Provincial Council Election.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 1947, 1 April 1875, Page 2

Provincial Council Election.

DOMINATION OF CANDIDATES. The nomination of candidates to fill a vacancy in the Provincial Council caused by the death of W. T. Swan, Esq., took place at noon to-day, at the Court House, Shortland. Precisely at 12 o'clock Captain Fraser, Returning Officer, read the writ ordering the election, and the usual election notice which he had caused to be inserted in the local papers. He said all they had to do was to propose and second whoever they wished to fill the office of member for the Thames. Mr John Gibbons said the pleasing duty devolved upon him to propose a maa well known to them* He was not going to paint the lily or gild the fresh rose. Mr Davies had been a worker amongst them, and their action in making him Mayor was significant of their intentions (no, no, and yes). They wanted to get out of the old groove into which they had been running. They' wanted to see if the political machinery could be run honestly (cries). They would do that— make the attempt at the Thames. They wanted to reduce taxation and do all they could for the place. They didn't want a man who said he would oppose the granting of! the foreshore as an endowment, on which they couid raise a hundred thousand. He was a doer and not a -speaker. He proposed Mr Davies as a fit and proper person to represent them in the Council. • Mr B. Kennah had much pleasure un seconding him, and, in doing so, he might say, from the respect in which he was held, and the weight he would bring, he would do as much for the Thames as any man they could return.

Mr C. F. Mitchell rose to speak, but was told he was not on the roll.

Mr Mitchell said it was a piece of rascality. However, there was No. 2 Minei's Right. (Mr Mitchell here made a great point by producing his miner's right.) (Cheers.) He then proceeded. He came befora them with regret. They had lost two men whom he regretted. The last time he was on the hustings was to propose W. T. Swan, by which he had got into disrepute with his own supporters. He had acted honestly on that occasion. He was not going to cast aspersions on any man, but he would not submit to be told that they had got into a dirty groove. They did not want the nominee of an Auckland Ting. They would have a member of Sir George's tail —a man who had been ono.of his supporters wh:n lie was cried down by the very men who were now cringing at his feet. He said they did not want a mere tool in the hands of others, and they would have that in Mr Davics, who, he had always said, was unfit for the office of Mayor (cries of "oh!") They wanted trained men in the Council, and not men who would change their opinions as often as the Dutchman. (Mr Mitchell then referred to the results of the action of the General Government.) He had something to say of the foreshore. But for the opposition of Mr, Davies they would have had the foreshore. The foreshore had. been giren by Mr Vogel when he (Mie speaker) went to Wellington. The late Superintendent would have given the foreshore. (No, no, and disorder,) (Mr Mitchell again referred to the action of the Auckland ring.) He said they didn't want to bo ruled by mine managers any more than they did by an Auckland ring. They retarded settlement and wanted to have the fat for their own friends. He would not say the • man he would propose would do all they wanted, but he would assert that he would fight for them., He had been accused of being a follower of John Williamson. He considered it a credit to him and not a disgrace. He had served them wisely, but too well, and he would not allow any one to throw such in his face as a reproach. He would not trespass further on their time. Since he had pre posed the gentleman whose funeral he attended lately in Auckland he had not appeared before them. The man he had to propose had served them well. They heard a great deal of Provincialism. It was a canting cry of the press, and they knew nothing about it. The General Government was more corrupt than the Provincial Government. Let them send somebody who would support the Superintendent. He would propose William Howe, Thames, freeholder, r

Mr Hart seconded the nomination. He did so because he was a working man. He had worked among them eleven years here and in Auckland, and he had known both Mr U owe and Mr Davies. The working men would have to be considered in these matters. The out-districts had. be considered, and if the out-districts were supported, they would support the Thames town, but if the out districts were neglected the town would die a natural death. Mr Davies had gone into the Council as Mayor, promising hot to receive a salary. He had taken a salary, and increased the other salaries and expenses to such an extent that there was nothing left. He had known William Rowe for many years, and he had always done aa much as possible for the wording men. He was an honest man, but an uneducated man. He seconded Mr William Rowe. (Mr Hart said, here is a man who wronged me of £14 —pointing in the direction of Mr Davies and his supporters.) Mr Gibbons wanted to know if it was him that was referred to?

There being no other candidates the gentlemen proposed were called upon to speak.

Mr William Davies, Mayor, said—Mr Betuming Officer and gentlemen,—l come before you as an untried man, but itill not as a man whom you know nothing about. I have been resident amongst you six years, and have during the whole of tbat tf me been mixed up in public affairs,' especially in the affairs of the town; and I challenge any man present or upon thje Thames to say that I have ever dotfe wrong. As for those parties who accuse me, let them prove what they say to be correct. Mr Mitchell, in proposing Mr. Rowe, said ithat I had been instrumental in hindering the Foreshore from being handed over. I say that is false. (Hear. Mr Mitchell: I say it is true.) I challenge him to prove it. Not by mere assertion—-that :is of little value; but let them prove it. (Mr Mitchell: Produce Dean's documents.) I challenge any one" to say, further, that 1 am the nominee of any one in Aucklar d. I am not. I will go in, if elected, as a free anil independent man. I will not afterwards go and ask any man to do anything for me. I will not go, as some of our friends hare done, and want 600 acres of land on a free grant. I say I .am equally as indepen-. dent as Mr Howe, though I may not be so rich. Wife regard to the seconder of Mr Rovre, who says he is the poor man's friend, I may say that I am as much the poor man's friend as he is. I have been a working man myself up to the present time (Hear), and have never professed to be any more. I never set myself up against any man. But Mr Hart says this because I did my duty. He had a contract with the board of, which I was a member, and when he threw it up I refused to be a party to giving him any money for it.—(Hear, cheers, some remarks from Mr Hart, and general confusion.) I am standing before you, in opposition to five of the most able men, as far as politics are concerned, on the Thames. I know nothing about the ropes (Hear). In regard to what Mr Hart said about my receiving a salary as mayor, I never said anything about a salary. (A voice: You should not have accepted a salary.) I take that about the sa'ary for what it is worth, for I know it is only used to strike in here. The salary which I receive will never compensate me for. the loss of time which attention to my official duties has occasioned. (Hear.) I would not on any consideration have come out in opposition to Mr. Bowe,. unless I had been asked by a great number of the electors, many of whom are now present to do so. I have always tried to do the best I could, and if you are willing to place confidence in me, I will always make it my duty to see that your interests are attended to; and they, will doubtless be attended to far better; than they would be by some others, though I may not be as good a speaker., (Cheers.) I can work, and work I will if you return me. I shall not afterwards be afraid to stand before you, and dare, you to accuse me of having done you wrong. If I cannot, in accordance with my duty, do what is ri^ht, I will retire, and you can elect some one else. (Cheers.) I cannot address you now on subjects that will likely come before the Council at its next sitting, as there will be so much to do, and some of it will arise with the occasion. The only thing is this. I believe that the country must be opened up if we want to be prosperous. There are plenty of people here now who would be glad to settle on land. I saw a man the other day with £1,100, who wished to get some land in the Waikato, but was unable to obtain it. Nothing has a geater tendency to the prosperity ot' the country than the , settlement of the landa, and the subject would receive my earnest attention. Whether mining, agriculture or manufacture, I consider it is our duty to make every industry prosperous. With regard to other matters alluded to by Mr Howe's mover and seconder, the best part of it was merely clap-trap. This is not the time to see whether a man knows the requirements of the place. All I ask you to do is to judge me by what I have done in the past, and by that whether I can do anything more for you in the future. I merely wished in the remarks I have made, to vindicate myself before you, and to show that the charges that I am a nominee of anyone in Auckland, and that I went sgainst the handing over of the foreshore are untrue. (Mr Davies then retired, amid cheers).

Mr Kowe,; came forward next. He said: Mr Returning Officer and gentlemen, —I am not. going* tfto hang on to personal matters today. I have known Mr Davies for a very long time and we have always got on well together. I may say I have the highest respect for Mr Davios, and will not say any evil of him. (A. voice: Because you can't!) Can't I. Well, perhaps not; but there is a better plan if I could, which is to speak the best I can of him. (Cheers). If I cannot attain your favor without doing that I will not seek. I will asperse no man. I will now refer to one or two things which Mr Davies and his mover referred to. Mr Pavies' nominator, in deferring to the Foreshore, said he did not want to send in a man who would prevent you from getting that. Did he allude to me? (Mr Gibbons : Yes.) Then, I'may tell you that I never said such a thing, and further, that if they had followed out what I advised they would have had it long ago. (Mr Davies: No, no.) lam as anxious to get the foreshore handed over as anybody. Will Mr Davies benefit by it "more than I shall? Does he pay more taxes than I do, and does he feel the burden worse than I ? I am aware that it would enhance the value of property h«re, and lessen taxes, and I should btbenefitted by it. Gentlemen, Mr Davies and others

wanted theforeshore.for the Corporation! (Mr Davies: No, no, for the Thames.) Those JNces came m very handy. But I did not interrupt the pre* vious candidate, and if these gentlemen will have a little patience, they can say what they like when I have finished. (Hear). I have no objecti»H that the Borough Council, or any other body appointed should get; the foreshore., in connection with the Road Boards; but this is what I want—that certain conditions should be laid down, and that no man should be enabled to appropriate the endowment in this or that direction. There are certain legitimate objects to be accomplished with the proceeds arising from the Foreshore, which should be done when it was banded over, no matter what body it is under. Harbor Works, road im}>rovements and other works should be aid down as conditions to the agreement, and those conditions should lie insisted* (Cheers.) If a man has £10,000 to bestow in charity, as in the case pf Mr Peabody, who gave away a lot money upon cHarities —if a man has £10,000 to give away, he will give it on trust, and then,lf the conditions are not fulfilled, the trust ctn be set aside. The foreshore is a valuable property, and if the people can only agree upon the conditions to be taken with it, they can obtain it now. We have proof of. £hat in the interview which I with others had with Dr Pollen and Sir Donald McLean, when Dr. Pollen said, in reply to a remark about a certain work, " Your foreshore is the proper source from which to derive a revenue to carry out such, works." I will help to fight to get the Foreshore, but I wantit so hedged round with conditions that it shall be devoted to its legitimate purposes. With regard to what Mr Gibbons said about honesty, I have always held honesty to be the best policy. (The Rev. Davis : We are all honest until we are found out.—Laughter.) That is a capital speech—you cannot make 1 a better when you go into the pulpit. (Laughter.) Well then, gentlemen, Ido not know to what he referred.—whether it was to political honesty or other. (A Voice : That's what, we want.) I have been for the last 28 years taking active part in politics, and will Mr Gibbons or any other gentleman say that during that time I have .been dishonest. On all occasions I have thought for myself, and havt often differred from many friends, in consequence.! I have diffeied with the late Mr Williamson, for whom I nevertheless entertain a warm admiration arid respect, and who was one of the dearest friends I ever had in my life. - But T I have never descried hiy party. If I had done so these gentlemen who are now opposing me would approve of me perhaps. I am thousands and thousands of pounds out of pocket through my connection with politics. If that is the kind of honesty Mr Gibbons referred to, I can. challenge all to impeach my character" froni the commencement of ray Career up to, the present lime. Then there is another kind of honesty, and that is, honesty in private life. I have been an employer of labor for 25 years, and there is not a man in the province who has paid s-> much for labour as I have. I likewise challenge any man in tlie province to say I ever defrauded him :of a penny. (Cheers.) I have never wronged or defrauded any man, arid have always paid 20s in the pound, though how long I may be able to do so I can't gay. Mr Davies said he had never asked the Government for a. free grant of land. If he had done so and got it, I should not have blamed him. But if he means that I applied for a free grant, I emphatically deny it. But I did, at the request of others, wait upon Sir Donald McLeon, and ask that a block of land should be set aside for settlement purposes for members of families who \!«re willing to pay for the ground they received in so many years, and to cultivate it and reside on it—the Government to fix their own price. (Hear.) He would like to see every young man in the phce settled on three or four hundred acres of land. Perhaps I have said enough, but I do not wish to conceal any of my opinions from you. You know lam in principle a centralist. (A voice: For how long ?) I have been a centralist for four years. The cause of my conversion was that I beliett if the constitution could be so altered, it would be a much better method or Government to have two large provinceJtone in each island with a cenfftl Government of less power than now; I advocated the principle two years ago. But I would maintain for Auckland equal rights Ti|tb the other provinces, and I would riot concede one inch of ground until such a position was secured to them. (Mr. Kowe concluded his address by urging upon thfm to judge from his political career whether he was worthy of their confidence. In advocating their interests he would be advocating his own. He did not wish for a contest, and regretted opposing the Mayor so much that if he (the Mayor) had came out first, he (Mx Kowe) would not have offered himself. Having come out he would see the contest to an end. He would throw no mud at any one, and hoped to come out of the contest clean. , , Mr. Bowe then-retired amid applause. The Returning Officer then called for a show of hands for Mr Davies, and then for Mr Be we, which was largely in favor of the latter.

A poll having been demanded "by the supporters of Mr Davies, the .Returning Officer said that the poll would be taken on Monday, the oth instant, at the Court House, Shortland, and at^Rogera', T»pu, from 9 o'clock in the morning until 4 in the afternoon.

In answer to questions,;, the Upturning Officer caid there would be no polling, place at Ohinemuri, as it was not in the district, and that protection to claims would not be granted, ai he did not

consider it was a valid excuse for protection. •Mr Mitchell said the law would protect them in going to record their votes. Mr Pavies proposed, and Mr Eowe seconded, a vote of thanks to the Eeturning Officer, which wa3 carried by acclamatioft.- Cheers were also given for Mr JKowf; an<i Davies. 'Atfe> .Returning Officer expressed a hope that the election would be carried out with good feeling, as the nomination had been. The assemblage* which was considerable, then disperßecL^^__'