POLITICAL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 3047, 7 November 1896, Page 3

POLITICAL.

Mr F. R. Flatman will address the electors in the Pleasant Point Assembly Rooms this evening. On Tuesday evening ho will speak at Orari. Mr A. hi, G, Rhodes will address the electors at Albury this evening. MR FLATMAN AT TBMUKA. At the close of Mr Flat-man’s meeting on Wednesday he replied to an unusual number of questions. Ho stated that ho had not pledged himself to a non-borrowing policy, but had stated that if it was proposed to Iborrow ho would consider it, and if he found it for the good of the people ho would support it. As a matter of iri -i he found that,, if borrowing had stopped a number of people, some 3000, would have been thrown out of employment. Me certainly d-d nut consider the banking enquiry a fare-'. It had elicited a lot of inf >i nanon as lo the manner in which the bank aIT-irs had been manipulated. Ho c >;:l,! n.d :n’.y actually bow much it coat the colon;,• through some of the Opp 'shian going to tho Hutt races, and others seeing off the Gaiety girls by steamer (laughter), but it must have been a good lot, as it was the cause of the noconfidence debate. Hu would not support an Elective Execu rive. Do yon like Mr Hall-Jones still call this u non-borro.ving Government ‘l~ This appears to be two questions. Ido like Mr Hall Jones (laughter), and I have already shown, as regalds borrowing, what considerable assets wo have for money borrowed. (Applause.) Tho million loan might never be paid, but South Canterbury would get s ane £6OOO or £7OOO. He had got grants for opening up scenery, and for bridges at Orari and Point. But this was only a parish politician’s way of looking af. it. Tho Sinking Funds had not been seized. Debentures had been issued against them. Ho bad never given Mr Seddon any written or other pledge. He thought it a reasonable thing in the interest of the public that the Government should carry on the Hermitage. Be w mid ike to see a horse before he judged it, and ho would like to see a oneman Government before he expressed approval or disapproval of it. There was no such thing as a one man Government. This Government had not interfered in elections any more than other Governments. They had better enquire from Mr Rhodes how much of the two millions borrowed in his time had been spent in this district, Seeing that flax is now absolutely useless, and that if it could bo worked it would employ a great deal of labor, would you be in favor of giving a bonus on exported fibre, so as to render it capable of being worked 1 200 tons could be exported from this district yearly, and if a bonus of £2 per ton could be given it would bring £3,400 into this district, £3OOO of which would bo paid in wages. — i his was a new idea to him and wanted thinking out. If he could see it would increase the returns of our exports and give employment, he would give it his serious consideration. He oid not know that any of the borrowed money went to pay interest. He had voted for a measure brought in by Mr Hutchison in which it was provided that the Bible should be read out of school hours, not by the teacher, but by a person selected and paid by the parents. He was in favor of making all boards elective, as well as the Temuka Park Board. The cost of taking the census exceeded £IB,OOO, but tho Liberals did not desire it. It was forced on them by the North Island and the 1 'pposition. He had always heard that Mr Rhodes vot' d against the female franchise. He did not believe it would be in the interest of the country to allow consultations. He was not aware that his vote carried the measure for the seizure of tho Sinking Funds. Debentures were issued before ha was iti Parliament. The difference in tho amount carried on the railways between 1892 and 1895 and the decrease in the export and import trade from 1892 might be attributable to low prices, but he was not prepared to admit there was a decrease. He thought it right that bicycles should be paid for on the railways. He did not admit that there was a loos on our railways of £340,000. All the goldfields included in the grant of £200,000 were not on the West Coast. The money was to be distributed all over the colony. He had never had any association with the 'Truck Act. He had always been able to pay his way. Advertisements would shortly appear inviting offers of land for sale to the Government for settlement purposes in the neighborhood of Pleasant Point, Winchester, and Woodbury. Ho had not changed his views on the education question since ho first addressed them. Last year did not top the record for tomfoolery except as far as the Opposition were concerned. He had supported tho Rifle Association having the same concessions as before, and the Fire Brigades should bo on tho rune footing as regards railways. Ho was not in favor of 100 dly taxing bicycles more than a man’s horse and vehicle. If Arowhemia settlers were debarred from receiving loans under the Advance to Sottiers A.ct and had paid their fees for valuation it was wrong that these should not be returned, if application hrd been made though him ho would have endeavored to rectify it. A meeting of Mr A. E. G. Rhodes’s snpporiers was field in the Volunteer Hall, Geraldine,on Wednesday afternoon, when there were 7-1 present, 27 of whom were ladies. A strong central committee was formed, and sub-committees were appointed ior the various outlying dis tricis. An executive committee was also formed to call any further general committee meetings when necessary. Mr H. D. l>el!, in announcing his candidature for the mayor Jty of Wellington, slates that ho will not bo a candidate for Parliament. .Major Steward addressed the electors of Waitaki at Waimate on Tuesday evening There was a large aitendarco. In con- ! chining his adiuvss Major Steward said the main questions of this election were —Do you want a Liberal or Conservative i verniuent in power.’ W ore tho lands to bo opened up and settled’ Was tbopoei-

tiou of the worker to be improver), or

were tho doings of the but six years to bo undone i lie dd not c msider either Mr Clark or Mr Parker (although both were old Lionels of Ins) had tho ghost of a anew. It was a contest hetwoen Sutherland, tho Conservative, and toward, the Liberal. About ids living out of iho district, how much nearer was Mr Sutherland, who managed a station 80 miles above Kurow? Surely he could be got at quite as easily at Asb burton as Mr Sutherland could at Oaraarama. He felt sure his old friends would not forsake him, and they would again place him at the top of the poll. He concluded by reciting the following parody We’ll battle for our mother land, For righteous laws an’ a’ that, And spite o’ Duncan Sutherland We’ll win the fight for a’ that; For a’ that an a' that, Parker and Clark an a’ that, The Tories and the Nondescripts, We’re bound to win for a’ that. The candidate then resumed his seat amid applause. A vote of thanks was carried without dissent. Mr H. R. Parker addressed the Waitaki electors at St. Andrews m Monday evening. He said he opposed the old member, Major Steward —hu old friend of his—on two grounds, that ho did not reside in the district, and that he was a supporter of an extravagant and self-seeking party. Mr Duncan Sutherland was, by his own admission, the nominee of the County Councils’ Conference, and it was a little bit of uncalled for interference on their part to nominate a member without consulting tho electors. His objection to Mr Clark (the Mayor of Waimate, and the fourth candidate), was the same as lus second objection to Major Steward. Mr Parker spoke for over an hour on Opposition lines and was accorded a hearty vote of thanks The Hon. MrSeddon spoke atHalcombe on Tuesday night, his speech occupying three hours. He adversely criticised the Conservative press, and denied that, as Premier, he had the pledges of some members in his pocket. He conceded to others that freedom which he claimed for himself, and he did not intend to ask or receive a pledge from any candidate at the election. It was sufficient for him that tho candidate was a Liberal. He claimed that Liberalism had given to the colony manhood suffrage, triennial Parliaments, and the education system. He went over much of the ground covered at I A pit! and Feilding. He denied that the Liberal legislation struck at property. His Government had endeavored to pul the people on the land. He condemned the wholesale purchases of land on the part of tho Conservatives, and ho claim'd that tho colony was prosperous, and quoted figures comparing our exports in 1890 with those in 1895, showing an increase on the latter year. The Government had no intention of interfering with the existing land tenures, and the freehold system was secure, for the people wool I rise up in a rebellion against any party attempting to interfere with it. The exemptions from the land tax would not be increased. He d» fended his appointments to the Assets Realisation Board and the Anglo-Ge; man Syndicate, the latter being composed of the principal financiers in London. Ho was merely an advisor, and his position enabled him to stop “ wild cat ” companies. The Conservatives had no right to sneer at him for accepting tho position. It was his living, and he claimed his rights. He promised the introduction of more labor legislation to protect children. He defended the borrowing pokey, and thought that the Government could work a fire insurance scheme as successfully as they did liie insurance. The present tire companies charged exorbitant rates, and he was determined to remedy this abuse. Dealing with railway management, he said that the Government had conceded £30,000 on sheep and £50,000 on ordinary traffic, which the Railway Commissioners would not have done. A vote of thanks to Mr Soddon and of confidence in the Government was passed,