COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTIONS.— KANIERI DISTRICT.

West Coast Times, Issue 1003, 9 December 1868, Page 2

COUNTY COUNCIL ELECTIONS.— KANIERI DISTRICT.

MR KEATtY's MEETING.

Mr T. Keary, one of the candidates fbr the representation Of the ICanieri district j in the County Council, held a meeting. at Cassel's Store,' Blue Spur, on Monday evening. The attendance was very numerous. Mr Cameron Was voted to the chair, and introduced the candidate. j Mr Keary said that all present knew he was a candidate to represent the district in the County Council. He did not come before them as an untried man, for he had represented them already as a member of the Council during the time it had been in existence. It was true that very little hid been done in the County Council hitherto, biit it Was little the Council could do. The new Council however, would have increased powers, and would be enabled to do more for the benefit of the County. He believed that every candidate should have a programme to lay before the electors. Some candidates had "retrenchment" for their cry, while others Went iii fur a general abuse ot the Government. He (Mr Keary) came before them to tell them what he would do. He perhaps might have had but little experience when first elected a member ©f the Council, but he believed he had now acquired that knowledge of the. duties of a representative, which wuuld enable him to render -material service to.the electors if now returned. The County Council, as 'at first constituted, was all but a farce, so restricted were its powers. But perhaps it was a wise measure of the General Government to limit the powers conferred on the Council in the first instance, and he must acknowledge that every recommendation made by the Council had been carried out by the General Government, and those recommendations were all, in his (Mr Keary 1 s) opinion, wise and beneficial. He {Mr Keary) did not intend, if elected, to advocate the interests of any single section, to the detriment of others, but he would devote his endeavors for the welfare of the -whole community* If tile* electors had read in tile papers the proceedings of the Council, they would perceive that such had always been his course of action. There were now in the county as many as Seven corporate bodied Tliis he considered a Very expensive mode of carrying on the work, which could be done much cheaper by the County Council itself. So many corporate bodies were not required. The CoiuUy . Council c\k\M hot

certainly abolish the lload Boards, because it had tftt lli'e power to do so, but it could recommend it to the G.neral Government. What he considered most wanted was main tracks. There would be a large amount of monej- in the hands of the County Council ■, which could be appropriated to that purpose. Reductions could be effected in the departments, and thus.?- large niiio lit of* money wo\tld, be M the disposal *of ~ the Coiinciu At the end of the year, a reduction of £7000 could be made in the Survey Department. The cost of maintaining the Chiistchurch road, which was now £6000, could be reduced to £4000, which would be quite enough. There was the Canterbury debt, the cost of separation, in which a large reduction would no doubt be niafle. Altogether the reduction^ would amount to £20,000, and there wouldthus be at the disposal of the. County .Council, which coitld.be dfvicfcd amongst the Road Koardsi and "tb'e tracks required could then lie made 1 . He (Mr Keary) would, therefore, say to the electors :—": — " Send in men of practical knowledge, who know where there are tracks needed, and where they can. be made." By means of those tracks the Goldfields Reward Fund, for which at present there was no use, would become available tor the purpose for which it was intended, for without tracks no new discoveries could be expected, il'e (Mr Keary) might li'qt possess the ability to represent tltem jn.tlie, County Council, but he would maintain that a more honest, a more upright representative they could* not have in the world. An important matter, to which he would direct the attention of the electors, Avas the present defective Mining Bye-laws, which were drawn up by a committee who know nothing about mining. He (Mr Kcary) would advocate the Appointment of "a Mining Board, : at a cost of £700 per annum ; such Board to consist of ten representatives, two from each district. And these representatives should not be shopkeepers, or auctioneers, nor should they be barber's clerks ; they should all be practical miners, conversant with the matters with which tiie Board would have to deal. This Board would watch over the interests of the miner.'', and would be the means of preventing the sale of auriferous ground, tucili as was the case with the ground at the Stoney Lead, Greymouth, which was purchased by a Hokitika speculator, although a large number of miners were at the time working on the ground. This occasioned, as might be expected, a great excitement in the district, and large bodies of men assembled together and threatened, what he might almost term, a revolution, and the excitement was only allayed when the Waste Lands Board cancelled the sale. He (Mr Keary) ~ did not impute any blame to the Board, because it was not their fault, but the fault of the surveyor. A Mining Board would be a check against such an occurrence, for he would advocate a measure having for its object a reference to that Board before any sale of land in auriferous districts could* be effected. Having now l'ciVrred to the principal matters which he considered important, he would not detain the meeting with any further observations, as they, no doubt, were anxious to hear Mr South, who was waiting to address them ; but any questions which an)' of the electors might wish to put to him, he would answer to the best of his ability. Mr Keary, then, in reply to rather a long string of interrogatories, stated that lie was in favour of a reduction of the

gold duty — one shilling per ounce the first year, and sixpence eacli year following, until the whole duty was abolished. He was also in favour of reducing the cost of the miner's right to ten fhilTings, and the dog tax to 5s a year. He was decidedly in favor of payment of members, and he would ask the electors whether they would wish

liim to starve while attending the sittings of the Council ? He was in favor of increasing the number .of members of the Council to fourteen, eight for the districts and four for the towns ; of the Chairman being elected by the Council, and not by the people ; of a ( onimissioner visiting the ground to determine disputes ; and lie approved of the appointment of Mr Sale as arbitrator jn respect; to the Canterbury debt, m ho considered Mr Sale the mm

The usual motion of confidence in the candidate was moved by Mr Breen, and sarried unanimously ; and a vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the meeting; Sklit SOUTii's MEETING. Mr White, having been, vdted to the chair, introduced Mr South to the meeting.. . .■ . . Mr South; who was exceedingly well received, said: I wish, gentlemen, to , state to you, in fonimericeriteiitj that my thanks are due to Mr Keary for the courtesy which he has shown me. Learning that I was here, wi:h the intention of addressing the electors, hu called upon me, and had the kindness to propose to all ,w me to address you first, but I could not make him so ill a return for his courtesy as to avail myself of his kind offer, and I therefore did not accept it. I never had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Keary speak before to-night, . and I must say % liaye (been > milch fftruSk Avitli What fell from him. I must, however, take exception to his remarks as to practical or working men, as distinguished from professional men, and I will tell you that there are professional men who are also working men, and I may say that I am a working man myself, and very hard work I have to-day. There are scarcely any twenty- bur hours ,but, what I have to work twb shifts instead of> ohe. Very often" I have" no time in the day but to see people, and have to work at home afterwards. I may therfore, with perfect truth, style myself a working man. In addressing you I am of necessity compelled to speak of myself) and although I abhor egotism, I must set my feelings on that point on one side, and preface what I have to say to you by talking about hvyselfi . I will askyoU whatarenvy surroundings — are they not such as qualify. me to. become your representative in ,tihe County Council? No doubt I have made enemies ; as a professional man it could not well be otherwise ? I have made the cause of those who have sought my professional services, my cause ; their quarrels I have made my quarrels. But that should prove that I am qualified to advocate your interests, the interests of your district, in the County Council. (Cheers.) I maj- tell you that if it had not been for me you would not have had a County Council, or Separation from Canterbury. This may seem a broad assertibri, but I will bear it out-. lii the year 1860, Mr MobTlib'uge Was over here, and »vas entertained, I may say, iii a friendly manner, and the return he made Us 1 was to saddle us with that enormous Canterbury d£bi, which has bjeen already ad verted to by my friend Mr lteary. He (Mr Moorhouge) at that time said that there was not a single man in Westlaiid capable of leading public opinion, I, together! with .Mr Bright and Mr.Barjff, .set to \\vir% and a petition was drUwll up winch resulted in the separation from Canterbury, and the appointment of the Coui.ty Council. I uo not want to go into the County Council for pay or for any gain to myself, but because I feel na'urally a deep interest in the Welfare .md prosperity f the place iii which t .a^i; and i desire to advance, its interests'. And is.it because I am a member of an honorable profession, because. I have education, that lor these reasons I am to be stigmatised as unfit to represent you ? I claim for myself an lioncaty of- purpose, and a sincerity second to no man. I would not descend to take a man on one side .and ask him for his vote for any pi ice, not even in return for a nobbier* But I ask yoi for your Votes orf the score of my fitness to represent you, my ability to advocate your interests, and my honesty aiifl shy cerity.,. I., say 'to' you— Look most narrowly to tiie past career of every man wh< comes before you claiming your- votes There are five gentlemen who are candidates for the honour of representing yoi in the Council ; apply that test to them and you will get the amalgam out of that If you find a man comes true out o the crucible after applying that test 5 thei I say take that maiii 1 will iiot go int< the Council to turn this man or that mai out of h'S office. I say get good, men ; ti do your and pny. ,th,ehi liberally There : i's certainty relrenc'linkiit to h made* but do not make that retrenchmen

at the price of having your work badly done. As to the £20,000 mentioned by Mr Rearej', there is no such money to be saved ; it is quite imaginary ; and borrowing any large sum of money, is absurd. Look at what is now going on in the North Island ? And besides, where, I ask, is the security P. (A voice j .".Gibson's Quay.) Let the : Borough Council take care of Cxibson's Quay, and of the town of Hokitika. My interests are bound up with yours. If Igo into the Council to represent the Kanieri, I go in to further the interests and the prosperity of the dirtrict. The tow n can well be left to the care of the Borough Council, and the County Council should apply itself to the furtherance of the great intere t of the County, its mining districts. The mining population is the vitality of the West Coast, and its goldfields are its mainstay. That is the interest which it should be the care of the County Council to promote. The goldfields are the attraction which draws people to this coast; and why, therefore, should they be neglected? Why did I come here myself? What was my inducement to come to the West Coast but its goldfields ? Should I go into the County Council as your representative, I feel that I . hould go in to represent the mining population, and to advance its interests. I shall do so consistently, of conrse, but I shall feel myself bound to advocate its advancement in every way in my power. (Cheers,). I have heard a great deal said about giving a preference to a local man, and I have asked, what is a

local man ? Why should he have a preference if he be not more fit, more able, or more sincere aud honest than any of the others ? I know of one man who was styled a local man, and who was said to have amassed something like £60,000, with which he was about to leave the West Coast. I said, when I was told of it, that this style of local man savored more of " locomotion." (Laughter) - I certainly am not a 1 • cal man in that sense, but am I not a local man by residence ? I say lam a local man as much as any other in the Kanieri district. I will tell you one of the things which I should advocate to be done with the amount which is said will be saved by the reductions to be made, .whether £20,000 or £30,000. I would have the money laid out in main tracks of a better kind than what just a packer can contrive to go up with his packhorse ; and if any

district requires such, surely it is the Kanieri. (Cheers). Those mountains, as any geologist would tell j'ou, are all auriferous, and require but facilities of access tn yield their treasures. I have been told, in speaking to miners of tracks, in (his locality, that they would be made now when their claims were nearly worked' out. Now, I *want to have something ready for you to go to when such is the case, and the basis of those mountains, all teeming with gold, afford what we require. Tracks, therefore, must be made so that the minermay have access to them. (Cheers.) But there nre several other thiugs required to bs (tout?, ftjiii !)»(> pf til&m U W'HPlUifijlßtW 'HPlUifijlßt

supply of water. There is plenty running down the gullies \ but that is allowed to run to Wastfej arid often, when most needed by the miner, tliere is iidrie td bt* nad. What we want is a properly organised water scheme. There ought to be water Heads constructed, and lam perfectly certain such a. scheme could be successfully' carried out. Now, when I have nientiorieij tracks and a, -water scheme,' I haye net enumerated Jill thai is re^iiirtd {Hi the welfare of the miner. One of the faults of the laud reculations is the difficulty of any man getting hold of the land. He. has no right, by virtue of his business license or otherwise, to take up this area or that. He has no secure tenure ; but could be. at any time dispossed. . I am, therefore* in favor of the most liberal land system .that, can be demised; The pids* perity tff ,tlie' wjiole : ooii4fy is (dependant up'tiri niiiiirig, and therefore ttic iitnlost liberality should by exercised towards the miner, in giving him a tenure of the land he occupies. Suppose a man has erected a building on a piece of land, he should be given a secure title at a mere nominal' price — say a shilling per foot; or else lease it to him, if he be not able to take it Up, even at a nominal price. f Now, with respect to: mining .ufaon private .land; I wbuid' serve the rights of those who have the land, for you avouM not like anyone to come into your garden and destroy it; but I would give the miner a right to mine so long as he made good the damage done. The gold as a mineral belongs to the Queen ; but as the miner pays a head rent he thereby has a title to dig for it. When there was a rUsh : to the Cemetery Hill, 1 went in strongly for tble njiner to.be- allowpd. t6 dijj -there;,, and -I said, so -]gng ; ap theft fill up tHe holes why sHoiilcJ.tHey.iio't have permission granted them to dig. (dheers. j Now, gentlemen, have I, or have I not some claim upon your suffrages ? Ido not desire so say anything in disparagement of any candidate' least of all of Mr Keary, who has addressed you in a most intelligent manner, and who means, I am sure, every word he says. But I must certainly differ from him most strongly on one point, and that is payment of members. I have, Otl principle, a .strong objection to repre* s€nt:itivea in the Council here, or in the' Assembly at Wellington receiving pay for tneir services to their . constituents: (Cheers.) Every, penny should go, into the coffers of the State. IF t £6 into the

County CdJLiiicil dnd payment is offered 1q nic j shall, giv£ it to tli'e. Behoyeieiit Asyhun. I have, not a .tq ,ss . against a forking mau a, degree pf.., eminence"} mere jire many bright instances of such, (cheers) but I object most strongly to taking money for representing my fellow men. (Applause.) Another very important matter is that of Education. I am, myself, a member of the Church of England, but I lieVei 1 refused my j-übscriptioti to a,ny.sfect b^de^pminati^n^fQfji.havetib' prejudices, .whatever, and I respect a mail for himself h6 matter what may be his creed. I should advocate a system of education purely national — let the parent teach his children, or have them taught, - religion away from the school. I have observed— for I have had a try at digging myself in my time, though I did not succeed at it — that while the head of the family wa6 at his work the little children. }yefe running about uneducated. I should) therefore, advocate ttte establishment ,of ,i sphooj in^ every- locality on the ii'atioiiM sykfchi. I would have not merely a grand system in large centres of population, but schools in each locality where miners and their children are for the time located. This, I consider, is a question of vital importance, for we all know that children, though they may be slow to learn that which is for their good, are quick to learn evil. Reverting again to the question of having a practical man, I' will hot deny that a nian liiay be educated at a university*} and yet be practically ignorant. r isut;it jij hot; therefore, to tie said that because I am not a Working hian, and because I do not require pay for my services, that therefore lam deficient. I say that you will be best served by the man who has the ability and the will to serve you without pay ; .and the man who requires pay. so that he may be able to absent himself from his work, let him stick to his claim, and send in to the Council the man who will represent you ..without payment so loiig- as you are satisfied with his sincerity. I have not lived in this district nearly four years without becoming familiar with the mining population, and the fine traits of character and feeling which they possess — always ready to assist their fellows in distress and suffering. And now, (hat word " suffering" calls to my mind another important question, and that i< the Hospital. It frequently occurs that a poor suffering miner is taken down to town, and there being no opportunity to take him across the river to the Hospital, he has to be kept in town, and yet there is no place to put him in. I ha\e myself known instances of the kind occurring, when the sufferer has been taken about from, place to place until soine one would admit him. In one instance the man was placed in a stable, belonging to Mr Jones ; and in another "Mr Driscoil was kind enough to receive him. These, and also my experience in Dunedin,. have impressed upon me the nccessityof having a place of refuge established on this side of the river. On this subject I have made up my mind, and when I do, d- peud upon it I never rest till I have carried mf point. (Applause). I shall not detain yoii longer now, except to repeat that if I go into the Council, I go to advocate the interests of the Kanieri, and to fight for those interests. And I will, in conclusion, ask you is it that I am used to picking oiit a defect in my opponents' arguments, I am to be considered the less worthy to represent you ? There is only one thing you have to look to in your candidates, and that is sincerity. Can you rely upon the man you will vote for that he is sincere ? And this I claim, that no man can accuse me of insincerity, or that I have ever betrayed the trust reposed in me. If there he any mau that can say that I took up his cause and sold him, let him stop forward and accuse me. But I avow that there is no man living who can accept the challenge, and declare that I have ever betrayed the trust reposed in me. lam now ready to answer any question that you may put to me. (Applause.)

Mr South having answered several questions to the satisfaction of the meeting, Mr Smith proposed, and Mr Joyce. 'seconded, the usual resolution to the effect that Mr South was a fit and proper person to represent the district in the County Council, which being put to the meeiing, was carried unanimously. A ypte of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceedings.

Last evening Mr South addressed a large meeting of the electors at the Belfast Hotel, Eight Mile Terrace. After the candidate n plying to several questions, the Usual vote of confidence was proposed by Mr Crawford, seconded by Mr Wtehell,