AVON ELECTION.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 23, 9 June 1868, Page 2

AVON ELECTION.

This Bat. Tiro nomination of a <uit«ll<lato to represent this district in tho Goncrtvl Assembly took jiluco at tho I'upanul Bcliooirooni, at noon to-dtvy, Mr T. Vf, Maudk, tho Returning Oflker, Imviug rivulArwl the jmr|ioH<j of tho mooting, culled upon tho elector* to proposo a duly quulllk'd poraon no a cundlduto. Mr llicnuy Matbon.— Mr Kcturnfng Officer, and Rontlcmcn, L Imro 9. very simple duty to perform in proposing ft g««tK i man to reproM;ut Uw Avon dUtrlol in tlio QoncFAl Ansombly, I tliink tliis iliilrii-t lins boon highly honoured in having huuli men como forward to roprusont It n« wo huve Imd lutclyj *\v\ ur« Ilkoly to Imvc to-duy, (Oli«vr«), I need not «ay a word M to tho gentleman coining before us to day, bocauHQ ho lion boon so lately before tlio deutora of tlio provincu in his candidature and return as our iSuporintcndont ; nnd hit views apprar to bo tho views of »U purtlw no much at this time, Omt I Alta.ll not vmU time— it is unneooMnty to do bo— by saying anything about thorn. In conclusion, I bog to proposo Mr William Holies ton as a lit and proper person to roprcnent tho Avon dlatrlot in tho Gcnoral Aoncmbly of UlO colony, (ChcCrrtt) Mr WifiMAM -IT, Lan«j Mf Kotufning

Officer and gentlemen— l rise with great pleasure to second the nomination of Mr Win. uolleaton to represent the Avon district ia th« I louse of Assembly. I think we ought not to elect members who will go up to the Homo of Hepressntatives nnd fight hard for local mil special advantages— (Hear, hour)— find who are found sleeping on the benched or itt the refreshment room when any measure* are introduced which have' the benefit of the whole colony in Tiew. (Cheers.) This colony ia n young one, and most of us expect to rest our bones here. Our children, from generation to generation, will pr»bably follow the example, and there* foro it bchovoa us to send men to the Legis* hituro who lmvo minds not only capable of supporting, but also of introducing measures which will eventuate in making this colony — what we hope to s<e it— a flourishing empire (Cheer*.) The fact of Mr Ilolleston haying been elected as Superintendent of theproviiiCe, speaks much, I think, m his favour, (Cheers,) At the request of a largo and influential number of electors, ho came forward as a candidate, and had the gratification of boing rcturnoii without opposition. (Rennwed cheers.) I therefore take it that if the gentleman is qualified to superintend the general interests of the province, lie is one who will see that no particular interest is brought forward to the disadvantage of the wholecommunity.(.Choers.)Therefore,l think that in orcry respect Mr Holleston is qualified to represent us; «nd the Avon elector* ought to consider it a privilege that they have met this day to elect a gentleman so well fitted for the position of their representative. I beg moat cordially to second Mr RollestonV nomination. (Cheers.) Mr Mauok— Has Any other elector any candidate to propose ? [No one responded/) Then, Rontlomon, I havo very great pleasure in declaring that Wm. Rolleaton, Esq., free* holder of Coleridge, is elected this day, I decUro him to be duly returned. (Cheew.) Mr Rollkstov, on coming forward to address the oloctors,was received with cheers. Uo said it would bo a peculiar satisfaction to him to represent tho district in rhlch he raided, «n«l to which he w«w specially bound by ties both pout and present. Aa Superin* tendent of tho province at a time when great Constitutional changes were imminent, he should have thonitht it his duty to offer himself to an influential constituency like that of tho Avon, when a vacancy occurred, but had the personal ground and that of his official position been wanting, tho general interest which he had in the welfare of Canterbury, ns part of the colony and of a great nation In the future, would have induced him t« coma forward. (Cheers). It was no ordinary crisis when a young colony of some 200,000 inhabitants found itself indebted to the amount of £7,000,000, with a taxation of over £1,000,000 annually ; and when, judging from tho experience of tho post, there was reason to fear thut die action of tho Asseusbly may bring fresh difficulties upon us. Ho proposed to touch upon tho questions of interest which in ono shape or other will come before the Legislature. Tho great question, In which all else must in a great measure centre, would no doubt be that of the relations of the provinces to the Colony. Keforc entering upon this, he would state that he was no sympathiser with the spirit which is abroad at tlio present time, which sneers at, and would pour contempt on our existing institutions, under which, what* ever may be our difficulties and misfortunes, we havo attained no mean position among tho colonies of the Kmplre, (Cheers.) There were not wanting those who would even rejoice over the mistakes and disasters of a province as leading to tho downfall of tho Provincial system, and who would do nil tlu-y could to promote the abandonment or destruction of what has been the growth of yearo. il<; could only hope that men like the llichmonds, like Mr Weld, and like Mr FitzGerald, may not bo wanting to savo us from selfish and purely mercenary views of our duties and responsibilities in framing the government of the future. Trade and commercial prosperity are groat things, but it does not require us to look far into tho his* tory of the past, or into the present condition of the nations of the world, to recognise that material wealth is little as compared with tho free and peaceful enjoyment of religion, law, and liberty. (Cheers.) Ho would not now hi'sitato to express his opinion, that tho wholo colony ia nt th«* present time overgoverncdj that the machinery of government in too weighty, too cumbrous, too costly; and further, that the antagonism in which tho Provincial and Colonial Governments are continually placed should be brought to a close as Moon m jwlblc. (Cheers.) He was no upholder of double Government, or of Provincialism in ltd antagonistic relations to the Government of the colony, but we should do well to pause and ascertain vrlmt ire mean J>y pro.Yln«iftltew before we enter on the work of destruction. If they meant by provincialism tho neglect of outlying districts, and tho sacrificing tho interests of the peoplo for the maintenance of nn establishment in the chief town of a, province, he was no provlnclalist, (Cheew.) He did ttot, however, see that the evils com* plained <>£ by those whoare justly dissatisfied, cannot bo remedied, or that they will bo escaped from by throwing ourselves into the hands of administrators at a distance. So long us any of our waste lands remain, we have the surveys, which must be carried ou j we have to provide for education, for our harbours, hospitals, police, and sheep i n8 F£C~ tion—nli matters which muat be jw<l. The qucation woa how to <l« tf«»e things moat I economically, (Hear, hfear.) Ho could not think that the removal of tho adminis* tratlvo control to Wellington would either simplify or economise the matter, no? did ho think that the General Assembly, the majority of whom can know nothing of our nfrttlrrf, should bo entrusted with tho apportionment of our revenues which are locally raised from our waste lands and from rates* Wo only can julgo of our own requirement*, and adapt our sxpetue* to our wants, M* Roltaiton referKd to the causes which bid led to tho equalizing of tho overpayments among tho provinces under tho Durplas

Kevcnuefl Act, in tho ofl'ectlng oH which, tho Gunoral Oovcrnmont, in tho wordu of tho Colonial Trciifltircr, assumed tho dignified nltitudo of fmtor-fmnlllufl hitflliiug tho clamour of lilfl nine childrou, who wero expecting to bo puniflhed, by a judioloua , dlfltrllmtlon of Hwcotmoatn wliioh ho hfmnolf diiidainod to taato, (Ghnorn and laughter.) Ho truntcd wu hliiill liavo no more of wuoli (llgnifled npiJdtaolefl ; and tho only way to fire yen t Its recurrence would bo by catab)inii> ng tho financial indepondonco of tho protlnccfl~(OhcorH)—. Htourlng to them tliolr land fiindri,' and throwing upon thorn (he rcflponaibllity of raining huoli further HUitm an they require. lie «ould not «co how tho ABsembly could wmient to any frouli tftXAtfon without: a largo hnna fldo reduction of cximing burdonH, and fitutcd that, in lib opinion, an income-tax would bo contly In collection, unfair in It* operation, and, an promoting fraud and evasion, demoralising to tho community. (Oheorn,) Tho iuourring of future liauilitfon miiHt bo provontodi and tho ccflßntlon of tho military expenditure in tho North Inland, an a general charge, in«ifltod upon, Mo urged tho consolidation of offlcon as much an posoihlo, and that men of tiie best ability and oliaraotor should bo got^not at otarvatlon nalarioß by any mcanti— -to do tho work, ITo oharaotcriHcd tho reduction of tho iTudgCfl' fialariefl, a« proposed by the Auckland Financial fieform Association, as tho rcduclio ad abmirdum of economy j he did not think that Bcpurutlon, if they could but efcay tiio borrowing liand, wa» desirable $ oxtiMflflcd hlrt belief in tho permanent appropriation of a dcflnlto proportion of tho land fund to tho outlying distriotn, to immigration, and tho carrying out ot largo public workfli —general colonization principled, which 'he could not Hco could be carried out if tho country in further sub-divided. After hoiiio furthor obuorrailonn, Mr Itolloflton conoludod by returning thankfl for tho hwnour tho «lo«-----torfl of Avon had done him in him Ad their reprcftentaiivo. (Clioorn). A voto of. thankfl to the Returning Oflloor, (who In reply congratulated tho olcctoru on having Hccured no good a roproMontativo), terminated tho proooedlngH.