CAPTAIN MORRIS'S MEETING.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 606, 22 January 1879, Page 2

CAPTAIN MORRIS'S MEETING.

In accordance with a public notification inserted m the two local journals, Captain Morris M.H.R., was present last evening for the purpose of explaining the action he had taken m the last session of the General Assembly. The meeting was announced for eight o'clock, but it was some time past that hour before the hall was well filled, and the business of the evening had commenced. On the motion of Mr. H. E. Webb, Captain Porter (Mayor) was moved into the Chair. The Chairman said it would not be deemed necessary that he should state the object of the meeting. That was known to all present. Before he called upon Captain Morris to address the electors, he should like to say a few words himself, because he would not have the opportunity later on. It was well known that Captain Morris was m opposition to the present Government and it was hard to see how it could well be that it should be otherwise. The many promises made by the Government had, scarcely one of them, been kept. There were times of depression when instead of Ministers helping the people of Cook County to tide over them, they threw every obstacle m the way. Ministers had, m fact, virtually shut up the districts. Land had been withheld ; the Land Courts closed ; moneys promised had been kept back ; and while grants and endownments and sums of money had been given to other places m the Colony, Poverty Bay which so much needed help had been left out ignored, or forgotten or wilfully neglected. He trusted that the meeting would give Captain Morris a patient hearing. Their representative had been on occasions very asiduous m endeavoring to secure for the people of the Bay several benefits ; and if he had not been successful it was not owing to any neglect shown to this portion of his constituency. Captain Morris then being introduced m form met with a warm and hearty welcome. .••■■•, Having expressed a feeling of gratification at the kindly manner m which he had been received, Captain Morris then

[proceeded with his address which lasted nearly one hour and a half. It was of little consequence to him whether at the close of the meeting he received a vote of confidence. He had lived long enough and had learned by experience that it was impossible to please every one, try as he might. He represented a constituency which comprised one third of the Province of Auckland. Of this constituency Poverty Bay represented only a comparatively small section. A large sum of money was promised to the district and should have come to it, but it had not come. He had telegraphed to the Government on the subject, but received no answer. He would, he supposed scarcely be blamed for that forwhlch he wa3 not responsible. Moneys voted and not appropriated ; promises made and not fulfilled ; fair words and no results was the sort of justice meted out by Sir George Grey. When at Wellington a deputation waited on him from Gisborne, and to that deputation he had given the greatest attention. There had been an application to him to move for the construction of a harbor, which was a thing of the utmost importance to the district. Well, he did move for onej although at the time, he knew it was all bosh. It was m this wise : Two or three influential members had moved for, and were likely to obtain money aid and land subsidies for harbors for their own particular districts. This would have absorbed a large sum from the colonial revenue to the detriment of other parts equally m want of harbors ; so, sooner than see two or three districts favoured at the expense of the Colonists at large he and his brother members had given notice for other harbors. They did not expect for a moment that such requests would be granted, but it prevented the favored members from getting theirs. If a place like New Plymouth was to have its hundreds of thousands spent on a breakwater, surely the people of Poverty Bay were entitled to, at least, a few thousands, by which their port would be equal to any m the Colony. With respect to a sum of £500 asked for the survey of the Harbour, a j promise by Sir George Grey had been unhesitatingly given, and as unhesitatingly broken. . The sum had been asked for by him (Captain Morris), but he had not been able to obtain it. Was that his fault ? Then there was the question of a tramway to Ormond. The lighter species of rail, he believed, could nave been obtained, but he thought the rails should be heavier than those proposed. Eighteen thousand pounds weight of rails were now at the Bluff, which would be placed at the disposal of the County ; but the County, he supposed, would have to pay the freight for them. What he protested against was the Government making promises to the ear, and breaking them to the hope. If the Government would only say— here we are, short of money with requests pouring into us from all sides ; we cannot give what you ask for ; our poverty, but not our will, prevents Us doing what you wish. Our hearts are with you, but the treasury is at deep low ebb. If, continued Captain Morris, the Government would only" be open and straightforward ; would only say what they mean, and cease making promises which they : never intend carrying out, they would be entitled to respect instead of that contempt which they have brought down on themselves. The speaker then went on to review the business of the session, about which we do not care to exhaust the patience of our readers, who have all read and heard the same sort of review over and overpgain, many times— too many, to bring pleasure or relief by a repetition. As touching the Native question, Captain Morris went on to say, when the present Ministry came into power, there were to be new measures altogether for dealing with Maori lands. He believed m free trade m native lands. He did not believe m the Government forming themselves into a monopoly of land buyers, to the exclusion of those who would buy to improve, to settle on, to depasture, or to cultivate. The Maories had not been cozened, wheedled, or misled by private buyers as they had by Government. The Maori was quite capable of taking care of himself. If he could deal with the Government, so could he deal with any ordinary purchaser. The Government had no more right to become land buyers/ then they had to set up insurance officers, or open co-operative stores. Capital was waiting m Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales, as well as m either island of the colony to buy unoccupied land, while the Government was withholding it from sale to the extent of some four millions of acres. It was paramount m the interests of the colony that the native question should be so settled that the uativeashould become good colonists. All animosities m the past must be buried. We ought riot, to legislate for the sake of a mere fleeting prosperity, but that the good to be done shall be permanent, and endure to the end. The speaker then, thanking the meeting for the hearing given him, sat down, when Mr. Webb came forward and commenced and continued a set speech. The audience accorded him a hearing quite for half-an-hour, and then declined to listen to him any longer. Mr. Webb persisted m speaking, and the meeting persisted m declining to hear him. The disorder was not very great ; but the Mayor had to call to order more than once, and to suggest to Mr. Webb that it was not right for him, by a long speech, to preclude others from asking questions upon matters on which they might desire information. Had Mr. Webb confined himself to asking one or two simple questions, instead of making a long, dry, and tiring speech, he would greatly have discomforted our member ; for no man could have shown greater weakness or inability to turn aside an unpleasant question or meet it with a smart retort. The manner he evaded the question as to why he "paired" on the Education Bill, and what side would he have taken had he not paired, was distressing to witness. Had Captain Morris given a straight reply ; had he said, because I did not like a system of National Education, ht would have been applauded, because a great many m the Hall would have been of his way of thinking. But he shirked the question, equivocated and contradicted himself. And this was the sole reason why Captain Morris did not receive a vote lof confidence at last night's meet- i ! Amid some little confusion as to how the amendments and resolutions should be put, the following was the order and

result :— Mr. Wards' amendmenJLiipon Mr. Webb's resolution. Thej^Mr. ' Webb's resolution ; and afterwards Mr. Walker's amendment on Mr. Ward's amendment. The resolution was— That this meeting does not consider Captain Morris a fit and proper representative ; number a, of hands held up, 23. First amendment ■ (Mr. Ward's)— That Captain Morris is entitled to the confidence of the meeting ; number of hands held up, 16. Second amendment (Mr. Walker's) — That this meeting passes neither censure nor want of confidence m Captaiu Morris ; number of hands held up, 28, Mr. Walker's amendment was therefore carried.