POST-SESSIONAL ADDRESS.

Gisborne Standard and Cook County Gazette, Volume IV, Issue 516, 9 October 1890, Page 3

POST-SESSIONAL ADDRESS.

Thxkz was a large attendance at McFarlane’s Ball on Tuesday evening, when Mr Arthur delivered a post-seseional address. His Worship the Mayor took the chair, and in introducing Mr Arthur asked tor a careful hearing for that gentleman. Mr Arthur was applauded on rising. He considered it was only right for him io call them together to tell them what action he had taken in ihe House, and he would also relate the experience of a new member with the incubus of a Harbor Bill. He would further tell them why he considered the recent session had been the most unsatisfactory of any session. When he went into the House be was tent on doing his best for the district, and was careful to try and frel his way before launching upon the sea of talk. But man proposed, and in this case the native members disposed, Tor immediately he bad gone into the House, and had been proposed as a member of the Native Affairs Committee, one of the native members made charges against him, which, being followed up by Messrs Fish, Seddon, and Bailance, he felt compelled to answer, and was told by his friends that he had made a good speech. Owing to the trouble caused the Native Affairs Committee had not been appointed until three weeks afterwards, when Mr Carroll, on behalf ».f the natives, withdrew all opposition to him. There was a great necessity for silence in the House, for if a member got up to reply to any charges made by the Opposition it only assisted then to further delay business, and for himself personally he fe't that he must sacrifice all self glorification in his effort to get the Harbor Bill passed. The speaker went on to explain the nature of the Bill, and the terrible trouble he had to get it through. A large number of members on both sides had told him he would never succeed with it. Ha had felt very disheartened, but had gone to one of the oldest members in the House, a supporter of the Government, who had advised him to bring it before the Public Accounts Committee, which plan the Government approved of The Government were desirous of assisting, but cou'd not do much in face of the strong opposition. He thought he had got over his difficulty, but it was only starting, as in the first place the Committee oould not be set up until the Hutchison enquiry fell through. Then he had to hunt round, with the assistance of the Government whip and Other friends to get a quorum of the Committee. On coming before them he flattered himself that he had made out a very clear logical case, which wou'd get over the difficulty without more pa’aver, but there were three lawyers on the Commi’tee, who wanted to know, yon know, and could not agree among themselves. Being no lawyer himself he (Mr Arthur) could not do more, on being asked as to certain legal interpretations, than quote the opinions of leading lawyers such as Mr DeLautour •nd Mr B"ll. Eventually, he got the assistance of Mr Bell and that gentleman explained the matter so clearly after he came back from Gisborne that they could hold out against it no longer. But they (his constituents) could not imagine the great work he had to do to get the Bill through Many members he had got to vote for it simply because they were personal friends of his. They would say, “ Well I don’t like this Bill, but Arthur isn’t a bad sort of a fel'ow, and we will vote for his Bill.” (Laughter.) He did not say that was a right position, but Sob wag the case. By the Aijt he had been le to gave the district £5.300 this year, and some £l2OO a year relief for five years, and £lOOO a year thereafter (Applause.) He did not think that bad work for a new fighter. (Applause.) He described the proceedings of the last session as a veiled stonewall, occasionally breaking out into an Open one. Party Government was n w on its trial in the colony, and was clearly Wanting in something. The “ outs ” were always trying to obstruct the[mea c uree nf the •f ins.” The outs 11 injured, maligned, blackguarded ; they pitched into, threw mud at, did everything they cou'd to injure the Government —the ins,” He expressed the opinion that 'he cloture and new roles rf procedure were necessary. If they went into the House and discussed measures sensibly, with Out being biassed by partv freling, they would do a great deal better. The last session had been worse than usual owing to the absence of Sir Harry A’kinson, the only clever debater they had on the Government side. After paying an eulogium to that gentleman and describing the touching scene when he was relieved from the active leadership, the speaker went on to abuse the Opposition, placing them in the order Fish, Seddon, and Hutchison, Ballance, Sir George Grey and others coming afterwards, Referring to the Hutchison Charges he accused that gentleman of hitting below the belt. The mis'ake wss to have set up a committee of enquiry—the charges ought to have been met on the floor of the House, but Mr Mitchelson not being a skilled debater he was no match for a clever lawyer like Mr Hntrhison, Still the speaker claimed that the Premier, in his memorandum, had c m pletely"refuted the chargee. [Mr Keating : Question—that is only your opinion.] The Speaker spent nearly a quarter of an hour on some dramatic representations of political larrikinism and humorous incidents in the House, but the thoughtful persons present seemingly did not approve cf this pap being served put as events of the session. Then he went on to justify the appointment of Judge Edwards. In regard to native matters he had tried his best to get the Government to bring down a Native Bl'l, but they said it was no use doing so while the Opposition behaved as they were doing. The Bill was brought down at the last moment, and the C uncil pot having time <o consider the Bill rightly threw it out. But he had been desirous of getting some necessary work done for the district, and it was agreed that the Council should reinstate one Bill, the House agreeing to the amendments, but the Bi 1 never came back to the House as members bad believed it wou'd, and the reinstatement having been ag>eed to the very clause which he wanted, extending the time for applications to be made to the Commission, had been carried. Thus by a “ fluke ” he had succeeded in getting a very useful piece of work done for the district in spite of the opposition- (Laughter and applause.) The Whangara Bill could not,he got passed, on account of its being a private Bi'-l- They had passed a School Committees Bill, which would be a very good thing. Referring to the Sheep Bi 1 there had been antagonism between the members of the two Is'ands, the South Island members actually wanting to prevent the driving of sheep before six in the morning, so ae to prevent sheep stealing, but the clause was cut ont, it being shown that sheep con'd not be driven at all in hot weather in the North Island ualess it could be done early in the morning or in the evening. Another Bill concerning which he might make a few remarks, was the Waiapu County Bill. As he was the only property holder in Waispu who objected to the Bill he did not feel justified, as a member, in opposing the cutting off of the County. He did not believe there was a single member of the County Council who had objected to the separation of the County—in fact he thought the reverse was the case. It had been found that the Engineer in Gisborne could not efficiently overlook work 110 miles away, and the people of that district were everlastingly grumbling At the state of things, and it was a very much belter thing to permit the separation. All he was a-ked to do wee to see that the harbor endowment was not included in the new County, and he had been successful in getting that cut out. There was, he believed, an idea that because this district had been cut off it was not going to pay harbor rates, but it was. The speaker referred to the large amount of work done by the Committees. He had not voted for the Female Huffrage Bills. They had passed two Bills that were known ae Labor Bills, but they had been thrown out in ihe Council. And he thought rightly, when it was pointed out that there being a a'rike on it would be thought to be panic legislation. He believed in Union;, but only when on oommon-seoae principles, and if ihe Unions bad gone on those principles they would not have had this last gtrike. (Applause) Jn a future address he would state more fully his opinion on Unionism, when he hoped to be able to give an expression of opinion that would meet with general eaiistaciion, though of course HO one could expect to satisfy everyone. In conclusion be mentioned that he proposed to contest the general election, and he asked them not tp split their votes, his hope being that a man would be choeeu Uni

the southern portion of Ihe electorate. He said he was going through the Motu, and in the northern portion of the district he believed he would get a large support. He asked bis friends, when he was away, to work in the arranging for committees, and when be came back be would canvass the district. [Mr Keating said Mr Ar hur was well enough known. What did he want to descend to canvassing for?] He asked his opponents not to be hard on him during his absence. He felt certain that the majority would again do him the honor of returning him as their representive. He could assure them that be bad done his best for the district while he was in the House. (Applause.) In reply to Mr Stgley, Mr Arthur said he had voted against the Female Suffrage Bill. Tbe men did not behave particularly well in polices, and women were not wanted in it. The ladies themselves were against the Bill, and they ought to know best. When the Bill was being discussed in tbe House he sent a paper round the ladi-s’ gallery, asking for an expression of opinion, and only about three approved of it. Mr Sigley said of course he was not privileged there to express an opinion on the matter, nor to ask questions concerning the future in politics.

There being a long pause, the Mayor rose to thank those present for their attendance. He referred to the great benefit that bad been conferred on the district by the new Harbor Act which Mr Arthur had been successful in getting passed, and said that when its merit came to be more widely known they would not fail to recognise how important it was. It would lessen the district’s burden by £2OOO a year for five years. (Applause ) The district had been utterly neglected in the matter of public expenditure, and had not a mile of railway, and very little done in the way of roads. The man who was chosen to represent the district would have an excellent opportunity of doing service. As Mr Arthur had said, he hoped the member would be chosen from this end of the district. There was now a reversion to the condition of things fourteen years ago, when Captain Read, and Messrs Morris and Kelly stood for the district, when Bead was elected by the Gisborne end, and he hoped that the Gisborne portion would again be successful in returning the representative. [Mr Joyce hoped that it would not be on the same lines as those on which Captain Read was returned.] Nc; those lines were pretty well played ont. (Laughter.) The electorate was now tbe largest in the colony, and the most difficult to go through, while it was also the most fertile, and he thought the representative chosen should feel proud to be entrusted with the representation of such a district. (Applause.) One or two gentlemen showed a tendency to rise, but the calls of “ Platform !” made them shrink back in all modesty. Mr Keating gave proof that he was a man of ideas, and might say a lot, but quoting one of Mr Arthur's pet phrases, he said, in effect, that he was not a “ chiselled orator,” while later on he informed Mr Joyce that Mr Arthur might safely be left to blow his own trumpet. Mr Joyce said that although he had opposed Mr Arthur last election be would now propose a vote of thanks to him. He had waited a long time before doing so, in ths hope that some of that gentleman’s supporters would get up and propose it, but as none of them seemed inclined to do so he wou'd do it himself. (Laughter). If he opposed Mr Arthur at thp next election he would not do it from any feeling of illwili. That gentleman's address told the enormous difficulties hp had had to contend with. Not much good had been done during the session, but he thought Mr Arthur had stuck well to his colors. He had read in one of the papers that Mr Arthur had sta'ed that tbe breakwater up to the present had been a success. He did not say that the assertion was reliable, 11 because these papers are rather doubtful at times.” He would like to knot? whether it was true ?

Mr Stephenson seconded the vote of thanks, Mr Arthur, he sail, was the right man in the right place, and they were going to send him back again. (Cheers and dissent.) Mr Arthur denied that he had said what ihe paper had credited him with. He thanked Mr Joyce for his kjndness in giving him the opportunity to correct the assertion, and also for the kind way be had spied all through, Although working in opposition to bim.

In proposing a vote of thanks to the Chairman Mr Arthur Baid he (Mr Arthur) bad not a single enemy ; be had politicnl opponents, but personally there wa; no filtering between them.