cons siderod a lunatic if he tried to palm tha proposal off as something new. An extraordinary point was brought out in favor of the present dduoation system, When it was started, a great many of the ffiasters were, he eajd, drunkards, but they now had a great number of pupil teachers taught how to teach — specially trained for the purpose; not elderly men who had taken to drink. It did ndt seem to occur to the speaker that he was grossly insulting the electors before him, nearly every one of whom, being past school age whep there was introduced the present" system of ‘I teaching pupil teachers how to teach,” must have been taught by these elderly drunken men, but the Batutahi electors evidently took pity on the speaker, end did not think it worth while to defend their old schoolmasters against any abuse that might bo hurled against them by the gli(tlorm "orator." And the insulting refefenoe to drunken schoolmasters was made worse by a little sickening flattery that the Patutahi electors were " educated I’ and' would therefore vote for the man who accused those who had educated them of being drunkardfi. Mr Arthut took the cue from Mr Rees In regard to the education question, and told the Patutahi electors what ne did net mention in Gisborne, that he was in favor of the proceeds of the education endowments being placed in one fund and devoted to primary education. He repeated the fiction that the Atkinson Government woo not a Protectionist one. He reiterated hia references to the native land laws,' and expatiated on what service Mr Graham and he had done in getting those laws fixed up last session, incidentally mentioning" that Nlessrs Carroll and Harris (who by the way did mqre thaij all the landjobbers put together) had assisted. He also gave Mr Ballance credit for voting in favor of the Bills, omitting to tell the Patutahi people that Mr Bsllance was a bitter opponent until he was talked over by Mr Csrroll, and there was struck out a certain validation p'ause which would have fixed up the Tokomaru business, and, it is reported, have save i Mr Graham’s bankruptcy. The sheepfa: basils, b« Eftid, oould not spend money on tbai;

lands because titles were Strong; he did not say how many men are employed on pertain runs on which there is no question as to title, " I do not think myself very clever," said Mr Arthur, ** nor do I think myself a fool, bat I was never able to get up early enough in the morning to cheat a Maori.” He sail that the natives could not get a fair pries for their land because their friends had got so many obstacles put in the way that the heavy additional expense had to be allowed for. ” It is unfair to the Maoris to be cheated by their own friends, but it is generally one’s own friends that do cheat you.” (Laughter and a hiss.) Mr Arthur qualified his nonsensical assertion that there are only two classes

in Now Zealand—loafers and working men—by excepting lawyers, but they might almost call them working men because they did writing and charged for it. Brain power has very little value in Mr Arthur's estimation. “ How,” said the speaker, ” can you have a class feeling in a free country like this, where every man is as good as another man, excepting he happens, to be a bit stronger and can fight him." Mr Arthur then went on to speak about the “ intelligent squatter" and the professional politician. He admitted that it was one of the best signs of the times that land was being taken up in small

lots, forgetting that he said he was against taxing men who bought vast areas, and tied tha land up so that poor men could not get good land cheaply. He could not make out what was the meaning of the Liberal party. “ I,” he'said, “ consider myself one of the most liberal men in New Zealand. I know myself lam a very liberal man. I don’t belong to that party which is called Liberal. They have never passed anything like the Liberal measures passed by the present Government," This astounding ignorance on the part of Mr Arthur 'was greeted with cold silence by the

intelligent Patutahi people. He again informed his hearers that “I am a follower of Sir Harry Atkinson," his small knowledge of politics confirming him in the belief that to emerge from the obscurity of his sheeprun was all the qualification required to make him a follower of the Premier, even though the electors have yet to make their selection. He also went on to say that the district was under an obligation to Sir Harry Atkinson for his action in regard to Te Kooli, forgetting that it was the people of the district who forced the Government to take action and that it was Mr Mitohelson who eoofM at the settlers and eaid they were only trying on a bit ot bounce. It Mr Arthur wishes to give anyone praise over the affair i- should ba to the settlers, and those who went forth at tha call ot duty. In the course ot his address the candidate tried iq get of! a tew weak jokes,

but tha attempts ware treated with a cola and painful silence, relieved by an occasional laugh at the would bo joker. The only question asked was one by Mr Broignan, who wanted to know whs her the candidate would favor a State bank of issue. Mr Arthur said, " I don't know wbat my opinions are; it would take a long tim« tQ "tat® them, biit I don’t think it would be practical." He then went on to give an idea of what was dono " when I was in Wellington," how one man whose name he did not remember proposa l such a thing and that was all that oame'of it, and he concluded by stating that he would be opposed to such a bank. Mr Douglas proposed a vote of confidence in Mr Arthur, which was seconded by Mr Hatton, About 35 hands were held up in its favor and none against, and the Chairman declared the motion carried unanimously.

HE SHEDS HIS LIGHT ON ORMOND, THOSE LETTERS.

There was a fair attendance at the meeting at Orm°nd last flight, among those present being several of Mr Arthur’s prominent supporters In town and round about Matawhero. Mr Kempthorne was voted to the chair. Ho said he hoped Mr Arthur would receive a patient hearing. He (Mr Kempthorne) had been at Mr Arthur’s meeting in town the other night, when fair play was not accorded to the proposer of the motion. Tho proposer had spoken but a few minutes when he was unfairly hounded down. Mr Arthur's speech, which occupied an hour ia delivery, was much tho same as those given in town and at Patutahi, except he said that when he came forward he had anticipated no opposition. He also said that the squatter could not do without the working men, nor the working men without the squatter, a sentiment he would scarcely have uttered in town. With reference to his statement that he could not cheat a native, Mr Hardy pertinently asked how he knew he could not cheat one if he had never tried. He considered Mr Seddon, M.H.R., very impertinent for speaking in the House upon native land matters. He liked the Standard, and he could stand all the knocks it gave him, although seme of them were very hard. Mr Arthur made an explanation with reference to the letters he had written to the Chief Judge of tfle Native Land Court, and published in the Standard. He had had the Tokomaru block subdivided at Tologa Bay. The natives applied for a rehearing and by an Act passed a little before, it was necessary for tha Chief Judge to come to Gisborne and say whether that rehearing should ba granted. He qoflld not oome for three months, and ho wrote to the Chief Judge and asked him to come because he Wanted to get his title fixed up, for they had been jn the Gazette for subdivision sotqe 11 years. He asked was it &rdh'g to do this! The Judge granted a partial rehearing, and he asked in open court that It should be reheard at the first opportunity. When the first Gazette came out he wrote and reminded the Judge of his promise and asked him not to send Judge Wilson, because hj and Major Porter were not friends. A wrong construction had been placed on a perfectly honest transaction, \yith the Standard it was a matter of if no case, blaokguarif the oti,«r side."

In reply to a question by Mr Halloa the eandidate said his definition of loafers and working men embraced, on the one hand, those who would not work, and on the other those who would work, no matter what their trade or profession might he. Replying further, he said he had nev, y been liicky enough to have anyone offer himself to him at harvest time for 26s a week, and he wag surprised to hear that people at Makauri were not going to vote for him because he was reported to have lowered wages at harvest time, A vote of confidence was proposed by Mr G. Smith and seconded by Mr A. McKenzie. Qfl tRe question being put Qnr reporter counted 23 hands for, afld 10 against. Amongst the ayes were a number of the visitors before mentioned, and a number in the hall did not vote either way.