INANGAHUA ELECTION.

Inangahua Times, Volume VIII, Issue 1260, 18 April 1883, Page 2

INANGAHUA ELECTION.

« MR. SHAW AT REEFTON. Mr. E. Shaw, one of the candidates for the representation of Inangahua, .addressed a meeting of the electors in the Oddfellows' Hall on Saturday evening last, the County Chairman presiding. The room was well filled, fully 300 persons being present. The Chairman said that a short time since he had the pleasure of presiding over a large, respectable, and influential meeting of the electors of Reefton, on which occasion they assembled to hear Mr Wakefield's views upon the leading political questions of the day. On that occasion he (the Chairman) had listened to one of the most eloquent and able speeches he had heard for many a year, and during its delivery Mr. Wakefield was listened to with the utmost interest and attention. To-night they were assembled to hear Mr. Shaw's political views, and he felt sure that the meeting would accord the same courtesy and consideration to that gentleman: Mr. Shaw said *. — Mr. Chairman, Gentlemen, and Friends, I am here, and I did not require three steamers to bring me here. lam here because it seems that there was some great doubt as to whether I was really serious in my intention of contesting the seat. Gentlemen, the proof that I am serious is that I am here, and, if you will let me, I will tell you why I am here, and why I was not here sooner. I am here because some time ago a vacancy occurred in the representation of this electorate, audit becams

necessary that somebody should be appointed to represent you. I had a request from some old friends of mine here that I should allow myself to be put in nomination. The reason given for asking me was that tliere was no local man with interests and sympathies in harmony with your own in the field. There can be no question that you would be better to have a local man, because then you would have the purest form of representation. If you had had such a man I should not have thought of standing My friends urged upon me that as a local man could not be found, it was necessary to get someone who knew something of the district and the people, and who could faithfully represent them, and such a man they said I was. I may say that I never found better friends anywhere than I found in this district, and they thought that as they could not get a local man the next best thing was to get a man who lived at the seat of Government. My experience of Wellington shows me that living there, hardly a day passes that I do not meet with people from the West Coast, and whenever I can be of any service to them I am only to glad to do what I can, and so it occurs that a member living in Wellington has many advantages, not the least of which is his i 1 1 1 i1 1 lin'qpStl i Ili r ' flfrMirn lYiTfttrrif th ii fin j. ■- and his knowledge of the whole of the Government buildings. You will pardon me for saying this much in regard to myself, but having been asked by my old friends to offer myself, I thought I should be an ingrate if I did not come, particularly when I recollected the tie 3 of friendship existing here, and the many kindnesses which both myself and family met with at your hands during our residence here. This is why lam here, and the reason I was not here sooner I will now explain. I was not able to get here sooner because I had undertaken certain professional engagements which I had to carry out. I thought that those engagements would have been fulfilled long ago, but, as you know, all matters relating to the administration of justice are ruled by the Judges, and certain delays having been ordered, that is why I was not here sooner, I could not sacrfiice my clients, and at all events I am here before the writ, and as the election cannot take place for three or four weeks, I hope before the polling day to be able to visit the whole of the electorate, and shall shake hands with every man from Larry's Creek to Brunnerton. It is not an unnatural deflection to try and ascertain what we are here for; what are we doing here. I asked you to come because I arrived yesterday. I am not here, however, to deliver a lecture on political economy and abstract subjects in statesmanship, but simply to refer to local matters affecting your interest. On a future occasion I may refer to larger, questions, and I hope to have the opportunity- of addressing you on colonial" topics at large. I cannot do everything in one night. It seems to ,ma that there.* is no occasion in the' world when more bunkum is 1 talked or more bunkum expected than at elections. My own view is this : We are all interested in this vast estate — tho largest, I believe, in the world. This Colony, as it stands, with its assets and liabilities, is really one of the finest in the world. It has one of the largest estates, and one , of the smallest populations to divide its assets and liabilities * of course, I exclude a large part of Africa, Siberia, and one or two other places, but there is no place possessing relatively such a vast estate which has so few shareholders. In this large estate then you are all creditors. I put it this way : You are a meeting of creditors assembled here to-night to send a proxy to look after your interest, and who do you want to send ? The policy of this Colony is now that we shall have single electorates. A little time ago we had electorates returning each two, or more, members, and it not infrequently happened that each of these sat on different sides of the House, there y practically leaving such constituency unrepresented. But this has all been altered, and now from tho North Cape to the extreme South each constituency returns one member, and therefore each has a direct voice in the administration of affairs. Now, imagine your proxy has got to attend a creditors' meeting, you have got to send a man ybu know, and who knows you, and it is his duty to make himself acquainted with the district. Now, it must be obvious to you that unless your member looks after Reefton and the Grey Valley it is idle to expect anybody else to do so — that is the kind of proxy you have got to send. I don't wish to underrate the importance of the larger questions in a young country like this, or the importance of building up legislation for the future, biit I do say that what you want is a man to represent you, and not the Colony at large. Now, confining ourselves to a consideration of the subjects affecting Reefton and the Grey Vallej T , what is the question which looms out most strongly ?— the distribution of the public works expenditure. I have closely studied the politics of the Colony for seven years, and I can tell you that the question of the appropriation of the annual Public Works vote is the most important question which affects the Colony. As you are aware, it has been decided to borrow four millions at the rate of one million each year. This money has got to be spent, and a great many persons want to haye a hand iv spending it. Tlie . amount will be principally devoted to expenditure on public works. Roughly speaking, of the whole amount £3,200,000 will be allocated to the Public Works Department, and will be expended chiefly on harbors, bridges, and railways. The question then is — What works do we require ? Do we require harbors? No; but no place in the Colony requires roads, railways, and bridges, as much as this, and

none has got less. I assure you the week before last I was in Canterbury, and travelled through it, and was absolutely painful to see the lavish expenditure there on roads and railways, and' to compare it with the condition of things on this side of the range. I assure you, that, were it not for the pleasure it affords me to again see my old friends, it would be painful to see the mil ions of public money spent there compared with what we have had on the West Coast. Suppose we had a harbor admitting vessels drawing 12ft., aud supposing that 10 miles off we had coal like Brunner coal, do you think it would not have been connected long ago ? There is hardly /& township in Canterbury that a railway line does not run through ; Some places have two lines, and if they cannot get a main line they get a branch. And those railways are paying ; they find that it does pay to adopt the Yankee system, and build lines to create traffic and settle population. But we have got the people here and yet we have had no advance of our lines. The >elson Creek line was carried to a hill, and theie it stops, just where I left it two years ago. The money for the work has been voted each year for the last two years, but has' been allowed to remain in the Treasury, because nobody had the courage to take it out. Coming to the question of roads I hive an idea" which, indeed, I may claim as a sort of fad of my own, and it is this : that while we agitate and go Home to find money for a railway j I think a good road ought to be given to : the people. I came overland from > elson and travelled from Belgrove, to the Hope, The Hope Junction is where I entered into this country and is about the end of the world ; from the Hope we came to a place called Bait's, and thence on to Lyell, 45 miles; on the journey I enquired of a companion, who was maintaining the road and he said nobody. I asked him who was responsable for its maintenance, and he said the Inangahua County Council. I asked whether there were any men on the road repairing it, and he said there were two. I asked where they were as I had not seen them and he said one was asleep, and he did not know where the other was. (Laugeter). Now, gentlemen, here are two men sent to keep 48 miles of road in repair, which is absurd. But I have been told that maintenance contracts have been called, and the County is embarrassed to - find the funds necessary. There is not a soul living along the road, and the rates are hardly worth collecting. I go to Springfield, across the dividing saddle, and find that the overland road to Hokitika passes through 90 miles of uninhabited country, and the Government spend £6000 per annum in keeping it open, and yet we find that the road between Nelson and Hokitika does not receive one cent from the Government. You know it is a long bleak ride connecting Nelson with the Lyell, and I put it to j you— ought we to be taxed to allow the | Queen's mails to go over that road ? There is one other road that I believe in, and when I took charge of the district I was asked to report to the Government upon it ; it perhaps does not interest you much, but would interest my friends on the other side — I allude to the track from Haupiri through to Canterbury, by way of the Ahaura Saddle. £2000 has already been expended on that track, and it ought to be made into a good coach road, so that we could jump into a buggy, and run over in a day or two. If the people of Canterbury thought they could come to Ahaura, and then on to Reefton, we should have fifty visitors to every one now. There is also another track — almost a track of my. own, I may say — namely, from the Grey Junction to Charleston. I was in the latter place some years ago, and I was rather surprised to find the miners paying Cd. per lb. for beef and lOd. per lb. for mutton, at the same time that fat bullocks were being knocked down at the Ahaura sale yards by my old friend Dick Reeves at £8 per head. The distance is only some 50 miles, and yet these high rates were being paid owing to the absence of a cattle track over the range, and because Charleston had to draw its supplies from Wanganui I accordingly wrote to the Government upon the subject, and they sent down two surveyors, who reported that the road could be made for £5000, but the matter was not followed up, and was allowed to lapse. But the money only wants asking for, and can be at once obtained. Each year a vote is passed for tracks on goldtields ; it was £3000 last year, but will be £10,000 next year if I have anything to do with it. Out of last year's vole the Minister of Lands actually paid back into the Treasury the sum of £2000, simply because nobody asked for it. If that is so, and the money was paid back, is it a wonder that we don't get these things ? Ab to the question of railways, you are aware that a Commission has been appointed to examine into the best route for the East and West Coast railway, and to report to Parliament. The Commissioners are all respectable men— l know them all', and they are quite as capable of performing their duties as most Commissioners are, but it is perfectly beside the question how they report, for the majority of members don't care a snap of the fingers for their recommendation. Menaresent into the House to exercise their own judgment, and if I went to the House, and Captain Russell met me, and attempted to dictate as to which route should be adopted, I should tell him I did not care a fig for his report, as 1 knew more about the matter than he did. Then we are told that the question of the route for tha railway is merely an " engineer's question." We arc told in the nineteenth century that we are to be "bossed" by engineers. The thing is absurd. The engineer's business is to make the railway whereover he is told — to show him the points we wish connected, and let him connect them. I have discussed the matter with men ou the other side,

and those in the Gove-nment, and I am at liberty to tell you that a very strong opinion prevails that the railway must come, and that very close to the spot we are now sitting in. Whether it goes by Cannibal Gorge or Blenheim is a question that remains to be thrashed out. As to the line between Greymouth and Reefton, there is no doubt that before long tenders for the work will be accepted, but from here there will be a divergence. Some engineers say the Cannibal Gorge route is "the best, whilst others prefer the line from Reefton to Lyell, and thence on to Top House, Waiau Valley, and Picton, and there is no doubt that such a line i would be of immense advantage to this place. There is a vote put on the estimates each year called the Minister of Mines vote. It is intended to aid prospecting on the goldfields. The vote is given to the Minister to use it to the best advantage, and the plan he has adopted is to give nobody anything unless they subscribe an equivalent sum. This system was adopted in reference to the Inangahua Low Level Tunnel, a sudsidy of £ for £ having been promised by the Government when the company started, but after having been given for a certain tira6 i t&e : 'subwas stopped owing to som&.jnjsrunderstanding, but the difficulty has now disappeared and so longasthe work is carried on the subsidy will be paid by the Government. The Government look upon the Low Level Tunnel as a colonial work, and hence their reason for granting the subsidy. It happened the other day that the Minister of Mines was at Naseby in Otago, and was applied to by a prospecting party who had sunk a deep shaft there and exhausted their means. They got hold of the Minister and represented that the shaft was a work of colonial importance, and he granted the magnificent sum of £850. The amount was not much, but would take the shaft to where they wanted. Yuii will be surprised to hear then that the Minister of Mines was accused in a leading article of a Canterbury paper with squandering the public money on quartz mining; and he was told that it would have been better to give it to a Geraldine butter factory, or a Kaiapoi woollen mill. That paper was the Timaru Herald of the 22nd January last, and if you look over the files of that paper you will see that the Minister of Mine?, who had £10,000 in his pocket to spend in mining, was rapped over the knuckles forgiving £350 towards the work in question. Another question likely to crop up at the ensuing session, and one which is occupying a large share of attention, is that of hospital and charitable aid, you d no feel it here, but the larger centres do, and efforts are being made to devise some scheme by which provision can be made for the sick, the blind, the halt, ' aud the aged, and the burden spread as lightly as possible over the whole of the colony. The remedy is simple ' enough. We have a vast estate, which is year by year increasing in value, Why not then set aside a portion of it as an endowment for hospital and charitable aid purposes, and allow the proceeds of that land tj go towards the relief of those who cannot help themselves. Our present system of meeting the difficulty is suicidal ; we are payiag large sums yearly in Property Tax, Customs, and why not by a single stroke of the pen set aside a sufficient area of land as an endowment, and so rid us of this charge for charitable aid for ever. This ought to be done speedily, for the land ia going, and the applicants for aid are increasing, and all that is required to do it is a vote of the House. There is another question which concerns you very closely. I refer to the gold duty. I have* been told that up to the 31st March you have paid something like £3500 in gold duty for the past twelve months. This is a special tax, and as such is utterly indefersible. No other producer in the Colony is taxed on what he produces but the miner. You dig your shafts, aud drive your tunnels at terrible labor, and after doing this you pay £3500 in gold duty, and why should you do so 1 lam not unmindful that there is another side to the question— that all the money goes to the County Council, and is scattered about in roads; but I don't care a straw — if the thing is bad, sweep it away, and get revenue from another source. It is no business of mine where the substitute is to come from. The Government must keep the roads. Do the Government think of taxing the wool of the squatters to keep the Christchurch road ? No ; there would be a revolution if they did. I hen why is it that the main trunk line between here and Nelsou has to be kept up by tho half-crown upon e/ery ounce of gold which you take out of the side of a hill ? As to the question of loans, we have borrowed one million, aud authority exists for raising another three millions. There is no doubt that we can obtain plenty of money ; it is only a question of doing it. Next session, however, the point will crop up as to whether it is politic to go on taking the rest of the vote. There is a section of the House who are frightened, and who say that we can get on very well without it. It is simply a question of account. If the Colony can borrow the money, aud spend it so as to make more than they pay for it, I cannot see the force of the objection. If the money is to be spent on unproductive works it would no doubt be wrong. But I think the resources of the Colony are such that we can safely undertake the additional liability. As an indication of the prosperity of the Colony, I may mention that we have got something like £1 ,562, OOOlyiug at disposal in our Savi ngs an k. This large sum is lying in the Post

Office Savings Hanks, to say nothing of the other savings and other banks. Does this look like poverty, or give room to ear tie future. I say that we are prosperous in a high degree, and whether you are on this side or on that there is not a man who is 'not earning more than it takes to keep him. 1 say it would be hard to find a man m the colony who does not make more money than he wants, and as a proof of it there is one and a-half millions of money lyiug idle in the Savings Banks at 3| per cent interest. Amongst other questions, which now occupy the attentiou of thinking men is that of the leasing of the public lands. It is no novelty to u-j to talk of leasing land. You have taken up planty of birch country and therefo :e know something of the present system. Well, the Minister of Landshas brought out an elaborate scheme, by which all public lands are to be leased and not sold, and the leases are to be offered at auction and the highest bidder to get them at the upset price. I see no objection to this proposal, but, he says that at the end of 21 yaars, after you ha vv built a substantial nouse, erected fences, and made other improvements by your labor and time, your rent is to be . doubled, and if yotl do' not bare t|ypayT;, .J such doubled pint the lease, tog^^j^^ rwi+h-ftU • €Ikj 7 *i*uupi , o vw mrents, • -aire Va *hij ' put up to auction and sold to tlie highest bidder. This I entirely disagreo with. Let the Government try the experiment of leasing, but if anybody has the right to the lease it is the tenant, and not the landlord. I believe it is a pernicious system for a farmer to put all hiß capital in a farm, better for him to lease a farm, and keep his capital to stock it. I believe it would be a good thing if tbe leasing proposal were adopted, but it would be perfectly absurd to expect the House to consent to a man being turned, oft his farm at the expiration of hislease, and lose everything. Talking about leasing, last year 2,000,000 of acres of leasehold land came in to theGovernment, and the question arose, " What shall we do witU it?" Thesehad been paying only -Jd. per acre per annum rent, aud Mr.Rollestonsaid, " No ! you shan't get it agaiu at that price, £31,400 was all tbe land was bringing in ; I don't say it was good land, but it grew wool, and grew sheep„ aud the Minister cut it up into 78 poor mens' runs of 2.000 or 3000 acres each,, so as to give poor men a chance. The* land was accordingly put up to auction when it brought £70,000, aud all this because the existing monopoly was broken into, and the poor man given a chance. lam exceedingly proud at beiug asked to come over here to try to be your representative. lam proud to renew old friendships, and I . am proud of the cordial reception accorded to m\ I have more friends than I thought, and I shall be prouder still if you trust me with your confidence. The position is a responsible one, and if you <io' entrust cafe with thft honor it will not be any fault of mine if Ido not get you all you want. 1 have all the anxiety iv my heart to help' you, and I would feel that I was always I working among friends, for you have all been good friends to me. The candidate was asked wliat he meant by saying that every man in the Colonyearnt more than he needed 1 Mr. Shaw said what he meant was this : He had travelled from Auckland toInvercargill, and he considered that for an honest, decent, and industrious man there is iv this country a sufficiency over and above his daily wants. Not that grinding poverty met with in oldercountries. In reply to another question relative to religious teaching Mr Shaw said he expected to be asked that question. He hoped they would not be surprised at what he was going to say, but his own private opinion -not his public opinion — on the education question was that the Government had no more right to educate than to supply children with food — nomore right to- look after children's heads than their bellies. He would make it compulsory to* educate children, but there the interference of the State should end. However, the question had been discussed in the House, and the result was the present Education Act. He therefore: looked upon the question as settled. We could not now go iuto- it. The secular ! system had been adopted, and it. must have a fair trial He would not vote for any relaxation of the terms of the Act. Mi*. John Dick proposed that Mr. Shawwas a fit and proper person to represent tlie district in Parliament. Mr. H Graham seconded the motion. The Chairman did not call for a. show of hands, but asked the meeting- to signify itsi approval of the motion ny saying " Aye," which many did, but the bulk of those present, however, remained passive,, and the motion was declared carried. Mr Shaw thanked tha 'meeting- He said he could see that those present wera not unanimous, and it was very considerate on their part not to show any opposition. He concluded by moving a. vote of thanks to the chair, and said that he had never known anything crooked i about Mr Brennan, who> he considered, ; was tho best man in the. community for County Chairman. (Cfries of "•butter-.") The meeting then broke up.