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Lyttelton Times, Volume LXI, Issue 7224, 25 April 1884, Page 4

Me Conolly made two little assertions in his speech which require just & little special notice. He said that

the policy of the Southern portions of this Island was to keep all they had, and let the other districts go; and ho declared that the grain export of Otago and Southland equals that of Canterbury. These statements, no doubl, passed muster very well in Picton, where the policy is certainly to keep all they have, with a firm conviction that for anybody else to do the same is a crime; and where the movements of grain are understood about as well as the making of submarine cables is understood in New Guinea, In these more southern parts we have not been allowed to keep all we have. For long years, in fact, we have kept everybody else. It is high time to go in for a policy of keeping something like a fair share of our own. We only wish Mr Oonolly’s description of our policy were the description of an actual fact. As a virtuous denunciation of people who object to spoliation it would he amusing if it were less serious. But it is not happy by any means. Even less happy is the statement about the grain export. Now, speaking roughly, there were exported during the year, between Oct. 81, 1882, and Nov. 1, 1883, from Canterbury, Otago, and Southland ports some 1,100,000 sacks of wheat, Of these Canterbury exported over 900,000 sacks. Tet Mr Conolly had the easy hardihood to declare that the grain export of the two portions of the island is about equal. Now, this mis-statement was made to show that the grain rates are so evenly distributed that Canterbury has no special grievance in the tariff. As Lyttelton exported 795,812 sacks (nearly 800,000 out of the 900,000 exported from Canterbury) the special character of the Canterbury grievance is pretty evident. Mr Conolly wants a little more accuracy before he can lay any claim to the public confidence.