MAJOR ATKINSON AT HAWERA.

Clutha Leader, Volume XII, Issue 597, 25 December 1885, Page 6

MAJOR ATKINSON AT HAWERA.

Major Atkinson addressed a meeting of his constituents at Hawera on Wednesday night. He said he thought it advisable to address a meeting and reply to the speeches recently made by the Premier and the Colonial Treasurer. That of the Premier he described as the speech of a vain, capable, and clever man making the best of a bad jibargain, whose business was that of an advocate, and who was well skilled in making the worse appear the lietter course. As to the speech of the | Coloaial Treasurer, he never read such a tissue of falsehoods ns those made by him. There was hardly a. single- fact truly stated, and it would be for the public to judge on -whose side the facts really lay after he (Major Atkinson) had laid his version before them. \He could pity an opponent who restorted to such shameful shifts and expedients. He admired the determination, self-reliance, and courage under adverse circumstances shown Ivy Sir Julius Yogol, but obiected to his ways; Major Atkinson reminded his hearers of the Government's promise of .a general reduction in cost of Government " of the abolition of the property tax * of the vigorous prosecution of public works, and of the prosperity that was- to follow on the accession of Sir Julius "Yogel and his party to power. He proposed to show that they had failed to fulfil even those promises that were reasonable, so that the . public might know -what value tq attach to their promises for the future. He denied that any measures were brought down to the late Parliament in a complete state, The Opposition determined not to judge the Govern^ ment by their administration, but to judge them by their policy, which they rejected wholesale. As -measures were brought before Parliament in a wholly incomplete state their real policy was never developed. That had not yet ■ been declared, but was, he had reason 1 to believe, simply enormous borrowing. As to the general reduction, he 'analysed the apparent reduction to

show thah.it w^-not -reaJi. It_ regardto. the property;- taxj,' it.-'-wapj not Ire-, pealed, but now stands a-t. a. rtiucht higher rate than bef or a -They introduced a tariff whicli would havelargely increased the' ta^atiofc throtfghj the Customs. Tiiat -was rejected; because the H,ouse -was satisfied no more revenue- ' wag -wanted *"ii_a that direction.. A rate - for charitable, purposes had. been imposed, and the stamp duties bad also beeas iftqi-easec^ thus increasing the: generalZburderi . of taxation. 'Turning to the J railways; he said complaint- were as rife as ever.. The traffic was: greater,. ;but ; th"e' returns were less. The non-political . railway boards had. not beeii' appointed ; -fcmvfc. h.ad been dropped like -other- nr/^sals*. He regarded the conversion . of the 5 per cent, bonds into 4^ per cent, bonds, to be. given in 7£ years as. a profligateproceeding. The -mra.ediate' 1 saving was ; of little value, and: he feared, so far .as; lie, could, judge, that there wbiild certainly be a deficit. • This was the;*.re suit of the reinstated finance, pluaincreased taxation, v^g^oj_*pljosacution of public works-^the trump card of the Government— had failed them, according t©-!the Treasurers com-. plaints, because the • necessary 'fund,. had been denied them. That was why the depression had- not been removed, He . quoted, figures, to, show that novigorous public work& policy had. ever been sincerely attempted "' by the Govern m,ent. Five millions' _tad" been voted in the two years, _»ut the Cfen vernment had} utterly failed, he believed willingly, to make ! use t of. their opportunities.. In respect to the North Island Trunk loan,, he Said the proposal made by .the- premier to take such money for other purposes had been scouted by friend and. foe,' and had been* dropped like a. hot potato©. That loan w,as treated specially, __*[<_ \ was. not scheduled like ah- ordinaryloan by the late G-overnroent j but hehad latterly found that in 'last sessioa the North Island Trunk line had- beeh scheduled in the App-fcririatiqn. Act as an ordinary loan in. order that; it might ajM ta the' geoeral "fund. He thought the East and W?st Coast. railway should be part of the trunk railway system,, but " these . railways. should not be undertaken ' at the present time and unefcer the pseserit. circumstances, of this. tJolonyi . The Local Government Act, as passed^ '' granted subsidies for six months, and consisted of eight clauses. \Vheh introduced, ifr proposed subsidies for 25 years, and consisted of 67 clauses. Thetriupijii of the session was the . Charitable,, Aid Act. It was clear and so simple that - it was causing a commotion all over the Colony ; it was so admirable that those who supported the Government now called upon them to repeal it altogether. In a Colony- requiring so* large a revenue as New- Zealand, it was impossible to go in wholly for either Freetrade or- Protection. He regarded Customs as a necessary means of raising revenue at' the present. He was afraid, Native affairs were being greatly n mismanaged. The Natives' were using Mr Stout and Mr Ballance at the present time,- 9-3- tH<-*. Colony would find to its cost bye-and-bye. He upheld the action of the Opposition, which supported all reasonable measures, and effectively restrained extravagance and waste of publio money* He would : oppose any proposal to postpone -the payment of interest on loans sinaply for. the sake of a. booDjii- He favored a moderate and steady public works policy and a contraction of future borrowing. Roada he regarded as important as railways, and some provision. must be made other than from the localities for the construction of the main roads of the Colony. Ia conclusion he asked tho settlers to seriously coa-id i er,.wb.isttier they were prepared tj> hato^Veir/' tho country to a ringy_f"_|^ufators, and to the agents of public companies. The Colony did not desire to hasten to be rich cmd to end in the Court t>t Bankruptcy.