THE PREMIER'S SPEECH.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12364, 1 December 1905, Page 8

THE PREMIER'S SPEECH.

REPLY BY MR T. E. TAYLOR. HUGE MEETING IN THE COLOSSEUM. AX ENTHUSIASTIC CROWD. The announcement that Mr T. E. Taylor would reply to the speech, delivered by the Premier in the Canterbury Hall on Wednesday evening, was responsible for a gathering of fully 5000 people in the Colosseum last night. Long before the hour of meeting tho place was packed, and the audience waitod expectantly until Mr Taylor arrived, accompanied by Mr H. F. Toogood. The audience had previously lushed the platform, and-only a few vacant spaces remained. Eager followers of political events unconcernedly seated themselves en the Prets tables, and the unfortunate reporters were obliged to do their •work under most iiiconvonient circumstances. On ■ the whole tho meeting was well conducted. Mr Taylor's followers were present in an overwhelming majority, and the small minority which came to make trouble found themselves hopelessly swamped. Ono select coterie entrenched itself near the centre of the building, but its conduct brought down the wrath, of the chairman, who appealed to the police to pay special ettonticn to the individuals concerned. Interjections were frequent, but, generally epoaking, they -were goodhumoured, and told' in favour of ' thq speaker. " What about the voucher?" •was a question, which frequently stole above the general hum of voices. Mr Taylor did not shrink at the spectre; he announced that " he would deal ■with the voucher in due course." His plan of attack was to criticise the Premier's speech in the sequena in which it waa delivered, and this he did to the end. 3IR TAYLOR7S ADDRESS. The chairman (Mr G. thick) introduced Mr laylor amidst a storm of applause, shouting, and cheering, wßich continued for five minutes. Hardly one word he uttered could be heard above tho din and ehouting. Mr Taylor mounted the platform to the tune of roars of applause and cheering. A thin wail of hooting and boohooing fleated through the general disorder. When Mr Taylor could make himsalf heard, he faicT he proposed to deal from a non-party standpoint with the speech delivered by the Right Hon. the Premier the previous evening. (Cheers were here called for "The Piece," the "British Bull Dog," and other people and things.) Mr Taylor continued: — The epeech, he said, was one of the cleverest, ever delivered in Chrifitchurch. No one, for instance, would declare against Mr Seddon when he 6aid the land for settlement scheme had been a great success. (Cheers wi;re here given for "Gray," at the ca.l of some one in the audience.) No one would contradict h.m when he deni d that t-ecoony'o credit had failen, or that tho Worker's Dwellings Bill was a good one. (A call for cheers for "Dick tteodon" wab responded to, and liberally boo-hooed.) Mr Taylor eaid they were all with the Premier when he spoke of the factory legation and of the Midland RaLway. (it«ro tha speaker was interrupted with more cheers for "Dick Sedaon.') .Now he (Mr Tayior) wanted to show where the legislation of which tho Premier had boasted had come from. Theno Acta came from tho factories of the colony and from the Trades Counoils. The demand for this legislation was an irresistible' one, and hau to materialise. Parliament seized on these demands and became the channel through, which they eventually found expression. Parliament never moved in any given direction until tho demand lor legislation was sufficiently strong. The speech of the Premier had been a most able one ("Three cheers for him," cried a man in the audience, and the call ..was reeponded to.). THE PREMIER'S SPEECH. Now, he would ask them -were they impreesed the previous evening with tho Premier's opening remarks. (Voices: "Yes" and "No" and cheers.) The Premier had been raking about in political cemeteries fifteen and sixteen* years old. It wee only common honesty to remember that in the last term of Government there were certain natural advantages which were not at the command or tile people in fch© case of , the Government previously in power. He was sorry the Premier had wasted m> much time in explaining the provincial expenditure of the colony. Tho Premier had also quoted statistics which he (Air Taylor) knew were incorrect. They had heard that in the counse of the last twelve yeans the value of our exports and imports had gone up; the value of th'i land had gone up, and population had increased by some thousands. Mr Seddon would lead one to believe that he had been, responsible for all this. Hβ (Mr Taylor) always felt aggrieved when ho said he was responsible for the increase in our population. (Cheers and uproarious laughter.) It so happen<«d that he went into the "bonds of matrimony about the time that Mr Seddon came into power, and ho .wanted to know where he (Mr Taylor) came in, as Iμ had a larga family. (More laughter.) Mr Taylor asked why the Premier had not answered the questions put to him by the National Council of Women? Ho read out the questions to the meeting, and declared that they were all very fair Ho was very much surprised that thj Premier had answered none of them. THE LAND QUESTION. Was that great question, the land question, dealt with the preceding night in a manner befitting one who held the hica office of Premier of this country P Cries of "Yes" and "No," and cheers for " Gray " and " Tommy Taylor " here interrupted the progress of the meeting. Proceeding, Mr Taylor said a circular sent out by the Ministry announced that there were 3,853,000 acres of Crown lands ready for sale for cash or under the leasing eystem. After quoting from tho Premier's speech, he stated ho had pointed ont at all his meetings that they had had a most extraordinary acrobatic performance by the Premier on this question. Hβ referred to Mt Seddon's. contradictory votes in the Houso last session,- and his previous declaration at Newtown, that the man who sold our Crown lands would be a traitor to the colony. The motion brought down by Mr Baume, M.H.R.. was one giving the right to acquire the freehold to all Crown tenants, and Mr Seddon, with Sir Masscy and others, walked isto the lobby and voted for it. For two years the "Premier had denounced the freeho'd, yet he voted for -Mr Baume'p motion with every freeholder in the House. After two years of dodging the issue, the Premier had come to the conclusion that the Farmers' Union interest was one worth studying. (A Voice: "Read the motion.") Mr Taylor then read Mr Bau roe's motion for which Mr Seddon voted. The LancV Picric would cost the colony at least £15.000. Voices: "How much did the voucher cost?" Mr Taylor: 'I-will come to the voucher later en." Continuing, Mr Taylor said the Pre-

mior dodged that expenditure tho previous night. Tho fremier said that his two years" hesitation, and tho £15,000 expenditure were all designed to givo the people a chance of expressing their opinion on the land question. What would they think of the Premier when they were told that he was snpporting forty freehold candidates? That was. one of the most disgraoeful tricks ever, played upon tho people. The Premier was giving his support to forty nfen who would cut tho throat of th© leasehold party, and yet h© 6aid that the delay had been for the benefit of the people. Mr Seddon knew Wei; enoughthat the stoppage of tho sale of Crown lands had been made a burning question through New Zealand, and when he oame here he was bound to make somo concession to public opinion. The speaker here waa subjected to cons.derable interruption, and the chairman asked the police to pay spec.al attention to the quarter of the room where most of tho noise proceeded from. Continuing, Mr Taylor sa.d that ho was opposed to the further sal.' of Crown lends. There were nine million acres of Crown lands left, and tho Radicas in the Hen c said that that land should not ba touched. It was not proposed to touch existing freeholds, but tlie remaining Crown .and should not bo sold, but leased for years. The previous night the Premier hedged on that question, and eaid he proposed to take a million acres of the Crown lands end make them into an education and half a mil.ion for Chari able Aid reserves, and he would 6ell. the. rest. If the land, however, was good enough to sell, it "Was good enough to lrase, and the proposal to retain only ono and a half million acres out of the nine millions was not a statesmanlike one Tho Radicals would not allow one single acre of the remaining nine millions to be sold if they went back to tTie Houso twenty strong. There was no party in the House who oould beat twenty men if they knew tho methods of Parliamentary warfare., The Premier said that the 1892 land policy was still being adhered to. That policy, however, was not a good one, and the 999 years' lease system should bo abolished. What tho people wanted in Parliament was a sufficient number of men to sco that their rights and interests in respect cf Crown lauds -would not be interfered with. If tho setting apart of reserves in the past was now relieving the burdens of the people!, surely those burdens would bo relieved in tho future if tho remaining Crown lands were retained. In twenty-five years time the rents from those lands might bo worth £300,000 a year, and tho Customs taxation would .be reduced to that extent. Tho Premier tho previous evening temporised on that question. He (the speaker) id if he had his way—and he usually got his way when ho camo into oonflict with tho Premier (loud applause)—not only would tho people have the ono and a half million acres as reserves, but he would have the nine million acres as national reserves, and the burdens of th© people would be relieved accordingly. The Premier had claimed that he had never shirked responsibility, yet for tho last two years be had been marking time, and was not prepared to ossumo any responsibility -in respect of land reforms. All ho seemed to caro about was to keep himself in power. The "Lyttelton Times" had gone round from what it said previously after the Premier's vote on the land question was made known. "The Press" was satisfied with what the Premier said on Wednesday night, yet last year the same paper said that the dry bones of Literalism would havo.to be given fresh life, and Obristohurch was peculiarly the place where that fresh life m.ght be infused. He did not know what to do with a pater tliat was on both sides of tho question. . \ ■ ■ OLD AGE PENSIONS. Ho OaaiiO tO LUO qUwbC.OU Ol Old Agd i.euniun». ine rxoiiuei urn piw-iu_ti n»_j,ui. Nad ouvuit.vo. _ uiowC iA/o.nOU. tie iiau iou b ._i. __*_.*! ior houn> to remove * oioutjsn i.oai tu-_ Utd Age ren_ivii_ jdu, in mi oireoiion ol «*Xou_pu_g iU« v«iiUe oi a_ _tipucaaos home. in _o_o tn_ .ixove. .mi.no tuat, and tm_ year, wuta no .cue speatt«i) moved an auiendmout in ttiar direction, tno Premier tuioatened to tlirow up tno .bill. _weiuy--ix memoeis voted tor the amerfdmait, out a nuuioer who voiod ugauust it to.d him tnac tne Premier had a_.ked them to do so, as he was bringing aown an amending Bill himuelf. ivir Sedaon did int.©. duce that amendment, which was gooa as far as,it. went, but did not go Jtar enough. Tho pensioners, however, had to thank the Progie.s_v© Liberals for what thoy bad got, ana not tho present Government. (Hear. hear.) Tho second reading of th© Bill was carried by 59 votes to 8. Later on, according to "Hansard," when the Premier wa* sneaking on th© third reading of the Bill, he qubted the names of ...ose who, h© alleged, had voted against tho tocond reading of the measure, and told tho Government to. toko back their Bill, for they were not prepared to grant any farther conventions to th© old age pensionere. Ho did not hear the Premier make that speech, and- if he had heard him he would have sprung at him. (Loud applause.) Ihe list was a false one, and none of tho members whose names were quoted remembered tho speech being made, or the vote taken. 'Ih© suggestion wastthatt t th© Premier had never read the list in th© House, but had written it into '"Hansard" afterwards, so that a magazine published in We'lington should try to damage tho eighteen men whoso names wero mentioned. He thought Mr Duthie w s perfectly justified in describing the action as he did, and h© believed that if a man would descend to suoh a level as to punish a statement in " Hansard" that was never uttered, and a list that was never taken, what chance had they of finding the vouchor. (Loud and continued applause, during which groans were given for-Mr Seddon.) > When, the cheering died away Mr Taylor said thoy wanted more men in the House who would stand up and fight the Premier. Did he repeat the faked list in the Canterbury Hall last night? (Voices: "No," and cheers.) If h© had don© so b© (Mr Taylor) would have taken the "platform and whipped him on his own ground. (Cheers.) What did the great bravo man do on Wednesday night when he was tasked for the voting listP He read out tho correct one. ___, Mr Taylor wag interrupted at this stage by an individual who bad to'*h© ejeoted. The Premier, the speaker proceeded, had been canght and cornered, but ho hod never heard such on excuse ao Mr Seddon had urged in connection with this matter. H© coraElained that the matter had not been rought up between July and October. It was as much as to say, "I don't want to bo bothered with 6uch stale statements; you hfivo no right to bother mo; there are heaps of fresh material since then. (Laughter.) PUBLIC EXPENDITURE. Dealing with the audit of tho colony's assets, Mr Taylor spoke of tho Imperial payments mad© ia New Zealand, which had never been subjected to audit. The Auditor-General claimed th© right to audit the million and a-half of Imperial money expended in connection with the Boer war. The Premier had declared that every penny cf expenditure was audited by tho Auditor-Gsneral. He (the epeaKer) qnot?d from a Parliamentary papar showing that the Premier had gone behind the Audit Department, and had done his best to get tho audit of Imperial payments ci?T»n«ed with. Th© Premier had stated the reason he de* : ?ed to have the audit dispensed with was that the audit had resulted in an accumulation of aoboants, and great delay in payments. Th.-) Homo authorities insisted that some system of local audit was very necessary, and so the controversy went on.

Tho Auditor-General further stated in th* official oorrospondenoo that th© statements mado by tho Premier in regard to the.effect of th© air-it were not correct. Tho Auditor-General in effect had told the Premier, "Don't you think m>u should tell the War Office that the audit was not th© cause of tho delay of which you spoke; and don't you think you should tell them that I only •want to do my duty as a servant of this colony?" Th© Auditor-General in this oonnootion was distinctly prevented from performing his duty in this case, ©wing to the Revenues Act, and the Colonial Treasurer -was vary anxious that the audit should not be carried out. THE VOUCHER. The previous night tha Premier had referred to the voucher; he said it had cost £3000. He (Mr Taylor) said it had cost nothing of th© kind. ]Tha Premier had asked for only £000 to cover the cost, and clever as Mr Seddon was, ho (Mr Taylor) wanted to know how he was going to pay £3000 out of £500. Even if it hod cost as much as was repra&eaited, it would have resulted in a great deal of public good. Ho compared tho expenditure in fhia case with the ©ost occasioned by- the Land because th© Premier had lost his narvc. In Canada the public expenditure was set out in detail, and every member of Parliament had access to these particulars. ' In regard to th© voucher, ho believed Mr Fisher was perfectly justified in asking the question he did. (Cries of "Yes" and "No.") No man had ever asked a question in th© Hous© with better witnesses than Mr Fisher had. They were men of unblemished character. (A voice: "Three cheers for them.") Mr Taylor proceeded, after the cheers had died away. Ho said the-demands of loyalty called upon him to assist Mr Fisher and stand by him. H« 'Mr Fisher) might have been injudicious, but when a man was in need of assistance that was the time to help him. Tho voucher was in this position: They had four men of unimpeachable character — (Cries of " Yes " and " No.'')—and thoy had tho testimony of those mesn, and he confessed at present ho could not otter a solution of the mystery. The witnesses Mr Fisher had had behind him were men any man should be proud (Cheere.) Ho repeated that Mr lusher was justified in the action ho had taken. CORRUPT LEGISLATION. Mr Taylor went ©n t© say *&»*, ]l e would vote for the repeal of the Public Revenues Act if the matter ever came up in the House. He oondemned tho Slander Bill, and referred t© the case of "Mr J. J. Meikle, and his positionl in relation to the Act, whioh tarn distinctly aimed at him. While Taylor was outlining th© facte of Mr Meikle's case, cheers were'given rev the chief nctor in the cse. Meikle had been saying some v©ry plain things about the Government during the last few years, and titer© was n© doubt that tho Bill was designed to get at him. The Ministry wanted to surround itself with all the protection that Royalty tried to clothe itself with three hundred or four hundred yeans a<so. THE LICENSING QUESTION. He came to ono of the most extraordinary portions of the Ptemier's speech. Air Seddon spoke on < the licensing question and said that if popular rights were threatened be would protect them. For downright, brazen effrontery he (the speaker) had'never heard the equal of that. (Applause.) Had the Premier forgotten the. Bill" of 1903? It seemed .to him' that the newspapers and -the Parliament were ulind to the proposals contained in that Bill. It proposed to do away with tho elective licensing committee, to allow liquor into the King Country, t© abolish tho triennial local option poll', and to out out the reduction'vote. Yet tho Premier said ho was tho man to protect publio rights. In IS9_ th© Government resisted .the Supreme Court in an endeavour to allow licenses to bo renewed in Sydenham which tho people' had decided should not be" continued. The people had also losUNewtown, Chalmers,' and Uruoe, yet tho Premier said ho was tho man t© protect the! popular, will. A few years ago in Christchurch tho Premier said he had contempt for tho Prohibitionists and that thoy were a miserable minority of faddists and fanatics, yet the previous night ho said if those who were his masters wanted No-lioense he would obey them. On Wednesday night ho grovelled 1 to the people, and he would continue to grovel to them so long as ho was kept In power. Every piece' of licensing legislation and liquor reform had been resisted secretly by th© Premier. Every democratio proposal in the Koensirig legislation had been forced from th© Premier, and Mr Seddon had never said anything more brazen in his life than what he said the previous night. The Premier was insincere when he spoko on Wednesday, and if it would keep him in power to become a. violent Prohibitionist ho would be ono to-morrow. The t that only two charges /had been brought against the Govkiunent. Why did he not refer to tho Hiifemoa turn and ho would not answer.") the SSSV M4 ii t,mt F misters wore alIwV* a , -* whm but that was only whoa thoy w W © awiy on public buwmem and t© "cover hotel excharge 30s for the but tho truth was that his greed _$ SLh mpte £i n to ,l_. ub m * U* Pocket j-j l }. question, and when he did ha skirted all round it. CONCLUSION. In condusmii Mr Taylor saM th© people next Wednesday would have™ decide who were to bo their representatives. Some of tho candidates wero puppets, others wero capable critics on what was going, and it behoved the people t© return men who were strong enough to get information wanted. If tho younger generation were xeturfled this timo in fair numbers, they would put their foot down and stop Mr Seddon soiling any more Crown lands: !thev would so© that the tariff of th© colony was framed to giv© employment to our own people; thoy were going to put tho tariff on a national basis; t© make our educational system what it ought to bo; to ccc that tho/Civil Service was not used as an electioneering machine; they were going to consider a schemo of annuities for the whole population; they wore going t© secure constitutional reform, and by th© way, the Premier said not a wwd about his Ministry or th© Legislativo Council. Ho appealed t© tbem whether it was a. worthy thing for the Premier t© publish that false division list en tho Old Ago Pensions Bill, or t© dodgo th© land question, and was it right for Mr Seddon year after year to monopolise power ss he did t©- ; day. The time had come* when conning should be no longer a substitute for character, which should b© the firtt consideration when choosing public men. H© balieved that on erery question that camo before Parliament his judgment was as good as that ©f tb© Premier or Mr Massey, and if he was returned he would havo to go absolutely a free man on behalf of tho people. Mr Tay* r was loudly cheered when ho concluded his addrcee. . - . MR TOOGOOD'S REMARKS. Mr Toogood, who was also accorded a very warm reception, said he was speaking to the ©lectors of East Christchurch, and was going to ask those electors to send him to Parliament.,(ApEhuse.) .He wanted to represent East hristcha'ch on the ©no <sonditwni that he was allowed t© retain his freedom. ("Hear, hear.") H ! s aspirati©n .was to oust from th© Parliament, t ddonism, Masseyism, and Taylorism, and to nwJro Parliament, a. placo where Liberalism couJd live. 'Mr Toogood, referring t© th© present Ministry, said that th© of Lands was one wh©' would

have to loav© th© Ministry. . Minister waa a "laxy man," «_dr'iS_3« have t© go out. Also tho Customs. Ho was a lasy man; and.vJiP would havo to go ©ut. Tho MiAiiSfe of Public Works stood charged irSW weakness How were ni-lwaw-'beS-tlp constructed in New Zealand? no trains ran ©a them—they didSH*' earn any revenue—but at th© sa»«'*___s£ interest waa being charged «m Mr Sedd©n had t©H the pegple. gjA. speech in which he referred to the MSRoland railway, that they should amt_tK§ It was not th© publio necessity rfV«work, but. th© am©uut of which counted. And so it was alliSS?®. th© oountry with our public worta.BulS Minister waa a weak man, and he! W* 1, had to go. (Laughter aud And now he wanted to talk ahboliS&v'. other man, Sir Jcsonh Ward. "He's a good man, rt and cheers.). v" -F agreed.with those cheere. Sir Ward was a capable administrator3 v f our railways; he was a man with iM-'&" bone, and yet, under th© system ©?■■*_ - mination now in "force, he would to go in the case of th© Ministry aSniH.out of power. Th© weak men % _i_^2_ , &" t referred t© had t© go. (Mor* \£Js£i; and applause.) He spoke in favo_rt*f * the Electivo Executive, and his seat after announcing that h*T«3j Ia speak in the Choral H_li 5u Sl2gfl evening. (Cheers.) THE LAND QUESTION. ". Y^ft Mr Taylor then cam© forwM_._„j3-' moved—"That this meeting depbrct »£_s " treachery displayed by the -M&istn, J»3 - its abandonment of th© cardhai ££_;_,' ciples ©f th© Liberal Party ia ra»R}Y land settlement, and is of tha <_ri*u?£Y that th© interests ©f th© colony *_d «2*•>* Liberal party demand a charm© of __?f- -' ministration." * * tt p% Air Toogood seconded the »otw &' which was carried, a few handsbS^' held up against. -it,QUESTIONS. >A' : In reply to questions, Mr IWyl* &»£ it would be a good thing for th« cSn^ : if there was not a single Chinese tstOiF^in it. Ho did not behevo the reportssfi the voucher oaso was going to affect ' : tho oleotion 1 per.coot. No eQiould be aHonxa to operate io XW'' Zcalaud wiUiotlt direct control by .fw •- liament. Ho had never helped'iarti ' man to escape from justice in *"tI&V l country. ■ _.v t Jlimy oth©r questions were and tlie meeting closed with votes". <»{•- thanks to tho chair, and cheers f_tf.3__.''ATaylor. - ' ".^V