ME. WOOLCOCK BEFORE THE ELECTORS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume II, Issue 172, 14 November 1881, Page 1 (Supplement)

ME. WOOLCOCK BEFORE THE ELECTORS.

Mr. Charles Woolcock, one of the candidates for Egmont, met the electors at Normanby on Thursday, in the Town Hall. There were about 100 persons present.

Mr. Thomas Bobson was voted .to the chair, and briefly introduced the candidate to the meeting* Mr. Woolotick aai& lie was not going to make a statistical speech, but would confine, bis remarks to an outline of the policy he- should pursue. He, should not dispute the.. qualifications of either of the other •candidates, admitting .at once that- Mr. Hutchison , was a, very good man, and that' Major Atkinson was above the ' ordinary run of members, Neither did he see that there was a very strong indictment against the Major, except that his < interest and sympathies were .in ■another district. To many he ■ (Mr. Woolcock) was a stranger, . ..and therefore he must say he was before he. came to New Zealand an English tenant farmer, and- took part in a local administration he had been connected with an important Agricultural ; Society, and was appointed on a Committee to confer with the Royal Agricultural Society on certain matters. ■Thus it would be seen he had held a certain position at home. In New Zealand he had been connected with various local bodies, he had been . a member of the Provincial Council, and the Provincial Government of Westland until abolition. | Then be had been a member of the House of Eepresentatives, elected by one of the largest constituencies in the colpny. ] He had served his constituents to tbeir j satisfaction, and had won over even opponents, and would no doubt have l been re-elected, had not his name been accidentally omitted from the electoral rolls. Then he claimed to be a local resident, and would if at any time he ceased to be a resident resigu his seat. He would also endeavor to serve them as a practical agriculturist, in their efforts to develope the resources of the district. Passing on to general subjects, he approved of the Native policy of the Government, but thought Mr. Bryce should have had his way previously, believing a great deal of money and trouble would have been saved thereby. The money thus saved would have completed the railway between Hawera and Patea. (Applause.) It was only since he had been in. this district that he had understood the working of the Native Department, and he now said without hesitation, that the sooner that hot-bed of corruption was swept away .the better. (Applause.) As to the New Plymouth Harbor Scheme, Major Atkinson had attempted to show that there would be no vote required, until the last ten years ,* but the estimate W&B }&rgely drawn £roax imagination, and even if he were correct, the rate still hung over the district, and affected the value of property. He thought the harbor should be taken over by the colony, if only for the reason that the members of the Board were incapable of managiug it, but it was also said to be a harbor of refuge, and if that were correct, the colony should pay for it. He gave credit to the Government for having retrenched expenditure, but objected to the mode in which it was done, particularly the 10 per cent, seduction. (Hear, hear.) It should also be remembered that the Major had. been associated with Governments which had allowed the lavish expenditure now. being cut down,, to spring up, and therefore so far he was concerned,, he was only remedying an evil which he had assisted to create. Further retrenchment might still be effected, commencing with Parliament itself. There should be fewer members. Sixty would do- the work as well as ninety,, and twenty-five members of the

Upper House would- be- sufficient. * Thff--lfingtb of, the sessions should be curtailed :by one .half, and p^rty strife should be dorter away ( with. A good, mejihpd o£ , securing that would ,he .. to ?ach Minister by ballot for his personal fitness for office, instead of the head of, one party -selecting all the Ministers. -This reform would' break up violent- party ; feeling, and pat a' stop- to a considerable waste of time. There, ,<were no parties in New Zealand ; .it. was simply, a question as which, half-a-dozen men .sliQ.ul4.sit upon the Government. benches. (Hear, hear.) The county system. had been fairly successful, but it bad' been complicated by the retention of the- road board system* He thought, however, that more subjects should^ be dealt with locally. as, settlement increased ; and to secure increased settlement, greater ' facilities should be given to would-be land-owners. The present deferred-payment system might be improved. He would allow people to rent land with the right of. purchase, giving it to them rent- free for 'the first two years on open land, and three- years m the case of bush land, thus enabling them to devote whatever little capital they might have, to ; getting- a start in stocking and farming. He thought local industries should be fostered; thfi&tma.* chinerj and implements, and necessariesof life, should be freed from taxation; and that taxation should be pat on luxuries and realised, property. (Applause.) ' The public works must be extended,, and he thought there should be further borrowing in the. English market for this, purpose* Money should be spent in the ;Egmont district on the Opunake harbor, |on ,the completion of the railway to Hawera, on the -further improvement of the 'Patea harbor, and on the opening up of main roads, especially as other 1 parts of' the country had been, pushed forward by loans, .in respect of which people ia Egmont had to pay taxes. . (Hear, hear.) He advocated the completion of the railway to Wellingtou at once, and that to Auckland as soon as possible. In answer to Mr. Quio, Mr. Woolcock thought there was no power to exempt Opunake and the Plains from the harbor rate, uuless the Government took over the liability with which, that part of the district was now charged^ Mr. Gray asked if Major, Atkinson had. not stated that those living around theharbor would take over the whole liability ? Mr. Woolcock said the harxtholctora looked to property, and not to people } and would not release their claim over a large part of the district. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Quin expressed regret that the Star should support the man who had pushed the harbor on. Mr. C. E. Gibson asked how Mr. Woolcock thought Mr. Sheehan and Mr. Bryce and Mr. Macandrew and Sir G. Greyand Major Atkinson wcnild work together in a cabinet ?

Mr. Woolcock said, leaving . out Sir CL •* Grey, there was no reason why the others- - could not work together. What he advocated was the adoption ot the principlethat governed joint stock companies. Even. now the Cabinet did not always agree.'

In answer to obhev questions,

Mr. Woolcock said he thought ; the' Upper House should be elected; that there should be no more assisted immigration at present ; he would let the land by ballot, providing due security for getting bona fide settlers ? he would support, a tax on absentees, or any scheme to forcfe occupation of land ; no doubt, there werearguments against the- ballot,. . but he thought it a lesser evil than- the auction r the 25 per cent, was colonial money, anci tlißYfefWß tbfe h&ikor wae-a colonial work tO> gome extent, but if; should be entirely so.

Mr. Quin proposed,, and' Mr. Gibsonseconded, a vote of thanks to Mr. Woolcock for his address. Carried unanimously.

A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings;