Page 1 Advertisements Column 7

Southland Times, Issue 4186, 29 November 1881, Page 1

; Election Notices, "jr NVERCARGILL ELECTION My committee will meet this evening at 8 o'clock as usual, at Mr Mair's building, Dee street. i JOSEPH HATCH, n23 Candidate. I , ■pEQUISITIOH. I TO DAVID SMYTH, ESQ. ; Sib, — We, the undersigned electors in the Awarua District, beg that you will allow yjourself to be nominated as a candidate for a seat in tbe House of Representatives for the Awarua District, and we pledge you our utmost support to gain your return:— James Henderson James Munro Proctor Nicholson J. F. Dundas Rodney S. Pa'sley C. C. Stevens John Drake Solomon Shepherd C. J. Warden James Wilson Robert Craig J. H. Dawson A. W. Dawson Thomas Barclay John G. Brown Benjamin Edwards i James Crombie A. Darling George Frisken John Oughton James Ferguson Archibald McCallnm William Asher John Brook Francis Jack R. Mclllwrick Alex. Steel John McPherson And one hundred and twenty-six other electors. REPLY. To Messrs Henderson, Munro, Nicholson, and the other one hundred and fifty. one electors who have signed the Requisition, Gentlemen, — I am duly favored with your requisition, and, after careful consideration, I consent to allow myself to be nominated as a candidate for the Awarua electorate. It is peculiarly gratifying to me to receive such a signal mark of confidence from so many electors, the great bulk of whom have known me for upwards of half a generation, and all of whom have a cousiderable stake in the colony, and are deeply interested in its prosperity and welfare. The great respect I entertain for the many old settlers whose names appear on the requisition, overcame all my scruples and reluctance to give my consent. I am deeply sensible of your confidence, and I sincerely trust that my conduct and my actions may be such as to retain your esteem, whether or not I be elected as your representative, In due time I will take the necessary steps in order to place before you my political views, which are Liberal, but not Radical.^ In the meantime, Gentlemen, I beg to remain, Your obedient servant, DAVID SMYTH. 21st September, 1881 523 TTOKONUI DISTRICT. TO THE ELECTORS. Gentlemen, — Having received requisitions signed by 230 electors, in various parts of the district, requesting me to offer myself as a candidate to represent your electorate in the General Assembly ; I have the honor to intimate that it gives me pleasure to comply therewith. Until the receipt of these requisitions and the very large support otherwise assured me, I was very indifferent as to seeking a seat in the new Parliament, and in any event had long since determined that on no" account would I seek to represent any but an agricultural district. While we should all view with pride the increasing importance of our various commercial centres, I cannot help feeling that it has a tendency towards unduly centralisiug wealth and influence (and consequently the expenditure of public money) to the prejudice of the outlying agricultural districts. If I have the honor to be returned as your representative, I will join and work with that section of the House whose principles are : — The Unity of the Colony. The Continuance of our Public Works Policy, combined with proper encouragement to immigration (for I hold that it will end in utter ruin to all if we stop half-way). Economy in the Public Works Service, without such cheese-paring reductions as 10 per cent, discounts on the salaries of Civil servants and Government employes. The Financial Separation or adjustment of revenue and expenditure between the two Islands. The extension and improvement of our system of Local Government, provided with funds to open up the country for settlement, which the Central Legislature is both unable and unwilling to undertake. A direct steam communication with Englamd. The opening up of the whole country for settlement in reasonable-sized Pastoral and Agricultural Blocks, re-leasing by auction the Pastoral Crown Lands after subdivision, but subject at all times to free selection (before survey) under the Deferred-payment sj'stem in suitable sized areas iatbana fide agricultural settlement, and the disposal of Educational and other Reserves under the same regulations as ordinary Crown lands, the same regulations to be applicable to all the Crown lands of the colony. The reduction in the cost of Education, reverting to the system of moderate school fees, thus placing parents (through School Committees) and teachers upon a more independent footing. The discontinuance of bonuses to Local Industries, which are seldom productive of the results aimed at, substituting therefor just sufficient Protective duties to encourage the investment of Colonial capital, without unduly increasing the coat to consumers. The reduction of Railway Carriage on Agricultural produce, timber, minerals, and manures. If returned, with the honor of representing the first Agricultural District in the colony, and in which I have such a large personal interest, identical with that of every resident elector, I will do my utmost to give effect to the views exprrssed, and specially will I do all in my power to open up aud improve it. I will fcot be deterred by a section of the press in anj particulai centre o£ population from using all the.influence I possess in passing an Act for opening up the lands for settlement in the Waikaia Valley, or in the construction of light railways up that Valley, and from Elbow towards Mararoa, and from Winton to the Nightcaps, and an extension of the Forest Hill line to a junction of the main line between Invercargill and Dunedin. The question as to whether it will be of more benefit to one town or the other is no concern of yours or mine, but i venture to think that no district should stand still while rival towns are disputing as to its ownership. Commercial enterprise will or should regulate this to the advantage of all. As far as I am personally co^cernfrl, 1 have no special Bympathy for one town more *han the other. As a matter of fact, I have not sufficient interest in either Dunedin or Invercargill to enable me to qualify myself as an elector in either of these places, With regard to the present Government, I claim to be in an entirely independent position. So long as they carry out the views I hold and show a reasonable desire to assist the district, they will receive my support, but not otherwise. I will take an early opportunity of publicly expressing my views at greater length on the subjects now briefly referred to, as well as many others of equal importance. And I would respectfully ask those electors who do not personally know me to withhold granting their support in the meantime. I am, gentlemen, Yours faithfully, H. DRIVER Waimea, Oct., 1881. ocl9.