MR FRANSER AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10358, 13 May 1895, Page 4

MR FRANSER AND HIS CONSTITUENTS.

C . ■ : sj——. Mr W. Prase?,' M.H.R. for Wakatipn, addressed the electors of the Cromwell districi;, »<j Cromwell, on the 9fch insfe. The evening was not very favourable, bus a considerable number oi electors were present, who listened with great attention and interest to the lucid and s'tmgbtfonvard speech made by Mr Eraser. The speaker pointed out clearly and I aiitmolly the good done by tie Opposition lust ; session^ in preventing the currying of.bills that were ficber injurious in principle or! so faulty ;ia construction as to be inoperative. He gave au account of the Advances to Settlers Act, and, while agreeing with the principle of the act—a principle he h»d advocated at tbehusiiuv.s while coutGß'eing the election—he pointed ont the incongruities and absurdities of the act as originally submitted, and animadverted strongly ou fchaland bond clause that Wonli leave amo rtgageo j who had [md cfi the Government sail in "the clutches of. the London lender, wiro, so long as ! he held'thelarid bond, had a claim on the land : .mortgaged.. He also showed that this was another form of the Spaai,h-Americ&n ■ Ctjiiula," or pie'ereatial mortgage—a form of 1 -inaDciog re3orted to only by States on their lasb fiaanoial lega, and the issue of which proved hurtful to the credit of the oouqctt issuing them. He gave a history of (ha Land tr>u Settlements Bill, and said fcha-'.i.had tha | Upper House passed the bill as it wm sent up lit would have proved quite inoperative, and ; shat it took several experienced parliamentary ;• veterans to fix it up so that it would bj of any ; vnlue when passed. He entered voty fully into, the Midland railway question, and''staled that he was adverse to the State e'aterinc into any obligation to enable the company to finance, as, it this was done, other lines \rould require to be finished-by borrowed capital, and he did not think the time opportune for borrowing. As regarded the Horowhenua. block, he' looked upon that question, though a North Islaad one, as being important, atfecting, as it did, the national honour, which was in great danger of being sullied by f.be peculiar tecbics adopted Iby the Premier in reference to making paymen"; for that pare of the bkek on which (he S_tate farm is situated ; and he pointad out that, by takiDg aov&ntige of an official error, Hunia was virtually robbing his fellow tribesmen, and the Government, by purchasing from Htmia, were virtually aiding and abetting'him in doing so. Mr Eraser r.teo dealt with other political matters in" a siilful way. Ha pßrticularly called attantion to the. fneb th»t the revenue returns for the last quarter oJ last financial year were not yet gsze.ted, though by law they ought to be gazetted on orbefove April 14-. At I the close oE his address Mr Fraser received a ; hearty and unanimous vote of thauks and confidence.'' '■'■>'' ■ ''"' ■■■■'■■ .■■■■•■ ..■■■ ■ ■ \'Our Arrowtown : correspondent telegraphs that M.H.R: for tha Lakes, addressed a well-atter.ded meeting there on Friday night, af; the end of which a voteof | thanks and confidence was carried with accla- | mation. Mr James Reid, mayor of Arrowtown, | occupied the chair. Mi Fraser was to speak at; Queenstown on Saturday evening.