CITY WEST ELECTORATE—MR. LAING'S ADDRESS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 6251, 29 November 1881, Page 6

CITY WEST ELECTORATE—MR. LAING'S ADDRESS.

Last night Mr. Laing addressed the electors of City yViat in the St. James'-hall, Wellingtonstreet. On the motion of Mr. KaFTOK, Mr. COKNISH was voted to the chair, and introduced the candidate. He said that Mr. Laing was a working man, brought out by the working men as a fit and proper person to represent the district in Parliament. (Cheers.) Mr. Laing said he appeared before the electors at the invitation of «entlemea representing the '• Working Man's Political Association.;' He proposed to lay before the meeting his political platform with rtference to the questions that were at present agitating the public mind. He did not appear m, a schol.istic.Ally-etluoitod individual, but as i. working man —as one of themselves. (Cheers.) He might say that he was.i liberal of liberals, ncjS one who took the name of a liberal. First came the question of the land. There could be no settlement till this question was settled " on a basis f.iir to .ill, injurious to none, and beneficial for the whole country." He contended that " private property in the soil was a grievous mistake, for it was admitted that a certain class of people, if they dated, might exercise their power to compel the whole nation to starve except themselves." [The speaker quoted John Stuart Mill, Kuskin, LDrd Sherbrook, and others.] The land was the property of the people. There were many per» Ju s worthy of credit who believed that the great curse of this country was the facility with which hindsharks had been enabled to acquirp large possessions of land. There was a large avea of the land of the country in the hinds of persons who were desirous of establishing an aristocracy "darker and blacker" than ever existed in f- .<

country. He (Mr. Laing) would tax them, ar-i make it so hot for them as to get rid of them. Ho would put upon them a progressive tax. Th..next question was education. He believed ths*; the whole of the people should be an educat '. people, and it was the business of Parliarc .it to provide the means of education. Pome s-.--; there should be a religious education, bat what dogma was to be accepted if that -ware to be the case. The State, as such, had nothing to do with religiou education. FTHa speaker referred to the con-.-jquences of religious education amoug the Hindoos, the Chinese, and other nations.] No two teachers of religion agreed entirely even in respect to their own dogmas. The parsons must be kept out of the schools. Some said that was a godless education. He denied that, nn<s read from school-books passages tc show that the sfcateme." t was an untruth. The next point was t?.i.ation. He did not hear of anybody being killed by the property tt.x. But there nhould lea land tax to pay for the protection the Government gave to land. There ought to bo :.n incoiae tax for £350 a-yoar and upwards. He was an advocate of protection to local industry. Vree trade would send many induitrious persoDi to the streets to jtarve. He contended that there should be equalised rewards for labour in Government employment. Either the salaries in Auckland should be raised or those in the South reduced. Aa to the franchise he was opposed to plural voting. He was in favour of manhood suffrage. A man with little pieces of land in various electoral district?, not worth more than £150 altogether, had six votes, while the man with £5000 worth of goods in his store had but one vote. Auckland members should act together. Thero was one ihing that ought to be looked to, namely, "floating coffios." It to a burning shame taat such vessels should bo allowed to go to sea. There ought "> bo ft Plimsoll in the country to arouse tiie country on this subject. He understood there was an autocrat iu Xew Zed.md ; his name w;<3 Uuiue, who would net allow anyone tc inspect the gaols without an order from niuiself or a Minister. As to tho Liw Ffio-itioners Bill, he was in favour of opening alt professions for industrious aud clever young Tiie next point was the preferential claim? of the landlord. The landlord had no cl.-'.m to any other than an equal share with other creditors. Tbu colony should not lave foiated upou it a man as Gov-rDor vho would have no sympathy with tL-s people, nud with whom the people had no sym'u- , -'y- It

■■•I time for the work.ug man to iee tbat the wt.iare of tiie ' >!jny was upon the shoulders of the working classes. The capiialietj wtrs look ing after th'.inselves, ami themseh ?i only. Let Oe capitalists have their place, bu~ let the walking men have their place tre Uy the prosperity of labour this country would becc-aie the most beautiful i,em that decked the .iiAdcm of QuennVictoria.--The speakei ma frenueiitly interrupted by demonstrative applause, lie was loudly cheerc.l at the close of his speech. An Elector asked whether it was just to ba compelled to pay tho water-rates, when a man did not use the water? Mr. LaIXG s.ud that was a purely municipal question. Mr. Gaßßaud rose, and was received with cheers—derisive, Ironical, and applauding. He asked Mi , . Laing hiij opinion of the native question ? Mr. Laixg „..'..; t';u .'ia .i/es und suffered injustice from i ••■-.!>■ .M'n:si.ftr V .■: had attained sugar for ther-i, w!.;A ;.■.•.!yeriseci them instead of Tucking thaui j..',..>' j .-3 , i)a He would support an Employers'' Lti!>';li'.y 'i ;t, which would make employers liable, in .-lamage*, for injuries sustained by '.he employed through the employer'-: neglect. ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS. Mr. Laixg said : 1. Ho would oppose the admission of Chinese altojother. 2. He would support assistance to volunteers, if they diilled and trained so as to he effective. 3. He would support tho proclamation ol the Contagious Diseases Act in seaports. 4. He did not adrocate the dissolution of the ti:> iaat boui-l the colony to the Mother Country. 5.

He believed Sir George Grey to be a "clever politician and a true patriot," but he might make a mistake ; he would give him a "general" support. 6. He would support tho trunk railway to Auckland: if the mor.ey was not in the Treasury iC should be borrowed. 7. He •<- - ou"id not allow prison 1 tbour to compete witn -Vpe labour. S. As to the extension of the franchise ',o natives, he was in favour of manhood suffrage " pure and simpkv' !). He would support the honorarium if he went to Wellington, unless the electors to keep him while there. 10. Ho was not (in favour of giving the franchise .-i vporj-iii. A woman's place was at home with ner children, and teaching them—religious teaching, if necessary. 11. He would support a second Chamber if it was elected by' the peoplo. 12. Ho was not fus-curable to separation unless the South persevered in its injustice. 13. H2 was opposed to Go\orument pensions. 14. If loans were to be Honied, commission upon them must be paid. 15. He would not protect the farmer as he would the mechanic —a free breakfast-table was a benefit to the large. IC. He was not in favour of further CSovernnieut immigration, Mr. W. H. Sanshdrt moved a vote of confidence in Mr. Laing. Tho motion was seconded by Mr. J. King, and, being put from tho chair, was declared to be carried unanimously. On the motion of Mr. Laixo. a vote of thanks was passed to tho chairman. This concluded tho proceedings. Tht *<• -- jug men were invited to remain after tho !.;....:• ing in order to concert it plan to secure th? r< - turn of their candidate.