THE GENERAL ELECTION

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8425, 28 November 1890, Page 5

THE GENERAL ELECTION

NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES [BY TELEGRAPH.PRESS ASSOCIATION. Wellington, Thursday'. The Post, in a leading article to-nighi) f states that a question has arisen as to when all the nominations for the general election close, and that the returning officers have formed three different opinions on the point. It goes on to say :—" In section sof the Electoral Acts Amendment Act of last session, it is enacted that nomination papers must reach the returning officer nob less than seven days before the day appointed for the poll." Now, the returning officer for Wellington holds that this means that) nominations can be received up to and on the seventh day before the polling. As tho poll will take place on the sth December, that would maketo-morrow, the2Bth instant, the day for closing the nominations. But; | another returning officer holds that tho seven days must be " clear days ," that is to say, not including either nomination day or the polling day, and further that Sunday being dies non in law, should not bo included in the seven days. This would make yesterday, the 26th instant, the closing day. Apparently the returning officer Wakatipu takes this view of the case, seeing that Mr. Fergus was declared,< yesterday, to be returned unopposed. As it happens, however, both of these readings of the Act are erroneous. The law does require seven clear days, but Sunday is not dies non in this relation, being counted as one of seven days. By this mode of computation, to-day, the 27th November, becomes the last day for nominations. If any nominations, therefore, are received after to-day, they will be invalid, and notwithsanding the declaration of any,candidate as elected unopposed yesterday, nominations can be still received to-day. If the Wakatipu returning officerdid really declare Mr. Fergus elected yesterday, and did return the writ, accordingly the proceeding was clearly illegal. The opinion of the Crown law officers has been taken on the proper, interpretation of the Act, and that opinion is decisive that the 27th is the day prescribed by law. It is quite possible thab all intended nominations may be put in before to-morrow, and that no additional nominations may be received after yesterday, but. should any dilatory candidate procrastinate delivery of his nomination paper after to-day he will assuredly find himself ' out in the cold,' while any returning officer refusing to receive nominations to-day, will render himself liable to legal proceedings."

AUCKLAND CITV. The following candidates have been nomi nated for the three amalgamated Auckland City seats :— Thomas Thompson, nominated by Thog. W. Doonin and John Mason. James Wallis, nominated by JameS Young and William S. Laurie. William Lee Rees, nominated by Thomas Gee and William Beehan. James McEffer Shera, nominated by Harkness Hamilton and Edward Hartley. William Joseph Napier, nominated by John Wilkins and John H. Hanuan. Adam Porter, nominated by Daniel B» McDonald and John Fisher. Harry Warner Farnall, nominated by B. C. Beale and .John Bell. As Mr. S. Y. Collins, the returning officer for the city, has thus received seven nominations for three seats a poll will be held on Friday, December sth, at, the City Hall; the Catholic Institute, Wellington-street ; St. Sepulchre's school-room, Symondsstreet; and at Baptist schoolroom, Jervois Road. PARXELL. The nomination of Mr. Frank Lawry wag yesterday lodged with Captain E. Thomas, the Returning Officer for the Parnell electoral district. His nominators are Mr, Charles Hesketh and Mr. Napier Win, Pollard. Mr. Lennox, whose nomination has been in for some time, has been nominated by Mr. Jonathan Winks and Mr. Pickmere. EDEX. For the Eden constituency the candidates are the Hon. E. Mitchelson, nominated by Messrs. H. M. Shepherd and John Bollard; -and Mr. Joseph Greenwood, nominated by Messrs. J. 11. Hayr and John Berry. WAITEMATA. Mr. Richard Monk has been nominated by Messrs. Malcolm Niccol and John Edson. Mr. Jackson Palmer has been nominated by Captain Matthew Slattery and Mr. John Bond.

The following nominations have also been received :— For Marsden, Messrs. R. Thompson and A. Elliott. For Manukau, Sir Q. M. O'Rorke, Mr. W. F. Buckland, and Mr. Alexander Grant. For Thames, Messrs. A. J, Cadman and E. H. Taylor. For Te Aroha, Colonel Fraser, and Messrs. \V. S. Allen and G. Vesey Stewart), For Bay of Islands, Messrs. R. M. Houston, J. M. Dargaville, J. Lundon, and J. Trounson. For Mataura, the Hon. G. F. Richardson and Mr. J. G. Fraser. For Geraldine, Messrs. T. G. Rhodes and S. Burton. For Egmont, Sir H. Atkinson and Mr. F. McGuire. For Inangahua : Messrs. Richard Reeves and J. Drake. For Timaru: Mr. E. F. Thortean, the fifth candidate. For the Grey: Messrs. A. R. GninnesS and W. H. Jones. For North Canterbury districtChristchurch : Messrs. Perceval, Reeves, Tavlor, Humphreys, and J. T. Smith. Eden :"Mr. George Verrall. Heathcote: Messrs. W.' H. Tanner, Geo. Russell, and R. H. Rhodes. Avon : Messrs. E. Blake and G. G. Stead. Halswell: Messrs. Rol'.eston and F. S. Parker. Akaroa: Messrs. Joyce, McGregor, W. Barnett. Ashley : Messrs. Lance, J. G. Knight, R. Meredith. Kaiapoi: Messrs. VV. Hoban, R. Moore. Ellesmere: Sir J. Hall, Mr. J. McLachlan. Selwyn : A. Saunders, T. H. Anson, VV. J. Popple.

UNOPPOSED ELECTIONS. The following candidates were yesterday returned unopposed: — Air. John Bryce aikato), Mr. David Goldio (Newton), | the Kon. T. Fergus, Minister for Public Works (Wakatipu), Mr. E. O'Conor (Buller). THE MAORI ELECTIONS. [BY TELEGRAI'H.—OWN CORRESPONDENTS.} • Rotouca, Thursday. This place is crowded with Maoris on account of the polling for the Eastern Maori district. Both the candidates are here still, and are actively working;. So far Wi Pere has polled nearly double the votes fiven to James Carroll, the late member. 'elegraph advices from some parts of the Bay of Plenty show that Carroll has a majority there. The result, of the election will probably not be known until to-morrow night. Napier, Thursday. Twenty-six returns out of the sixty-four have been received for the eastern Maori district. These include nearly half the votes. The contest promises to be keen between Carroll and Wi Pere, the others being evidently out of the running. The totals are: Carroll, 870; Waipere, 737 ; Taiwhanga, 37; Tinimata Riniuni, 3; Stum, 1. Paeroa, Thursday. The following is the result of the Maori election at the Paeroa booth : Taipua, 2; Pepene, 42. Three other candidates, nil. SIB, ROBERT STOUT AT DUNE DIN. Dcnedin, Thursday. Sir R. Stout addressed a large meeting at the Princess Theatre this evening. Mr. Slater, secretary of the Trades and Labour Council, presided. Sir Robert strongly denounced the policy of the Government, contending that they had broken every plank of the platform which they put before the electors at the last general election. He made an appeal to vote for the three Liberal candidates. A resolution was proposed thanking the speaker for his address on the political topics of the day, expressing regret that he has been unable to see his way to respond to the large requisition asking him to bocome a candidate for Parliamentary honours at the present election. The resolution was carried unanimously f amid great cheering. The election committee of Dr. Wallis and Mr. A. Porter met last night, and went through a good deal of routine work. Encouraging reports were received from various quarters, arid a determination expressed to thoroughly work the city.

MR. MONK AT DEVONPORT. , Last evening Mr. Richard Monk addressed the electors of the Devooport portion of the Waitemata electorate in the Devonporb Hall. There was an attendance of over 200 persons, who voted Mr. Malcolm Niccol to the chair. Mr. Niccol said there was no need to introduce so well-known a person as Mr. Monk, and he would, therefore, only ask them to give him a quiet and patient hearing. Mr. Monk then came forward, being received with applause. He said he was glad to see so many young New Zealanders present. Though not exactly one him--8t;lf, he was with them in sympathy, and . none could feel deeper interest in the future of the colony than he did. Mr. Monk then explained his action in regard to emending the order for reference re the Hutchison charges against- the Government and the demand for cooling chambers on the 'Frisco steamers, concerning both of Which he had been blamed. His principal political topic for the evening was, however, his attitude in regard to retrenchment. It had been said that he had decried the resources of the country, but this was not the case ; he had only pleaded for such prudential administration as would limit the expenditure to the present resources, and not by wasting and heaping up debt hamper those resources for further years to come. On his first entering Parliament he had gone to the Government caucus prepared to support the Ministry, but the original programme laid down for reduction of expenditure had been departed from, and the estimates gradually increased, in fact the Ministry had quite seceded from the band of retrcnchers of which he was one, and which had been named "The Skinflints." The Opposition had agreed with these latter in some of their demands, but this was not with any economic desires, but rather was an attempt to gain power for themselves. The "Skinflints" had demanded a reduction of £50,000 in the estimates from Sir H. Atkinson, which he promised them if they would allow him to make the reductions in his own manner, and if they would not criticise the Estimates. They refused this conditional promise, because they felt that the services useful to the country might suffer, and no real lessening be effected in the cost of administration. He did not think that retrenchment had been carried far enough, and would not be till the national income was fully sufficient to bear the cost of government. He did not think it was possible to reduce taxation if the present level of requirements, to which the country had been educated during the era of lavish expenditure of borrowed millions, was to bo kept up. However, much could be Bavcd, and lirst of all in the present system of defence. The colony had spent enormous sums in purchasing armaments that were rapidly obsolete, and these costly experiments must be put down. He did not wish to leave the colony in a defenceless state, but would provide reasonable means of protection. Though he dearly prized the present system of free State education, he thought they were in danger of overeducating in some directions. He was of opinion that higher education should be paid for in most cases, though he favoured a plan whereby the most promising pupils might be taught free. The present system endeavoured to cram the same amount of learning Into brains of varying calibre, and thus frequently caused children to relinquish the pursuit of knowledge in disgust immediately on leaving school. By reducing in the direction indicated in regard to defence and education he believed a saving of £100,000 per year could be effected. He was in favour of reducing the departments of the civil service, and seeing that all the servants were fully employed. He considered the Audit Department a farce that should be abolished. When the position of Con-troller-General recently became vacant the Government had hastened to till it, instead of waiting a few months to ask the House to decide whether the position should be refilled at all. The law abolishing pensions was even now being evaded, and he considered the constitution most faulty in that there was no power to impeach a Government for wrongfully spending money. Grants of money had been made under the head of "unauthorised expenditure," to Messrs. "Welclon and Brown, which they should have refused to accept, and the Residency at Rarotonga was a similar case. Mr. Monk referred tothe great influence that was prevalent against economy, stating that the pulpit had been used to decry it. He would, if elected, persist in his desire for retrenchment, favouring no expenditure unless absolutely necessary, until the improvement of the country's position warranted it. By this improvement he meant an expansion of settlement, and development of industry throughout the colony, not a mere fluctuating rise in prices or quantity of exports. He only wished to deny the right of the rulers to be wasteful of the country's revenue, and felt that in doing so he was upholding not a transient need but a crreat political principle, whose worth must soon be recognised much more widely than it was now. He believed the prese it system of party government prejudicial to the interests of the colony. He thojght that native lands should at once be made to contribute to the revenue of the local bodies. He would reserve a certain amount to the natives free of taxation, but on the balance they must pay as others did. If these native owners could not raise sufficient revenue to do eo, let them sell or lease their lands. He did not believe in the property tax as an equitable system of raising revenue. He believed that a land tax on the unimproved value of land was the best for the present state of things in New Zealand, and he considered an income tax one of the most equitable methods of raising revenue that could be levied. Mr. Monk briefly stated that of the vast sums borrowed by the colony, the assets left were very far from commensurate. He therefore argued there must be no more borrowing, because what has already been borrowed through Government agency, had left the country no adequate equivalent. He had no leaning towards single tax, and land nationalisation he held to be but a Utopian dream of Henry George's. Mr. Monk concluded by exhorting the young men of the colony to qualify themselves to see that the affairs of the country were conducted in an intelligent and honest manner.

In reply to questions by the electors, Mr. Monk said :That he was always in favour of aiding local industries and inventions; that he would certainly vote against the return to power of Sir H. Atkinson's party as at present constituted, but he would not pledge himself to any party ; that he had opposed the Truck Bill of last session because it was directly against the interests of the working man. lie had offered to frame a Truck Bill to this effect; that the employer pay the employee weekly in cash, and that, if the employee purchase gooes from the employer the latter has no power to sue for recovery for the same. This would allow workmen to deal where they chose and not be grossly overcharged. On the motion of Mr. E. W. Alison', who stated that he understood Mr. Monk did not wish a vote of confidence, a hearty vote of thanks to Mr. Monk for his address was accorded, without dissent.

MR. REES AT PONSONBY. Mr. W. L. Rees addressed a crowded meeting of the electors of Auckland City at the Ponsonby Hall, last night. Mr. J. A. Campbell occupied the chair, and in a few opening remarks, bespoke for Mr. Rees a fair and patient hearing. Mr. Rees, who was received with applause, said that he did not propose to go over again tho common grounds of the three Liberal candidates, but would only touch lightly upon them. He contended that the Government candidates had proposed no policy to the country, and although they admitted that the country was in a very dangerous condition, they had not shown that they could do anything to save it. The Opposition, however, had a definite policy to place before the country. Retrenchment in a systematic form was one of their proposals, and local self-govern-ment another. Into both of these topics Mr. Rees went at some length, and pointed out that at the very time that we were doing away with local self-government the English people were working in the opposite direction. Ireland would soon have control of its own local affairs, and Scotland would soon follow in the same direction. The speaker then advocated the abolition of the property tax and the subs titution of land and income tux. He also spoke strongly in favour of taxing all foreign bondholders, and contended that such a course would not be a breach of faith with them. It would not be right to tax them and leave ourselves untaxed, or to tax them more heavily than ourselves; but to place them on a level

with the colonists of New Zealand in this matter was perfectly just. Be was in favour of the establishment of a State Bank, and stated that Sir George Grey, before he left New Zealand in 1854, had formed a State Bank, but that it had been abolished by his opponents almost immediately afterwards. The next question referred to was the acquisition of large estates in this country. He combated at length the attacks on this subject made upon Sir George Grey by each men as Hall, Atkinson, Bryce, and Mitchelson, and quoted from several authorities to show that Sir George had done his utmost to supply land in small areas for settlement, the large estates having been acquired in spite of his efforts. He then went on to say that Dr. Wallis was to receive the support of the Employers' Association, which body had sent round a circular to that effect, but they must remember that if they supported Dr. Wallis they would help to perpetuate land monopoly. Mr. Rees caused some amusement by referring to the recent meeting in which he had taken part at Mount Eden, and stated that he intended to claim from Mr. Ewington the £50 for the Auckland Hospital, but did not think that he would get it. At the close of his address Mr. Rees was greeted with loud and long-continued cheering. A few questions were then put and answered in a manner which apparently satisfied the audience, after which a vote of thanks and confidence, proposed by Mr. Hannigan and seconded by Mr. Dickson, was carried without opposition. The meeting was then closed by a vote of thanks to the chairman, and cheers for the speaker and for Sir George Grey. EDEN. The Mount Roskill district received the attentions of the Hon. E. Mitchelson in the district schoolroom, last evening. There was a large attendance of electors and others to hear his views on the political situation. Mr. J. W. Cirr, who was voted to the chair, made a few introductory remarks, which were eulogistic of the candidate. Mr. Mitchelson gave a straightforward account of the prist action of the Government, the condition of the country, its prospects, and his intentions towards reform as soon as practicable. His address, which was a candid, busi-ness-like expression of his views, was attentively listened to. During its continuance some of the larrikin element that was displayed at the recent Mount Eden meeting, strose, but was promptly suppressed and the business of the evening continued. At the conclusion of the address no questions were forthcoming, and a vote of thanks and confidence was almost unanimously carried, on the motion of Mr. F. Hull, seconded by Mr. Ernest Hill, both of whom made some very complimentary remarks on their past representative, who again sought their suffrages. An adverse amendment by Mr. Connolly only received the support of himself and seconder. Mr. Greenwood met those electors of Eden residing in the vicinity of Swanson last night. There was a moderate attendance. Mr. Gibbons, senior, presided. Mr. Greenwood spoke on the incidence of taxation, denouncing the property tax, and pointing out many ways in which it was a grievous burden. People who had come to the country with money had been disgusted with the property tax, and had sent their capital out of the colony to bo invested elsewhere. On the motion of Mr. John Moule, a vote of thanks and confidence was passed to Mr. Greenwood without dissent. Yesterday evening Mr. H. W. Farnall was to have addressed the electors of Auckland City at the Foresters' Hall. Dr. Beale, however, announced at eight o'clock that Mr. Farnall had been taken suddenly ill, and could not appear. He proposed that a discussion should be held by those present on political subjects, but this suggestion was not adopted, and the audience separated. The chairman of the committee appointed to secure the return of Mr. W. S. Allen for Te Aroha has issued a circular to the electors giving ten reasons why they should vote for Mr. Allen. The following question put to Mr. David Goldie at his meeting on Wednesday evening at Newton was omitted from our report:"Many of the Newton electors being pleased at you being returned unopposed as their representative, and as many of them are voters in the Eden electorate, do you feel disposed to give the Hon. E. Mitchelson the credit due to him for his ability in so ably managing the affairs of the colony during the last session of Parliament?" Mr. Goldie in reply said :—"Mr. Mitchelson is a first-rate man, but he is working with a bad crew. He has been placed in a very difficult position, having, as leader in the House, in the absence of Sir H. Atkinson, to place before the House the views of the Cabinet, which to my own knowledge in some cases were entirely opposed to his own views. This is one of the evils of party Government, and one reason why, if you do me the honour to send me to Wellington, I shall go unfettered by party | ties, being, therefore, at liberty to do what my conscience dictates."