NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR THE SUPERINTENDENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 492, 4 May 1861, Page 5

NOMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR THE SUPERINTENDENCE.

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The Nomination of Candidates for the, office -- of Superintendent took place on Tuesday last, . outside the Court-house, there not being suf>/ ficient room inside the Hall to accommodate - the large number of persons who were prosent. John Gillies, Esq , the Returning Officer, having read the writ, and other legal notices, requested a fair hearing for all, and called upon the electors to propose a candidate. Mr. Dick then came forward and said — Mr. Returning Officer, I beg to propose Major J. L. C. Richardson as a fit and proper person to fill the office of Superintendent for the Province of Otago. His political career has been patent to every one : it has been marked, decisive, and in my opinion satisfactory. In the course taken by the Major, we have seen that he was a man who had considered the various subjects demanding the attention of a politi- , cian, and he has ever spoken out his sentiments in an honest manly way. In fact, every one who has observed the political career of Major Richardson must have noticed that he was especially remarkable for his honest and honourable conduct. As to his qualifications for the office of Superintendent, we may notice his prompt and decisive action, his urbanity, his business qualifications, and hia general knowledge of the Province, as well as his long experience amongst us. Probably if' we had done our utmost, we could have found few more thoroughly acquainted with the affairs of the Province and of New Zealand generally; so much so, that even seven years ' ago, when many of us had not even entertained a thought of coming here, he had written a" book upon New Zealand, a book which will repay a reading by any who can obtain it. As to his political principles, we have them fully j and distinctly enunciated in his address Avhich has been published now for some weeks, and few I think will object to his views. On the land question I consider him up to the mark, and that is perhaps the most important question of to-day. The question of Hundreds is one of essential importance to our agricultural population, and .they know it too; they know that the gentleman who is prepared to advocate for them extensive Hundreds is their friend and supporter ; and to every working man who hopes some day to have his few acres of land and his two or three head of cattle, this is a most important question, for without the advantage of running cattle on the Hundreds the labourer may have to continue in the labour market for a much longer period, and instead of becoming one of the sturdy yeomen who are said to form the backbone of the Province, he remains against his will an unsettled labourer, equally worthy but only less successful, subject to the chances of a rise or fall in the price of labour. Indeed, this . matter of Hundreds is also of importance to the storekeepers of the town, for if deprived of these, the country settlers will find great difficulty in paying for the goods purchased in town, and in their sufferings we of Dunedin will justly suffer with them. Then again the Major is prepared, we perceive by.his address, to reclaim the land in this town which lies between high and low water. This will be a matter of great gain to Dunedin, while not at all injurious to the country, for it will be reproductive, and ought to pay itself. Of course, in the question of roads we are all of one opinion, at least so far as regards the necessity of making them, and we only need to make sure that our Superintendent will not urge the claims of some parts of the country to the prejudice of others. In this matter I fully believe that Major Richardson is just as good as any other man that may be brought forward, and that he will see to it that no un-. . reasonable sums are expended in one part of ■ the Province while other parts with equal claims are neglected. Then we find in the Major's published remarks an allusion to the necessity of passing a new Executive Council Ordinance, so that the powers of the Superintendent may be curbed by his Executive, and responsible government be more fully carried out. This I take to be a necessity. Every one who has hitherto noticed the working of our Executive Council will have noticed that, so far as responsibility goes, the Superintendent might almost as well be without one. If Major Richardson can introduce into and carry through the Council a good Executive Council Ordinance, one' that will meet the requirements of the ca?e — and T jTeel sure that' this will not %be concocted and carried out without difficulty — he will render the Province a good service. No doubt some objections will be urged against the gentleman I now propose. 'We are told, £>r instance, that he has been in the army : well, if this be an objection, is it not equally in his favour that he. has long ago beaten his sword into a ploughshare, and has, in the peaceful arts of husbandry, and the constant association with our freeborn, outspoken, sturdy farmers, learnt to act, to think, to feel, and to live as these sons of liberty and equality have done. It may even possibly be urged against Major Richardson that he has the misfortune to be ! born south of the Tweed. Well, I know too' that many of us Scotchmen have. crossed that noted river and gone to settle on the southern, side. I for one did so for many years, and learned to look upon those on both sides as, alike subjects of' our common Queen, and' having good points and bad points common to both. Indeed, when such an argument is urged, it must be more in jest than in earnest,', and will surely never weigh with the intelligent electors of this Province, where we welcome all of every nation and tongue "whose characters are unstained, and who are willing to lend a helping hand towards the" development of our resources and the clearing of our wilderness. But if Majpr Richardson is.ntit a native of Scotland, his sympathies 4re with all that is good there ; and I notice in his book, published in 1851, one of the most complimentary allusions to the noble stand taken by the Free Church of Scotland that has appeared in any work on New Zealand. t In short, take him all in all, I do not' think that we shall often, -look on such a man as Major Richardson — a' man of sterling honesty, of energy, of ability, — one who will ably and creditably fill the office of Superintendent, for which I have now the honour, of proposing

Mr. Rennie, in seconding the nomination, aaid he had much pleasure in supporting the motion of Mr. Dick. Majdr Richardson was the best man they could get to fill the impot>. tant office of Superintendent. ' He was a tried man. For two years, he had filled the honourable position of -the highest office in the Provincial Council, and he (Mr. Rennie) could bear testimony to the efficient and satisfactory manner in which Major Richardson had per-, formed the duties of that office, .He 1 had/ made sacrifices, both of. time and money, in, the public service, and had acted with promp--titude and decision when called upon by the Council. They knew the Major's political views; for he was a tried man, and he (Mr. Rennie) considered it little short of madness that they should propose to elect to the highest office of the Province an untried man. ,He should be a tried man not only in opinion but in practice; and during^ the ,time that, the Major had held the office of Acting. Superin--tendent, he had fulfilled its duties in the^ost', satisfactory manner. It had been-objeete,d to. him, that he was a soldier, that he _was,.dog.-' matical. As to his being dogmatical anjiiun-!' bending, why he (Mr. Rennie) understoo^iibyt that was, that he had an opinion of his <##,« that he was not to be swayed this way.isqsl| \. that way by the best per^onj^/jp^^p'^j., hitn, but that on the oo^r^^^^^rft^Hi^ 4 judgment on an^>s)i|»jec^^^^K^^^f^tr.-; On the other ■ hand, a^°bi|'ciS^^S^|^ 'Jsb'SJV.V made to him that -he^djdlitdtiieitt^^^jbils^^i^--^ judgment, but was infiufencT4>J6y^MSmMlP^ (Mr. Hennfe) l6islM^^^»^

conflicting^ objections," arid left those who made nude them to get out of the difficulty the best way-foey* could. The claims of Mr. M'Master, vrho was also a candidate, rested upon the fact of hi& good character. Now they wanted something more in a Superintendent than character ; they wanted some one whose views on public matters they knew — some one who had given evidence of his ability to fill the office. , Why, there was Mr. Morris, a gentleman of high and well-known character, but the electors would not have him because they did not know his political views, but they had eren less expererience of Mr. M'Master. He was known to be a large stockowner, who disliked the system of Hundreds, which he (Mr. Rennie) considered of the greatest importance to the small settlers. He admired the bleating of the sheep and the song of the shepherd, but they must give way to families of human beings and the whistle of the ploughman. Mr. John Jones proposed Mr. Alexander M'Master as a fit and proper person to fill the office of Superintendent. He (Mr. Jones) commented on the supposed influence he was using at this election. He said he had started many storekeepers in Dunedin, as much for his own advantage as for theirs, but they •were all independent and owed him nothing. (Laughter and ironical- cheers.) He then went on to remark upon the press of Dunedin, particularly the " Witness," in that peculiar bargeman style of eloquence for .which that gentleman is distinguished. He had got up a requisition to Mr. Dick, who had declined to «tand, as he was pledged to support Major Richardson. He (Mr. Jones) was a freeholder • as' well as a runholder. (Laughter.) He had never trafficked in runs, or taken up country to sell it, he had only a run of 15,000 acres. He then made. some remarks upon his claim to land at Waikouaiti ; but, as they had nothing to do with the matter in hand, we omit them. He concluded by proposing Mr. M'Master. Mr. A. J. Burns seconded the nomination, and begged to be excused from making a speech, as he had only just been asked to second the nomination. Mr. M>Master was a downright honest man, and would act honestly to all storekeepers,' settlers, and runholders. The late Superintendent .had been unfortunate, poor fellow, and they all knew it. Mr. M 'Master was not a runholder in Australia, out had been the sub-editor of the Argtut newspaper; and, when he left Australia, that paper had lost one of its brightest stars. He • (Mr. M'Master) would propose an amended Executive Council Ordinance, which would give real power over the Superintendent. Mr. M'Master, if elected, would be the right man io the right place, and he had much pleasure in seconding his nomination. Mr. Robebt Milleb, of North-east Valley, proposed' Mr. James Macandrew. He was •orry he was not there to speak for himself, but he was detained elsewhere. The virtues of the two candidates enumerated by the four speakers, proposers and seconders, were all concentrated in Mr. Macandrew, who had none of their vices. He (Mr. Miller) attributed air the past prosperity of the Province to Mr. Macandrew ; and were he re-elected, there would be a road to the gold diggings in a very short time. Mr. Sibbald seconded the nomination. Mr, Howoeth proposed, and Mr. E. B. Cabgiix seconded, the nomination of Mr. Cutten. No other candidates having been proposed, the ' Returning Officer called upon Major Richardson to address the electors. Major Richardson then came forward and said: — The circumstances under which I obeyed the call of my brother electors to come forward as a candidate for the Superintendency have changed, but the altered aspect of affairs has only induced in me a firmer determination to stand trne to my colours. I then had but ,one opponent ; I now have two. I willingly acknowledge that with respect to him who has just entered the field, I should regard it as a distinction to be considered an equal ; in many respects I would acknowledge him as a superior, -r-in one alone would. I dispute the claim, for in devotion to the public interests I can yield to none. With an earnestness of purpose and a rapidity of execution, the runholders have organised a party, through whose instrumentality one of their own body aspires to the honour of your confidence. The gauntlet thii9 thrown down by the northern runholders, under the able and skilful generalship of Mr. Jones, I take up in behalf of the freeholders of Otago, both present and future, of the la bbtrring classes, of a portion of the commercial community, and, I may say, in behalf of others, including I believe, the earlier settled runholders, who view with alarm, or at least with ! disquietude, the attempt to convert this noble Province, formed by nature for the habitation 'of man, into a series of sheep walks. At a crisis |ike the present, it is sheer cowardice to ■peak with bated breath, for, " if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who can prepare himself for the battle ?" The majority, or at least a' large proportion of the population entitled j to the electoral' franchise, have been token by surprise, for, never dreaming of such a change in a body who had hitherto acknowledged that they held their runs on sufferance, they did not register, and, therefore, in this trial of ' strength they are unable to throw their might into the scale, a might which would have overt>orne all opposition. I will not detain you with more than a passing allusion to insinuations industriously circulated with a view to prejudice me in the public mind. To be " a soldier? is with this party a disqualification for ttie office of Superintendent. If I read history aright, such was not the opinion of those who Have jone before us, and I think you will Bgrtee with roe, that the habit of obedience to tbe demands of duty, and the insistence of that habit in others, is rather a desirable quality in cWil as well as military communities; it ensures the faithful discharge of obligations, and the efficient supervision of subordinate departments. It is said, again, by some, who should $aye blushed to reyive distinctions which the good feeling ;of the community had decreed should ceatfe, that I am an Englishman, not a - Scotchman. When leaving our common country for this land of our adoption, I determined to combat' the' perpetuation of distinctions - which were f&t dying away in the old country, and I became an European New Zealandcr; or, if the' British' association must be observed, half an Englishman, half a Scotchman, and half an Irishman. There still remained v aifr&trow in the quiver. It was said that in rty own district, where I was well known, I should not' have half a dozen supporters. The charge was indignantly met by the almost unanimous expression of their opinion, for 38 signatures were immediately appended to my requisition. It would be well that calumniators' should remember that such attempts recoil On the propagators, as the boomerang in un■kilful hands inflicts a wound on him who uses it ; Thefrtf are a few questions on which I would wish to make known my opinions to the electors,— : they refer to the Executive Council, the Government Staff, Roads, Education, Imroigrifctiop, Steam, and last and not least, the disposal of Crown Lands. I have long been of * oitfiiidn that it is very necessary to define more clearly 5 ' the 7 powers of the Supcrlntettdeut, and, to '4 jteitaift extent control what is now contWere^ as belonging to the office. The Exccu-ti^life'-ippointerfby the Superintendent; the Waste -^andßoard is appointed by him and bib' Executive Council, and all business conriected with the waste lands is transacted by that Board; so that with a runholding Supery " iutghderit you deliver yourselves bound-hand - ffrid -fbot'to^the mercy of his supporters, for " ttfefiagh s wfnle in session the Provincial Coun'"eil<(B&£ prove" a check, yet, out of session, the • and Wasto Land Board can do oaspfl^^b^ibsfe, and.the Provincial Council can 5 ;'<^Tw^slfntfihe^l6table door when the steed is talpoklhis (dangerous power lace. It.is, a dangerous weapon

to entrust to any one, however sterling his qualities, exposed as he is to pressure from without. I entreat you to read the future by the light which the past sheds on our path. Make it impossible that you should be sacrificed and you are safe; dally with the danger, and in the past of other colonies you may read your own future. In connection with the position and power of the Superintendent, I would refer to the necessity which exists, in our present circumstances, from having lost a large slice of our Province, for placing the machinery of the State on a more economical footing. I am not for under-paying our oGvernment officials, but we have need in our reduced circumstances as a Province, to contract our unproductive expenditure ; and any measure of judicious economy and retrenchment will have my cordial co-operation. I consider the formation of Roads to be an essential point in the development of the resources of the Province, both in settled and in runholding districts. A revision of _ the Roads' Ordinance, so as to enable its principles to be carried into full effect, with certain important additions I regard as necessary and loudly called for by the circumstances of many of the country district*;, and not less necessary to the pro-.perity of the Province do I consider the ] Steam communication, which must be main- , ' taiited, aud should be encouraged. A Road from Dunedin to the Gold Fields, as direct as j possible, is an urgent necessity. On the subject of Education, I need say but little. That provision should be made m every district of our Province, for the education of the young is one of those matters which no Government, alive to its duties, can neglect. Assistance should be freely given in aid of the efforts of the settlers where necessary. I can conceive no expenditure too great in such a case, if it really accomplish the purpose of securing a well-educated community — a new generation, who will honourably fill their parents] places when our career is ended. Most intimately connected with the prosperity of the Province is the prosperity of the Capital. Any stagnation of circulation in the centre would paralyze the extremities, as any neglect of the extremities would be deeply felt at the centre. Already I have given instructions, in conjunction with the Executive, for the preparation of a grant, to be laid before the Governor, for four hundred acres of the harbour, which I believe may be reclaimed with benefit to the healthy commercial prosperity of the town and improvement of the harbour without diverting any portion of the Provincial funds from public works in the country districts. Any check to immigration, while labour can command remunerative employment, I should regard as materially interfering with the prosperity of the Province, • The extent to which immigralion should now be carried out, will depend much on the success of the gold-fields, and the subject will demand, as it deserves, the most serious consideration, and, I think our at-

tention should be earnestly directed to devising some means by which an immigrant on arrival might secure at once, and without being preyed on by the land-jobber, the home he came out to seek. There are also other points connected with the health and recreation of the people which deserve immediate attention, but I must pass on to the consideration of that without which all else is vain, the proper disposal of our waste lands. The system of Hundreds, — not the restricted ones lately introduced, of 40, instead of 100 square miles, is of vital importance. It provides the farmer in the remoter districts with a compensation for the advantages which those of their brethren residing near the capital enjoy ; and affords that assistance in the early period of his settlement, when without roads, and battling against the drawbacks of his position, with little capital but an honest heart, he needs every help. Who ventures to grudge this aid? Not, surely, the runholders! One alone of which class holds, at a merely nominal rent, more than one-half of the entire acreage of the HunSreds, sold and unsold. When they can show a charter from Heaven entitling an individual among them to such a possession, and disqualifying the thousands who are straining every muscle in the progressive reclamation of the adjacent wastes, then, and not till then, will I allow them to dispute the right of their fellow- men. Let them entrench their own with moderation, courtesy, and justice, and none will grudge them their golden fleece. It is to support this that I claim your confidence, and to preserve the land from passing beyond your reach. What is the direction of the present movement ? It is no less than the subversion of the past, and the substitution of runholding influences and runholding principles for those influences and those principles which have made Otago what it is, and which has placed a contented and thriving population in possession of their inalienable rights. Yield but one point, and the movement would stealthily advance until suspicion were lulled, and then our land — the laud we hold in possosion for our children and our friends — would eludi; our grasp for ever. I would oppose any aggression on the runholders as unjust, ungenerous, and unwise, and I would equally oppose any encroachment on their part as ruinous to the people, and sooner or later, ruinous to themselves. To-day we may have restricted Hundreds grudgingly doled out ; tomorrow, a Superintendent in the runholding interest, subjected to external influences, and there needs but a short interval to witness at tempts to secure large freeholds on tbe runs,— to convert the license into a long lease, — to stifle immigration, — to occupy with sheep the land best adapted for profitable farming, — and the enactment of laws, of which the Land Sale and Leases Ordinance is but a faint sample; by which pre-emptive right would be granted to a class already highly favoured. What can these runholders want more than they have got ? With the exception of a few rifns on the seaboard out of 170 their licenses are as good as leases ; are they ground down by oppressive fees and assessment ? For a run of 28,000 acres, carrying 3000 sheep, they pay annually the in- ! significant sum of £24, while in Canterbury ! £80 -is paid for the same advantages, and general opinion favours the belief that on an i average calculation of 2d. an acre, which is a low estimate, ,£2OO would not be too much. Do they desire with " equity " a pre-emptive [ right to 500 or 1000 acres, selected of course I with an unerring judgment of its value ? Let ius Bejs what would be the result : supposing the 8,684,000 acres in their possession, entitling 290 holders of 30,000 acres each a right of selection of say the small quantity of about 500 acres, no less than 150,000 acres would be absorbed at once, and more, if the runs were further subdivided ; and, even then, on the expiry of the present conditional lease, could he deny their successors an equal privilege and refuse them an additional 150,000 ? making a total of 300,000 acres, which is nearly onehalf of the whole amount of land in Hundreds — or supposing the really good agricultural land to be one-fifteenth of the whole — no less than one half of it. Electors, as you value your rights, and wish to preserve them, withstand the first movements ; look to Nelson where the land has nearly passed into the hands of runholders ; to Hawke's Bay where., it ie rapidly being absorbed by them, and to Victoria where your fellow freeholders, who were formerly ground to the earth, have wiped the stain from their manhood and gained a glorious victory, and whence these defeated runholders have settled in swarms on your fertile plains. What I think the country requires is, that the whole northern seaboard be declared into Hundreds, that one-half of it be gradually brought into the market, and the other be granted to the present occupiers until required by the progress of settlement ; the whole northern Hundreds will then be 244,480 acres against 317,760 in the south ; this will be sufficient in all probability until the expiry of tbe present licenses, and the tenure of the interior runs will be as secure a» if granted on lease.

I would appeal to those among the runholders who wish to live in the enjoyment of what they possess, and in peace with the freeholders with whom, until lately, there has been perfect harmony, to discountenance this aggressive movement, which can only end in ultimate defeat. From the unpreparedness of the freeholders you might now succeed, but there are victories in comparison with which a defeat would be a gain. With you, Electors, rests the decision of this important question ; you must determine whether the same privileges are to be accorded to your children and to your friends which you have enjoyed, and by which alone you have succeeded. Listen not, I beseech you, to the siren tones of promised security : your lands once alienated, your remedy is past : you will live to see the day when absentee proprietors will spend abroad the profits of their sheep- farms, and leave j T ou with only a few scattered acres which you may call your own, and that subject to heavy taxation ; and when the labourer will search in vain for employment, and your children, desirous of obtaining a freehold, will have to pay five times as much as you now pay : then, instead of the sturdy freemen who inhabit our plains, there will be a race who must bow their heads to those who now hold their ruus but on sufferance. Rally round your friends, give them a hearty support, and let your adversaries know that thej r have mistaken their men when they fancied the people of Otago were to be cajoled out of their rights ; think of the hosts in your native land who would be grateful for the privileges you have enjoyed and now possess, and tell those who seek to tear those privileges I'rom your grasp that you are determined to retain for future settlers those privileges which have made you what you are. — The Major was then subjected to a smart cross-fire of questions, to which he replied — that he only advocated the increase of price of land to keep land-sharks and speculators out of the field, and to secure for the people the system of Hundreds in all its integrity ; and that could this be carried out at a lower price he would be glad to see it reduced. He would not raise the price of land to £2 per acre. He was opposed on principle to the dog tax ; and in practice too, he was indulging his taste in that way. Any decision as to the Treasurer must depend upon evidence ; if re- | quired to give an opinion, he would consult his conscience alone. He thought that Bush licenses should be advertised before being granted. He expressed his disapproval of the constitution of the Waste Land Board as having a majority of squatters on it ; he would have resigned his seat there, but that he had been called upon not to desert those who were striving for the interests of the public. He had no sheep, but would like to have some. He was not connected with the runholding interest in any way. Except as regards personal relationship ; and that his tendency would be in favour of that class ; but there was a duty to the people of the Province which was superior to all private considerations.

Mr. A. M'Mastkr, said — I am a stranger to most of you, but you have been carefully informed, through the press and other channels, what I am and what I mean to be if lam elected to the office of Superintendent. If you rely upon these sources of information, you wili look upon me as a man picked out by a certain class in the country to be their instrument in carrj r ing out their diabolical scheme of driving away every other class in the Province,, dispossessing every freeholder of his freehold and putting sheep in his stead. It" such are your impressions, how can I expect 3'our support. You would rather, I am sure, hand me over to the keeping of that personage to whose care all tyrants are supposed to be eventually consigned. But you know as well as I do myself, what all this stuff which you have lately been nauseated with means. You know that the writing it and the uttering it are only electioneering tactics resurted to by a certain party interested in preventing my election: these persons know well the value of a good cry on such an occasion as the present, and so long as it serves their purpose, it matters not to them whether it be a true one or a false. Fellow-Electors, I appear before you as a candidate for the office of Superintendent, in obedience to a requisition which even my leading opponent acknowledges to be one that I was bound to comply with. To that requisition there is not, I solemnly declare to you, to my knowledge, the name of an individual who expects any favour from me in return for his support. Nor, the names of any class seeking for privileges detrimental to the general interests, and looking to me as the means by which they are to be obtained. And were it so, that 1 were pledged or inclined to prostitnte to such an extent the highest office in the Province, Could Idoit ? You are not electing a Dictator or Autocrat whose will all is law. Have you not got constitutional guards to protect you from the wan> tonness of corruption ? My idea is that you have responsible government, and that that means that the Superintendent can do no wrong ; that he docs nothing that is not assented to by his Executive, which is supposed to represent the majority of your representatives in the Provincial Council. Bound in this manner could I, if I would, effect the destruction of the general interests of the Province ? If such were done, it could only be through the faithlessness of your own delegates. To tell 3 T ou that it is otherwise is, fel-low-electors, an insult to your understandings. But what will not be said or done to secure their ends by men who are hatching schemes to secure place or power for themselves or their party? Fellow Electors, the press of the Province and my individual opponents coolly state that a long-growing antagonism between the runholders and the freeholders has been excited into activity by my coming forward as a candidate — that smouldering fires are about to burst into flame — that old sores are being opened. I know not what they mean. I have frequently during the last few years conversed with both freeholders and agricultujists, yet I have never heard any allusion made to that antagonism, these fires, or these wounds, They do not exist. But my opponents wish to create them, in order to serve their own ends. Will they succeed? They may for a while,- but only for a very little while. I rely upon the general sense and intelligence of the community to oppose any attempts that are being made to sow distrust between classes. If any wound has been ftilt by the agriculturists, I believe that their sentiments are too healthy for such sore to become a gangrene. The runholders do not wish to encroach upon or interfere with the agriculturists. They grasp at no new privileges ; they wish only to be allowed to retain those that have been guaranteed to them. It is unfair, it is dishonest, to raise the cry that has been raised against them. Who offered them the privileges they possess, and for what purpose were they offered ? What are called the old settlers, the founders of Otago, disgusted at the state of stagnation which they found the Province to be in, by their representatives in Council framed ordinances, with a view to attract capital from the neighbouring colonies. They said, " Come and occupy our waste lands, and the privileges which these ordinances confer will be secured £0 you." They sent an agent to Victoria, to tempt the capitalists there. A few were terapte'd, and I was one of them. I risked my all, what I had earned in many a year's struggle in the colony. I shipped a cargo of first-class sheep, and lost thereby stock of tbe value of £2000. Those who ran the same risk, under like circumstonces, met with similar loss, at such hazards were sheep introduced into the Province. But they came pouring in, and what has been the result? — that Otago has made such progress as was never dreamt of by the quiet unobtrusive old settlers, its founders. Compare the Ditnedin of 1856 with the- Dunedin of the present. It was then a miserable hamlet ; it is now a flourishing commercial town. But

for the large export of wool that had arisen, would town sections have attained to their present price ? Would such buildings as we see springing up every day ever have been thought of? And yet there is a party amongst us who would wrest from the runholders — the men whose capital and energy have brought about this change — the privileges they are entitled to. I appeal, not to your generosity, but to your honesty, fellow electors, and ask whether you would encourage such an attempt as this ? Another plan pitched upon to create a bad feeling between the great producing ellipses in the Province has been to tell the agriculturist that the runholder looks upon him as of an inferior grade ; that he employs contemptuous terms in speaking of him. I do not say but there may l.c amongst the runholders one blockhead thoughtless and silly enough to affect a superiority, but it is unfair to judge of the body by so miserable a sample. No one respects the agriculturist moie than I do, and I defy any one to point to an occupation more honourable in itself and more benefit conferring. A runholder superior to an agriculturist ! he is superior then to the highest grade of the British aristocracy. The runholders have been invited to cast their eyes to Australia, and take warning from what has been done there. Well, what has been done ? A few years since, in Victoria, a clamour was raised for political purposes, to have " the lands unlocked." "Unlock the land," shouted the people, led on by interested politicians ; and the lands were unlocked accordingly. And with what result ? That the best portions of the territory became the possessions of the great capitalists, to whom the intending agriculturist had to go and deal with for a farm. And what has been done lately in that colony? After years of agitation, political crises following one another at a rapid rate, a Land Bill was at length passed, the most liberal land schemes were deviled, — it allowed deferred payments, and gave the right of pasturage in the adjoining lands in profusion to every purchaser of a section. The bill was framed for the purpOvSe of counteracting the waning attractions of the gold fields, and drawing people into the country. Is it answering that purj pose ? No, it is not. The population is decreasing, and the same old thing is happening again — the capitalists are reaping the advantage. And the same thing would happen here were what are called large Hundreds proclaimed, in accordance with the views of Major Richardson and his supporters. It sounds well, the idea of giving the poor struggling man the | privilege of running his cattle on the land adjoining his section, but depend upon it, if the Major's views were carried out, the poor man would have little chance of securing either a freehold or pasturage ; sections would be valutd ! in proportion to the privileges attached to their purchase ; they would be placed beyond the reach of the lesser capitalist and swallowed up by the greater. Such would inevitably be the result. You will excuse me, fellow electors, for having taken up so much of your attention on this one subject, but it is the subject on which the election is made to hinge ; and the nress of the Province being opposed to me, it is only fair towards myself that I should take this opportunity of explaining my views. Fellow Electors — It has been said that I want the office for sake of the salary attached to it. This is a calumny. I should not have been here before you had I not been solicited to come forward in a manner which would have made a refusal on my part cowardly or ungenerous. The honour of holding the highest office amongst you I should not lightly esteem, but I would not consent to accept it if I thought it would suffer in my hands. If lam not elected I shall "be neither angry nor disappointed. To be placed in opposition, even to be beaten, by such men as Major Richardson, is an honour of itself, and I shall be satisfied with it. But with the Major's views with regard to the j'ublie lands — views which I know he conscientiously believes to be the wisest and tbe best, the Province would be fortunate in securing him for its head. But as I conscientiously belie\e that the Major's policy, if carried out, would be detrimental to the general interests, I hope he will not be elected ; and I know that, except for reasons similar to my own, this gentleman cares not whether he is or no. lie has not, like the clique who support him, any selfish ends in view. In reply to various question I',1 ', Mr. M'Master said — lie would not interfere with the Hun dreds already proclaimed, to do this would be as dishonest as depriving runholders of their proper rights. lie would be in favour of proclaiming small Hundreds, when and where the land was needed for the purpose of settlement. He could not pledge himself to them to open Otepopo and Shag Valley, or any other portion of the Province, but would be guided by the principles he had already proposed and act independently of personal considerations. Such a right as that of recommending Hundreds to be proclaimed, should not be invested in the Superintendent, but in the Provincial Council. He was in favour of carrj'ing on immigration to an extent proportionate to the requirements of the Province. He would not bring people into the country without the prospect of their being employed at fair wages. The runholders would not object to an increased assessment upon stock ; they admitted the justice of it, and were prepared for it. He did not consider the runholders had any preferable claim to their runs after their leases had expired. He thought it unfair to constitute the Waste Land Board so as to make squatters the majority, but gave an evasive answer when asked if he would alter it. He would give such salaries as would secure good servants to the public; he would pay well and make them do their work well. If it could be shown that it would be an advantage to the Province that a larger pre-emptive right should be given to the squatters, he would not oppose its being granted, but he would not himself propose it. Such should rest with the Council. He thought that there should always be agricultural land open for application at the Nortli. If elected be would resign if requested to do so by a majority. He objected to all exclusive religious privileges. If the Provincial Council placed a sum upon the estimates for trying the validity of the improvement clauses, he would be ready to apply it to the purpose. He was in favour of a law for checking the sale of poisonous liquors, for he believed the injury was inflicted by the quality rather than the quantity 'of spirits drunk. Ho did not believe it possible to put down drinking by law. He agreed with the Major with regard to the reclamation of the land from the sea, and. he was prepared to go even further, and proclaim it into Hundreds. He thought, however, that what remained of the harbour should not be proclaimed, it being difficult to get sea horses and sea cows to stock it. (Laughter.)

Mr. Robert Mim.kr, as proxy for Mr. Macandrew, read the following document : — "Gentlemen — I regret that the liberal and praise-worth)' tactics of my leading opponent precludes me from addressing you personally this day — a position whicli places me at a very great disadvantage, and one which I trust will meet with all due indulgence at your hands. The address which I have lately issued embodies almost all that it is necessary for mo to say. Gentlemen — I come now before you as a public man, who (although I say it myself)j has exercised a greater influence upon the past affairs of this Province than any other individual. I come before you as a public man who has been publicly disgraced by your representatives ; and, gentlemen, I call upon you to wipe out the stain. I have been disgraced upon grounds which no court of law in the world would for a single moment have sustained ; and, gentlemen, I believe there are those present who could give the testimony of one of the most eminent legal authorities in this hemisphere—to wit, the Chief Justice t of Victoria — who, on perusing the Report of the Select Committee of the Provincial Council,with the evidence and resolutions appended, exclaimed, that had I been brought before him judicially, with no better evidence than that against me, I should have been at once discharged, witk-

out so much as a stain upon my character. Gentlemen, I fully acquit the majority of the Provincial Council, who, in consequence of the I adroitness and military promptitude of the ' Speaker and his legal ally, committed themselves to a course of action into which, had they been allowed a few hours' reflection, I believe they never would have been led. Gentlemen, that I have been unfortunate in my private affairs, and have lost my all, is true — that I have lost this very much in your service is equally true. If this be a crime, in Heaven's name, say so, and net accordingly ; but, gentlemen, remember at the same time, that the rank — (that is, the state of the man's purse) — "the rank is but the | guinea stamp, the man's the gowd for a' that." I Gentlemen — Much as I feel myself to have been injured by the Provincial Council, and strongly as I feel that justice demands a verdict in my favor, on your part, yet if you consider that the claims of either of the other candidates now before you, to your confidence and support are | greater than mine, — that the public interest has I been more promoted heretofore, and will be better | served hereafter by them, than by me, then, Gentlemen, I am content to forego the vindication (if my own character, and to sacrifice all upon the altar of the commonwealth. Gentlemen — This is the first lime that I have had occasion to | assert my own claims to public support. If there is anything that I detest more than another, it is self-conceit, or the appearance of it. Necessity, however, compels me to indulge in the delicate task of self-commendation. Once upon a time, I had an organ which would have spared me that delicate necessity. I was reputed to be rich, then, — now I may exclaim with Mark Antony, on the fate of Caesar, — " None so poor to do him reverence." Gentlemen — "When I look around and see the progress whicli this Province has made of late years, outstripping all its neighbours and fast approaching the van of New Zealand, — when I look at the commercial palaces that are rising up in this city of Dunedin, and ask myself, whose policy has led to it all ? I must confess to being weak enough to cherish a feeling of vanity. When I enquire further — What did the owners of these money-making establishments do towards bringing about the state of matters which has led to their existence ? What did the leading men who are now basking and snugly anchored for life in Government billets, do in order to bring about the state of things which has rendered their billets necessary, — or at all events, which has afforded a plea for their creation ? I say when we enquire into all these facts and find that, generally speaking, not only did the parties in question do nothing, but were almost .to a man drags upon progress, — the very Prince of Croakers, according to whom we were going altogether too fast with our steam and immigration, which Avould be the ruin of the place. I say that when I consider all these things, one cannot but be struck with the force of the scriptural aphorism, "That one mansowethandanotherrviapeth." Gentlemen, what was it that gave the first impetus to this Province — that put money into our Treasury and enabled us to carry through the extensive public works whicli have been in progress for the past few years ? Why, it was neither more nor less than the Melbourne Immigration, a measure forced upon the Government in the first instance by myself, five years ago. I remember well the up-hill work I then had to pull the wires in the right direction — the mercenary motives which were attributed to, the obloquy which was heaped upon me, by the press with reference to the ' Gil Bias' bonus, and the establishing regular communication* with Melbourne. Gentlemen, it would have beeu telling me many a thousand pounds to-day had I been scared frem the enterprise, and listened to the voice of the croakers in those days. However, this was not to be, and the results have been — to Otago, the first rank in the Provinces of New Zealand ; to me, personal ruin and public disgrace : the former, if spared, I can soon retrieve ; the latter, it rests with you either to stereotype or efface. Gentlemen, I might go on sounding my own trumpet ad infinitum, but am ashamed at having descanted so largely on one's own deeds. I shall merely ask, further, who was it that devised and carried out to a successful issue the immigration from Britain — by the instrumentality, in the first instance, of a Government which had neither the capacity nor the energy to strike out such a course of action for itself? Gentlemen, I have no hesitation in claiming the paternity of the whole thing. Gentlemen, disguise it as you may, the fact is that this Province has progressed more within or during the fifteen months of my administration than has the whole of New Zealand besides : whether or not I am entitled to any of the credit of this, I ask not ; the fact still remains as having been accomplished during my Superintendency. Gentlemen, I humbly think that the various considerations to which I have adverted at least commend, if they do not entitle me, to your suffrages.— Gent lemen, before concluding, allow me to say one word as to the complexion which the public press is seeking to stamp upon the present contest ; I allude to the mischievous and uncalled-for attempt to set by the ears the two great interests of the Province — the Pastoral and Agricultural ; a question which it appears to me ought neyer to have been dragged into the political arena. Every reflecting mind must see that at present at least there is — there can be — no nceessjiry antagonism between the one interest and the othjer ; but that, on the contrary, they are mutually dependent — with this difference, that the squatter might get on without the agriculturist, whilst the Province could not have got on without the squatter. Where should we have been, I should like to know, without our wool export ? Gentlemen, instead of stirring up a prejudice against the man who has risked his capital, and subjected himself to all the hardships incidental to pioneering a new and untraversed country, I think we ought, on the contrary, to concede to him all the privileges which his enterprise deserves, so long as this can be done without prejudice to the claims of men and women who wish to occupy the soik and to turn it to account. At present there is land reserved and in Hundreds sufficient to meet the bonajide requirements of agricultural settlers for many a day to come ; and it rests practically with the Provincial Council to proclaim more Hundreds whenever it sees fit. It is nonsense, therefore, getting up a cry against the squatters. While talking of hundreds, I may remind you that I proposed to proclaim the whole sea-board for so many miles inland, from Bliieskin Bay to the Canterbury border. The Provincial Council negatived this, which I think ought still to be done. It appears to me that the great desideratum in our land regulations is to make such provision a 9 that a freehold estate — sufficient, at least, to support an industrious family in independence — can be acquired by every man who is able and willing to occupy and turn the land to account. With this view, we should be enabled to meet the requirements of every class of customers — just as a merchant who supplies goods on different terms— to some, on credit, to others, partly credit and jmrtly cash, and to others cash down at once, regulating his prices accordingly. It appears to me that, until the whole country is occupied, every encouragement and inducement ought to be held out to the man who will make two blades of grass grow where one, or where none, grew before, Aud now, gentlemen, one word in conclusion. If public men, as such, are to be judged by tbe Divine standard— viz., " by their fruits ye shall know them " — I have no fear of the result. At- all events, be your verdict as it may — although it should tell me practically that, " having sown the wind I shall reap the whirlwind," yet, gentlemen, I shall retire with the proud consciousness, that when the history of Otago comes to be written — when all our petty differences and ambitions and jealousies shall lie buried in the silent graye — when the conduct and character of the leading actors on this to us all-important stage shall come to be criticised and investigated by the impartial peu of the historian, justice will be done to me, and I shall thenibe accorded a fair share of the honour of having assisted, in no small degree, to build up the foundation of the Province of Otago." Mr. Cutten said he did not intend to stand as a candidate ; upon which a section of the crowd yelled and hooted. Mr. Rkynold3 objected that if a candidate, did not mean to stand, he had no right to speak. The Retubnikg Officer ruled that any person nominated had a right to speak. But upon again attempting to address the electors, the noise was repeated for nearly half an hour, during which time Mr. A; J. Burns — the weight of "whose boots is generally a. public meeting of more avail than the strength , of his arguments—particularly distinguished , himself; Mr. Jones was on the eve of a couple of fights with electors who did not appreciate 1 his style of arguing a question ; and ■ two or : three stoekowners — one a J.P. — yelled with [an elegance and vigour which would have

done credit to the shilling gallery of a low London tbreatre on a Boxing-night. The Returning Officer repeatedly requested order ; and Mr. M 'Master— who, being a gentleman, no doubt was much annoyed at being so compromised by his proposer and seconder— begged that fair play might be accorded : but ail in. vain. The candidate, however, being determined to stand his ground, a compromise was come to that he should be allowed ten minutes. He said he did not intend to stand, as Major Richardson had been nominated. . He would, however, direct the attention of the electors to the importance of the occasion, and to consider well before giving their votes. Some two years since, Mr. J. P. Taylor came before them as a candidate for the General Assembly ; he (Mr. Cutten) had then urged the danger of taking a man whose interests were diametrically opposed to those of the constituency : tor the sequel of that affair he need not allude. Then he would point their attention to the course of legislation on the subject of land within the last few years. They had had the " Land Sales and Leases Ordinance " passed at the instigation of runholders to protect their runs. They had introduced reduced Hundreds, and now it was sought to extend the pre-emptive right to 1000 acres; even one of tbe candidates had said he would, with the consent of the Provincial Council and his Executive, increase the pre emptive right. The agriculturists did not wish to take away one privilege that the squatters enjoyed — they wished to carry out the bargain made ; but the present was an aggressive movement on the squatters' part, who wanted greater privileges. He only wished the electors to look ■*rell to what they were doing ; and, ironically thanking them for the patient hearing they had given him, retired^ The Returning Officer then called for a show of hands for the respective candidates, and stated the numbers to be for Major Richardson 64 Mr. M'Master 77 Mr. Macandrew 110 Mr. M'Master demanded a poll, which takes place on Friday the 17th instant. The Re- ' turning Officer here read several clauses of the new Election Act, in explanation of the system of voting, and the penalties attached for any infringement of the provisions of the Act, and reminded all parties that none but those whose names .were on the published Electoral Roll for 1 $60-61 were entitled to vote on the present occasion. An elector might vote at any one of the various polling places in the Province, but of course he was only to vote once. A vote of thanks to the Returning Officer closed the proceedings, and the meeting separated.