THE Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1896. MR FLATMAN’S SPEECH.

Temuka Leader, Issue 3047, 7 November 1896, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1896. MR FLATMAN’S SPEECH.

Mr Fiatman may be congratulated on the magnificent reception he got from his old constituents at Temuka last Wednesday evening. It was the largest and the most sympathetic audience we have seen at any political meeting in Temuka. The hall was packed, and at the back was a largo number who could not obtain seats, as there was only standing room for them. An audience which, under such couditious, listens with intense interest for 2-, hours to a political speech must be very much iu earnest as well in thorough sympathy with the speaker. There cau be no doubt about that, and consequently Mr Fiatman may feel assured of their good will, and of a large majority on election day.

Mr Fiatman had much that was interesting to tell. He voted frequently against. Ministers, ho said, and won Id do so again, if elected, when he differed from

them, but no vote of his would turn them out of office to put a Conservative Government into power. ■ There was a manly ring iu thia utterance which cauuot but prove galling to those who were trying to make capital out of Mr Flatmau’s loyalty to his leaders. They must indeed have felt small as they listened to Mr Flatmau giving utterance to these words and reading the Premier’s assertion that for a Government to insist on blind support was insulting, and that no such thing was ever demanded.

Be that as it may, we feel confident that his audience felt satisfied that Mr Fiatman did perfectly right in s ipporting the present Government, His review of their work was more than sufficient justification for having done so. Starling with the change iu the incidence of taxation iu 1891, he showed that that Act did not increase taxation, that it only moved it from shoulders that w r ere being crushed by its weight to shoulders well able to bear it. He showed that the effects of the graduated tax was to take about £70,000 per annum off the shoulders of small farmers and put it on to the shoulders of large laud owners. The next Act referred to was the Workmens’ Lien Act, under which the workmen cannot now be defrauded of their wages, aud theu he passed on to the Advances to Settlers Act, which he said reduced the rate of interest by about 2 per cent. The effect of this Act was to take about half a million a year out of the pockets of tho money-lenders and put it into tho pockets of the borrowers. He conld not shed tears of sympathy with money-lenders, and he could not believe that moneylenders wore in favor of cheap money.

His references to land settlement struck a chord of sympathy m the audionco that showed how they appreciated his utterances. There was never a time iu the history of the colony, he said, when it was easier for a poor man to get a piece of land than now, and that was perfectly true. This is a point that ought to be remembered above all others. If the present Government remain iu office, land settlement will bo pushed on more expeditiously than over and if Mr Fiatman is member for the district, he will without doubt securo for tho people more land to settle on. He has already a promise from tho Minister of Lands that efforts will bo made to get land in the neighborhood of Pleasant Roinßaud Woodbury, aud an advertisement is to be published soon inviting land-owners to sell to tho Government laud for settlement iu these districts. Wo hear a great deal about men having weight iu the Bouse, but no man ever represented this district who had so much weight as Mr Fiatman, if wo are to judge by what ho has done. Ho has dono more for the district than all the members that preceded him put together, and yet lie had not one word to say on this point. The only thing he boasted of getting was tho “ Raugitira bush.” Mr Flatmau seems to bo a special favorite with the <>ovorument, for he seems to get everything ho asks. Mr Fiatman had also something to say about Labor Legislation. Ho pointed out that six years ago the colony was convulsed by strikes aud labor agitations. Thia has been done away with, as Judges of the Supremo Court settle these disputes under tho Arbitration aud Conciliation Act. That this is tine is borne out by the fact that labor disputes on tho West (’oast were a lew weeks ago settled by Judgo Williams. It is indeed a blessing “devoutly to be wished” that wo shall never again have strikes or lock outs so long as tho law remains as at present, Mr Flatmau also pointed out how the nji.ral sense of tho colony was shocked some six or seven years ago by the discovery that “sweating” in its worst form existed in our large cities. This has now been remedied by Factory Acta. He referred to the enfrancliLemont of women, the reforms in liquor hi"-, and oilier men sores, and pointed out that at every stage the Conservative Party endeavored to block these mea.'tires. They resisted them in tho Council as long as they dared; they .stonewall, d them in the House of Representatives, and held all night sitting-' 1 to prevent them passing. But now they 1 asked tho public to believe that they were iu favor of them. Ho did not believe

they were, and did not think it would bo safe to trust them. The leopard, he said, could not change his spots,and neither could a Conservative become a Liberal. They had been dragged forward on the march of progress so far, but here they come to a standstill, aud refuse to go any further. Mr Flatman pointed out that a great deal more had to be done, and that it was the Liberal Party ought to be entrusted to do it On the whole Mr Flatman made a speech that will carry him into Parlia raeut by a large majority, but his friends must work and leave no stone unturned to secure his election It would be a great misfortune if the Government were defeated. We are promised that efforts will be made for securing land for settle meat at Pleasant Point, Winchester, and Woodbury, but if Mr Flatman is defeated we need uot hope to get it. The electors have, therefore, a special interest iu this election, and we trust they will do their duty.