POLITICAL NEWS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XI, Issue 3069, 26 April 1884, Page 2

POLITICAL NEWS.

mr. McDonald : resignation yet likely.

THE PREMIERS DUNEDIN SPEECH.

It has become known that a resignation and an election for this electorate is, after al^ very likely to eventuate, and it is at any rate an even chance tha t next week we shall find Mr. McDonald has left Auckland by the mail steamer, leaving his resignation behind him. Of course no one will rely on it till it is officially announced, but there arc several circumstances whioh add weight to the view that the resignation will take place. A private telegram received to-day from Auckland from a friend of Mr. McDonald says: — " It is Mr. Allan McDonald's full iuteution to leave for Englaud on Tuesday if a gentleman with whom he has important business arrives before the departure of the steamer. The business to be transacted will only require his attention for an hour or two. Mr. McDonald says he cannot leave unless this gentleman arrivos ; but he fully expects him to come." Weimngton, this day. The following is an abstract of the speech Major Atkinson addressed to a very large meeting in the Queen's Theatre, Dunedin, on Thursday night ;— The Premier began by remarking . that ho knew ho was addressing an unfavorable audience, who looked upon him as the head of a Government of extravagance, which spent large su.tis unfairly in the North while neglecting the South altogether. He would quote figures to show how untrue this was. Since 1870 some nineteen and a quarter million* (L 19,250,000) had bean borrowed, of which upwards of two millions (L 2,000,000) had been spent in immigration and the remainder on public works. Altogether L 6,000,000 had been expended in the North, and 1,10,350,000 in the South. Had the money been distributed according to the mean population the figures would havo been 1^,550,0,00 for the North and L 10,700,000 for the South. This was without counting the Maori population. So that on that basis only L 300,000 more than the proper proportion had been expended in the North out of a total of L.17,250,000. No money could have been more equally divided, especially in view of the main object of "tli'o public Works policy, which was the construction of a u&ilvFay from Auckland to the Bluff. He defended the expenditure in detail. He was himself only re3ponsible for six and a half millions, two of which are not yet raised. He said he had been wongly reported at Hawera as saying there was no depression f n tfye colony. What he said was that there was none affeoting the soundness of the colony or the spending power of the people to any appreciable dogyeg. The people could rise to the occasion and Bwe«ip %> depression away. The Government had dared to telj. the people they were borrowing too freely and spending too lavishly. Their fault was not oeing a wakeful and extravagant Government, but a careful and epanomical Government. Much of the depression was caused by tho undue speculation in mining. They should promote local industries and so create wealth, Jf they faced the difficulties with stout heauts they would pass away. To take a ■rainy day to st«,p &\\ borrowing would increase the difficulties, but tijepe Sfhould be no indiscriminate borrowing. He ridiculed the decentralisation cry, and the so-called Constitutional Association should bo called an Anti-Constitutional Association. Decentralism such as they waajsad would only cause coufusion and increased expense. Turning out tho Government, altering the constitution, and stopping borrowing would not mend matters. They should bare faith in themselves and in the country, and things would como right. There were plenty of outlets for capital and labor to be profitably employed in. Ho knew it was uu popular to say s.o, but what they \yanfced was more immigration. In 1870 the people were taxed at L 3 4s 0d per head, now only at L 2 Is Bd, while wealth and wages had increased ; and if they had morp population it would still increase. After alluding to the railway tariff, Civil Service Reform and other matters lie denied the statements that he and Sir John Hall had disagreed, and ho concluded by urging hard work, economy, and self-control as all that is neoeasary to secure a great future. A motion of thiuks for the address was met by an amendment "That this meeting has no confidence in his administration of the Government." Only about half those present voted, and the Mayor, amidst some confusion, declared the motion carried.

It seems that preliminary meetings were held to arrange the demonstration against Mr. Rolleston when he spoke last Saturday night. A Wellington correspondent writes : -~ It is iv siguiiicaut indication of the eifeot

produced in the North by Mr. Montgomery 1 * recent speech, aud by the utterances of Mr. Macandrew, Mr. Bathgate, and Mr. Reynolds in the direction of insular separation, that whereas only a few weeks ago there was a strong feeling in Wellington that a change of Ministry was desirable, now all the candidates' f r Thorndon have most plainly and openly declared in favor of the present Government. . . . Mr. Bunny is notoriously fond of being on the winning side, and his preliminary canter round Thorndon soon showed him that such serious uneasiness had been creatod by Mr. Montgomery's speech as to render it certain that a candidate would not have a ghost of a chance who did not flatly renounco Mr. Montgomery and all his works. Mr. Bunny is a veteran political campaigner, and shrewd in forecastin •> eventualities. He has promptly detected the tendency of events, and has skillfully trimmed his sails to the breeze, with the result that his return is almost certain. Public feeling here is now rapidly consolidating in the direction of sinking all points of political difference, in order to preserve the unity of the colony. This will materially offect the prospects of the coming general election in the Wellington Province.