A CROWDED MEETING.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 5577, 26 March 1886, Page 4

A CROWDED MEETING.

Last night tho Tuain street Hall was crowded in every part, a considerable proportion of ftie audience being ladies, on the occasion of Sir George Grey's addressing the people of Chriatchurch. The stage was. occupied by a largo number of leading citizens. The number present in the Hall was estimated at about 2000. The chair was taken by His Worship the Mayor, who was loudly applauded on taking his seat. Ou Sir George appearing, the cheers were deafening, and continued for a long time. H« Worship briefly introduced the speaker. Sir George Grey was greeted with renewed and long-continued applauso when he camo forward to deliver his address. He began as follows : Mr Mayor, ladies and gentlemen, and citizens of Christchurch to whom I owe so much, for I will not refrain from expressing my obligations to you for the treatment that I have received at your hands in past years. You are all well aware that aome years ago we stood together united shoulder to shoulder, to fight a great battle in reference to the land question. And let me remind you of how great your exertions •were, what a triumphant Buccess you achieved in this City, and how, by the reference of the question of which of two seats was to be held, a question which was referred to a Committee nominated by an adverse party to yourselves, and to myaelf, your decision wa3 reversed, and my services were lost to the citizens «f Christchurch. I believe the time will yet come when a Parliament «f New Zealand will expunge from the records of the House the decision that it ■arrived at, and that at length tardy justice •will be done to myself and to you in thiß matter. (Applause.) Ever since that period I have borne a grateful recollection of your conduct on that occasion, and have had hopeß of doing you good ; and those hopes I will never abandon so long as I remain in public life. (Applause.) THE WEST COAST RAILWAY. And that time I recall at the present moment with peculiar pleasure, because you will remember that I had placed before the Logislat uro an Act which secured for you the construction of the Weßt Coast Baiiway, which became the law of the land, and for the construction of which railway the necessary auuis were voted. And then, you will remember, the cry arose " Here is a man with Utopian views, proposing to make a railway which will be useless, and which no ono desires," and thereupon a Committee was appointed, and your desirea and my hopes were laughed to scorn, and the money intended for the construction of that railway which should now be in existence at this very time — (loud cheers) — was diverted to other objects. (Appluuse.) But what do we see now spreading throughout the country? A universal fooling that the project was a right one. My.-elf and a colleague of mine, whd probabh is here to-night, a representative cent to Parliament by Cantorbury, and who stood shoulder to shoulder with me, but who ia no longer by my side to aid me— and I never can forget the service that ho rendered to me on that occasion— but, nevertheless, we have lived to Bee a general acknowledgment that our views were not Utopian, that we were fighting for that which is just and right, -and which nmet be done. (Applause.) THB PACIMC ISLANDf, Here is a leunon for ua. I shall ask you to-night to do another good thing, which I feel convinced is not only for your benefit, but also for the benefit of every portion of New Zealand. Those who cannot reply to my arguments will tell you again, " Here's a Utopian proposition, .something that cannot be done," and by arguments of that kind — not by solid reasoning— they will attempt again to deprive you of a great benefit, which I am anxious to obtain for you. But let the past guide us. We were right formerly, and we are right now. If I convince you that I am right, let us stand together once more -and restore New Zealand to that prosperity to which she is so justly entitled. About the railway I need say no more. To my mind it is an accomplished fact. Whoreever I have been, however hostile the audience before whom I have spoken my views, I have found that when the utility of uniting both coasts of tho Island together, opening to you land of inexhaustible mineral wealth, and opening to them the produce and food for the thousands that I hope will be Boon found there, I found objections melt away, and all well couTinced that thero was something potent in tho arguments used in favour of that work. (Applauße.) Well, now, again let me call upon all the ladies, as well as the gentlemen, present, for they are all, and we are all, part of one great army engaged in tho noblest work which perhaps man has undertaken in recent timos, that is, to found a new nation in the most distant islands of the Pacific, and to create thero a civilisation and a commerce which must enrich the world hereafter. I aay we are marching on, engaged in that great and noble work. Of the magnitude and extent of that army you think but little. Wo have our outpoata far in advance, our skirmishers in the front. We have missionaries of every denomination at work in those far distant islaii-la. Bishops, prießtß, presbyters and ministers, none of them fearing to lay down their lives. Martyr after martyr has given up his life ; a bishop of the Church of Eome, a bishop of the Church of England, and priests and presbyters of all denominations have devoted themselves, and many of them have been greatly assisted by their wives, to preparing those islands to receive that civilisation and that commerce which we are destined to spread amongst them. Does not all this urgo you to exertion? Will you be laggards in such a cauHe ? And now, while I am on such a Bubject, let mo aay this. The doctrine the missionaries are leaching ia one of peace and goodwill to all men, of temperance, sobriety, and the various virtues which should adorn a Christian man. And should we not on thia occasion bind ourselves together by a solemn obligation to enter these islands, when they are civilised, in a becoming spirit, and not carry with us the fire-water to banish those poor creatures from the face of the earth ? (Applause.) Let us at the first meeting of this great army of civilisation, reßolve to follow the example of the good men now in our front, and try to preserve to the utmost the Native races, doing in that respect something nobler and greater than ever was done before. (Applause.) And if we are resolved upon that, now let us turn our eyes for a moment to ourselves, and see what is our great duty at the present time. THB DEPRESSION. None can deny that distress exists amongst you. None can deny that want is being felt in this young country, which abounds almost to excess in every commodity that can render life enjoyable to God's creatures. A orisiß haß come over this country, and those who united with me formerly will remember that a great bond of union between us was the fact that land bad been occupied in inordinate'quantities by some persons, and there were no places where the people could establish humble, I will say very humble, homes. Land laws ill adapted to our circumstances, and only arrived at by blind groping, had abut out a large proportion of this country from any hope of obtaining such land as their wants required. What I desire is to draw a veil of oblivion as far as pcssiblo over the past, now to question nothing of the past, but earnestly to turn to the future, and to aek, with our present knowledge, what iB that which we ought to do P How are we to open to all men equal hopes of gaining homes, and establishing their families in peace and plenty in the country districts of this Colony ? Lot us trace thia question to the future, neglecting the past of this country, but let us appeal to the past in other countries, and ask them, " What have you done in past years ?" Are their examples suited to our circumstances, and are they such as we may wisely follow ? Is thero a glimmoring ] of something which has been done that may grade and direct us to a happier future P And I answer that we can find examples which suit our present state,

from which we can find out a means of establishing a sure and certain foundation by which a European native may rise here to a position far happier than any other European native has ever before occupied. j (Applause.) Now, I don't say that at the pre3ent moment there exist here no obstat clea to our progress if you persist in blindly walking on upon the lines you have hitherto ( followed. Let us rather see where these lines lead us to. First let me tell you this, that you differ in many respects from other European countries — firstly, and this ia a most important consideration, in the amount of taxation levied upon you. You are, I believe, the most heavily taxed community in the world, even at the present time. (Sir George went on to speak of the public and private debt of the Colony, and urged the necessity for lightening 1 the burden and establishing a system whereby every man, and especially those of the rising generation, could bo provided with a farm. He explained his scheme for buying up the lands by means of bonds, &c, and dividing them into small farms, to be let at a quit rent, &c.) He pointed out the injustice of a few being benefited enormously by the publio works, to pay the interest on the cost of which all were heavily taxed. PROTECTION. The Customs duty was £2 11b per head per annum, while in Victoria, where heavy duties were put on for Protective purposes, it was only .£l lßs per head per annum for every man, woman and child. What would become of us if we were made a Protective Colony, if already paying more than Victoria, Protective duties in addition were to be imposed upon us. He asked the meeting, would New Zealand not stagger under the load and be unable to bear it ? (Hear.) BCONOMT. They had men out of employment, and the wages of labour were being reduced. He believed that wages required reduction, but he would begin at the other end. (Long-continued applause.) He would appeal to their pity. If they reduced the labourers' wages, they did not reduce the amount for which each little child was liable. Let them fancy how the proportion increased as the wages were diminished, the liability remaining the same. And the diminution which had begun must go on, unless some great change, such as he recommended, was made, until the lowest of all would find themselves on a very low level indeed. It might be said, " Bit they don't pay the same Customs duties when tbeir wages are reduced, because they have bo much less to spend." He granted that, but still how terrible was the proportion of the debt, and how less able were the people to pay their proportion ! Let, therefore, a fair reduction take place throughout the Colony in all wages, but let not any one class be singled out. Let those who were inadequately paid, as aocae, he believed, were, be paid more; but from the very head of the Colony to the foot, including our members of Parliament — (hear) — including all — let them in these bad times all suffer equally and alike. Were such a reduction carried out, the amount saved would be considerable. Then, further, he warned them upon one subject, and that was that they must not expect him to say that there must be an instantaneous stoppage of all public expenditure. That would be to increase the distress. It only wanted some pressure of that kind to make the present depression become a panic and a crisis That would never do. Such exppnditure as was necessary, and upon reproductive works, should be carried on by a generous hand, tempered by a wisdom that knew what sustenance the patient required and how it should be administered. PEBOBATION. After warning the meeting of the consequences of raising a ten million loan, Sir George dwelt in eloquent terms on the happiness of contented, if humble homes, and concluded as follows: — "I have kept you too long. (No.) It really is getting very late, and I have done my best to enlighten you and to animate you with noble thoughts, to Batisfy you that in going about the country as I do I am doing my utmost in my old age to benefit my fellow men — (applause) — and to make the remainder of my life available for their service. I only hope that in some hearts I have to-night kindled the desire of seeing the lands of this country open to their fellow-men, on conditions fair and just to all, whilst benefiting themselves, and to let our meeting this night, and the action that may follow from it, be a memorable example for all timeß to come of how men can act justly and honestly under very great difficulties." (Long continued applause.) The Mayob said. Sir G. Grey would be happy to answer any questions, and a large number in writing were handed up. Mr Fleming, of Port Levy, rose to put a question viva voce, and was received with uproar. Nothing daunted, he advanced to the foot^of the platform, amidst cries of " Turn him out ! " and asked who wag the first person who lowered the price of land in Canterbury from JJ3 to 10g and 5s an acre. Sir G. Grey said the price of land in this Province was at one time JJ3 an acre, and the design, he believed, was to make j the working men remain in an inferior position. That price was very objectionable to his mind, and there was a million acres made over to the Canterbury Association, which the then Secretary of State proposed to enable the Association to take up any number of acres — it might be three or four millions at onee — with the design, he concluded, of setting up an Established Church, not only in Canterbury, but over the whole of New Zealand, and he (Sir George) resisted that proposal. (Applause.) A great many public men in England, including the present English Premier, then thought that no .State should [ exist without an Established Church, and I for this land- endowments were required. Ho had resisted all this, and had thrown open the lands for settlement, by reducing the price of land in Canterbury 10s for good, and Gs for bad land. It was perfectly true he had reduced the price of land, and that was part of the Bystem he recommended them to adopt that night. But there was one thing he had intended should be done, and that was that a Land tax should be put on by the New Zealand Parliament as soon as it was formed ; but he had been recalled, and this had not been done. If it had, he believed the system would have worked admirably for New Zealand. It was true that he was guilty of trying to carry out reforms which would have enabled every man to have become a landowner if a Land tax had been put on. Mr Fleming : You were the man who smothered me by selling land to G. H, Moore and Bobby Ehodes. Sir G. Grey : You asked who was the man who first reduced the price of land in New Zealand. I say, here he stands. Mr Fleming : I've not done yet ; I'll meet you again. The Mayor (after Mr Fleming had subsided) read the various questions which had been passed up to him. In replying to the questions, Sir Geobge said he really was not sufficiently acquainted with tho •subject to be able to say whether he would favour an extension of the boundaries of Chrißtchurch, so as to include the area of the District Drainage Board. Ab to the Threats and Molestations Bill, if it was again brought up unaltered, he would interfere with it; but he could not say what form the measure irould take. In any case, ho would be careful to see the rights of the people preserved. Ab to the State Bank question, he said that when he was Governor, with only a Legislative Council, that body paused an Act establishing a State Bank, which issued notes in tho Colony by selling them to other banks doing business in tho Colony. The notes were sold at par, were a legal tender, and gold was given in exchange for them. Government consequently made all the profit on the circulation, and reserved only one-third of bullion to meet tho demand. But the moment ho lt.-ft tho Colony, this Act was repealed and tho present Act was passed, which enabled the banka to issue money. It would require great caution to introduce a measure for a State Bank now, and ha advised them, in thia time of depression, not to meddle with financial questions of that kind. They should do nothing to injnre the public credit, and leave all other great financial questions, except

that relating to the land lawa. It should be their endeavour to aid every class in| the country at the present time, for all classes suffered from the depression. As to insisting on the removal of the seat of Government to Christchurch, if the Wellington people opposed the West Coast railway (as one questioner suggested), whilst he would fight for the railway by every legitimate means, he would not compel any body of men to change their opinions on any subject, if they did not like to do so by fair means. He was asked whether he would compel the Maories to give a strip of land, 10 miles wide, on either side of tho North Island Trunk railway, before the completion of the line, and replied that if they would allow his land system to bo introduced, it would solve the difficulty, at 3 the State would then have all the lands. As to taxing personal property for local purposes, ho would give complete power of local self-government, and the people could settle the question for themselves. He believed that the vote for education was the only portion of taxation which reaches every home of the country for its advantage, and numbers of teachera in every branch of life had arisen under the present education system, and were supporting widowed mothers or yonng children in many instances. Therefore he would not be a party to curtail the benefits derived from the expenditure on education. He did not see the wisdom of protecting the growth of beetroot for sugar by a duty on imported sugar, when they could get abundance of sugar from the islands of the Pacific, which would gladly take in exchange tho products New Zealand could give them. The protection of the sub-tropical fruit industry by bonus or Customs duties was a large question, and he said let us see the industry established, and then we could say what was best to be done. He had not said that a Land tax of one per cent would give a revenue of and wbb not responsible for what the Watchman said on the ' •übject. As to dealing fairly with Nelson in the matter of railway construction, he pointed out that the North Island had to wait for many years for its trunk line, and he was not sure they would get it now. The Colony had only so much money to spend, and the first thing to be done was to construct the East and West Coast railway. When they had the money, he would be the last man to deny Nelson her railway. The amount required for working a farm of 100 acres varied in different parts of the Colony. It might require £500 ; but all he desired to do was to limit the power of a few men to grasp all the property again. He could not say whether there was sufficient employment for all under Freetrade principles, for he had not seen the Freetrade experiment tried here. At present the Customs dutieß were higher here than in the protected Colony of Victoria. He was not aware of all the articles upon which extra Customs duties were charged. The present Customs duties were so high that unless there was an entire revision of the tariff he did not see how the duty on any article could be raised without crushing the people. It would be best to have no indirect taxation whatever, taking, as it did, unknown sums out of the pockets of the poor. He could not say under what conditions the charters were granted to the Banks of the Colony. He liought artisanß and residents in towns, whose duties kept them there, should be allowed to obtain farms, possibly by putting others upon them bo as to provide a refuge for their old age. He thought that the member who had said he preferred cholera to Protection, must have been either mad or in a great passion. He thought the Government ought to construct the West Coast Railway rather than a syndicate. Mr D. Ekese proposed a very hearty vote of thanks to Sir George Grey for his Bpeech. Mr A. G. Howlakd seconded the motion, which was carried amidst loud applause. Sir G. Grey acknowledged the vote, and proposed a vote of thanks to the Mayor for presiding, which having been carried by acclamation, the proceedings terminated.