MR. BALLANCE AT WANGANUI.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 113, 14 May 1881, Page 3

MR. BALLANCE AT WANGANUI.

Mr. John Ballance has addressed the electors at Wanganui, and has received the usual vote of confidence. He expressed himself in favor of the Education Act as it stands, but proposed to increase Educational revenue by adding to the reserves. He agreed with Mr. Ormond, that the Property Tax would be the test question at the next general election. He said the' Government proposed the repeal of the Triennial Parliaments Act. He complained that not one sixpence of the £50,000 voted for roads and bridges in the North Island had been spent in that district. It was not' not advisable to lease Jtailway lines to private companies.., The real Native Minisers were the gentlemen on the Native Commission. It was a mistake to choose an engineer, as the Government had done, nstead of a business man, as recommended by the Civil Service Commission, and put him at the head of the Railway Department. He thought road boards and county councils were carrying out their duties more satisfactorily than the Provincial Governments, and was surprised at Major Atkinson's abandonment of the leadership on this question, which the latter had assumed during the past Session. He opposed, all Chinese immigration. Local bodies were better valuers than the General .Government.