FRANKLIN NORTH ELECTORATE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7796, 16 November 1886, Page 6

FRANKLIN NORTH ELECTORATE.

; MR. BUCKLAND AT PAPAKURA. W. F. Buoklakd, M.ELR. for Franklin Jforth, addressed a meeting of the electors at the Papakura Orange Hall last evening. There was a good attendance, Mr. James Walker was called to the chair. Mr. ButKLAND was received with cheers. He first reviewed the proceedings of the last Session. The Government, he said, took great credit to themselves for oalling the last Masion so early, but they were there for a month before anything could be done. He lad been in opposition sinoe he went to Parliament, and never courted favours from the Government. Some person wrote to the capera that he had » personal enmity to Ministers, but suoh was not the fact, and he got more than most sapertera of Government for the district. the first session there was little legislation, and in the aecond there were only second and third editions of the Bills. Several attempts were made, but without mocess, to turn out the Government, for the Canterbury members supported them on account of the East and West Coast Railway. While on the subject of railways, he would draw attention to the district railWays. Major Stewart did not come out very clean, although whitewashed. But worse ■till was the Waimate Plains Railway. The House agreed to give £27,000 for it, and they asked £35,000, but eventually offered to take £32,000. But the manager lobbied the House, and it was agreed if Mr. Stout dropped the Representation Bill, they would vote for the £35,000, and the Representation Bill was lost by two votes. Several other railways were brought up and would have to be purchased, although of no value to the colony. Then as to the Stark purchase, he had not spoken on it, for he knew there was little use in doing so, and he believed Stark acted on the usual business principle, that he was the better business man who outwitted another. He referred to the wilful waste of the Government in regard to the bonuses to heads of departments and in the purchase by the Insurance Department for £97,000 of costly property at a tremendously high price. The Government passed some useful Bills, including one allowing lawyers to appear for natives. The natives were now confronted with a vote by show of hands, as to whether they should sell the land, and the Government could be the only purchasers. Bat he pointed out that native chiefs could become large purchasers, and could deal direot with the Government, and so the money would not be more fairly divided in the future than it was in the past. He doubted if they would have the railway made in 50 years. Amongst the North Island members there was no unanimity. The Representation Act should have been passed last session, but Sir Robert Stout was determined to have four sessions this Parliament, although posing as the representative of triennial Parliaments. The census was taken, and that was the proper time to pass the measure, but the Southern members opposed it. Mr. Stout staked his reputation that he would pass the Bill, but he was the only member of the Government who voted for it. The Bill would come up again, but he feared the Southern members would oppose it and talk it out, and he feared they would go back to the old Act, which would take twelve members from the •North Island. The present representation Act did not repeal anything ; it only lasted till 1887, and the Government had the right to issue writs after the 31st September, when the present Act would go out of date. Then as to the position of the colony, he { bad pointed out in one of his speeches that their imports and exports were better than when they begun to borrow. Agriculturally, the country was not in such a good position; the most easily procured minerals were gone, and of the 32 millions of loans not a third had been spent on railways. They had the smallest export of any of the Australian colonies, and the largest debt per head in the world, and the question was, bow were they to get out of their difficulties ? There were two ways:—First, to complete the railway from Christchurch to Nelson, from ' Taranaki to Wellington, and from Napier to Wellington, and they most go in for a tremendous system of retrenchment in the payment of members, Ministers, and Civil Servants. (Cheers.) He had calculated and thought there would be little difficulty in saving half a million, and that would be better than raising it by taxation. Sir Julius Vogel had promised to make a reduction in the expenditure, but during his ministry it had been largely increased, and •ven the management of the Land Department was more than eating up the revenue. There were other things as bad as that, and he believed £500,000 could be saved, but this could only be done by the people sending men in to do it, not for the purpose of keeping,a certain class of men on the benches, for it was certain that if they did not do something the colony could not pay its interest. They stood in an extreme difficulty. No one knew how the money was wasted, or what their difficulties were. There was hardly a rich man in the colony who was not shaking(cheers) —and if they came down the poor men had to come with them. He held that for the prosperity of the country they must have local industries, and a market for their produce. That was the point to be aimed at. The system of bonuses he did not agree with, but in certain instances they could put on duties which would make the imported article dearer than it could be produced here; bat anything which could not be produced here let it in as cheaply as possible, and they should bear in mind that they as a rule produced a better article in boots and clothing here in the colony than the imported article. This was one ot the chief questions whioh would have to be dealt with at the next session or that after. He felt extremely dissatisfied with the affairs of the colony, but one man could do nothing. He chose the opposition, but there was just as much danger that if the Opposition got into power it would be as bad, for all their public men were place-hunters. He hoped that Sir John Hall would come forward and give the Ministry a better tone. They had good men in the House but they were not in the Ministry. He thought the people would rise against the present form of Government—constitutional Government as at present carried out should be rearranged. As to the Upper House, whioh was only an asylum or refuge for old people from the Lower House, he should go in for an elective Upper House, and reduce the number to say 20. But the Government did not allow them to die, and if he had his way there would be no fresh : appointments. It was quite possible that in consequence of the proposed alterations this might be the last time he should address them as electors of Franklin Nooth. While in Parliament he had done his best for the general interests, not to please any party, and he thanked them for the interest they had always shown in political matters. In answer to questions, Mr. BuOKLiND said that he believed the Counties Act weuld have to be adopted to enable them to erapple with the education question, and as to the Hospital and Charitable Act, Franklin North and South had now to pay as much as the city of Auokland, but the rating ought to be on the basis of population, not of valuation. He had voted for the removal of the toll, and the time would come when they must come under the Counties Act. The expenses of working the Act were limited greatly by the new Act. As far as he was aware, the Government was not going to do anything to the Great South Road. His opinion was that Government had not been approached in a proper manner or it would have been done. Mr. Buckland answered a number of local questions, after whioh Mr. Jeune urged that the Charitable Aid Act should be repealed, and Mr. Baokland said he had urged that, but the country members were outvoted by the town members. He had been dead against the Bill, »nd held that it should come out of the general revenue. Mr Reed urged that it should be taken out of the publioans* licenses, and Mr. Buckland said he believed that would be sufficient. A number of other questions were asked ; after which a vote of thanks and confidence was •ooorded to Mr. Buokland.