PUBLIC MEETING.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume X, Issue 1070, 3 November 1855, Page 5

PUBLIC MEETING.

A meeting of the friends and supporters of Messrs. Hart and Carkeek, to which other electors were invited to attend, was held pursuant to public notice at the Hall of Nations, on Wednesday evening last, W. Hickson, Esq. in the chair. The meeting was very fully attended, the body of the hall and gallery being well filled. The Chairman briefly explained the objects of the meeting, and requested that the candidates might receive a fair and impartial hearing, after which it would be competent to electors to put any questions to them they might wish through the chair.

Mr. R. Hart said, —Had any one told me four weeks ago that the circumstance of my coming forward as a candidate for the honor of representing the City of Wellington in the ensuing session of the General Assembly, would have given rise to so much excitement as lias been stirred up in this town, no consideration would have induced me to come forward. Having come forward, I am bound to give every elector who is willing to vote for me tbe opportunity of so doing (hear, hear). I trust to your indulgence to hear me patiently while I comment freely on tlie views which were propounded in this room last evening bv an honorable gentleman whom I suppose I must now consider as my opponent, and especially to shew their bearing on the future Government of this Province. I trust therte are many in this room of the class specially termed “ working men,” though where that class begins, and where it ends, in a settlement in which all are workers, I am at a loss to know. (Cheers.) Since my arrival here twelve years ago I have had many opportunities of observing the intelligence and integrity of working men, and hope that during that period I have never been found wanting in tbe respect due to them. It is not on the eve of what may be a closely contested election, that it becomes necessary for me to publish that fact. I heard last 'evening with much satisfaction that the Government of this Province had derived great assistance from the intelligence of working men. I should have otherwise been led to doubt the fact. I should hardly suppose that it was to a suggestion from a working man that we are indebted for that clause in the Education Act which taxes the poorest habitation in the same sum which it levies on the most expensive; or that it was from a suggestion by a working man that the hint was taken which is carried out in the Roads Act, of taxing the carts and horses of the workers, and leaving the gigs and other vehicles of their less intelligent fellow-settlerspass toll free (cheers). You must look to deeds rather than professions. I was much grieved to hear my honorable opponent state that the General Assembly had met during two sessions, and had done little or nothing. I should have anticipated that he would be the last man to confirm that sentence (hear, hear). Was it a light matter that during that sliort time they obtained from the Home Government the complete recognition of the principle of Responsible Government for this .colour, a principle for the establishment of which ether colonies are still struggling. It is not fair to judge of the action of the General Assembly by what has been done. That Assembly has never been fully constituted. Until a responsible ministry is formed to bring before it measures properly matured, and to give the needful explanations, it will not be in a position adequately to perform its functions. It wfluld be out of place here to enter into a statement of the causes which led to the failure of the first session. For one fortnight at least the members worked very hard, and passed several very useful acts.®- And if during the last session little has been done, who is to blame for that, if not those who were the cause by staying away from their duty. Had any member attempted to bring matters of great importance before the House he might have been accused of presumption for doing so in the absence of a majority of the Representatives. The Southern members who went tip to Auckland did so to form a house to pass the Estimates; legalize tbe public expenditure, and so prevent the Dew Governor on his arrival from having to expend the public money illegally, a state of things which if represented to the Home Government, might have led to a suspension of the Constitution. The House during the last session inquired .into th 6 finances of the colony and were enabled to put the Governor in possession ot important facts, and save the Government.from considerable embarrassment It is not just on the part of those who stayed away to complain that little was done. Ycu have been told that if your representatives meet at a distance from you they will striiy from the path of duty, and that your best security fpr their good r conduct will be to be at their backs. If this be the principle to be acted uppn, Wanganui and Ahuriri.should each have its Parliament. (Hear, hear). I have a better opinion of those whom you select as your representatives, and unless I have read amiss the lessons which are taught by History and the whole experience of the past, I have learnt that the class of men among whom forgetfulness of obligations incurred on the hustings is most likely- to be met with, is that of the men who most readily pledge themselves to whatever is placed before them, (hear, hear). If I am slow in pledging myself it is because what I promise h ere I mean if elected to perform elsewhere (cheers). We heard last night the definition of Centralism. If the views of Centralists were correctly stated, 1 am no Centralist. I would not take away from tbe Provinces a single power which they possess (hear, hear). We also had explained to us wluit is meant by a Provinciaiist, being as I Understand the term, one who desires to transfer all powers of Government to tlie Provinces, and to reduce the General Goverrimehttd a mere Registry of Provincial Acts. 1 cannot say that I am a Provinciaiist. Let us look at the other side bf the question. Suppose the Gerieral Government so reduced; and a Maori war to arise in this Province. A bugbear seine will siiy, but within the last few tnonths we have seek a possibility of such a war costing £lOll,OOO. And suppose the General Government having no funds were to apply to the other Provinces for contributions; would not the answer very likely be “the Wellington people made the quarrel, let them fight it out.” (hear, hear). The Provincial Council of Wellington is so constituted that a practical majority of ten against seven are literally paid officers of the Provincial Government, so tliat in effect when these gentlemen ask to have all those powers transferred to the Provinces they mean, so far as this Province is concerned, to transfer them to the three gentlemen who control its Council. The people are not fairly represented in that Council (bear, hear). To an honorable mind there is no temptation so seductive

as the acquisition and possession of power. The experience of all past times exhibits to us the corrupting influence of arbitrary power. Well then, let all the pattonage of the Customs, the Land Office, the Surveys, and. Resident Magistrates Court be banded over to the Provincial Government without.appeal, and a practice be established on the part of the Provincial Executive ofgoing round in a body at election times, canvassingforvotes, and you put an amount of power into the hands of these three gentlemen which I would not willingly see in thehands ofany three men. I donotjknow any men in Whose hands so large an amount of power might be entrusted. I must also remark that it is far, from certain that the Governor will be in a position to assent to all these proposed arrangements. If they pass the House without deliberation, and, without discussion the necessary prelude to deliberation, bis Excellency may turn round and tell us that he is not convinced of the propriety of the changes sought for, I would leave in the hands of the General Assembly a power to review the acts of Provincial Councils., There need be no fear of a responsible ministry , wantonly meddling or interfering. Such a ministry will have work enough without needlessly engaging in that of the Provinces. Suppose a Provincial Government, formed (as until a few days since, I had supposed the Government of this province wap formed). of men of acknowledged ability and political integrity, in whom the great bulk of the settlers have confidence, such a Government might pass a measure which a considerable part of the settlers deemed harsfi,,,impolitic, or unfair. , Tbe settlers do not wisli to turn the Government out, but they desire to see the obnoxious measure,repealed. They apply to the Executive of the,General Government, and that Executive may hot be strong enough without the support of a majority of the House ot Representatives to disallow the,act. .The mischief of the act may not be seen until it comes into operation and then the only remedy would be its repeal by the Council which passed it, or a dissolution of that Council. I am not in favour of frequent dissolutions of Provincial Councils'. , I heard last night a contrast‘instituted between the sums expended by the General and Provincial Governments for salaries and public works. This at the first carries great weight with it, but its unfairness will be evident when you read the list of services for which tbe General Government provides services necessary for the public interest, such as administration of justice, Post Office, maintainance of steam communication, &c., and which are mostly paid for by salaries, while the re idue of the Revenue is handed over to the provinces to be expended in public works. The expense of managing this last expenditure ought not to be compared with the expense of maintaining the institutions, for which the General Government provides. It is my duty to point this out plainly to you,. I would not by clap-trap of any kind seek to obtain your votes. It has been stated that I have not expressed myself clearly in favor of a change in the seat of Government to Wellington. I earnestly desire it. I voted in favor of Mr. Fitzgerald’s motion and have done all in my power to promote the object. The Southern members had hard work during tlie last session to prevent the Northern members from taking advantage of their position to pass measures giving, a preponderating influence, to the North. In one form or other the question , was brought forward three different times, and on one of those occasions I ventured to pledge the Southern constituencies to send up men who would do no injustice to Auckland, who could look be> ond the bounds of their own Provinces, and care for the interests of the whole colony (hear; hear). In reference to the increase of powers to the Provincial Councils, let guarantees first be given* for the right use of those powers,and securities taken for redress in case of abuse, and I would vote for as great an extension of those powers as could reasonably be devised (loud cheering). I have seen it urged upon you that you should send men who can speak as well as think. You will give me credit for being able to speak at some length, But in the House, ex, cept upon three occasions, I have rarely occupied more than ten minutes at a time. The reason was this! Every speech in that House costs the public £5 to £7 an hour. , Long speeches often irritate and, far from persuading, .drive members out of the House to return when, th.e division, bell rings. When, therefore', you read a long.speech in the papers, think how much it has cost, and then see how far it aided the discussion (hear, hear). I have seen seme things during the last fortnight occurring in ihis town which have greatly, annoyed me, Ido not blame others for acting as they, think right, nor do I presume to be the judge of their conduct, but had a requisition been brought me to become a candidate, the signatures to. which had been obtained in the manner in which signatures have recently been obtained in this town, I should respectfully Jiave declined the offer; and so highly objectionable does the course adopted on that occasion appear that it is a subject for consideration with me whether I ought not to fake steps, or join with others in taking stems, to bring the matter under the notice of His Excellency the Governor with a view to the dissolution of the Provincial Council (loud and prolonged cheering). I wish to add that although I have differed with the Provincial Go | verntiient of Wellington in , many respects, I have not hesitated to give them my support whenever I thought them in the right (hear, hear.) But when I am called upon to give them the powers they are iiow seeking without proper guarantees for their fitting exei-ci'se, and without which they would bo too great to be safely entrusted to any men’s hands, I must respectfully 'decline (cbeers). With every disposition to serve you if you desire my services; if the result of this election is to depend upon my pledging myself in the terms proposed, I must respectfully declarb that I cannot take upon myself ths responsibility which those pledges would impose. (Mr. Hart sat doiVn amid Ibud applause).

Mr. Hart in the course of his address, read the following:— .....

Memo: as to appropriation for 1855-6.

The Government on the authority of Dr. Knight, estimated the gross probable Revenue, territorial and ordinary, at £234,000. The Committee of ways and means, or most of them who were members, of the Finance Committee upon examination of the Auditor General, the Collector bf Customs at Auckland, the Surveyor General and Mr. McLean, were led to the conclusion that the gross Revenue of the current financial year would not exceed £lBO,OOO. They considered that the Government Estimates bore intrinsic evidence of their own inaccuracy ; the sum sent down for Canterbury’, (for example) being equal to that set down for Otago, a Province with only half the population. They could riot rely upon the process by which in the cases of the Provinces yielding the larger amounts of Revenue, the Auditor General had arrived at his amounts; This was by simply increasing the amount of last year’s actual fietenue, by adding oue third.or one fourth upori some supposed law of progressiori, derived from comparison of the amounts realized during previous successive yeai-s. The increase of Revenue last year seemed to be in a great degree owing to causes, tlie varying operation of which seemed to promise a diminution rather than an increase of the Revenue during the current financial year. Several of the Auckland members entertained different views of the matter; arid seemed by their votes to put more faith in the original Estimates. The consequence has been, assuming the gross Revenue for the year to amount to £lBO,OOO, a very large appropriation. If there should be any serious falling off during this year, of which I think there are indications at its close, the Colony will have considerably increased its debt; and either that debt mustbe funded, or the prospective surplus of the Provinces for the next year will be greatly reduced. I think the 1 rovincial Authorities should be warned to watch the Revenue from time to time, aud that they ought not to rely upon a continuance of the advances on account of surplus income which they at present receive. 3 ROBERT HART,

Wellington, October 10, 1855. Mr. Carkf.ek, who was very favorably received, said he offered himself as a candidate to represent the City of Wellington in the House of Representatives, in obedience to a most numerously.signed requisition which had been presented to him ; he had carefully considered the subject, and conceived it to be iiis duty to respond to their wishes (cheers):

'Previous to Sir George Grey’s departing he question had occurred to'his mind, and he had asked the opinion of bis Excellency, whether in the event of being requested to become a candidate for in the House of Representatives, it would be proper for him to comply with that request; Sir George had told him it would not only be proper, but his duty to do so (cheers). A great deal of misrepresentation had taken place with reference to the recent dismissal of the tide-waiters whom 'he had been accused of dismissing in an arbitrary ■ manner,‘because they ’had applied ’for an in crease ■of salary. He wished that every man, from highest to lowest, should have fair play, and theriidewailers were entitled to apply, if fhey thought proper, as well as any other officers, for an increase of salary, if they fairly discharged their duty. But •that was not the ground of their dismissal. These wen were engaged for the express purpose among other things, of landing and tiiking off the mails, and of taking off tide-waiters to the vessels in harbour, and received for doing so each per annum.’ In tbeir application for an increase of salary, they doubted -whether they should do that work, and complained of having to remain after office ’hours to perform it, and in his reply he informed them he was not aware of their grievances previous to the perusal of their letter, but that he would at once relieve them of them, and dismissed them •from the service. In doing this he was actuated ■by no personal feeling, but bad done what he had considered to be his duty, and if he were again to be placed in similar circumstances, he should act in the same manner (cheers). Mr. Fitzherbert had stated that there was an immense amount of smuggling going on in this harbour; but if this were ■really the case, and Mr. Fitzherbert were cognizant -of the fact, whydid he not acquaint him (Mr. C.) -of it. He was a servant of the public, paid out of the public purse, and therefore bound to protect ■the public revenue, even as a magistrate it was his •duty to do so. When 'he made such statements, and took no -steps to -substantiate them, he was bound to say he did not believe them, but considered it to be one of those cases in which cun-ning-men outwit themselves (cheers). He (Mr. C )-would vote for Wellington to be the seat of -Government, to which die thought it entitled from its geographical position, and not merely the place for the meeting of the (General Assembly, as Mr. 'Fitzherbert advocated. The fact was Mr. Fitzher’bert wished to have the whole control in the Province centred in the Provincial Executive, be (Mr. C.) believed Mr. Fitzherbert was not sincere when he said he wished the seat of Government removed to Wellington. He (Mr. C.) instead of wishing to curtail the powers of the Provincial Councils, of which he had been accused, would vote for an increase of them-whenever the people ■were.properly represented, and when there were fewer paid officers in that body. He (Mr. C.) disapproved of Government canvassing, he thought if any-of the officers of Sir George-Grey’s Government had attempted to canvass in the way the officers of the Provincial Executive had done, they would have been held up to the scorn of the community, and it would have served them right; and if the-electors did not take care, chains would be rivetted on them, which they would find it no .easy matter to get off again (hear,-hear). He (Mr. C.) •thought it necessary to have a strong Central -Government to which there -might be the power of appeal. If elected, he should vote that the revenue be fairly divided among the different Provinces; he thought there might be fewer Provincial officers, as there was little to be done in the way of governing, and he (Mr. Carkeek,) would .undertake to do all the work of this Province with the assistance of threq clerks, (cheers). Mr. C. then referred to certain reports as to the debt from the General Government to the Province, which be shewed to be without foundation. He then touched on the revision of the Customs tariff, which he considered should be made on information received from all the Provinces, and especially from mercantile men. He thought the members should go up in a conciliatory spirit, or they would be able to effect very little good. If he went he would never vote against his conscience, and he would never break a promise he had given to any man (loud cheers). In answer to questions from electors, Mr. Hart said it was certainly a question of importance, why with so much land, it was still so difficult to be got. The surveys were insufficient, lands were sold but were not surveyed, the money received for the land was spent, but the expense of surveying the land was thrown on some future year. If elected he would bring the subject pointedly before the House. As to the lighthouse, con■siderame difference of opinion existed as to which was the best site for it, and it could hardly be expected under the present condition of the General Government, they would take the subject up, but let them put a Responsible Government in their place, and then see how long it would be before a lighthouse was erected. (Hear, hear). Mr. May wished to ask of the candidates if they considered an appeal to the General Assembly better than an appeal to the people? Mr. Hart considered an appeal to. the people an inconvenient remedy, as frequent dissolutions of the Provincial Council might endanger the stability of our institutions, while the knowledge of appeal to the General Assembly would often cause the people to bear with grievances, which might otnerwise lead to disturbance.

Mr. Carkeek’s answer was substantially the same ■with Mr. Hart’s.

Mr. Jerningham Wakefield, who was received with much cheering, said: —l was unable to be present at the meeting lately held by the supporters of Mr. Fitzherbert and Mr. Clifford, having had to attend a Public Meeting of Electors in the Country Districts on that evening. Nor have I yet had time to read the reports in the Independent of the speeches made by those gentlemen. I am informed, however, that Mr. Fitzherbert offered to meet me on two points, Ist to rebut a charge, which he alleges me to have made against him and his colleagues in the Executive, of peculation and jobbery in the public lands; 2nd with regard to what he calls my having “ betrayed the South.” (noisy interruption from the lower end of the Hall) Had I attended that meeting, I should have listened quietly to all those gentlemen had to say : and I appeal to those opposed to us in politics, of whom I see many in the room, whether I am not right in supposing that they will assist in keeping order, and letting us have a fair hearing to-night (hear hear). I shall confine my observations tonight to that one subject, the manner in which the public lands are dealt with in this Province, and the bearing of that question on the claims to your support of the three Government candidates on the one side, and of Mr. Hart and Carkeek on the other. It is for you to consider which of those candidates will be most likely to procure a remedy for the existing evils in the present mode of dealing with your public property in the lands of this Province. The present Provincial Government has been in existence two years, during which period it has had considerable power of interfering with that subject. You were led tobelieve that there would be, for every body on equal terms, “ cheap land,” that is land at 10s. per acre, or at ss. per acre when the Land Commissioner should certify it to be unavailable for agriculture, (a voice “Sir George Grey did that ”). Quite true ! Sir George Grey was the originator of that plan ; and if it should succeed after a fair trial, to him will be due the chief credit for it. But I complain that you have not had a fair trial of this, which you all thought so great a boon : that there has not been land at this price on fair and equal terms for all: and that much of the blame in the matter rests on the present Provincial Government. I am aware that the Provincial officers try to cast all the blame on the officers of the General Government. It is very essential, however, to bear in mind that the Land Commissioner has long been instructed to act in concert with the Superintendent in many most important matters relating to the public lands. Mr. Bell cannot lay any District open for purchase, at a long or short notice, or withhold any District from sale, without consulting Dr. Featherston, who, in his turn, cannot act in the matter legally withou the advice and consent of his Executive Council: bo that all the members of the Provincial Govern-

ment are responsible for any negligence or wrongdoing in the matter (hear hear). Now what are the facts in relation to the sale of the public lands? What facilities have been afforded to the “ work-ing-men/' about whom these gentlemen make such a fuss at election times, to become purchasers of public lands on the same terms as others? I say, none, in comparison of what they have had the power to do. (cheers'). I do not accuse them of throwing obstructions in the way of the purchase ofland, without having good grounds fortbecharge. Every one’knows thatnumbers of persons ofall classes, more-especially from Melbourne and the other neighbouring colonies, have been tempted down here by the hope ofbeing able to buy “ cheap land’,'’ and have turned back whence they came or .gone to some other place, utterly disappointed.. Numbers of ‘‘working-men ” have been thus disappointed. Many instances have come to my knowledge ; and many of you can confirm uny statement from your own information (cheers). I will now tell you of one remarkable instance,-of which I am aware, in which a man of another class has been disappointed. Notwithstanding "all the clap-trap about “'working-men,” which you have lately heard from the Government candidates, you are well aware that without capitalists to employ the workingmen a country could not advance very fast. There must be some of all classes in a community in order that it should succeed (bear, hear). A gentleman of considerable capital came here from Melbourne about'twelve months ago, with the intention of investing some of his money in land, and the rest in improving and stocking it. He did not intend to take a run of so many square miles, at a small rent, and shut out other people in order to feed sheep or cattle on the wild grass. He intended to buy a quantity of land as freehold property, and, if he could obtain labour, to fence it, cultivate it, and feed stock on artificial grasses. He has allowed me to mention his name. I mean Mr. Curr. (hear) He and several of hisbrothers, men of matured experience in Australia, had their attention called to the advantages presented by the climate, and by the “cheap land ” regulations of this part of New Zealand, for such a system of farming as I have described. They came here about twelve months ago-, and one of them lost no time in visiting the Wairarapa and Ahuriri districts, where he understood there was plenty of land for sale, such as they required. ’Upon inquiry, however, he found that every sort of difficulty was thrown in his way instead of facilities being afforded. He described those difficulties in a letter which was published in one of the newspapers. During the whole twelvemonths that lie has been here, he has visited other parts of the Province, and has failed in attaining his object. He has at length got tired of idleness, . and has taken a station in Australia, whither he is' about to return with all his family, and his capital. But this is not all that we lose. Many of his friends in Australia, who, like him, looked to New Zealand as affording a more agreeable climate, a.pleasanter slate of society, and a better opportunity of farming stock as I have described, if they-could obtain land at the price reported, were waiting to hear from him what chance there might be of success in such an enterprise. Mr. Curr has assured me that he speaks within bounds in saying that if he could have done what he wished, and reported favorably to those friends, capital to the amount of at least £lOO,OOO would have been introduced into this Province from the Melbourne colony alone (hear, hear). What would have resulted, if such an opening had been given to men of such a class? A stream of population, of all classes, would have been poured upon our shores, and our fertile lands would have been cultivated, and rendered useful on an extensive scale. Would not the employment of so much capital in such pursuits have been a good thing for the “ working-imen?” Would it not have produced prosperity and onward progress, instead of the stagnation now weighing on us? (Cheers.) The members of the Provincial Government, who are seeking to be elected by you ■as members of the General Assembly, tell.you they ■wish to obtain the immediate transfer of the Waste Lands Department to the present Provincial Council and Government. What information have that Council or Government ever furnished to the public, as to what land has been purchased, and by whom, so as to enable you to know whether the buyers were picking the cream of' the land, thus rendering the rest useless to any one else, and becoming the virtual owners of far more than they buy? (Hear, hear.) What information have they given you, as to what men are occupying square miles of country, and returning only their own estimate of the number of square miles, and of the quantity of stock on them, on which the amount of their rent depends? (Hear, hear.) The only return of the kind was one published no earlier than a few months ago, applying to only a portion of the Province—Wairarapa and the East Coast. From that return, although a very imperfect one, it appears that 25 persons occupy nearly 600 square miles of country, having purchased an exceedingly small portion of it, and paying a very small rent. Moreover, there is no security that those returns are correct. One of these occupiers said publicly in *ny presence that the quantity of acres returned was not ascertained by any Government Surveyor or other authority, but estimated by the occupiers themselves. There is, of course, a great temptation to fabricate false returns of the extent of the runs, as well as of the number of sheep,—to represent both as less than they really are, in order to pay less rent (hear, hear). One of the runs comprised in that Return is occupied by Captain Smith and Mr. Revans. It is generally understood to be much larger than it is described to be in the Beturn. Mr. Revans is a member of the Executive Council. So I am not wrong in saying that members of the Government have favourable opportunities of using the public lands (cheers). If there had been a similar return furnished of the Ahuriri district also, I think you would have seen that the gentleman at the head of the Provincial Government, who so proudly and majestically addressed us from this platform last night, is one of the largest holders of the public lands as a sheep-run in this Province. Such a return might possibly have proved to you that Dr. Featherston, who spoke to you as though he had no thought but the good of the people, is at least strongly interested in shutting up a large portion of the Province from occupation by you—by the “ working-men ” I (loud cheers). If the Provincial Government has consented to conceal these things from the public; if it has taken part in withholding from you information as to the name of each purchaser, and as to whether purchases have been so made as to spot the country and render the intervening portions useless to any one else, that is a proof that it would be dangerous to hand over the entire control of the public lands to such a Government at the present moment. (Hear, hear), I am no Centralist, in the sense of withholding from the people living on the spot the management of their own local affairs: but I say that if the entire control of the public lands of this Province were handed over to its present Council and Government, the management would not be in the hands ol the people, but in that of a small clique of men, to the exclusion of the people (loud cheers). I was of that opinion a year and a half ago, when I took part in the discussion of this subject in the House of Representatives : and my sense of the danger to the people of this Province has been made stronger by everything I have observed while residing here during the last nine or ten months. I should dread to see such power in the hands of a body constituted like the Council of this Province, small in number, not really representing the people, and containing so large a proportion of paid officers influenced by the Executive. But I would have these increased powers handed over to the Provincial Council and Government, so soon as they shall be purged of the existing evils (cheers). The vague expression of “ handing over the waste lands to the Provinces" has, I think, blinded many. 1 agree in the necessity of such a transfer, but 1 put a special meaning on the words. I mean that they should be handed over to a Government and a Council possessing the full confidence of the people in the Province (cheers). I am aware that it may be said, that one or two recent elections, in which Government candidates have been successful, have proved that that Government still maintains its place in the confidence of the people. But if it had been really popular, there would have been no need of such proceedings as we have recently witnessed, the whole Jot of Government officers abandoning their

duty, for which you pay them, and touting round the town in a body, going into every house and shop, to beg for an expression of opinion favourable to the head of their party. Had they been really thought well of, they might have remained in their offices, and trusted to a spontaneous expression of the people's approval and confidence (loud cheers). On these grounds I ask you to! consider carefully what interpretation you will put on that cry of handing over the public lands to the Provinces. 1 do not disagree with that cry; nor do Mr. Hart and Mr. Carkeek, although the attempt has been made to say that they and their supporters do. But I im convinced that a radical changein the Council and Government ought to precede the transfer, or else the best portion of the public lands will become almost the private property of a few individuals. Why are not these Returns furnished ? Unless to him who seeks diligently in'the Land Office, and whom the authorities take pains to inform privately, such information may not be forthcoming for years. You in the town, the largest constituency in the Province, may be carried away byelectioneering clap-trap about “ working-men,” while a few persons are making themselves masters of those public -lands, which are intended for the occupation of hundreds and thousands of that class (cheers). I am net seeking your suffrages for myself-; only as an elector, like arty one of you, I ask you to believe in the strong interest which I feel in the prosperity of this Province, and which I have felt in it from my boyhood, when I first adopted New Zealand as my country (hear, hear). That prosperity can only be attained by continued additions to our population, by the immigration of numbers attracted by the laudable hope and desire of obtaining freeholds on easy terms. If the public lands are locked up in the hands of a few at this early period, such immigration will soon become impossible. Already has the hews flown back to Australia in the mouths of many, that cheap land” in New Zealand is a sham and a delusion:! I appeal to you whether you will by rash and inconsiderate votes promote this evil. There is not one of you who does so, but will feel at some future time the deep responsibility he has incurred, when he discovers that the public lands have become the private property of a few, instead of remaining open for the good of the many to which they rightly belong (cheers). The danger is imminent: it is nnt gradually, but suddenly and rapidly, that this valuable public property will be alienated, while mystery and secrecy prevail on the part of the Government which already holds so much power over it. While a member of the House of Representatives, I became well acquainted with the practical difficulty of obtaining information on this subject; while persons in power have a direct interest in concealing it. I tried to procure a return, such as I have described, of the disposal and occupation of the public lands in the Province of Nelson since Sir George Grey’s regulations had come into force there. I applied for it repeatedly, but in vain, although the House had passed an Address to his Excellency requesting it. Mr. Weld, a member of the then “ Responsible Ministry,” always got up and accused me of impeaching the honor of the Land Commissioner whenever I asked for the Return. During the eight weeks that the “ Responsible Ministry” remained in power, it was never forthcoming. I then had the honor of being in his Excellency’s Executive Council for a very short time, —• about forty eight hours (a laugh) ; but even in that short time 1 found my return. It was one of the first documents placed in my hands by the ‘Colonial Secretary, in order that I might lay it on the table of the House. But I declined, saying that, as we should probably be out of office in a few hours, his Excellency ought to have the credit of sending the Return down by message himself. He did so ; and there was a regular laugh through the House when I at length took the Return from the table to peruse it. I was curious to know why the 'Commissioner’s honor had been so vigorously insisted on : so I turned to the name of Major Richmond, the Land Commissioner of the Province of Nelson, and found that, notwithstanding that honor, which I had never in any way denied, he had been unable to resist the temptation of buying nearly 3,000 acres of land on his run at -ss. per acre, which could only be put up at that low price on his certifying himself that it was unavailable for agriculture (cheers and laughter). I next satisfied my curiosity as to the ■eargerness *o'f Mr. Weld to defend the Land Commissioner and to withhold the information. I found that he and his partner Mr. Clifford had become the purchasers of upwards of 2,000 acres of land at ss. per acre on their run, as to which it was also necessary, in order that it should be put up at that low price, that the Commissioner should certify it to be unavailable for agriculture (great laughter,—Mr. Clifford being in the Hall, under the gallery). Now if by any means yon can obtain a Return of the disposal of the public lands in this Province, as accurate and as detailed as the one which I procured with so'much difficulty as to Nelson, you will probably be let into a few little secrets of a similar kind (laughter). Until there be such information furnished, it is, of course, impossible for me to bring any definite charge against any individual member of the Provincial Government. Such a return should contain a detailed account of the extent and situation of the land bought, the name of the purchaser, and the amount paid, in every case of purchase since the “ cheap land” regulations have been in force. It should also furnish a distinct and intelligible account of the extent and situation of every run occupied, with the name of the occupier, the quantity of stock on it, the names of all persons to whom any of the stock belong, and the amount of rent paid, in each case. That information had not been furnished by the Provincial Council or Government of Nelson, but was procured, after great difficulty, by the intervention of the House of Representatives. So, here, such information has been withheld'by the Council and Government of this Province. The leading members of the Provincial Government, which has thus withheld the information you had a right to obtain at their hands, are now seeking to be sent by you to the House of Representatives. Dr. Featherston has told us, that the responsibility of members to their constituents becomes less when they go to a distance. Will these gentlemen, who have refused to give that information while on the spot, consent to give it at Auckland (cheers and laughter). No I but I feel sure that if Mr. Hart and Carkeek are elected, we shall see at an early period a motion standing in one of their names, for the production of the returns which have not been furnished by the Provincial Government and Council (cheers). And if the laudable ambition of the Provincial Secretary, to be something yet greater in the whole Colony than he has assumed to be in this Province, (laughter) should be rewarded according to his expectations, and he should hold a foremost seat on the red bench as one of a “ Responsible Ministry” for New ! Zealand, doubtless he will place the same obstructions I in the way of those gentlemen as Mr. Weld placed in mine (cheers). But then they will be, as I was, backed by the sense of justice of the majority of the members of the House, who, coming from other Provinces and therefore not having any direct private interest in the lands of this Province, will see the propriety of doing right to the body of its people (cheers). As to the Provincial Council, in which the Government have a packed majority, there is no chance of your obtaining such information from them, or a remedy for the grievances, for the two years which they have yet to exist, unless they be previously enlarged and dissolved ; because the power to keep the public lands closed against occupation by the many, and liable to secret appropriation by themselves and their adherents, is a temptation too strong to be resisted by any Government, since it can produce a fortune, far surpassing any consideration of salary or honor, to any individual member of it in a very short time (loud cheers). On these grounds 1 ask you to consider whether you will vote for those who would do their best to procure the information, and to refuse increased powers to the present Council and Government, until it really represents the people, or for those who, on the other hand, have, as leaders of your Provincial Government, studiously withheld from you the information which you had a right to claim at their hands, and which could alone enable you to judge whether your public property would be in safety or not under their entire control. (Prolonged cheering.) Mr, Toomath hoped the electors present would give him a fair and an impartial hearing. He appealed to their feelings as Englishmen to exercise a spirit of impartiality and to form opinions for themselves, not to allow others to form them for them. It was always indicative of a bad cause when it had to be supported by noise and clamour. Mr. Hart had twice attended

• the General Assembly as their representative, and both times had faithfully performed his duty. Mr. Hart has not had fair play, his conduct had been consistent and he (Mr. T.) should support him on the ground that he had conscientiously discharged his trust, and would o so again, (loud cheers). He (Mr. T.) had watched Mr. Hart’s career. He had gone to the Assembly while others stayed away, and he (Mr. T.) was not dispose to set an old face aside unless there was some reason to distrust him. (cheers). But it was said this reason existed and that Dr. Featherston was requested to become a candidate on that very ground. But the proposers of the requisition had not proved their case. Before any thing was done in the matter a public meeting should have been called to hear in what Mr. Hart had changed’his opinions, and to afford that gentleman an opportunity to reply, (cheers) Instead of this a requi ition is got up to his Honor to induce him to oppose the very man who but a few days before had been strongly urged by his Honor and (at his Honor s suggestion) by many of his Honor’s personal friends, to become a candidate. Why this sudden change ? Mr. Hart assured them, and had also assured his Honor that his political opinions were still the same as when first requested to offer himself as a candidate for a seat in the House of Representatives. It was to say the least of it a hastily done thing. He (Mr. T.) would ask, was this a right return to give a man who had faith, fully served them during two sessions ? Why, if Mr. Hart had lost the confidence of the electors, was he not apprised of it at the close of the last session ? He (Mr. T.) hoped the electors would ponder these things before they committed themselves to an act which seemed to him so unjust. (cheers) It was urged that large powers should be given to the Provinces, but he should first like to see the Provincial Council faithfully constituted; while it consisted of so small a number, with' so large a proportion of paid officers of the Government he was not so sure they would be fairly represented (cheers). He entreated them not to be led away by clap-trap in the appeals that had been made to them, in one sense or other they were all working-men, and he did not like to see all these, to use a vulgar term, electioneering dodges ; but wished to see particular things in their right place. He did not like to see the officers of Government going from house to house canvassing for signatures to.the requisition, why was not the sense of a public meeting first appealed to before the requisition to his Honor was got up. He respected the powers that be, but if it was necessary that his Honor should be asked to stand as a candidate to represent them, why was not the public of Wellington first spoken to ? (cheers). Had they got into such a state as to have dwindled into insignificance ? It was not good to set class against class, let them be united as a bundle of sticks, and then they would feel their strength, but if they were divided they would be brought to scorn and contempt (Cheers). He hoped they would try if they could not get to a better state of things. His Honor had never yet told them why he had laid down his seat at Wanganui (cheers). He (Mr. T.) thought they could not spare all the Executive from the Province at once ; but he thought they should look to the future ; and not allow themselves to suppose the intelligence of the Province to be so confined as that they could not find men of honesty to represent them out of the circle of the Provincial Executive (cheers). He begged them not to suppose it advisable to continue this cry of the working class any longer, the greatest offices were open to all, and they should not stultify their future efforts by dividing themselves into class against class. Supposing the Provincial Council to be increased to thirty members, he thought it would be right to propose a dissolution, that those who were newly placed on the electoral roll might have the opportunity of exercising their franchise for the first time for the whole Council; so soon as the Council was increased in numbers, he would have the provincial powers enlarged, but he would not vote for an enlargement of the; Provincial powers first, and an enlargement of the Council afterwards. (Cheers). They, should get back to reason and weigh well what they were about to do without minding clap - trap. Either with their hands or tbeir heads they were all working men, labour was the natural condition of man, and every working man, as far as his electoral rights were concerned, was equal to the Superintendent himself (lond cheers). Why—his Honor had told them a truism. As working men they were the bees that produced the honey; let them take tbeir right position then, and manfully choose as their representatives, men of honesty and sound principle (cheers). Mr. Wakefield had given him an amount of information <sf which until then he had been ignorant. .If those*things were so, it was plain that those who were of getting land could not obtain it on fair and equal terms. Let them put shoulder .to shoulder, and select men of honesty of purpose and principle. If needs be let them seek for them among the working men, and subscribe to pay their expenses. He thought the Provincial Executive ought to explain to the electors how the Government of the Province was to be carried on during their absence before they asked the electors to allow them to lay down their duty and leave the Province. Above all he (Mr. T.) thought they ought to consider the motive which had prompted the action. And if the motive which had prompted this movement would bear the test of examination — Well!—(loud cheers.)

After three hearty cheers for Messrs. Hart and Carkeek, the meeting broke up.