POLITICAL.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXI, Issue 96, 21 October 1908, Page 7

POLITICAL.

THE PRIME MlNjl steb AT FEILDING. [PEESS ASSOCIATION.] FEILDING, last niglit. Hie Drill Hall was packed ill!.; evening when Sir Joseph Ward delivered a policy speech, a great deal! on the lines of the one at Palmerstoji last night. But the following new matters were dealt with : — Referring to the progress of the dominion Sir Joseph quoted statistics showing that during the 17 years from 1890 to 1907 the population had increased by 48.60 per cent ; imports 170.97; exports 109;65; New Zealand produce exports 109.82 per cent; the customs revenue 99.78; excise duties 100.11; butter exports'increased 843.36; cheese 45.4; frozen meat' l6l.97. He considered that special efforts should be made on the lines they had already initiated of settling workmen on land in the vicinity of Public Works. Two years ago in the financial statement this had been outlined. . No rent would be paid for the first three years. Afterwards the rental would-be paid in th© usual manner, thus making a. man able to go upon a small piece of land rent free, and afterwards the rent of those years were to be added to the capital. Workmen of six months standing are to be treated this way The revenue of the Association timber from this land is to be paid into a special fund and afterwards paid into a fund for the workers' use. Under the restrictions preventing speculation, the land would be leased to workmen for 66 years, and they would thus be encouraged to settle in the vicinity of the land instead of, drifting back to the towns, and they would thus become New Zealanders in tlio' true sense of -fclie word. So ilien referred to the statement made by Mr. George Winder, candidate for Wellington seat in the liberal interest (who recently resigned the chairmanship, of the Central Wellington branch of the Liberal Federation) to the effect that whilst supporting the general policy of the Government, which was honestly trying to do justice to every person in the land, he wished to warn the country that New Zealand was face to face with a great crisis. He disclaimed the roll of an alarmist, but it was to the alert business man impossible'" to be blind to the sign of the financial stringency which stared New Zealand in the face. The elections were to take place early because the Government expected news of .great portent in regard to the London money market in December. There was nothing that did more harm r to New Zealand, and he was not only alluding to Mr Winder, but to the cry of stinking fish set up by people who ought to know better, especially when the financial position of the country is strong and impregnable. The statements made by Mr Winder, and the meaning which might be attached to them, had no justification- at all, so. far as the Government were concerned. At ajiyrata, all 7 their financial arrangements had been made for months to come, and they were not in ■ the slightest degree dependent upon the state of the London money market. The Government was not leaning on its bankers, and the Government were never in a stronger position than they are to-day. Then the reference to the date of the elections made by Mr Winder had nothing at all to do. with' the money market. As a matter of fact the elections were fixed for a date somewhat similar to the usual time after the rising of Parliament, and in doing so all that had been looked up was that the day should not conflict with the shows at Palmersten, Christchurch, and Dunedin, and should not bring the second ballot too close + o Christmas. He said he had mar;y times posed as a prophet in matters financial, and a successful prophet at that, and he was going to prophesy again. This time he formulated the opinion that the existing stringency in the money market would be. over by December next, and based that upon the belief that the'productiveness of the dominion in the direction of butter, sheep, and other produce would have brought to the liuiHcet such a large> output that aa enormous amount of the indebtedness to * the hanks would have been paid. In I addition to that he personally knew j of very large sums of money which i were coining to New Zealand in the ; near future for investment in this j connection. It was only fair to the Government to point out that while •the Advances to Settlers and Ad- ! vances to Workers Departments had lent to settlers over three millions of money and while money institutions throughout the colony had been' taking advantage of the stringency of the money market to sq\ieez© high rates of interest out of the necessitous settlers, the splendid Government Department lie had alluded to had never raised the rates of interest one sixpence. After referring to the gag claxise of the second ballot, he dealt with the question of proportional representation. He said that in Queensland the Premier said the system was a failure

becauso only 5 per cent, of the people going to the polls used their preferential vote, and the only way to make that system perfect was to compel every man to use his contingent voto, and that -was an impossibility. (He asked what proportional representation meant. The ■ prinoipa! advo- _ -cates oi "it suggested that three or four electorates should be made into one, and he wanted to know who would have the -refcl advantage. He answered : Men in the public eye who were well known ; but the man of. moderate means, or the poor man, could no more go over an electorate like that than he could jump over the moon. He had come to the conclusion that the only way to let the people say which man was the popular one was to have a second ballot between the two men and the second balio ; t gave that. In a country where the second ballot had been in use for a number of years, it had been found that more people went to the poll on the second occasion than on the first, and he felt sure that- the supporters of a candidate would support him on the second occasion as in the first. Personally, lie apprehended no difficulty in the working of the second ballot in New Zealand. In connection witli the question of defence, lie pointed out that- there was a development going on in the Old World "that they could not shut their eyes to, and in the race for supremacy hi commerce,. in our small way we should do our part as effectively as we could. First of all. we had carried out a system of preferential .trade to the. Old World, : which had not-.gou©- as far as it should go, but it showed we were earnest' in our. desire to do our own share, and for the reason that the real protection to our products was td be obtained from the British navy, we nfd given £100,000 a year towards it. 'He! was certain that the heart of New Zealand was in'favoi* of that grant, but we had to 'guard against any insidious system of militiarism in this country, in the shape of compulsory military training, being driven down the throats of the people of New Zealand. We should be practical and recognise the need for colonial defence. The existing volunteer system was not as good as it might be. It was our duty to see that it was effective, that our young men were trained to he efficient soldiers ; to redixce the age of volunteers to 16, and- to see that our school cadets were passed into the volunteer corps! It was upon" those lines the , Government is working. He refer- . red briefly to the necessity for keep- ! ing New Zealand for the white race. ! The people were determined to keep out the Asiatic races— to keep the | white race of the colony pure — and the. only, way to ensure that was to make sure that the dominion was strong in self defence ; that the men in New Zealand were trained for its defence, and that nothing likely to strengthen the position of the colony was neglected. On the motion of Mr E. H. Crabb, a vote of thanks to the Premier and confidence in the Government was cai> ried with enthusiasm.