PRE-SESSIONAL ADDRESS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 136, 7 June 1912, Page 7

PRE-SESSIONAL ADDRESS.

_- BY HOK. A. M. MYERS. or IJBEBALISM. J-'jJ« M &i2s Hall was filled by a & ;i Z£asted audience last evening, * L (Millis - Knance and Defence) address to the E Mr - J - M " Mennie among those present -were 'f*T?* v n <nK>mson, V. Reed, A. E. Pdand, M-P.'s, and the Hon. '%jl aoplause and three hearty pressing his appreciation 'SSStfty of his t T lke l isSeTand gentlemen who returned elec^ oll ' and referred ' piesatirai to Ministerial rank. of the Mackenzie ~he could assure his W no desire to remain in day if they were not toW majority of the As to himself., 34r. fi^ w re3t satisfied fi ere a single promise made by him of Eailways which he did (Loud.p f find le could speak with equal Keatt &r tie other members of the &»«, Mr Myers, after ■JSto-ihe past year's surplus and f'XtLi, ported out that customs SSonelid increased by £251,183, Mftflfr*u transferred from revenue Works' Fund, making a MiTtf thus transferred by the Liberal Adminisfcra- £ SngV year « Lrf; in pufcne works, exclusive of sepS» mS ■ the heading of KwiTteßMe of £597,262 was Sjitems of increase being £-198,000 t£"d sinking fund, £123,700 «, -Meml-Affaire Department, £189,SfarMeiice, and £&7,000 for Kdraca(jm Tottciing education, said the -Mm■sta/orobably no increase was more (berfoßy contemplated, 'but strict econ■ijw WBM.-i»ve. to be exercised, aad ' |i# jspeci TFOuld receive careful con- ;•' gtaation -when the report of the Com- : to-submitted. The total expen- ■ Snre for the year amounted to £ 10,340,----1(0 the chief it™ 3 being: Interest and akciFana, £2,656,510; iPost and Teleriph, £936,000; Bailways, £2,451,700? ncatdon. £1,012,000; Defence, £400,- ---■ ft>-"dld ige iPensions, £^6,962.

:,'i MArim'iFOß COMPAKISOX. (pie- pnbEe debt it 31st ilarch, 1&12, 4s £66,793^60,'0f which £16,1X1,854 id been raised in Zealand. It was

4'be "iemambered in connection with <v public debt that hy section 36 of the tew'Zealajid State Advances Act all haeys raised under that Act or tran.s---ined.to the State Guaranteed Advances jSjewere not to be reckoned as part of

.fe'pblicidebt, as they" were ■covered by !«int|es.'ai2d had an internal reserve ■fci*&icß cent-handed; each..y ear. tojthe ■■fcljßc-Tfiistee for.-hwestment: The' to"il iifoaftt so borrowed or transferred 'joo tie grtoss public debt was £-17,557,----:J5£ ffis ires certainly a large debt for t Tomg-nation, but when comparisons mr? .made with other countries it lioold-always be kept in mind"that our jablicXssets were proportionately large, ad that provision had been made is tia gradual, extinction of each lOaSi If i jetiod of 75 years. ('Applause.) l' r -viae mzfD eboblem.

Ufe thin of New Zea'd4|s a-nilaile land "\ras farmed in auyIHrp aji efficient manner, and it Jaitppnent that; a vigorous policy of .';•• i£b SCTtlaiient irmst be pursued' in the j tore. Bnt it.ivas merely obscuring the ."yi.to.ay.that.the.natives were hold- , ifnp. the.tand. year ag-o, in round ' f he]d,3,000,000 acres j iftoni^lhe. transactions ■in native ■; l bis.toiihe end of the financial year feiwedtiat the total area of native land .feaiid by.-sv-ay of lease -was 336,082 i£JeS,aad"by tvay of sale 293,619 acres, 0f.fi29,732 acres, or orer owned by the na- : ' 1 M5...50-it , , as to the area owned 'by the 'plkela., A year ego -73,000 Europeans ojmd 16,000,000 acres rmder some degree fefiraitura;' and' 24,000,000 'acres upon »m iiJaredy a penny piece had been beyond the cost of fencing. If w^Eindjtah; iad parted *;e»Mftfc~6f his' lanii during , the 5J*;7«M , ..;' | fS.;. have. about mmatiez 'thrown open for settle*?»S. ihere'.would have been les3 1, (Loud applause.) uiasßitisfeetorjtt6 kttdw that under of graduated land tax im-lie.-Liberal Government there ,™~te ; jt-steady siiMivisian of the ■ in" *he Dominion. (Ke*"s': applause.),'

'ADVA2SCE§. (-getting .if wor j. .' of tfa- state-W^fee'd-"..Advances Office, -which Jhis control, as Minister foa , declared that no ppwaenfc iad perhaps -been more «u$had' proved more beneficial, 2.™ a all parts of the Dominion •J *40 expressions of gratitude from ~*>iw> -Wjere nowin comfortable cirrus through the hnmble start Mfc rteereed from that DepaxtmenL "gm i toe-two years the local authoritei J!!!!? 411 3ud ' beto in ' existence, *gfflO/ had been .paid to local Sfe* '£315,960 in loans had been approved,' £59,100 had approved, -while £339,060 balances 'of loans. & fW.sm, raised >y the Governor s * ll1 * oa mortgage was Tlle to *al sum invested to ■&&\" ;:im ' *o ! c - „ totalling A-.W, the actual balance of prin-i 1W mortgagors on' kc!^ £7,301,028. !. itrif branch the total hubreceived for the ; £750,772. (Applaud.) j |;.¥5 AGMNST ACTION. : : lW d^.: w ifh this branch, Mr. : a statement made : at the Farmers' Union ' VVukl^ e J - ipa ? ment of 3 * P er cent ! • miaißr the old s y sfcem :■ Ud to^ es2nkin ? fund - The State '* awn« ne -P a sm«it of interest on ' -, B j - Mrowed f °r loans to local iN/ TVT, onla iave to repay every ! """"at ? 6 ebt inc irred. The '' 1, -* id been bo "owed by the ' Sto'k? ■* Purpose, and would 1 '•rtber'tii'' l^^'' 1 ** 8 over £-1,000,000. : W;w? - in any one year to £200 ' 000 - The present! per cent, aa

per cent loan, and £5 1/ for a 3i per cent loan, \diicli rndnded sinking fnnd.. In3±ead of £200,000 a year limit as preciously, the advantage of the present system cooid he shown by the fact that. since it began a lifcQe over two years ago the Department had lent, or had agreed to lend, the enormous sum of to local bodies. Local bodies in Sew Zealand ..owed nearly £3X4MO S <K)O apart from moneys owing to the Government, and the average ~ra±e of interest paid by them, not including sinking fond, was £4 Tl/t. Five per cent was paid on over £3,000.000, and sis per cent or more was paid on £L£oo,ooo. The present Government rate of £4 IZ/6, or £3 1/, not only paid interest, but wiped off the whofe debt in 3fri

In the workers' branch, the total number of applications received for the financial year just ended was 2,223, and the amount £750,172. For the financial year ended 31st March last the Department had advanced to settlers no less than £2,134085, and to workers £543,840. These figures surpassed all previous records. (Loud applause.) RAILWAY PEOGSESS. There had been a substantial increase in the volume of traffic and revenue in the Department of Railways. Compared with the previous year, the number of passengers carried showed an increase of 690,000; coaching items, 80,000; goods, 45,000 tons; and revenue, £182*527. The net earning on the total capital expenditure -svere equal to a return of £3 19/ per cent, which must be regarded as highly satisfactory. There -would be a considerable improvement in the suburban train services of the four chiei towns, and if the Government was satisfied that the other lines required increased facilities they would be granted, for no good purpose was served by starving any district of railway facilities merely fox the purpose of showing increased revenue. An endeavour wduld be made to devise a scheme of light railway construction to dewelop the country districts a s yet badly roaded, and therefore inaccessible far settlement. Any light railways ahoold be capahle of conversion into standard lines if the development of the traffic made such a step necessary. A petrol motor carriage was being built at Petone, and would be completed in a week or two, and if it was successful in its *riqi<» others would be erected as an economical means of carrying passengers where the population was small. (Applause.)

la emphasising tie necessity of securing the best brains to do justice to the Department, Air. Myers went on to say that as the chief officials were near the time of their retirement, the Government would submit certain proposals which should result in providing the most efficient management and the introduction of the most modiern ideas in railway management. EXPLODING ANOTHER FALLACY. Two points in Mr. Hassey's speech at Manurewa. were discussed by the Minister. Mr. Massey maintained that country residents should, not pay any more for the journey over the suburban liDe than those who did not travel beyond that area- The proposal amounted to the application of residential suburban rates to all long distance travellers who passed over suburban areas, or, pushed to its logical conclusion, it meant that a suburban fare should bs the standard for fixing all long-distance rates. That would deplete the revenue by not less than £416,000.' To give long-distance -passengers the suburban rate in conjunction. with the ordinary rate would cost £50,000 per annum. Regarding Mr. Massey's i request for an inquiry in rfispect to local ' rating, Mr. Myers said that in many instances local rates fostered local industries, and in others they met- competition by road or water carriage, and secured to the railways traffic that would otherwise be lbst. GREATEST GOOD FOE GREATEST 3SXJMBEE. After touching on the benefits which the Government proposed to extend in the encouragement of *.T*» iron and steel indiustry, Mr. Myers concluded by expressing the opinion that,the great body of the electors of the Dominion recognised that the present Government was. fully alive to the needs of the Dcnrrirririn, and that Liberalism had in a very large measure justified the prediction of its founders.

Anyone who considered fairly and impartially the work of the Liberal Government on behalf Of the people of the Dominion would have to admit that the party in power to-day waa still , worthily upholding the traditional principles of Liberalism, and was still striving actively to secure "the greatest good to the greatest numbeT." (Loud and enthusiastic applause.)

Before resuming bis seat Mr Myeis expro-ssed sincere regret at the news of thlSon- J. A. JElkrs ni-heatth. He eincerely trusted that one who had so neatly assisted to pass Liberal legislation wonld be speedily restored to health and still take a prommen* part m th& politics, of the country, "New Zealand," he declared, "<!annot afford to lose a. man of Mr MSllarfe aJbHity, .-wiatever the future politics of the country may be.' The Minister -coriclnded his address ornid a ibnrst of spcmtaaieoTis and. -entiHisJastic agplausc X mnrttber of questions were sent up ■in response to an invitation from the speaker. In the course of replying, the Minister saki that the Defence Department declined to accept responsibility for accidents at mdlifaury camps, and thai he did not-consider the referendum necessary in a- coonfcry possessing so demo-crafcie-a constitaiian as didKew Zeabaid. "Will the Speech from the Throne be thrown over 'by tie preeenb Gfo-vern-ment?" asked an inqmfiitive voice in the audience. "A good many people .would like to know that," retorted ihe Minister, to the accompaniment of hearty langhter. ' THE IhCAG OF IJBERMtfKM. On the motion of &Ir 'K. Salmon, see-j onded by Mr Mb&iett, the following- resorution was carried unanimously:— "Tta* W& meeting of electors of Auckland City East thanks the Hon. lArfltur 3L. Myers for his very interesting addree*and expresses renewed confidence ia him as iheir representative, and also as a. Minister of th 6 Crown." "Mr Myers hasr done more for Auckland in the few minutes, co to speak, that he has held a portfolio than tbad previously been done in five years," declared tie seconder amid loud applause. The following additional resolution, moved by Mr P. J. >Nerheny and seconded by Mr E. T. 'Michaels, -was also carried with enthusiasm: —"That this meeting feels confident that the policy of -Ehe (Mackenzie Government represents the opinion of the majority of the people--of this Dominion, and expresses the hope that such Government, -will be afforded an opportunity of continuing the good work in the best interests of the people of the Dominion."

Mr Myers returned .thanks -on- 'behalf of his colleagues and himself, "fche ipa*idcnlaxly -enthusiastic gaflrtrJayfartaking: np (with. "TVh