MR GEORGE MACLEAN AT WAIKOUAITI.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 801, 5 June 1879, Page 2

MR GEORGE MACLEAN AT WAIKOUAITI.

1 The following is a portion of Mr. G. McLean's address to his constituents at Waikouaiti : —He said the Otago Daily Times last month, received £385 from 1 the Government for advertising. That was bribing the Press, and bribery and s corruption with a vengeance. Speaking of Native matters, he denied that , the Opposition had m any way brought • about the present position of affairs. On i the contrary, Major Atkinson went I among the Maoris at Hawera, and I tried to prevent them going to war. Mr. L McLean strongly deprecated war. We • must have a loan, and so go on. If a 1 shot was fired, our chance of getting ■ a loan was gone. Referring to the I Waimate Plains trouble he said, that instead of a block around each settlement being left unsurveyed, a line had been cut through Titokowaru's settlement, and the pegs driven m at his } door. If the Natives were treated r straight forwardly, and faith kept with I them, there need be no fear of trouble. He next trouched upon financial f matters, dwelling at length on the land i fund. He pointed out that he had t foretold a diminution of revenue for this season. He estimated there i would be at least £360,000 of t a deficiency that Government ought to [ have foreseen. These other estimates he 1 thought would be realised, with the D exception of £100,000, Land Tax, and to collect which would involve an t expenditure of £30,000, and which j might have been saved, had the collection been entrusted to the Counties- [ With a kdowledge of the causess of the monetary depression, he must say they should advocate for the pushing on of public works. Concerning the tariff I alterations, he argued that there was no 8 necessity for the removal of grain or j timber duties, and the reduction of p duties on sugar and tea had not benifited the working classes. He contended j that ad valorem duties were proper, because they enabled to be taxed, as 1 such, what where strictly luxuries. Revenue was wanted, and he would say, tax the land or anything else, for revenue, but don't drive capital away, as the colony could not afford to part 1 with it