PARLIAMENT OUT OF SESSION.

Press, Volume LIII, Issue 9361, 10 March 1896, Page 6

PARLIAMENT OUT OF SESSION.

CAPTAIN RUSSELL AT HASTINGS. (Bγ Telegraph. ) (FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT.) HASTINGS, M*rch 9. Captuiu Russell addressed his constituents at Hastings this evening. There was a large Attendance, and the Mayor presided. Captain Rusaell, who was very warmly received, thanked the Mayor for his introductory remarks. THE LIBKRAL GOVERNMENT. He referred lo the old tale of the boy With the knife, who broke the blade and ■till maintained it was the original knife, ami pointed out that the old original L'boiul Government had dispersed. The Agent-General had goue, Mr Reeves had gone, the great leaner, Mr Balance, had gone, and Sir P. Buckley had goue. Besides the election at Chrisicnurch had defeated the Government. (Applause.) Mr HallJones had been appointed to tbo Minietty *s the element of oil in the Ministerial lalad, as a counter attraction to the vinegar »f Mr Thompson, of Auckland. The Government bad really gone, and people were dubious as to whether the present Miui<tere really represented the people or had realised the high hopes of the people who put them in. Wagea were lower and the depression was greater throughout; the bluster and banquets and bunkum of Ministers. The people found they had placed their trust in a totten reed. THE UNEMPLOYED. The Government had promised employment, but they had really put men in office for their political colour and sycophancy Only. (Applause.) The unemployed bad not their giievancea properly sett.cd. The Government had actually deputed lecturers to invite people from Australia, and the result was an influx of the soum of the Australian cities. (Applause.) THE CABINET. Ministers, instead of doing departmental work, had stumped the country, and thrust their policy on an unwilling people. They had also ttied to geb an extra Minister. When Sir P. Buckley and Messrs Reeves Had Montgomery retired a long time Jlapsed before the vacancies were filled. ffho Premier stumped the country, aud the (Treasurer resided in the south and looked after his own affaire. Why appoint a new Minister ? THE OPPOSITION , . d'he Government never gave the Opposition a fair chance, for they (the Ministers) had a large following. He himself had sat more hours in the House than any Minister. Yetbewas,as they saw, well. (Applause.) He Could throw a wether over a fence as well \a he could twenty-five years ago. (Laughter and applause.) Ministers interfered with . the Opposition. As an illustration he referred to the returns ou finance, which were baulked by the Premier. The House was kept in ignorance of the financial state of the colony. Not twelve men of the Government's enormous and subservient following believed in them. One member ■aid,to him (Captain Russell) that if men voted according to their convictions the Government would go out. (Loud applause.) Party ties were held superior tocouviclions. (Applause.) At the next eleotions the country would return, he believed, men unbiassed and unfettered. (Applause.) THE COLONIAL TREASURER. The Colonial Treasurer had been touring the world making abortive treaties and minding his own affairs, v (Laughter and applause.) A man in high public office should give the colony the benefit of his talents. (Applause.) Great honour was done to the Treasurer iv the war of an adjournment, and a procession which was like a funeral—(laughter) —the funeral of the Treasurer's financial reputation on which the flowers of an admiring people were now dying. "If you would in business rise, you must bust or advertise," and tbe Treasurer did advertise thoroughly. The real finance, the 3 per cent, loan, was Mr Larnach'a not Mr Ward's. The 3 per cent, loan was now at 95£ per cent.,, yet the Australian 3 per cent, loan was quoted at 99 per cent., so that it was evidently not a success. The Treasurer spoke to the London Chamber of Commerce, tout tbe great magnates of finance were absent. The land tax was levied prematurely to meet the Treasurer's exigencies, and tbe Treasurer told the Chamber the colony was nob " hard up." The Treasurer's imagination was vivid, and he forgot the fact that Messrs Ward andSeddon, when the land tax waa being raised, said to the House that "an early collection of the money was needed ; that it was unavoidable." Who epoke truly—Mr Seddon and Mr Ward in the colony, or Mr Ward in London ? People "who pointed out all this were unfairly branded as unpatriotic, yet telling the truth was a virtue always. (Applause). The million of unpledged securities were merely the savinga of the people which the Government had the audacity io claim that they might invest. (Prolonged applauso). What was to become Df the Unifc and savings of the people inlace of such recklessness ? (Applause). BANK OF NEW ZEALAND. The Bauk of New Zealaud was once an old man of the »ea, and was now an octopus. The Bank Committee set up was a strong and painstaking oue, and discovered the following facts, viz:—That there were in the colony 36,110 depositors, representing £6,220.900; 1050 shareholders and 28,580 current accounts. The Bank of N ew Zealand employed 1299 p?reous, and the deSoaitors in London numbered 3351, aud the iauk wns a creditor of the colony for £1,403,000. Of the notes in circulation in thU colony the Bauk of New Zealand had more than half, and ot the current bills nearly half. The deposits in all our Banks totalled £13,544,413, und of these the B*iik of New Zealand held £6,421,774. It was, therefore, the House's du*y to save tbe colony's credit and avoid the catastrophe that would have fjllowed liquidation. Had the Bank boeu allowed to fall, the business of the colony would have collapsed. The Committee felt themselves on tho horns of a dilemma, and chose the most expedient, comae. Ho hoped and believed tl.e Brink's future career would be prosperous, ninl that the colony would be equally so, as it was the duty of the Oppo"Ution to make her. (Applause.)

LAND FOR SETTLEMENT. He held that the compulsory taking of laud was pernicious. They muat have capitalists, then labour would get its reward. The laud laws had frightened capital and enterprise away. The Seddonian policy, indeed, had injured the Bank of New Zealand. Mr {i. W. Russell Imd spoken against the apptopiiaticu of land, and tavoured compensation and the abolition of freehold. Buch abolition the speaker denounced in itrong terms. State ownership of land would mean State responsibility on the fluctuations of the laud market. Hβ favoured the leLlibg (on terms of purchase) of lands fur the people. BANK SECRETS. Sir M'Keczie had accused the Opposition if vilifying the Bank, aud had threatened k>, expose Vhoae. who had overdrafts. He iCeptain RusaelJ) replied to it at a subsequent time, calling upon the Minister for a retraction, and asking how Ministers could know this unless the officers of the Bank bad told them. Be (Captain Russell) had been forbidden by thu Speaker to press the question. Ho repeated it, and waa threatened with being named. Hβ submitted, but he thought the Speaker was wrong. At the same time he kuew Sir G. M. (J'Rorke was immeasurably the finest Speaker in the colonies. (Loud applause.) RUSHING THB ESTIMATES. Captain Rusaell referred to the new Standing Orders as ineffective, especially as they were applied in the discussion of the Public Works Estimates. The Estimates were rushed through at a late hour one night without debate. He (Captain Ruseell) protested, yet millions of the people's money was voted away at an early hour of the morning. (Applause.) THE RKVIINUE. The pnblic debt was increasing. One of our two chief items of revenue was decreasing. The railways in 1893 earned £1,181,521, and in 1895 they earned £1,150,085. showing a decrease of £30,671, even though 107 miles of new lines bad •iore been opened up. Again, the Customs receipts in 1893 were £1,665,633, and in 1895 £1,E69,873, or a decrease ot £95,810. Thin position was fraught with danger, •nd it was accentuated by the diminishing of to* birth rhte, m in Frano*. Iα tola

colony there vrvt a decrease in the number of births in 1894 of 1218 from the rate of 1884. He denounced a huge borrowing policy. THE TARIFF. Referring to the revision of the Customs tariff, after the researches of the Tariff Commissioners, he said they were paid £1700 for touring the country, yet the result was a heavier burden on the people least able to bear it. As a matter of fact, too, the Treasurer knew nothing about it, for he had been absent on tour when it was framed and the alterations made. (Laughter.) The tariff was almost always passed at one sitting so as to prevent discussion, and the House had passed it so on this occasion, aud ho moved an amendment, which the brave Premier, with his enormous majority, said be would treat as a no-contidence motion. He (Captain Russell) considered the Opposiciou only did their duty in the matter. (Applause.) Captain Russell referred to the Wellington Match Factory and said it had been an injury to the colony, because the duty had been kept up. The duty on matches was a very wrong one, he thought. Was it a a fair wage, 63 or 8s a week for girls ? It waa an unhealthy trade. Even the "schoolboy with shining morning face" had his oranges and bananas taxed. But for the Opposition's vigilance things would have been still more taxed. The newly married found their house requirements taxed by the paternal Government, and in old age, when rheumatism attacked us we found Mother Seigel's syrup taxed. (Laughter and applause). Eren our monuments aud gravestones Vere taxed. Dead people had no votes, and, of course, they needed no consideration. CONCLUSION. Captain Russell concluded by an emphatic denial of the rumour that he meant to resign. (Loud and prolonged applause). He meant to stick to his Hawke'a Bay friends. (Applause}. The Opposition had done their best to foster a patriotic spirit and restore confidence and combat the tendency to alienate labour and capital. (Loud applause.) He was a New Zealander first and a Hawke's Bay man next. (Loud applause.) He would do his best for the district and the colony. The hon. gentleman resumed his seat amid loud applause. Mr I. Crosse proposed, and Mr Vaughan seconded a vote of thanks and confidence in the member, which was received with every demonstration of approval. A feeble amendment expired amid the applause.