PRESENTATION TO MR EWING.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume 34, Issue 9357, 20 February 1903, Page 3

PRESENTATION TO MR EWING.

Ihe following is n resume of the principal speeches gi%-en at the recent presentation to Mr J.''Ewing. The report' is some>\ hat belated; but unavoidable circumstances- prevented ifappearing sooner. MrR Logan (t'O'iiiij Chairman) occupied the chair, and said that he had been a>keo ir. hi.- offii-ia capa'-iiy to make the pre.-entaiioß. :t «as with feeiinss Of regret' ami pleasair mixed tha 1 he undertook the position. The re»ret was that thev Hud not Mr Eniug repiesenting ihem in Parliament. They icip.ir-H men in Parliament withathorouL'h kn"wlc«l«_'iofeou tiy dfe and country puisuits. That had been brought very foicitily oefoiehim in the last week or two since the que-tion of free t-econdarv < ducatib'n hji'l" been pT> posed The s-: •me jiroi oscl was absolutely of no benefit to country residents, except io those in iowus. such "as Naseby. where ihey hail a si-hool. It was necessary that countr.\ dislriets should be leiircsenied by men who knew the di.-abilities under which, the conntry laboured. With that prescmabU advance in free education, country people «:ot no' benefit whatever. 'the fees were a •secondary consideration' to those who had to -end ilicir children from home; the board was a much greater cnn'sidoraiiori. It .seem-d.to bun that the only way secondary education could lie made quite free was to enable it to lie acquired at ihe primaiy schools Had the money to be snem bi» spent in- providing better salaries for poorly paid country teachers, encouraging them to qualify to teach aeo.hlar.- subjectin primary schools,-the country would have piofited: "As far as he knew not one single woi-d was TRised even . in- the Kducation Boaid to futther the country residents' interests Another matter, cmntiy piMi.de sii - fcre.l ficm was their bad roads. They wanted men who were conversant with these roads to bring under the notice of the authorities the wide stretch of i< ): ,.i- th- \ have, to travel, and the small value of the land on which they live 1 and the small rates received fr«m H'at land, and the impossibility <>f providing ,_, o o 1 .-oa-N. Thev wanted a man conversant with a ! l the-<-things to plead their ease in W.-llinffion. Those were some of the rea-xn.s why he rewiettr-d Mr Ewin • not in \\".''in,_.t P them. Tt ->iv- hi-n ■i.tfri-'tu. m think that He people rcosni-ed 'he«t>lr>ndid fi<_dtt MrKwina bad male at the late election, 'I hev. thinking it was nol fitr that he should have 'o bear i>ot on'y the 10-s of time but the whole of the oxi.en«e. d. c'i «ed '•> inak- 50.,... rccosftiitii'ti of his servici's 'o the .'istri" 1 . He' Air felt gnat o'pasnrein handinghim the small token (a I'lirs" of -overeigns) of the esteem in which he was held bv the public, a"'' trusted he, would hj» hmsr "i-arod to continue his puhlin. services whenever opportunity arose. Tn c...ncln«i-in. h- could .only say that the of It. Ir];i lost a ' valuable asset to th" c .heiy when thev de-clin-d tu retnrn Mr Kvinsr -s" fheir rei>n>seniativ--'. -eApplnuse.J

The other" siie.iker- were M'e-sra.. .'•:. P Cut ten f Mayor of N-i-nhy). B" Gordon,. B Johnsfii and .1. Law jun. " ' ' Mr TS-virej- tii'i"--dy i>''nrncd thanks for the pres"'itai'->n tie had tio idc" what' was in it. but ib-n made no '\ ; ff fence. When the idea w:is fir-t mooted *o 'dm tii«'fi>--t imi-re<: sion - he should thank his friends ihe more because they did.riot rake the■n-fnsul. If (hoy considered be' co'u'.d not ufford the exnen-e. thev were qurc ti-'hi. fo, he eeriain'y c-ni'-l not. -.lt hfi i"'isi.ld "'ed.-hnt he was anxious to neit' ,f- : r/.h" ~ak •;■ -h s,| : ,ry. an w.is ■'. wo'd ' mi hi- opi-o-neni''- fiist a'd-ess about .sym -ilhv Hi-' nudieoee wa- askej to pni svmpniliy away and act njii n.conniiri'i -;ivj'-e- !'•■ hoi»-d no . on-- voied for him out <f-ynn atby. h wanted none: for he was. in a f.r beto-r losil'on; throniih not reor-M'tri !,' 'be disl'ic..th'R : n if hedi'l.-.; There w"f: ,t •."'a' - iiiapy .thingsin the leiiisl-.itioii i...f;'oie i-ohiimv 'h-o i-q ned alterins —m'tmy he bid noi -i e:d: of at 'he time of his address !!■• only si oki of the quesrious most heard of. and trt-i 'o do ju«-th-e to the Govcrnmant ;,n ! th !• m . a n •■, A number 1.1 measure- neoessar •'>. the 1fare of ihe eoniinuiiity -una ties winch hj; long experience wonid as-ist lib- i,, Tiamii-g j he siiid' nothiug about Tl ere was 'he eoldfields" iegishilioti. Anyone who knew anything about it. knew it nee !e 1 aihorousrh rovcrhaui"—especially the frail tenure'upon which they held siioli prpj.crty : How ea-y it was .to lake }t away man who

spent a lot on it and (rive it to the man who had spent nothing. Lawyers were not nhle to do the work. The law as itßtood-was the best for their purposes. It was usual for candidates in the position he -was in that night to explain the cause of tleir defeat. He did not know that it was necessary for him to do that. In his address to the electors published after the election theie were one or two wurds for which he was severely called into question—viz.. for referring to the " dishonourable tactics of some of the other s>de." He would not go into particulars, but it was so Kfce a lawyer for bis opponent to ask him to do so. . Evidence of such tactics, though perfectly good, was principally of a circumstantial nature. He referred to dishonest tactics used against the Government and still marc against himself j personally- Perhaps they were not very effectual, but may have been si:ffici<nt to I turn enough votes to make thedifferet;ca between his opponent and himself b.:ina 't»turned. Those tactics dealt largely with h'"s private affairs, and in tome cases went into particulars. It had been said he was larg ]y in 'debt, and if returned would be mad;: insolvent That sort of thing had been going on lor several years and was so much public property that .hoiwas justified in.intruding mat poition of his private aff.iirs upon the meeting. It was true that he ow.;d money which he was not abluto pay. Everyone knew that he had carried on in hydraulic gold mining more largely than anyone else in the colony end had achieved successaftersuccess. There wjis hardly anything he touched but brought back the money expended upon it "nd inteiest. lie was a spt-cial Providence 10 the district in which he lived lor over 30 years. - " It had been said also that' he Bad j worked men for long hours at low rates <>i j wages,; 'J be people who ra-s;:d the cry worked tlieif men longer hours fur half iho money, and their Teal grievance against the Government and himself was that they paid too high wagts. _He referred to the runholders and landowners of the community, (Hear. hear). As for his debts When the Colonial Bank business was taken over by the bank of New Zealand he iiaVi an overdraft, and he handet over ample .securities to cover his overdraft. It was" only by two classes of people that the banks could carry on. Fiistj those who had more money than they needed and placed it in the banks on deposit and then those who had less than they requiied to carry oh their businesses and took it Out again at a h:shcr rate of interest. The difference in the rates of iuierest. represented the banks' profi's, •and the existence oi the second class was as necessary as the first for the banhs to carry on. About a year after the time referred to there was -a property f<»r sale near one of hi- own, which it was to his advantage to buy; and he asked the bank of N.Z. for a further advance. After some little demur, they sent around one of their agents to inspect his properties, apd go through his books with his clerk to. iind out what his piofits had been; They showed that hi? profits for the previous year had been £GIS2. and that despite the fact that half of bi« pioperties were still in an embryonic sta-ie — that is thev had not reached a paving point. For a £3OOO overdraft he offeied £l3 000 worth of additional security. They advanced the money upon tbecondition that in twoyear" it should be repaid. At the end of the two years—t he dryest ever experienced in Central Otng<—be was not able to keep his proirise to reduce, but punctually paid the interest. During that time he had put £6OOO worth of improvements ou the property, so that the security was worth £i 9.000. In order to pay interest and keep up the capital expenditure necessary to put bis mines on tie best footing, and also keep down the overdraft be bad let other things go behind to a certain extent, but bad ruiic-ved bills for plant and let wages payments stand, but not to anyjworth mentioning completing he was making between £6OOO and £7OOO a year. On the property be bought when the £3OOO increased overdraft was given, he made £2stiu the first year, whereas the previous proprietors had made nothing for two years. That was the first and only year he was a lowed to work the property according to his own methods, or, be might say. any of his pioperties. The bank" then said he must sell off some of his properties. They sent around a man to inspect, but he bad no more knowledge of the subject that a baby. They refused to give him time. He resisted them, as there were no purchasers for properties of the kind. Some of the properties the} - wanted him to sell* bad since given more than . £2OOO in dividends. Thev wanted him to sell outright for that amount One property was shares in a mining company, of lons standing and regular profits that they wanted him to dispose of, and they wanted him to 3ell £lO .shares for £5. They had since returned h'irri £5 10s. They were now worth £l2. in the market, and that security., consisted . of 76 shares. Not only did the bank try' ..to injure him itself,'... but sent around to tirmd he dealt with in Dunedin and said Ewing was not in a safe position, 7 and they intended winding him up.' They also went to the men who worked for him and said it wa's not safe to work for him, as he would not be able to pay them. • He resisted them, and they had sold-'little or nothing at the prcs-nt time. Everyone he owed money to would get it if they waited for a while. Everywhere working men came and told him of ihe reports, and said' he had always paid them and given tbem fair play. It was a-i-erted that men had said they would not would work for him at all. From the men he bad .employed be never had a single complace it was only because it was the cust >m before he started. . The men who worked those Ions: hours made such a sura per annum that if the chance of working for him h-id been saleable : .t would have brought £l5O premium. Some in seven or eight years saved £SOO or £«00 ; o'th'ers,£2oo and £3OO. Some had been able to settle on the land through it. That was a dark age for labour ; work was scare- indeedj- . And -it was during that dark axe that he found employment for so miny hands.'" In most digging towns storekeepers bad to take great risks: they had sometimes to support mining parties for years and on on the failure of. the enterprise did not get paid at ail. The store-k.-eners of St; . Bathans" had been saved that. Fie took the risks ; .they took ihe profits. Some of those people had been circulating remarks damaging to him. One of their ideas was to put him out of the Ouniy Council so as to injure him in the general election. "■■ Everyone knew that he "represented that district in a way that left ii"ibing to be desired ever since the initiation of tins county system. There was a place called B'icks. For thirty years, he was a o -ecial providence to that farming settlement, li was only through the business created in St. But bans by his operations that that settlement • x sted at all. St. Bathans was alocal market for their butter eggsand farm produce, r.ackst- ne Hill station again wate acentreof o infl enc.: against him at the county electi n It. was chiefly owing to his instrumental y tint the bridge over the Manui l.eiiM.-i -*a9 there. They went from house i.. ho'i-e in ht. Bathans and all ovcr.theriding and hymiviiateme its'and gross untruths got men who w«-ic under deep obligations to him • o vote a anst. hira. One'of those'whom they \'i ueed to oso« as a man over whose place e held a mortgage for .many j'ears past, and Aho for yeats had paid him no interest, arid ■ad not been lioubled about it, and had i.hcrwise never had any but kindness ii Ins bands': After all they only beat him by two votes. Then there was a note of ■ jubilation trJVoughou't the isixict rfflta did no: think ibdii him much harm in the centre of the district where tie *\iis known but it did .a good &ia\ on' the other side. They _ said_ he ••mild not get in for the riding becaose h «as so unpopular on account of the things • had rioiie. and would get no support in his own locality in his candidature for the use If those 'were not unfair tactics e id nt kno* what could becalled unfaiiy ' i.hi yet -bey ouly save a taint idea of wira l .

w "Slid and done <>y tee. cl-iss tu.icalled ihemselvs. respectable". in politic* He beiran by saying it was "better for bin* personally that he was not representing them in Parliament, but when one had lived- in a place for a great many years «nd had cmne to uee what would make it betfr-r he .fcl■ :> desire to get where could advocate his idea in the intcre.sts.pf his district and thecolo:iy. When it became certain on the ni.sht of t<«election that his opponent was.elee.ted 1« sppke a few words of ; thanks from the p<-st office stens. He f.Mr ISwinjr) was nut. pn-si-m all the timei But came. thore at the fi»i>--. Hp said a.few. words, but th<; i<ro:i-< S'-iise v 6f. tbe'»>. was not given in The Chronicle. It said that he *aid he »-o: o.i that next election Mr H'-rdman would <rei it: unopposed ;. whereas what he did -say wasthat he hnpe3 Mr Herdman would be ab*to t-o conduct himself that he would be i - turned next time unopposed. It was needless to say he did not suppose that he w<m endnct himself in such a way. an-' I hat hiremark was made "snreavttVal" Tlvrfc iaone thing certain and that was thntthe wave of Democracy that w:i~ ii:i-si<'ir<»cr'tbew.-rl<a and had reaehed its height durin;* the last ten years in JCewZealan-*'. was not going to Instayed by any of the tactics 'lie Opj,osiiio'. were, jniilty of at the past .election. . Democracy had come to vtay ; and they Bins) have new ways- and new ideas in * dealing with things. "He did ii-it say that the present Government was an i'leal one in hiopinion, but it was movinsr in the ri-ibi direction. There wa= notliins surer than that (he changes of the past ten years we»e only the forerunners of greater change-. Even if beaten back for a time the wave ; would return with force.-(Ap- ■ piansc). He thanked them very much for , what they bad done. It *as bard to say how things might he at the end of another three years. It was a question tvhelitcr he would want them or they would want him. He had been told that if he had a little to tlip prejudices of differ'nt ay=ocir>tjons and bodies be would baye «>ot. in.. He was no« snrry he did not pander to any. He i spoke the truth as it was in him. AVhether ; he came before them again or iidt he would do the same thing. It was not. possible during the brief period one devoted to an electoral address to explain things or for people who came to you with the pre-con-ceived i«'eas to have them altercl. The creat factor in this district was the Olngo Witness % It was full of hostility to', thparty noyr in power and to all Li- cal ideas. Many people read lit.il*- else on the topics of the day bnt the Witness and they graduallr i nbibed its ideas. He ascribed to the n.alero 1.-nt influence of that journal any disf vour the Government was fn. The Government measures were riot properly-understood. Of course they had all heard "the result of the e'eetinn analysed He lost in the Clntha and Waitat-i side. In the (Jlutha they had been in the habit of giving a bloek vote, for the Opposition Had habit* were difficult to get rid of. On the Waitaki side it was not so easily explained. There they had siven big majorities for the Government member. Sinc"e : .last elation th«>y had changed. The Government had parsed the Land for Settlements measures and cut up big estates and placed Cr-nvii tenants on them They had made money and wanted to buy their farms, and had become enemies of tl«e Government because the Government policy would not allow them to do so. He had ever since he could think at all been on the Liberal side of politics. He thought that dunng the time he had been living in the district he had been of. -oroe to it, >iti<l did not. think his p°ridd of usefulness was over.