NEWTON ELECTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume VIII, Issue 2189, 31 January 1871, Page 3

NEWTON ELECTION.

To Hie Editor of the Herald. Sir, —It is with reluctance I feel myself compelled to ask (lint you will ullow me a lit tie space iu your columns on matters somewhat personal. Mr. Swanson, in his address to (lie Newton electors, when alluding to my conduce in relation to the Civil Service Act, has characteristically shifted his ground, and taken up an entirely different position. When he discovered lh:it he hii.-i made a wrontr statement -t.h:it Jl<i:i-:ur,l, with tlie division'lial, was dimming evidenee against hid illegitimate assumption— he, instead of admitting hi? mistake like a man, wris;<»iV< himself into deeper and muddier water, uiul narrates a story wliich in all that is essential is not true. He says that T admitted to him that. I had never liea.nl a wow I about, it. (the Civil Service Act) until I hoard him (Mr. Rwsinson) speaking nboub it in the Council. This statement I m;>st distinctly fli!tiv. 1 could no" have made it—it. would not. have been trnr if T had made it—for rwn n..w I I'umrmber reading the liill in my own lods;iiiirs at. Wellington before it was law, talking over the mihj.-'ut with Mr. .Vewm.-.n, wiio tit the time lived in tlic same house with iik, and ri-ijroiiiiitf that the current, of opinion in the A-seinbly »'ii» so strolls' in favor of the bill that, any -Attempt to stem it would be ut.Vrly fniiii-. it is mere chip-tru.p when ~tt<: Kwan"hon says " lha: if two or three members liad resisted the pansing of that bill they would have ply-vented it becoming law;" for two years after, when Mr. Jnmoß O'Xeill tabled a for its repeal or modilieati.-n, o,d\eighteen voted for Hie resolution, mid thirtythree,gainst it, and this, ton, when the evils .■ni-itie, fnmi (he wretched system had to manifest themselves, and when in Ann;laitil at it'iist (lit; question luul been ngitufed. J I. !•* noLieeable that ten out, of the eighteen were Auckland men. I may mention also thai Mr. L.vle, ai. preseni. a resident ill Auekland—at. thiit lime n. Government ofli.ial — may remember his s))C.iking to me on the question before the bill was passed, and expre>sing his hopes thereupon. I n-meiiiber it well, and doubtless there arc mirabcrs of my frieiuh who could beiiv testimony to the i'mrf of my knowiiiix of the oiistence of sui-h an Act, bejipre Mr. Siv.inson spoko of it in the Council two years after it was iu the Sulule Book. I do not even now remember his action in the Council, but. I do not make my memory or wishes the test of another man's accuracy. I admit at. once his luiviug tuken up the question publicly before me, but at the nomination meeting ut Otaliuhu, when I said I believed 1 was ilie first person in the province who had moved in the matter, 1 spoke in K uod failli, for I never kn.-w, or had forgotten, Mr. Swaiijuii's previous movement. It is very stmnge to mo how any reasonable niiin could suppose that I would make a voluntary statement, and a fsilse one. too, dami'girig to my own reputation as a member of the House. It is altogether so absurd that I cannot conceive how such a misunderstanding should have arisen, particularly as it might have been avoided had he. exercised the usual courtesy, and put himself into communication with me, after bcinj; informed by a friend of mine that there was some mistake between us. How is it that Mr. Swansoii, when opposing mo specially for my conduct in relation to the Civil Service Act, is giving his active support to Messrs. Williamson and JJignau who were equally at fault with tnyeelf (that is from his stand-point), in allowing the bill to pass without teinark ? How can he look with so much complacency on th'.'ir conduct ? How can ho pass by their nclion without censure ? When in addition to their short-coming when the Act was pasied, they have since declared by their vote that they do not wish to see it repealed. I cannot reconcile this with Mr. Snanson's so much vaunted honesty of purpose and independence of action, apart from nil secondary and seliish considerations. The real difference between these gentlemen and myself on this question is, that 1 made, atonement I'or my previous inaction by voting with .Mr. O'iS'eill, while they confirmed their adhesion to the obnoxious act by voting for its continual ion. Air. Swanson very confidently and perti micioufly pins me down tolarguage alleged to 'lave been made use of by me two or three years ago; but ho lays him■•elf open to the charge of loose averment?, and not in harmony with facts, uttered by himself within the last two or Djjce di»j3. I am told that he said ou the |

hustings that lie only mentioned the circumstances of which I complained to two persons whose names he gave, and, as they did not sigu (lie requisition, I had n;> ground of complaint: he had done me no harm. I could mention others besides those two who themselves informed mo that ho had to'.d them the same thing, and thereby indued them to put down their names. Homer nods (μ-s to are toid by classical people), and why should not the member for Newton take a nap ns well as lie. Sir, I commenced this letter by saving that with reluctance I felt constrained towritu on muiters involving so much that is person.il, In conclusion, I reiterate that statement, and add that 1 have now done with the subject. Mr. Sivunson and myself are both members of the Assembly, and I trust, notwithstanding this little bickering, that each of us will, according to his light and power, do the best lie can in the interests of the colony.— X aui, &::, Ap.CIT. Cl-ABK. Remuera, January 21, 1871. A SUGGESTION. To the Editor of the Herald. Sir, —The present depression of business and the want of employment by working men in this province has, I have no doubt, caused ninny of us to tax our imaginations for an idea by which we may be lifted out of this slough of despond. X candidly confess that I havo taxed mine for the nic-nns of improving my own condition, but in vain, but an iden has struck me which I offer to the pubiic for what it is worth, aud if the proper authorities like to fake up tny suggestion J have no doubt that many will beneGt, by it, not oDly those poor meii who are naturally and necessarilv clamouring for work, but business people and the Government too. The- Government is not supposed, I understand, to expend public niom-ys on anything tbut. tends to the speculative, but that which ! is reproductive. Wo all know that many j thousands have been expended in thisprovinco I on works which havo been of a speculative j character, and which are now lying like I damaged goods, useless and unprofitable. i It is not my province here to condemn those ! parties who were in authority and caused them to be prosecuted, but to assist as fur as lies in power to point nut to the present Government a means of lucrative employment for many good men who are striving by everv possible means to leave this province because they cannot get work, not because they have any fault to fin', with it, but that they havn't the moans of living while they are prospecting, or working for themselves on claims on the goldfiolde. I have no doubt that if my suggestion is carried out by the Government, it would commend itself to the working men, and we should havo no more threats of pulling dov.n Council Chambers, &c., and they would take more readily to it than that employment which a man with any pride would abhor— stonebreaking. It is well known that there are hundreds of acres of ground on the '.Thames, which are at present lying idlo, which if labour were expended upon them would be more profitably reproductive. The plan I would suggest is this, let sections of ground in localities known to bo auriferous, be taken up on different parts of tho goldfields by this Government, and employment therein be offered to working men on the same terms as those offered for stouebreaking, viz., 3s or H per diem, and in addition to the wage;" give e.ich shares in tho claim in such sections, say one-half, or onethird of a man's ground. Do you no t think that hundreds would jump at such a generous Oder ? I do, and k now from personal acquaintance with a great many miners, that they would be only to-> glad to receive such assistance, on the terms I have stated. Of course it would be necessary to have a competent miner to superintend each claim, who could easily bo obtained by offering a slight addition of. waees and larger interest. : The whole to bo governed and superintended by an Inspector of Mines. It would be necessary for every man seeking employment to sign a. deed of agreement", which, provided that, if he was found to be idle or turbulent he could bo turned off, and his interest forfeited ; orif incapable of doingu man's average day's work he would be required to find a substitute. I know that there are many who would loaf on tho Government, and go in for the "Government stroke," but that must, be guarded nsaiu-t bv a simple and useful code of regulations for the general working of the mines. Many men may require miners' rights; let the same be provided forthi-m by the Government, and (ha cost deducted in small sums from their pay. The miners to provide their own tools, Sen. Tho Government to provido wheelbarrows, trucke, (.ran:?, powder, timber, &c. ; the sair.c to bs deducted pro rota from the men, should the claim turn out profitable. I am quite certain that at the expiration nf twelve months the Government woidd not sillier by the transaction, which would produce a beneficial reaction. It has bsen repeatedly staled that the goldfields aro the only source from which we can expect prosperity for the province; then why don't the Gorernment assist in keeping thorn up ? The claims mav possibly not all pay, but there is a probability of a number of them paying. If any of them were to turn out rich, 1 know that many persons would begrudge the Government their share in th.-ia. To prevent the Government from appearing to monopolize the ground, I would suggest that j at the expiration of twelve month-' its interest ho put up for public competition, bin linsj tho jnn-L-hnsfrs to adhere to the term • of iigreeinent. with lli.i labourers. If the Government losr ii fotv pounds in soi:ie of the sections, it will b<> refunded in many w.iy* hy duties &:, a-id will lirinsr prosperity to our prov we, and save many who arc now on tho verge of starvation. Ifthines are allowed to continue as (hey are, 1 don't, think there will be any necessity for the Government to expend the thousands on railways, which cannot but be unproductive, if the backbone of the country, which is the working man, i 3 allowed to leave it. And another thing, if the goldfields aro more developed tvo shall not require to assist emigrants to colonize this place, but will find that if we have a generous Government, we shall haro plenty <>f" people emigrating here. If England eannob find cmployini'nt at home for luir starving population ; Let Utr assist t'uen to emigrate, and not lend money, binding us to use a largo portion of it in assisting her to get- rid of them. She is better able than us to pay for emigration purposes; she will soon have to do it to maintain peace and order at home. I havo no doubt that, many will laugh at the suggestion I have thrown out. Let those parties offer something better. I confess I have no experience in political affairs, and should be glad if any person of more enlightened ideas would suggest something that would be beneficial to us all. Trusting you will pardon me for taking up eo much space in your valuablo journal, —I am, &c, Albert F. Mtkbs. Grahamstown January 25, 1871. «» THE UNEMPLOYED. To the Editor of the Herald. Sin, —A very anomalous state of matters exists in Auckland at tho present time. The laborers at the Eawakawa coal mines, who are earning from £3 to i~X> per week, strike, because the manager proposes making a small reduction in their wages, and simultaneously a lot of men go to tho Superintendent and require assistance because thoy cannot get employment. I have been some twenty years in New Zealand, and the same thing has occurred again and again. Ask some of the old hands who have tried to develop the resources of the country, and they will tell you that whenever they have expended large eums upon dairies and other industries, that this la )or clement has always been the chief difficulty. Reverting to the coal mines, -what are the facts ? A large number of Auckland re. identp, who have invests t tl:eir hard earnings in endeavom-ing to develop n-i inlrstry, who have never received a khiV.iig di.iiend for

their outlay, are met by their servnnts with a strike—simply becau-e they wish to keep within their means—and these men who hare been earning liberal wages, (login the manger like, not only refuse to work themselves, but I misapply their earnings by paying the pas- [ sagea back to Auckland of jrs:i of their own grade who would, be too glad to work for a reasonable rale, this is protection with a vengeance. It will be within the recollection of many persona that during the biulrth.g of the Bani of Hew Zealand in Auckland, so;no of the principal artizans employed attempted a strike tor an advance of wages, althou R h they knew lull well that such advance would involve a heavy loss to the contractor, who bad based Ins calculations upon current rates. If these men were working at wages which woiila not support them, there would be some eieme, but it was well understood at the time that the real reason was that several large jobs which were going onat the time gave them the whip hand, und so, regardless of the consequences to others, they attempted to coerce their employers. As fov destitution existing to the extent that some would have us believe, it is all humbug. I have been frequently asked for the j»-ice of a breakfast by men who were evidently under the influence of liquor, and recently told ono of these worthies that he ■was better off than myself, for he could afford to get drunk and I couldn't. I pen these lines in no unfriendly spirit, but simply to remind the labouring classes that there are two sides to every question— their own included—and that with wages at 5s to 6s, and beef and mutton at 2id, »ud a four pound loaf at 3kl, destitution is not and cannot be so provalent as they would hare us believe.—l am, &c, Path Plat. RIVJiRIIEAD TRANSPORT. To the Editor of the Herald. Sir, —"We notice in your issue of Tuesday, the 24th instant, a. letter signed " Alpha" , ' complaining of neglect on our part in the transit of goods from Kiverhcad to Hulensvtllo. We cannot understand, 3lr. Editor, who or what has been the cause of this most unjust and untruthful statement, as for the last four months we hnvo cleared out the store at Riverhead at (he end of everv week. Perhaps " Alpha" may find that sliort remittances to his merchants " who will supply to any extent" may be more properly blamed for the delay.—Wo are, &?., P. J. Mcl/eod. Uelcnsville, January 27. THE LIQUOR TRAFFIC. To the Editor of the Herald. Sin, —Having been asked to sign a memorial to his Honor the Superintendent, soliciting aid in keeping an efficient police officer in this place, I may be allowed to observe that, as tho great majority of cases requiring the intervention of the police result from drunkenness, and thatas longas wetoleratetwopublic-houses ■where the last shilling is taken from any poor blackguard for drink (in the tap-room European and Maori are on the level of perfect equality, and then turned loose, drunk and riotous on the public highway, it seera3 unreasonable to expect aid from the Government to enable us to keep the peace, the more go as I am persuaded the remedy is, in a great measure, in our own hands. In England the license can be taken from anyone keeping a disorderly house, and if this law is in force in the colony it will simplify the matter amazingly. Hitherto tho influence of the clergy and of Justices of the Peace living on the spot have alike failed to put down this nuisance, which has been long and loudly complained of as a disgrace to any civilized" community; and it is deplorable to see men who might have been respectable members of society degrading themselves by pjndering to the vices of the lowest of the people—in fact, pawning their souls to the devil every day they live for filthy lucre's sake.—l am, &;., George Barsett. Wangavei, January 21, IS7I.

IS IT TRUE ? To the Editor of the Herald. Sin, —We have been informed, on what seems reliable authority, that t!ie whole of a site for a township in ll'iis lovely plane has been given back by the General Government to natives. We do not complain of good and Joy ill natives being rewarded, but notat the expense, as it were, and disadvantage of the unibrtunalu settler who bought land at a considerably advanced price to have the advantages of so beautiful a little township. I may 3.tfely assert, it, without exception, surpasses anything in the delta. Its being done away ivitli will place the settlers here in a most uncomfortable position, iu there is no township or village within ton or twelve miles, and tiie roods to each inaccessible in bad weather for horse and dray. I may also add that the General Government (it is stated), intend opening up ;hc road between hero and Easlan, and travellers, of course, must proceed cither tj Ngaruawahia or Hamilton, as not a single acre will be 'eft for any purpose. The ferryhouse at present at this phiee, i< on the road, and the natives are very shirty about it, as they say the land belonged to them. Surelv Government cannot alow such a state of tilings. Iα fact, have not the net tiers at large a clrim upon the Government for placing them in this position, as I consider it a breach of faith ? Tho township is still marked in the miip, and stranger? may yet he further deluded if it is not fully settled. I am lo!.h to believe its possibility, yet from the native kororo,. am afraid it i 3 too tvue. Cannot you suggest something to be done to give the settler equal rights with the Maori ? We find it up-hill work and difficult to live, -without having any of our advantages taken from — I am, &c, Settler. Whatawhata, January 27, 1871.