Banquet to Mr Ballance.

Auckland Star, Volume XVII, Issue 241, 13 October 1886, Page 1

Banquet to Mr Ballance.

Important Land Settlement Proposals.

[TELEGRAPH—OWN CORRESPONDENT.]

Masterton, yesterday. •The Hon. Mr Ballance was banquetted here last night by the members of the Small Farm Association. In tbe course of his speech he said that in dealing with the land question his desire was to get successful settlement and afford opportunity to sons of settlers who had saved money to settle upon the land. Ho could not say how they had got on, but he heard that the settlers were fulfilling the conditions with scarcely one exception. There was one great tiling to, be done or settlement would not be so successful as it ought to be; that was making roads. He believed railways were not nearly so important as roads for the settlement of the country. Of course main arterial railways, to connect the chief centres, were necessary; but, taking the vast amount of railways in the colony the money yielded by them, and the settlement - they had encouraged, they were not to be compared with roads. Therefore he believed that if this depression -was to be removed they must push on road making they must curtail the amount to be spent upon railways, and augment the amount to be spent upon roads to open up the country He urged increased efforts in the immigretian of small, capitalists, and under the nominated syßtcm as being beneficial and not inimical to the interests of the working classes and reviewed what been done in this respect. He also reviewed what the Governmentdone in village settlement in Auckland, as showing how to meet the unemployed difficulty. He advocated the appropriation of private esiales near towns for this purpose: There could be no injustice to tbe owners if a fair price, say ten per cent above the property tax valuation were pair. This matter would have come up soon, possibly next session, and he believed the Government would face it. What he proposed was to proceed upon the lines of the special settlement system and where the settlers were prepared to' pay Hie property tax value, and had a quarter of the money to pay for it, the Government shouldjadvance j of the money at 5 per cent interest. In his-opinion this would result in settlements, springing up in all parts of the Colony. On the question of protection while net opposed to.the system of bonuses he thought the Custpros.Was, the best means of protecting industries, and would enable us to hold our own against. Foreign markets. It was purely a question between the importer and the manufacturers, and to decide between them he threw in his lot with, the manufacturers. His reception was most enthusiastic.'

Rapid means of transit between Auckland and Wellington need not wait upon tbe tardy construction of the fcorth Island Trunk Railway, as by means of the >shorb steamboat trip from the Manukau to New Plymouth, and the railway journey;, far the rest of tbe way, the old and new capitals of the colony will shortly be brought within a day's journey of each other. The Wellington_ people, .- as is but natural, are taking a, lively interest in the matter. The "Evening Post" urges that as soon _as the Wellington-Manawatu Railway is completed an arrangement should bo made to run express trains three times weekly, each way, between Wellington and Ta'ranaki, so that by connecting with the steamer at Waitara or New Plymouth, the journey from Auckland to Wellington may be performed in 26 or 28 hours. The " Post" proceeds to say :-"It would be an immense boon to have the sea voyage between Wellington and Auckland reduced to something under twelve hours instead ol taking three days or more', as it does by the ordinary passenger vessels now. The Government should endeavour to arrange with the Union Company to establish a regular service between Onehunga and Taranaki, to run in conjunction with the through trains. Surely the Takapuna would be well adapted for such a eervice. It would be a wise expenditure to grant a mod'rate. subsidy to establish it." This sounds very plausible, but Auckland people will require to be satisfied that a Government subsidy is not asked for the purpose of pushing Wellington trade in Taranaki, to the detriment of the established connection with this part ol the colony. If the new route is to be such a boon as our contemporary thinks, it should pay the Union Company to put on swift steamers without any subsidy.

Matthew Hay Roe, who has carried on the sawmills and the timber industry for udward? of 33 years in the province of Auckland.waf examined in bankruptcyivesterdav Hesaid tbathelost considerably bybaddebrs On the sth March the bank took potseesion ot the mill property at Onehunga to protect their overdraft of £3,000 On March "4th bankrupt called his creditors together, and a friend shortly afterwards advancing, £2,ff00, business was recommenced. Another meeting of creditors took place on the sixth instant, when bankrupt was requested to file his petition. The encumbered securities consist of the mill lease, machinery and plant, tbe kauri hu^ies, .horses, draye, waggons, Mornincside properties, bueh engine, rolling stock etc., and the p.s. Oregon. These have been estimated on the basis ef present value at £11*917 6s. against which there is a liability of £12,505 7s 6d, or a deficiency of £6bß lis 6d. The. unencumbered assets consist of timber, £450 ; logs in bush and on skids, £330 ; stores Jn the bush, £70; casti in hand, £30: book debts, £1,500; and bills receivable, £273 19s Sd. Total, £2,653 19s Sd, against which there is a liability of £8,374, of which £409 16a.1d is due preferentially for wages, showing a deficiency of £5,720 Is 2d, or a total of deficiencies of £6,408 12a Bd.