Political Speeches.

Patea Mail, Volume VI, Issue 523, 22 May 1880, Page 3

Political Speeches.

SIR G. GREY AT CHRISTCHURCH. Sir George Grey addressed a largo meeting at Christchurch on Tuesday night, and was warmly received. Ho said ho was still their representative, although another person had been put in his place by a method which was a deadly stab al the liberties of the people. _ He had been ousted as the representative of Christchurch contrary to all precedent, and contrary to tho law and dicision of tho judges. He pledged himself that every session he would move that the votes which deprived tho electors of Christchurch of their just rights should bo expunged Irom tho journals of the House. It was his duty to do so, in order to defend the rights of the electors of New Zealand, which had been outraged in tho person of Christchurch. He denied being a stump orator, and defended his conduct in addressing large meetings to instruct them on Government subjects, and teach them how to rule. He contrasted this with Hall going to a small village to speak, and strongly condemned tire Auckland four’s compact, saying tho Auckland people rejected with scorn the bribe offered. He gave up office rather than be a party to disgraceful jobs. He denounced the principle of nominated Governor, and advocated discontinuance of Legislative Council honom ism. He objected to an increase in the Customs duty, advocating land and income tax. Ho asked the people to stamp out any attempt to stop free education. The cardinal points of those now in power were to take taxes from land and tax the necessaries of life ; and further, they would stint the tree of knowledge, but the people would not allow of that. Then, too, they talked of stopping subsidies instead of getting the substantial endownments promised by the Treasurer when he advocated doing away with provinces. He was willing to abolish Education Boards, allowing committees to communicate with the Minister, and denounced the present jobbery in Native lands, at which the Government connived. It was their boundeu duty to ace thet public lands were not tampered with by speculators, and also that every individual had his vote preserved, so that tho rights of these single individuals might, as well as tho rights of the whole, be strictly preserved. He concluded by avowing his determination to porserve in the course he had taken until his life’s end.

A resolution proposed by Mr Andrews, expressing regret at the circumstances which had deprived them of the services of Sir George Grey, their thanks for his address, their renewed confidence in him, and that they still regarded him as their representative, was earned unanimously. MR REID AT HOKITIKA. Mr Reid, addressing his constituents at Hokitika, condemned the property tax as inquisitorial and expensive to collect, and very objectionable ; said the fatal mistake made by the Opposition was in deposing Grey from the leadership ; reviewed the proposed Ministerial measures so far as they were known, and said ho would support the Licensing Bill if the principle of local option was intended to be applied to new licenses only. He thought the now Representation Bill should include a now redistribution of seats. He condemned the stoppage of subsidies to local bodies as a broach of faith, and ridiculed the system of Government by Commission. A vote of confidence was given. MR BARON AT CAVERSHAM. Mr Baron, ad dressing his constituents on Monday, censured the Government for their tactics in assuming and retaining office, accusing them of treachery ; he strongly opposed the property tax, and said if they would repeal this they would not be met by factious opposition. He considered the land tax was preferable, and ho also favoured an increase in the Customs’ duties and beer tax. MR SEDDON AT KUMARA. Addressing his constituents at Kurnara, Mr Seddon said the present Government had adopted the measures of their predecessors with slight amendments. He condemned the District Railways vote as the greatest job ever perpetrated. If the Redistribution of Seats Bill was based on population and not on area, he would support it. Ho did not coincide with Grey’s ideas of an Elective Council. He was in favor of repealing the Property Tax, introducing the Land Tax and also a Beer Tax if necessary. He should support the abolition of the gold duty, and the taxation of Borough Councils for making roads outside Municipalities.

HOSPITAL AND CHARI TIES BILL. Mr Hall’s “ Hospitals and Charitable Institutionsßill ’’was circulated sometime ago amongst the various local bodies, with a view to obtaining their opinion as to its provisions. It is a measure which contemplates the division of the colony into a number of districts for the purposes of the Act, and one of which districts may comprise one or more Counties or any Borough or Boroughs contiguous thereto. The division is to to bo made by the Governor in Council, as he can declare hospitals or charitable institutions in shall be brought within the operation of the Act, what local bodies shall contribute to the funds in aid ; what their several proportions shall be ; and how many members shall constitute the Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards in the various districts. The exclusive management and control of euery hospital and charitable institution brought under the operation of the Act is to be vested in in these Boards, which are to be elective, two points occur in the consideration of this portion of the Bill to which the greatest attention should be paid. The Boards are certainly elective, but the constituencies are merely the councils of those local bodies which are contributory towards the Hospital and Charitable Aid funds. The Bill does not contemplate the extinction of the voluntary element. The fifty sixth section says that the Hospital and Charitable Aid Fund shall consist of moneys arising from (1) Grants by Parliaments : (2) Grants from the contributory local bodies; (3) Donotions and annual subciiptions ; (4) Bents and profits of land; and (5) Kevetrue from other sources. —Wanganui Chronicle. A Fearful Mubdbr has just beeu roportedfrora the Big Lake country in America, A small woman, with dark hair and eyes, was found dead with a bullet-hole in the back of her head. Her clothing was completely stripped off, her ankles tied with a rope, and her body dragged up a canyon. She had branded on her right .arm, in Indian ink, the drawing of a figure resembling either a flower-pot with flowers growing, or else a heart with a stern projecting out of it, with the capitals ”M.F Struck by a Whale.— The British barque Orient, which arrived recently in Liverpool from San Francisco, was struck by a whale on 25th December, while off Cape Horn. The whale struck the ship on the port bow, between the Bft and 10ft marks; broke two beams of the ’tween forecastle deck, and also broke the deck and bilged in the bulkhead,

PRESERVED MEATS. Home papers state that there is evidently !i very extensive liking for preserved meats as I hoy are now presented to the public, and fresh novelties in the supply are almost continually being brought forward. Besides beef and mutton in almost endless variety, with tongues and soups in every imaginable form, to suit persons of all ranks and degrees, there arc preserved rabbits, turkeys, and chicken, so that the greatest perplexity besetting consumers now may be said to be, not an assortment to select from, but what is the the best article to choose. Independently of the meat in tins, there have been liberal arrivals or fresh meat during the past month, and all has gone into consumption without delay, placing it beyond a doubt that in this and many other simaliar cases the supply first creates the demand, and then the want that is thus clearly left leads to a redoubling of the efforts to meet it.— Chronicle.

PRESERVED BUTTER FOR EXPORT. A new method of keeping butter sweet for exportation is being discussed at New Plymouth and in Canterbury, Messrs Malony fc Co., of Christchurch, have received the following from their London agents:—Wc have not again heard from the Aylesbury Company about their process for butter preserving, but we have recently obtained information of a paper which appears to have excellent preserving qualities, and which we think would answer your purposes without the necessity of paying a royalty. To our knowledge, but ter has been kept sweet in it for a period of sixteen months, which certainly is promising enough. The butter should be carefully and closely wrapped in the paper, and all edges of tho paper secured by paste, or by strips of paper pasted over the joints; and the packages might be kegs or cases, &c. The paper is rather expensive, but this would be as nothing provided it answers. It is, moreover, difficult to obtain, asit is in very great demand. By this post, in a registered letter packet, wc send you two ounces of fresh butter, put up in this paper; and for security to the mail letters we have had the packet put into an air-tight tin case, but do not know whether this will prejudice the contents by sweating or otherwise. Wc also send you in a registered book [jacket nine sheets with which to experiment. Tho present sample is 20 by 30 inches, and weighs about 30 pounds to the ream of 480 sheets, but it can be made of any size and weight (or thickness), even much larger if necessary.”

WHEN WAS THE BEGINNING? There was a time when wandering nomads pushed their way across this strait and that mountain barrier, and found nothing but silent solitary, primeval nature before them. But of all these movements we know nothing. In all the great migration of races of which history informs us, the advancing race has had to fight its way against those in possession of the ground, whom we in our ignorance call aborigines, but who were probably also invaders of a region inhabited before their arrival. Of all the movements of the first explorers we know nothing at all in a single instance, save, of course, those of a few small islands lying remote and isolated in an immense ocean. How and when did the Eskimo make his way along frozen continents to the regions of Arctic barrenness and polar night ? Who was ti>o s .-oot leader who pushed out into what must have seemed an infinite ocean, and planted the Maori race in New Zealand, and whence did he come ? The vast continent of America, with its peculiar typo of mankind, how was it reached and settled, by way of connection with Asia or by way of the sunken continent of the Atlantis ? The groups of islands in the vast Pacific, scattered widely and loosely over that boundless waste of waters, whence do they derive the human inhabitants whom we found settled there when our seamen made what we call voyagesof“ discovery?” It is not discovery, but re-discovery, of which long ago history tells us, and the beginnings are lost in the deep darkness of the illimitable past.— Australasian.

FOSSIL FISH DISCOVERED. The Otago Daily Times reports the discovery of portions of the skeleton of a very largo fish lift below the surface of the ground at the gasworks. Tire formation of the ground thereabouts consists of blue clay, interpersed with oyster and cockle shells to the depth of at least 30ft, In this bed fish remains are often found, but those recently discovered are of a peculiarly interesting character. The vertebra; of a whale were found in the excavation which is now being made for the new gasholder. The bones arc those of an enormous swordfish. The sword bone is about Ift in length, and is lin in breath at the wide end. The tail fin has also been found, and is of proportionately large dimensions. A number of the vertebras and portions of the fin, as'well as other pieces of bone, have been got 'out, aud arc in a capital state of preservation. It is roughly estimated that the fish must have been 18ft long, so that, should the entire skeleton be obtained, itwillbcavery interesting specimen.

FREE-PASSAGE GIRLS. A shipload of nominated emigrants for New Zealand left Plymouth in February. The Home News says: About one hundred of these are single women, drawn mostly from the ranks of domestic servants, and intended for the same walk of life in the colony. It appears nearly certain that the young women who have proceeded to New Zealand have sent back very flourishing accounts to their friends. Wages there for domestic servants are more than twice as high as with us, and there is besides the chance —something like a certainty, indeed—of early marriage. The bait cannot but bo tempting to the fair sex in a country where women, according to political economists, are redundant, and the number of spinsters and old maids greatly on the increase. The only question is, do these female emigrants marry well in New Zealand ? That marriage is a lottery, is an adage as old as the hills. Husbands may be plentiful enough in the Antipodes, but are they always of the right sort ? The offers made are not always such as an honest girl should accept; while the excellentparti) with his grant of land which he cultivates himself, may prove on a closer acquaintance a gentleman who purposes to turn bis wife into a more household drudge. Nevertheless, the stream of female emigrants sets steadily towards the Antipodes, and housewives at home complain more and more that the class from winch domestic servants are drawn is rapidly thinning out.

• Not Bad. —lt is related of a well-known mcrcliant of a neighbouring city, that after making his will and leaving a large property to a trustee for his son, he called the young man in, and, after reading the will to him, asked if there was any alteration or improvement he could suggest. “Well father,’’said the young gentleman, lighting a cigarrette,” I think as tilings go nowadays, it would be better for me if you left the property to the other fellow, and made me the trustee.’’ The old gentleman made up his mind then and there that theyoung man was quite competent to take charge of his own inheritance, and scratched the trustee clause out.