The Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Tuesday, October 14, 1879.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 921, 14 October 1879, Page 2

The Poverty Bay Herald AND East Coast News Letter. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Tuesday, October 14, 1879.

Mr. Andrews, m his Address m Reply to His Excellency's speech, at the opening of the new Parliament, referred to many important matters ■which he considered demanded immediate legislation. One of these touched upon the objectionable system of plurality qf^voting for local bodies. Says Mr. Andrews :— When we take '. into consideration the fact that something like .£550,000 is being paid annually to local bodies, I think that some change must take place relative to plural voting. It seems-to me that when such a iai'ge amouht of the tax- , payers' money is annually paid from the Consolidated Fund,'*- something should be done m regard to this plural mode of voting. For instance, I will take the oase of a man having five votes m my own constituency. He may possess property of sufficient extent to entitle him to five votes m each ward. There are four wards m the City of Christchurch, and this man would be entitled to possess twenty' votes. He may have five, ■votes for four dijfferent places outside these wards ; so that m au election under the present 'system he may be entitled to record forty votes. The system may work m this way. I know of one case m particular where during the last election a person has taken advantage of. this system of plural voting, and has recorded m the city and ohtside the city some forty votw, tmd^yet he is simply a lodger, lodging m a public-house and enjoying himself m that way. He has no further status of .any kind; he is nothing else but simply a lodger, and -nevertheless, by tKe system of plural voting, he is entitled to record some-thing-like forty votes. On the other hand I can point to the case of an individual with a wife and ten children, making m .all twelve persons, taxpayers of the country ; and he has simply the power of recording a single vote. Surely there is something •wrohg^ 4i6re, • and something that requires looking into." Mr. AlNdbews then referred to the -question • of ' small farm settlements. What we "want,'* said the mover of the reply, •is' the creating of small-farm settlements, so as.' to. provide .homes for the people. It is homes forthe people that we require • and m connection, "with these homes we want constant employment for the labouring classes. If these objects be accomplish/ed; we shall then have colonists of the right stamp settled •throughout, the country— men who ■will grow up aiid identify themselyes with the places m which they are located. Any person who has taken the trouble to look around m many towns m New Zealand will admit with me that the houses of the working-people are not what we should call homes. For instance, m the City of Wellington, if we look at

the houses — it is hardly fair to call j them homes — if we pass by the majority of the bouses where the working-classes dwell m and around Wellington, we see that they are destitute of any flowers, shrubs, plants, or fruit-trees. The places where many of the working classes dwell, and learn to dwell are as a rule the kind of places fit only for lodgers. I think this House should earnestly take this matter into its careful consideration. By So doing it will confer a great benefit on the people of New Zealand, and on. people living m the towns particularly. We shoul offer inducements to them to go into the country and settle there. If inducements were held out of the kind referred to, I am sure they would tempt many persons who are now hanging about the towns — if I may use such an expression. They would tend to remove many of those who are now compelled to remain m the town* out of employment, and cause many of them to go to the country and make homes for themseles and homes for their families." Mr. Andrews here hits the right nail on the head. There are too many men congregated m the towns of the Colony, and too few dispersed m the rural lands of the Colony. The cause is, that land hitherto, has not been obtainable m small areas and upon such terms" as working men. could comply with • and this has long been the curse of New Zealand. "What I contend is," Mr. Andrews goes on to say " that if we are to have a settled and prosperous country here ifc must grow gradually. If men will bring out their friends it will not only be advantageous to themselves, but we shall obtain colonists, of the right stamp, whose services to the country be known before they are brought .out. His Excellency refers to the estimates^of expenditure. The House can scarcely -be called upon to express an opinion with regard to them at the present time. As a matter of necessity they must be placed m detail before us before we can form an opinion as to their allocation m connection with the requirements of the colony. Of this, however, lam sure : The House is satisfied that, no matter what may be the position of our affairs, public works must be carried on • our trunk railways must be completed, the best routes should be carefully examined into, and Select Committees should be appointed to investigate these matters. Whatever else may happen, our public works must receive the fullest attention. It is only by taking advantage of our railways to move about from one place to another place that we can see the altered position of affairs since the old coach-roads were the only means of communication."