MR BRYCE ADDRESSES HIS CONSTITUENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXVI, Issue 122, 1 June 1885, Page 4

MR BRYCE ADDRESSES HIS CONSTITUENTS.

(l!Y TELEGRAPH.—PRBSS ASSOCIATION.)

I'atea, Sunday. Mr Bhyce addressed a wellnttonded meeting of his constituents last night at Waverloy. Ho said he last addressed them as a Minister of the Crov.n, but now he was a member of Her Majesty's Opposition. He would touch the moio salient point of iho District 11-ilway Bill, which authorised .ho lento or purchase of railways. The district railways have been found to be largo .peculating companies. They were formed to enhanco tbe value of property through which they passed, and had not been sue cessful as going concerns. They were iound not to pay nosy. The companies' objects had been attained, and now they come to the Government and say, Take over the lines. Tho lines might havo been taken over, but it should be on terms favourable to the colony. At present it was understood that the valuo was to bo not tho cost, but tho cost with arrears of rates superadded. These companies bad got a vote of the ratepayers, but tho shareholders and ratepayers were almost the same, and it did not add to the comforttofind Sir Julius Vogol a shareholder and Chairman of Directors of one of these comp n es, and Mr Stout thoir solicitor. Ho wouldnotEaytberewasanything corrupt, but it did not add to their comfort to find that the necessary powor to arrange, on behalf of the company, rested with these members. The Government bill was rejected in the Upper House, but they wero so anxious to get it passed that Government really re-embodied the bill in resolutions, and asked tho House to pass them. The House did so. Many disliked the bill,;.but did hot vote again.t it, tor fear of throwing out others they wanted. The East and West Coast Railway Construction Bill proposed to iorm a huge Cjinpany to make the lino. It was strange that a Government which professed to be anxious to conserve the lands of tho Crow n should be prepared to grant a million to a million oiid a-balf of acres to a syndicate. Ho took (.-..c-pt'.on to tho statement that the land was bad and rocky. It certainly contained valuable coalfields, and might tap valuable minerals. Tho bill also had a provision that if the land in the vicinity was not sufficient to pay half tho cost of construction, the land might bo taken Elsewhere. Such a policy, he belt', was bad in principle, and should not bo tolerated for a moment, but in addition to this provision the Government were to take over the railway when complete and give tho company 35 per cent, of the gross earnings, without regard to whether tho railway paid or not. He contended that any Minister who would advocate such a thing had not tho interest of the colony at heart.

Borrowing.

In addition to the_e, the present Govern

■".tit was to put straight the finance. This wis_ terribly wrong, and must be put »tri)iglit. ihe following authority was taken for borrowing .- — For the North I.land Trunk Kailway, £1,000,000 ; loan of 1884, ._l,500,000; loan to the extent of accrued Sinking Fund, £2,792,808 ; loan to the extmt of Sinking Fund this year, £244,000. In addition to this direct loan, authority for indirect borrowing power was obtained: For Westport Colliery, £500,000 guaranteed debentures, £100,000 ; Otago Harbour BoirJ, £7.0,000— bringing tbe total amount of borrowi; g -.utiioriso'l in one sessi ;ii to £3,436,508. All this, except, the million f.-n-

>!:-■ T..- trlhikl Ki-lwoy, was authorised l-.tse-Sion. t'iiept'ii" opher'sstone, which wus tv save,-"the .olooy £'244,01!0 a year, turned out to bo seizii g the Sinking Fund on the old loan. They were bound to pay Sinking Fund each year out of revenue, but

to save the colony pavintrthiT o, 7^ borrowed on dobtntZsLS 8' Sit*• -V** added the debet,ff °' fe^S : colony. This was dine ;£>*** « % dence. Sir J. Vogel areaed & «w£ raise tho transfer valuf of J 1 *<>»M, was not the settled vh»J^M «!S worth what tho settler could Lw". »«» and no more. As soon as, ySr'o!*of'. this, you get a fictitious value i^o^ sound position. Debenture? k d .ssutd to the amount of£247 jff. "*» purpose of raising menev f,i£ ~fot Uie soli Sated Fund in wde/tl * tt° <£ Fund. Thi, wasto S 6 to^Bi nk 4 advanco by leaps and bounds," Wlon n»

local Government, Sir J. Vogel promised when W _ went to Dttnedin ho wouldl i , .SN Local Government pro P S d & th« a very weak speech, and never m..?^* the subject of Local Gove nm e^ nt,°^ surprrsed everybody, ond Sir Tw1 Th» sent for, and told his audience kl^I** about Local Government 'L^^l the present form with very «• eEcriW tions, and called it a y nß T° talte«The whole colony was waitL^^ how he proposed to give L°, BM bodies assured income. When * P was not very assured, as itcon.uS**' 4 stdies on a sliding B cal e , ?S3B*dol Wbr voted by the Assembly f^? B m«tb «' liked. The new system wa« ™hm »" tho present, and would end in °tM tta« disappointment. The" Premier rifiedat^oo 000heh,gsp:n ni 11"-: respect of roads and bridges «,. r. 'Id mentwere n otactinginsy m p, th ;gs (

Native Land i, aWfc It was said that power was to ___._._'•' native committees to deal with tLn? lto native land. It was the ffif fS $ deal with native land befo £ SJffiSS determined. It was a moat erevi™-, *M to_tl,ecolonytogoonwTtr& Railway route with no prosneot » FSSi settlement, and laiWKSM tU.te ot the land for the native ow™!?* 8 not to be liable to taxation T? a' North Island man, but he said ™T4^ pbatically that not a sod <mgh&h«»i2_ turned till a satisfactory title to tlLr_ through which it^ssedhadbeenobSGloomy View for the Future, He would touch briefly on fin--,_''_._;:-would not bother with fig Ure i? "£' -^ '. sorry he could not take so EoJMft&Sj Major Atkinson. He observed, 2„* tendency in the men of to-day tofly fiS J kites ithan dig colonial potatW. S that disposition took a turn for the k«_f' he could not help feeling that theSl would be in a serious position. If __f$ ity was to bo secured, a different plan mrt bo adopted than that being pursued by Z present Government. It hai lived'S^ call j' on exciting expectations which S . not be realised, and it would die poUlbffi,:, of the dieappomted hopes it had created^ A rote of confidence was carried niii-. moußly. ~*r