MR STAFFORD AT TIMARU.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3139, 4 March 1871, Page 3

MR STAFFORD AT TIMARU.

[Telegraphed to Pbhss, March 3.] Mr Stafford addressed a crowded meeting at the Mechanics' Institute to-night. Captain Cain, the Mayor occupied the chair. Mr Stafford commenced by thanking the electors for the confidence they had evidently reposed upon him, shown more especially iv having been reelected without opposition. He expressed his regret at not having addressed them at the time of his election ; but be did not know of the writs being issued till starting for Southland on urgent business. He thought that the opposition shown at most of the elections was most creditable to the country, as evincing that the people were rousing themselves from the state of previous apathy as to whom they should send forward as their public men. Apathy could no longer be charged against them, and the result of this change would be that their representatives would be more carefully watched. He trusted that no action of his would destroy the mutual confidence which existed between his constituents and himself. He felt that he was representing their interests, and in this he was more assured by being paid, quite unintentionally, a compliment by Mr John Studholme, who said that Mr Stafford represented the antipathetic portion of Canterbury If Timaru was antagonistic of Christchurch, it only showed that he and his constituents agreed. He did not believe in the members of a province always acting together; it would be practically impossible. But if possible it would be better to have each province thrown into one constituency, and elect, as in the case of the superintendent Mr Stafford then entered into the question of the railway gauge, and said he was strongly in favor- of the narrow gauge — a gauge which would do for all practical purposes and be the- means, by its cheapness, of far better opening up the country than the broad gauge of five feet three inches would. The construction of broad gauge railways throughout the country was impossible. This ' question of gauge was the only subject of importance on which he was opposed last session to tho rest of the Canterbury members. He | believed, though, that the first thing to be done i in the country was to bridge every ; river from .Nelson to the Bluff. When he mentioned that since the colony , was started no less than 1116 I persons had been drowned in the rivers, the bridging of them would be seen to l be a question of the greatest importance I If this had been don© in the early days j many valuable settlers would have 3 been saved to the country. In alluding ' to the existing state of the colony, Mi . Stafford said, that it was far from good. r Since 1866 the colony had been f steadily retrograding at the rale oi something like two thousand a year. The spending power of the country, 3 both publicly and privately, had nevei t been so bad as now. Referring to the

, f former expenditure, he said it wae I greatly enhanced by various causes. 9 Previous to 1866, there was a large . commissariat expenditure, a very large i amount of private capital invested, and J a large public loan of three millions, 3 all of which sources of expenditure dried s the revenue by £290,000. The ordinary f estimates were proved to be excessive, j In Customs alone there was a falling ■f up about the same time. Coming more j to the present time, he said that Mr Yogel had overestimated the revenue I by £90,000 a year. He wished he . could say that our expenditure had correspondingly fallen off. There was no indication of retrenchment, and perhaps i the Government were right, as nothing f was so unpopular. But whether popular or not, some Government would have to economise, or this magnificent country . would come to the Insolvent Court. In ; regard to the native question, he had ; never, when in office attempted to de- . lude the people that the native question . was dead and buried. The present Go- : vernment had lulled people into the bei lief that it was so. When they assumed office Mr M'Lean flashed a telegram to the Governor that peace was made with the Maori King. "Why there never was war. He did not believe that the attitude of the King party was ever more threatening than at present. The Government, he believed, would vferk hard to maintain peace, but he refused to believe because the present Government or Mr M'Lean was in office there would be no further troubles. Of course, every year diminished the chances of difficulties. He feared we relied too much on the friendly natives, and that the arms that were issued to them soon passed into the bands of those opposed to us. Of the San Francisco Mail Service, lie only knew what he had seen in the public journals, and he should not be surprised if the statements were correct. The contract was unwise in every respect. Why should the American steamers be made to do tne coastal work of this colony ? and he was sorry that a positive affront to Australia had been offered in this matter. He would support the very cheapest line via America, but would not wholly discontinue the Suez route. He thought if Mr Yogel intended to extend his visit beyond Washington, that it would be a great mistake, as he would not make the favorable impression on the English money market, or amongst those who rule the market, that Dr Featherston had done. Dr Featherston was a political opponent of his but he could not help saying that if we were to have an Agent-General his appoiutment was the very best that could be made. On education he expressed a hope that some system, analogous to that in force in Nelson or Otago, would be adopted for the colony, and he had the utmost difficulty in extracting from the Government, a pledge that they would take up and deal with this question. Of the public works and \ immigration scheme, he said there was, under the present proposal, no surety that the people, it was proposed to import, would remain and settle in the country. There were quite enough unsettled people in the country at present. The immigrants must be settled on the land. In two of the provinces threefourths of the land had been alienated, and yet it remained a wilderness. He would walk over the land laws where necessarj*. Hie suggestions was to have special settlements, giving an allotment to each person in the township, and ten acresof rural land.'witha large inalienable commonage near each settlement. He did not say he would assimilate all the land laws. He would not be a hearty supporter of the immigration scheme unless he saw the country was to be settled under it, for they would only be asked to put on a burden they could not bear, otherwise he would even go so far as a compulsory taxing of land out of those large tracts which had passed from the crown, and in many cases he believed the proprietors would be glad to sell it back at the original cost. Of the railway scheme, they must make short lines from the settled districts to the outlets — the ports. He did not want to see ft line running from one town to another, along the sea board, to compete with steamers, for steamers would always carry bulky goods at a cheaper rate. He would always give the preference to lines openiug up the country. He could not say why the Temuka line had not been commenced unless it was that it was to be constructed out of borrowed money. It would be the duty of the new Parliament to shape the scheme from a wild and reckless gambling one, into one safe and prudent. In reply to a question, he said he ould not promise to introduce a Permissive Bill. At the close of the meeting a vote of thanks, and also one of confidence, was passed unanimously, amidst loud and prolonged cheering. WHfCH? — The following lines were found on a lawyer's table in a court-house after the adjournment of the court the other day :■— " Fair woman was made to bewitoh ; A companion a nurao, v A blessing, a curse. , Fair woman was made to be-which ?" The opening chapter of a Western novel > contains the following :— -" All of a i sudden the fair girl continued to sit upon the sand, gazing upon the briny deep, on [ whose heaving bosom the tall ships went merrily by, freighted — ah ! who can tell with how much, of joy and sorrow, and 1 pine and lumber, and emigrants, and hops r and salt-fish." » " Josh Billings" at Long Beanch.— "The biggest thing they have got here > for the present iz the pool of water in front of the hotels. The pool iz sed bi good judges to be 3,000 miles in length, 1 and in some places five miles in thickness. ! Into this pool every day at ten o'clock i the folks all retire — males and females, * bidders promiekuss. They dress in , flannel attire ov menny colors and look [ as nearly alike, when they are in the pool p az a flock ov ducks and drakes. The water in this pool, haz stood so long it has ' got salty. And ought to be changed." 1 The manners which are neglected as small thingß are often those which decide > men for or against as.