Mr Moss. M H.R. at the Newmarket Hall

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 78, 27 March 1886, Page 6

Mr Moss. M H.R. at the Newmarket Hall

Mr ,F. J. Mobs, M.H.R. for Parnelladdressed the electors of that constituency at the Newmarket Hall Wednesday evening, March 9. MrW. J. Suiter, Mayor of Newmarket, presided. Mr Moss commenced his address by referring to the gravity of the present political situation. He proposed, in the first place, to ask them to consider the financial condition of the colony, and he hoped to bo able in a ifew words to give an idea of what that condition was. It was necessary for them to know that in order to devise measures to relieve the existing depression. The revenue of the colony waß £4,164,000, and out of that only £102,000 waa available for any purpose except the actual current expenditure of the Government. They had got into ahabitpeculiartoNew Zealand— not idulged in by any other colony that dreamt of having her finances on a sound basis— of borrowing money for all their public works. They must borrow, not because the works were reproductive, but for tho simple reason that if they did not they would have no money at all. He asked them to remember this, when Colonial Treaaurersiepoke to them of surplus revenue. Surplus revenue was all bunkum, and there had been no such thing in New Zealand for some years past. It was admitted on all hands that this was the state of the country —that they must borrow in order to go on —-and they were right. This was a most unfortunate condition of things, and there was this remarkable feature about it—that leader after leader told them they could not retrench. In other colonies, when they found themselves in a similar position, they at once reduced their expenditure. In South Australia they had reduced their expenditure by £120,000, and in Fiji by £20,000. While the present system of Government lasted, they could not reduce. They knew that successive Governments had gone in to retrench, but saw they could not do it. He stigmatised the alliance between Stout and Vogel as an unholy alliance. It had been considered a clever move on the part of the Liberals to put in a Ministry in which they had a majority, and so they dished the Conservatives. He, however, believed that it had been a mistake, and would do the Democratic party great harm. He had always contended that the proper place of the Democratic party, being the real minority in the parliament, was in Opposition. The pivot of the whole thing was the East and West Coast railway. It was a great undertaking, to cost, something like £3,000,000, and went through a very mountainous and barren country. Three Commissioners had reported that the railway would not be a financial success. Subsequently a Royal Commission had reported that it might pay ; and lastly, the Government Public Works Department had reported that it might pay 2 per cent, over working expenses. Mr Moss proceeded to recount the history of the agreement with the Canterbury syndicate, laying particular stress on the demand of the syndicate for £380,000 for underwriting. This, they would think, was enough for the colony to Say, besides givujg half the value of the ne in land, but they wanted the colony to guarantee £90,000 a year. He thought that a railway that could only be made on these conditions should not be made. But he believed that that railway was going to be made, for the reason that not a single party leader had opposed it. No party leader could say he would oppose it, as it would cost bim 25 votes. He now came to the consideration of the proposals that had been made for extricating the colony from the position in which it was placed. He first came to Vogel'a proposals. He had adopted Grey's policy regarding public works and resumption of lands. He also proposed the vigorous prosecution of further works. His proposal amounted to the borrowing of £2,000,000 per annum, and in the same speech he had told them that during the past three years they had spent four and three-quar-ter millions. Mr Moss proceeded to deny that the borrowing policy had benefited the colony. The first and the imperative need of the colony was to reduce the cost of tbe government of the country, and the first step towards that was to reduce by one-half the number of members of the Assembly. Various other reductions could then follow. The number of members could not be reduced .unless all local works were taken away from Parliament. Mr Moss then said that he was not attached to either party in the present House, but he hoped that a party would rise soon which would act in the direction in which he had indicated. Mr Moss resumed his seat amidst applause. —Mr Horace Dean moved a vote of thanks to Mr Moss for his address, and confidence in him aa their representative in Parliament. —Mr Stainesseconded. — Carried with applause.—Mr Moss returned thanks, and a vote of thanks having been accorded to .the Chairman, the meeting separated.