MR THOMPSON'S MEETINGS.

Northern Advocate, 20 August 1887, Page 3

MR THOMPSON'S MEETINGS.

AX KAIIO. •' '; . -J- ; Mr Thompson addressed a crowded audience at the Kamq Town Hall on Wefaesday night. Bepresentativea were present from all the surrounding < t: stiicte, --icluding Buatangata, Hikurangi, Kaorihohore, Whareora, Wimugarei, Maunu, and Maungatapere. JChe meeting commenced about eight o'^ock^when.Mr C.-Haw-ken nfoVed^aua Mr rCT»ya>, seconded jhat Mr J. Carruth take theifeuair. .';".*■ "~ ' " Ms O^ura^stfdit was an unexpected iSffiSSfc SBS had been thrown upon aim. He TiaaH&ometfiere jjja the- ißteuUSut-ot^utejp^ to Mr Thompson's political views, and he hpped tbose-prejisent would give Fm no trouble foU*MJg!%o*9Gr. He bespoke a ia?r_and patient hearing'' for Mr Thompson, who would p»»wer questions at the end of his address. (Applause.) *» ■"■■- i . ytaa greeted -with loud applause. He said hi w«* gratified to see so many electors present to meet him. He had been told on aU sides that the people of Kam? were/ very much "opposed to hitaj in fact it was frtely circulated that Kamo was- a stronghold of his opponent, Mr Dargayille. fie had not come there to ask them for their votes, he had come there to address them, after which/ac would answer questions,' and he asked/for a fair hearing in order that- he "might make known hnovrnhia views:- -JBe was not prepared to support any party in, Parliament, arid would not go to Wellington to support/^ jefique. He placed ho more weight on. the yotes of the Kamo people than on those of the other electors, and if returned he would represent' the whole of the electorate ; one district aauEairly as another. His principle object would be, as a settler, colonist and elec-. tor, to redu6e the present repkless expenditure, and touring it within the. hcome.of the colony^ -Jfo blamed a succession of governments for. the insecure Btate the colony had been btought to, but more especially the bate Government, as they had held sway when the bri--die should have been put on, but they hai not only, failed to do so, but had considerably increased the di'ficultieß. Each government, as they had taken office, had promised to take up retrenchment, and each had in turn increased the expenditure. Such men were not fit to be our Ministers, and the sooner they made room for more trustworthy men the better. (Hear, hear, and applause ) BBTBEKCBKENT. ' He 'would thus pledge himself to no party who would not take up a vigorous form of retrenchment. It was for the electors to say: whether or notthey would return men to Parliament who "would turn the present Government from office and place better men there. It was for them to choose between increased taxation or retrenchment. If a business man found he could not pay his liabilities, hefecnts down' his expenses. And so it must be^with tHe polony, and the sooner we started to do so the better. The Government ought to have done- so long ago. This was really the position he vr&s prepared to face. To do away with a lot of highly-paid officials meant that there would be more money to spend 'on: road making and. other public works. It meant increased employment to the working man. (Applause.) The high-paid officials who did nothing but override a lot of supernumeraries, who did their work for them, should be sent about their business. Why should we pay big salaries to ' men who do absolutely nothing t Thecfrl service should be gone through from end to end, and every man. be he high or low, if he could be dispensed, with,? should go at once. Every thousand pounds saved by this means would be available for>roads and other public works. -No people inTtoe whole Of the British don-inions received back so small an amount of their taxes as New Zealanders; every shilling the Government could drag from us by taxation was taken, but very little returned. A great portion went to pay big salaries to men who were no good to the country. They must commence at the top of the tree. The Governor's salary should Le reduced one half, the honorarium of the lower house should be reduced, and that of the upper house abolished' altogether. (Applause.) Some three or four hundred thousand pounds a-year could be saved in this way, if the management of affairs were placed in the hands of good business men Although retrenchment was the popular cry of the colony, if the speeches of members of. the Government were read, it would be seen that they all spoke in most vague terms. They dare not speak out. It was the place of the electors to send men to Parliament who had no connection with the civil servants. Those who had found all these billets, and who hod buOt up the costly establishments, could notbe expected to sweep them away. The present Government hftd^apniopriated the Sinking Fund, and squandered, it, -together with aU other monies tbey could lay their hands on, leaving no provision tor the repayment of loans. :, : : SBTTCATXOjr. Referring to education, he said he did not know that any government would touch this vote. The only way in which retrenchment in this department oould be carried out, would bis by dispensing with Education Boards. He believed that, one Board would be sufficient to carry on the business, if placed usdef the super* vision of the Minister of Education. In Victo«' ria and New South Wales there was only one central Education Board, and it should be enough for a celony like New Zealand/ - At present the system ft encumbered by rad-tap*

ism, which impedes healthy administration. He spoke of the large endowments in < nterbury and Otago, from which those prj jinces received the sole benefit. Those provinJ^s had built colleges and maintained them from the revenue derived from rich endowments. We, in the North, have as much right to the benefit derived from these endowments as they have. (Applause.) WASTE LAND BOABt.^. The department of Waste Lands Boards were shamefully managed. The management of .this department was the worst of any in the colony.. Instead of nine boards, one should be enough, and the work could be done by one more satisfactorily. The .county councils should be made the medium for putting people on the land. Because, if this wer done, they would in a short time be able to settle all the good land in the colony. Over £100,000 had been dropped by this department in the short space of three yeors. The only remedy wad to aboliah them altogether (applause.) i ■'■„ In the Survey department last year £113.000 j 'had been spent in surveys. How many settlers have been placed on the hind in return for this sum ? It was only a department which kept up a lot of high-paid officials. During his political tour lately, he had come acoross three survey parties. . Each of these had been employed in cutting old lines on rough hind which was never likely to be settled. The sooner the tax payers, protested against this sort of thing the 'Detter. (applause). About tilde mouths ago some 28 young men, sons of settlers, the best men they could put on the land, had asked him as Chairman of the County Council to apply to the ' Government to open up some land at Hukerenui either under the -Homestead or under the Deferred payment system. They did not care under what system they got the land, they were willing to pay for it otherwise. He wrote to Mr Ballance, who replied that they could not open more hind in this district under the homestead Act, but he would open it under, the deferred payment system and would at once send a surveyor up to survey it. This official never came. About three weeks after, he telegraphed to know when the surveyor was coming, and received a 'reply some time after from Mr Ballance, to the effect that he' had rejjeived advice from the department in Auckland that the land was all swamp and quite unfit'for settlement. He replied again, urging the Government to open the land, and to that tetter he had not received a reply to this day. Nea^lyvall 'these young men, who would have maSe good settlers; Wete willing to pay for their land and thereby settle iro the country, had left the district, and some bad left the polony. This was the way that this costly department Wns managed. Surely the young men were better judges of the land they applied for, :tha\i these officials who had never been near it? If returned as|their representative, he would demand papers to be put on the table, and would unearth the name of the scoundrel who had sent this uncalled for information to Mr Ballance. (Loud and prolonged applause.) .Such anjan is. not fit to hold [his position" a day. : With easy terms,' people Would be induced to take up good land. Land shov'ii be placed on the market at about 10/ an acre, and the settler should be allowed to select it anywhere he chose. The surveyor should then come afterwards, and by these means only the settled land would be sitrvi ycd. He had met during his canvass, uiauy* eligible settlors who would be only too glad frvtake up hind •* they were not debarred from doing so. • , > 1 taxation. . ?V Coming to taxation, he held a strong- opinion against a property tax. It was merely a tax -oujnd.ußiry.-An industrious settler had a farm, and the more he improved it the heavier was he taxed. Every year his taxation became larger because he was industrious. His neighbour, who was too lazy to work, and therefore did not improve his property, was exempt from this tax. Such was a most unfair state of things, and he would strenuously oppose it. His maxium was to encourage a man to settle, and then .use him , well, and not handicap him. A land'tax could well be paid. Whatever price a man paid for his land might hi fairly taxed, bat it should never be increased. tnoom'e %Afte^Ma^2eaiana, whether here or in England. wouuT have to contribute to the revenue.; At 'present large sums of monmr go 'from this colony to England yearly, and these rnTdniea_are_exeji»pt.iJrom taxation". By an income tax, these men will have to bear their share with the rest (applause.) UX&AO.B BB*tLKKENTB. ~ 4 ~ The Village Settlement Scheme demanded considerable attention from them at the present time. £70,000 had been spent to J^jicheme by" the ■ present G^veniment,' 4^, at .p^seut there was no prospect o*- aaSy^feturn. The village settler, was only a crown tenant, and every Ib^rtjryfiars his land wt^W^be revalued and "taxed accordingly. No^Blage settler could .become a freeholder, and this wasftt&t jusatiafactory. The Government assisted them for about six months making roads, etc., and at the end of that time they are left to shift for themselves. The result will be that a number will be thrown onto ua for support, and by the' Charitable Aid Boards Act we are bound to maintain them. They become a permanent charge on us. They have been placed on land which is no good. A vicious system of landlordism is thus being built up, which we do not want. 'We must either place [settlors on good land, or on none at all, and we must give them land which will become their own. Under the present system two thirds of them will desert their holdings, and the money spent will be wasted. It is most unfair, that the very settlers, who, by hard work and perseverance have made homes for themselves, and that, too, without any such assistance, should now be made to place these village settlers on the hind, should then be made to keep them there,' or else made to contribute to their support by the Charitable Aid Boards Act (applause.) EXTENSION OF HOBTH AUCKLAND EAILWAV. On the other side of the electorate it had been thrown in. his face that he was opposed to the formation of the North Auckland Trunk Railway. This h« wanted to publicly deny. He felt convinced that it was the wish of every settler in every northern district to Bee this railway constructed as soon as possible. '• With the colony already in such a deplorable condition, wo could -not now raise another loan, but ho hoped in, the course of a few years, when a loan was raised, to see that a fair proportion of it was utilized in extending the -railway northwaids.>,.They had as much right topee a trunk railway through the North of Auckland as in Canterbury or Otago. When the proper time comes, the whole of the northern members must combine together and see "that this work is done. He was not in any way opposed to such a scheme, but on the contrary, waa , desirous <pf . seeing?, the line formed (apiplanse.) . . >. DBBP WATJB JUU'tajUOHdi One of the principle Teasons wh jßhe Kamo Mines were closed, was. owing to the bad shipping facilities we have .here. All the districts throughout the electorate fully recognise- the fact that the extension of the Whangarei Bailwaytd Deep Water would be a gain to the district at huge. All the districts are willing to assist us in getting this extension. If returned as their representative, he would agitate to get this work done at once.. It was acknowledged on all sides that the mineral resources of the district had not been developed as they should have been. He hoped that when the Kamo Colliery Company were again started that they would thus be placed on a proper footing, and by this means miners and shareholders would alike be benefited (applause.) ' ■ "*H FUHIFUHI EAILWAY. . It would not be wise, at the present time when the price of timber is so low, to think of forming the Puhipuhi line. When the price of timber went up, this line should be at once started, and would pay its way. - BOASS. While speaking of railways, he must not forget the necessary road work. Out of the usual rates, it. was impossible for local bodies to keep their roads in anything like decent order, and they must get some assistance from Government. If we place in office a Government who will go. jn for retrenchment, we might be ab}e to get support for our roads until such tine as we are placed on an equal footing with our southern friends, and have a railway througKthe district, . MB DABOAVOLB'S TACTICS. j He wished to be understood . that he would! net imitate his oponent^by premising them railways in all directions.- (Laughter.) He considered it.now his duty to point out what was 'his opponent's policy" 'with regard to Marsden. Yot this, purpose he would follow, him through the several districts he* had spoken in, and' repeat his statements. At hi*

first meeting held in Dargavillr'Mr Dargavill told the electors' that it had &en the dream c his life to live to see the Kaihi Valley Railwa; constructed, and a£» it? further -extension t Hokianga. It had also*beetf his ambition fo yean to see a fine city built on the banks o the Wairoa. (Mr M. Whit&iw, "We don' want to hear what Dargavillj said, we wan to hear you," and iriteruption; The Chairmai called for order, and the- iptSker proceeded. He was not going to make bnjr personal re marks, but was merely gaiog to criticise publicly the public utterances of bis opponent (Applause.) He had a perf&t right tp do so (" Yes,' you and applause.} If speeche: are are not to be criticised they should no be made. He was not amid of his owr remarks being criticised publicly. He nex< found Mr Dargavillo at Aratiphue, a s*>ttlemeni composed of about fifty sotlers. Here hi Speech consisted of an ouaaught upon hin (Mr Thompson) as Chain&u of the Count} Council. He informed then that he had spent all the money/ of the district in Whangarei and Kamo, and had made limself so obnoxious that he was no longer wanted there. If these statements had not been made publicly, he (the speaker) would not hate referred to them. At this place, in all Mr .fargaville's speech, there was no reference td the Kaihu valley Railway or the fabulquf J&on the banks of the Wairoa. Next we fiwnd Mr Dargavilie at Waipu, wherohe was prepared to give them a railway to Marsden. ?oint immediately. (Laughter.) And not .nly a railway but also a telephone. (Laujjhter.) At Maungaturoto, Mareretu, and Wiikiekie, he promisee] the North Auckland ItaSway, and even went so far as to point out ftie paddocks through which it would pass. ■■■: (Laughter.) He told the settlers that to voftfor J. M. Dargavilie meant to vote for Noitt Auckland Railway, but to vote for Thompson. meant nothing, at all. No reference wae made in these places either of the Kaihu Valley Railway, which was. the dream of .his lifti 9T ot the wonderful I city on the banks of thei^airoa; At Kamo,his \ promise was the extension of tho Ifuliipuhi and I Kawakawa Eailway. poubtless if money was plentiful, he would put his hatid. into x the treasury, and scooo it ,'iifc broadcast, especially during the-«lecfipn titaj>. (Laughter.) -Buir this could not be done.'.- $i, each of these districts he had a different fai>F»tt» to stuff $he electors. He (the: Speaker) dfd not make statements he cpul A. i&of .substantiate. He would now teU i^m? how, Mr Dargavilie had prevented the fonoaton of the Puhipuhi railway, and would giv* his authority, as he had leave to ULei the gentleman's name. Some 5 years ago a J>6.r%of gentlemen had purchasedpart of the JPubipuhi forest from the natives. They endeavoured to make arrangements with the Government for the construction of the railway andi'aakod .Mr Dargavilie to ossisf them. He pjoraisea" to do. so. A .few weeks after, beford going to Wellington (Mr Dargavilie then' Represented City West), he asked what interei they would give him iv the speculation. Thttr. replied saying, that if he would assist them j»s irgentleman they would be glad, bnt they <feeliiied to promise him anything. Mr ■ BwiflfflUe Used his influence to prevent the roißjay being formed. The authority, which h)f would now give, was Mr Pierce Lanigan (long applauac) . They would take his statomentiMt a correct one. (Loud-an-plause). About /[three yairs ago a public meeting was held in Whangarei* Two gentlemen were appointed,, M»ssr« Thompson and Alderton, to go toWellingtou to endeavour to get the Puhipuhi #ilway. They interviewed the Government jpnd Sir. Robert Stout, be it said to his orcdit^bsisted them, and gave them every- help. HiMLw no reason why we should not have a railway as well as the South. The schedule of the Earn and West Coast line was then being laid bettore the House, and a clause was inserted tacking on the Puhipuhi line. When before tire House, the Auckland members in a body, iacludjjg Mr Dargavilie, protested against it, and it itaa thrown out. Some two and a half yeaw afl» when Sir Julius Yogel was staying at Waiwera, a deputation was sent from Wliangareiito interview him re the extension of Athe {railway to deep water. He promised r :fo^rhjiwff the work put in hand immediately, i^ut shortly afterwards a deputftHoli.^Sf.J ij-i^lgmen. interested- in the c6nstruyß6ir|waJßMMtefr^^M<ffi_Bailwag necesEv^3f 'i^^^Mpnment guaranteeing the djP wn * u *§s wP^^Rnstruction of thatUno. of that' (lepntafiou. rTK^htf^ere not B«^>es2iS4n their first interview. '-ThejrlKi au '\ waitetf' on on his arrival in k Aqckljr^^ '" f^ffi* aama matter. At trodueff a bill guaranteeing ftieir debentures ou conditi*^ that they would relieve the Government ft™ all further expenditure in connection withtoetdeep wa&xujjxsension at Whaugarei. tiiuTlßiraatoo^^jTOntoany was virtually ruinod at the--eSP« n |7 of iwpmiug Hie Kaihu Valley Railway, aitpKhey have now to' thank Mr Dargavilie atjd Ibis. mends that the miuea are closed. Fightinglnan as hepretends to be, he has never fougbtior Marsden, which all of I a sudden he now loves so well. He had always been an enemy to Marsden, and he would still be if returned, ("So he will") He would challenge Mr Dargavilie to contradict his statements. It was very easy to make a lot of rash promises. He (MrDargavflte) thought county settlers could be very easily gulled. When he heard that Thompson was coming out, he said he would have no tiouble in defeating him, he would only have to give a few addresses iv the principle centres oM hiß return would be certain. He had, however, found Thompson a bard nut to crank. (Laughter). A man who trims his soil to every audience, who changes his coat everywhere he goes, is not a fit man to be trusted with the affairs of the district. Mr Dargavilie by his statements had set district against district. If they found Mr Dargavilie had been a friend to Marsden, they should support him, but if otherwise they should vote against him. Two sessions ago when the Forestry vote came on) Mr Dargavilie got up and left the House rathfer than vote for it. He (Mr Dargavilie) did not believe in a country constituency. It had been most humiliating to him to have to trudge; through the country, soliciting support. Why, if he was such a good fighting man, did \he not fight for City West ? Why doesn't h? face his City West constituents P Because he had sold City West as he would now like to sell Marsden. Mr Thompson then pointed (jut that the interests of the district weve his interests; He was one of themselves It was fheir duty to study themselves. His first dutj.. if returned would be to serve the colony, hi?, second to fight for the district of Marsden Mr Thompson concluded his "speeckamidst loud and prolonged applause. ; .| \ '.•,■'. y \ QUKBTIONS. i -, #1 ? .. • ■ % %j? i The Chairman ; then, announced thatjjfr Thompson would answer qiiestions. ■ Mr Woulds : Do you approve of the railway from here tcr Puhipuhi being continued on to Kawakawa: in. order thai; V(e may open out a market with Sydney P - . l I Mr Thompson replied that if the colony was in a position to form it, he was in favour of it. It could not bo made at present. Mr Woulds : Dp you approve of the Village Settlement Scheme f . Mr Thompson: No, I -1o not. Mr Would*: No more do L (Loudhiukhtet and appUuse.) ' This question eaused'considerable amusement as Mr Woulds is one of the village settlers. Mr T. H. Hirst: Are you in favour oi preventing more ' money being spent on universities ? . ! Mr Thompson replied that if the Education Vote we? touched, it most be in that direction. Mr Dixon : Did you say you would reduce the standard iv schools to the fourth ? ■ Mr Thompson: No. . ■^.Mr Stuart : What are your ideas on protec« %n? Mr Thompson replied that the tariff should be so arranged that local industries that could be carried out successfully should receive the benefit of it. He instanced coal, on which a duty might bo advantageously levied, as al I>resent Newcastle ruins our coal 4 trade. ? { Bj evying a duty on coalj employment wbnldbc given to hundreds of men now idle. Otherwise he was not in favour of protection. Mr Carter : Wouldjrou oppose Mr Hobbs re the formation of the Puhipuhi railway ? Mr Thompson : No. But it will have to be constructed by the Forestry Department... lf is their intention to do this when practicable When the proper time conies we must hate this railway. : ■ Mr Woulds : Are you in favour, of the state forests being sold to private syndicates ? Mr Thompson : No, lam not. Mr Wakelin proposed, and Mr Robert Forsyth seconded a vote ot'tfLfaka and entin confidence in Mr Thompeou as their . representative. _ ........ Mr Day proposed, and Mr A. Sissoni seconded, as an amendment, a vote ofthanki only. • V.' . ' -i ■{-•■ ■■ ■ - ■•■ i ' " On being put to jthe meeting, eight haudi were held up for ttie amendment, aid j»bow 180 for the motion. The Chairman announcoo the result as* almost unanimous; amidst deafen inecbecraforThompapp.- mi.^ ' In returning thanlft, MrThcmpson saidthi result had been most satisfactory to him. Hi could not understand why he sfynfld. njee

le with opposition from Kamo. Jse had waited »f upon one of their fellow-townsman, and asked y him to stand, but he had declined, stating that 0 his business prevented him. He was raprised >r to find any man stirring up. local jealousies if amongst then. By. so doing no was an enemy t trfhimself. Although he had some enemies in t Blamo, he had also some of hia : wannest friends a and supporters there. (Applause.) He would ) make it Ids duty to work for them for three - years. If he proved false, he would not only c retire, but -would assist them in getting a better ;. man. 'He had come out simply to oppose a i. man who was.not. wanted in the district. He • s again thanked them for their vote of confidence, and' move a vote of thanks to the 1 Chairman. t The Chairman was. gratified to be able to say t that he had presided over one of the most s orderly meetings he had ever attended. The l people of Kamo had shewn that they loved r fair play, and had given Mr Thompson a fair t hearing, and had been pleased. He thanked i them again for their orderly attendance, > wished them good-night, and one of the most ) successful meetings Mr Thompson has yet j held was brought to a close.