FRANKLIN ELECTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XII, Issue 4398, 17 December 1875, Page 5

FRANKLIN ELECTION.

MESSRS. GOODFELLOW AND WOODWARD AT I'OKENO. According to advertisement, Mr. Goodfellow attended at the school-house, Pokeno, on Tuesday, for the purpose of expounding his views to the electors of thi3 part of the district. He was accompanied by Mr. Woodward, and, although through a misunderstanding respecting the time of meeting; but few were present, both gentlemen gave their opinions on the chief points of public interest at the present time.—Mr. Rhodes was called to the chair, and in a few words introduced Mr. Goodfellow, who said that he advocated one Government, -with properly organised local authorities having ample power. He compared New Zealand with Great Britain with regard to size, and considered that, if the latter, with its 13,000,000 acres of land more, could be governed from one centre and by one Parliament, a similar form of Government could and ought to be adopted in the latter. He then spoke most encouragingly of the pospects of New Zealand as a whole. He deprecated division of any kind, thinking it to be. weakness, but decidedly advocated unity, as in it alone lay strength. With one Government all would be taxed alike, whereas with several those living in different parts of the same colony were differently taxed, in contravention of the 53rd clause of the Constitution Act. With respect to works of Highway Boards, &c., he would wish to see the country divided into shires or districts as in Ireland, the ratepayers in each to have the right to rate themselves according to the requirements of the district. He had no personal interest to serve by being elected, but if he were honoured by election he would do his best for the good of the Franklin district and the colony.— No questions were asked, and the Chairman then introduced Mr. Woodward to the meeting. This gentleman expressed himself himself dissatisfied with the political position of the province of Auckland, and thought that there was good cause for general uneasiness, when it was remembered that, by the iniquitous Act of 1856, two provinces of the South, Canterbury and Otago, could rcspectively take from what ought to be.the property of the entire colony £52,000 and £50,000, while Auckland, in the same time, received but £17 as its share. All the people of every province should be treated alike, and in England such.an enriching of one county to the, detriment. of. another would not be tolerated for one matant. ' Why should it in in New .Zealand ?,, . The Aict,of.lßs6 have been repealed, in* common fairness to the people of the North. One reason, perhaps, why it had not been, was that the members representing Auckland constituencies had

never been united. He considered that th« cause of this disunion was that they had no fixed policy, and no man to whom they could look to as a leader. Such a man had now, however, come forward, —a man hold enough hght abuses of the past, and with ability sufficient to guide them in the futnrr» -He referred to Sir George Grey, and if elected he would pledge himself to follow lr . eorgo, not in a subservient manner, but in everytning, and as long as his reason led Mm to think that his leader was acting for the good of the people of New Zealand. He hoped Separation way unnecessary ; but if it were rendered compulsory by the continued expenditure in the South of taxes collected in the North, then he "thought that Insular Separation under a Federal Government would be preferable to any other plan. He considered there were good principles involved in local selfGo vernment, but was opposed to " nomineeism." He thought it would be advisable for each district to have the power of rating itself for works required in it, and to have the right to]recover rates by liens on property in it. He was in favour, if extra taxation were necessary, of an equitable income and property tax, that the capitalist might bear his equal share of the burden with the landowner, and that justice in this respect would be more likely to be obtained for a country district such as Franklin was if a country and not a town man were elected to represent it. He objected to large sums of money passing through the Native Office without account given of them, pud thought reform necessary in that department. He was in fa vour of the formation of special settlements for the sons of old colonists. If elected, he would toady to no Government; he would not accept any office, but do his best concientiously for the benefit of the constituency generally.—After a few words in favour of Provincial Institutions, as acting as a safeguard to malpractices on the part of the General Government, by an elector, Mr. Crickett and Mr. Rhodes moved a vote of thanks to both candidates.—Mr. Crickett moved, as an amendment, a vote of confidence in Mr. Woodward, which, at the request of that gentleman, was withdrawn, as that part of the district was only poorly represented, and the vote of thanks was carried unanimously.—A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the meeting.