WELLINGTON NOTES.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXVII, Issue 1374, 27 August 1895, Page 5

WELLINGTON NOTES.

[FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] After a fortnight's debate, and with a dozen Members still to speak, the Tariff was knocked on the head by a motion of Captain Russell's to the effect that it was not acceptable to the country. The motion was merely a tentative one, stating that on the second reading of the Bill he intended to move it; but it seemed to mean so much more than it said, that Government at once took fright, adjourned the House, and, for the first time this session, called a caucus of the party together to discuss the position. It was high time they did so, for each supporter who spoke was louder in condemnation of the Budget proposals than the previous one. There was no need for an Oppositionist to criticise the proposals of Government. They could not have been any more destructive than the truest of true Liberals. The venerable Hutchison, the People's William, was very rough on the subject of evtravagantly high salaries in the Civil Service. He was convinced that it was possible to reduce salaries above £BOO by 20 per cent, and from that figure down to £3OO by 10 per cent.* He did not descend to the £240 standard, perhaps because that; would. have affected the income of M's. H.R. But he gave Ministers a sort of a back-hander when he told them (in referring as they often do to being surrounded by spies) that they had got the idea that they could buy faithful service for money, and they were wrong ; and he asserted that economy in expenditure was conspicuous by its absence in the Budget. All these sentiments were approved of by a House which recognises such patent truths, and which Members have all given voice to in some form during the debate, with a view of being able to refer them to Hansard to prove that each was a true economist, individually, had his ideas been adopted. It is very absurd and hypocritical, for, at the first crack of the whip, these JELLY-FISH ECONOMISTS are brought together in Caucus,.lectured, and at once return to obedience. A very damaging speech was made by another supporter, Mr Saunders. He sketched the Rake's progress from the two bright years we had experienced when Mr Ballance declared against more borrowing. How our taxes are not only the highest of any country in the world, but the taxation is exacted in such a way that, although harder on the people who have to pay it, it does not go into revenue. Of the £BOO,OOO, which the working poor of the Colony had to pay in the way of taxes on their boots and clothing, not £500,000 reached the revenue. He advocated the abolition of the wretched Protection policy altogether, and he accused each Minister by name, every trade union in the Colony, and 'every political association, of exerting themselves to help those who can very well help themselves, by trying to bolster up an impossible system bytrwhich certain trades-people in the cities were to make 10s for eight hours' work, while the struggling country settlers were working from daylight till dark for an average of 2s per day. Another way of easing our burdens would be by keeping our credit good, and establishing a sinking fund ; but we must first pay up the sinking funds we had robbed. He fully expected when the present Government took office, that the Premier and the Minister of Lands would prove veritable Cromwells, and would purge the Civil Service, but there was something in the air of Wellington which destroyed all economical ideas. Much as he admired the Minister of Lands, he OID NOT ADMIRE THE MINISTRY. Their tariff was a cruel tariff; it put so much on necessaries, and so little irjfo the revenue. As for Charitable Aid, which affected every local body in the Colony, and was so important aud increasing a tax on the people, there was not a word of it in the Budget. In the first statement of policy read by Mr Ballance, he laid doivn as our first duty that people should have better homes, and quoted the maxim "The safety of the people is the strength of the Jaw." This was in ,1891. Two years later, Mr, Ward, in bis Financial Statement, said that the most important subject Government had to deal with was Charitable Aid, and that in the following year his Government would introduce proposals to settle the matter finally. Next year the Government did nothing, and this year the subject was not even mentioned, although there was a report brought up last year on it. Up to this point Mr Saunders was critical; and his criticism went farther than any speech from the Opposition had done, and was certainly a success so far, but he then undertook to build up a policy which included an old fad or two he has trotted out in past years, and a new idea or two of doubtful utility. Although a teetotaller of 70 years standing, he acknowledges that prohibition is not in the region of practical politics, so he advocates that all liquors should be manufactured in the Colony. That would save £200,000 a year in one item alone. He did not pause to consider the effect that whisky fresh from the still would have upon the human system, because that phase of the subject does not affect him. His next cure for the troubles of the Colony is

A MAGNIFICENT VISION.

He would buy a block of land containing not less than 10,000 acres of first class, 10,000 of grazing land, all clear and fit for cultivation. It must have a coal mine on it, brick kilns and lime kilns, and to this would be sent all the aged, poor, and needy, who would build themselves brick cottages, Government providing the necessary timber. The State would also set up a flour mill, a library, cattle, sheep, and horses to stock it, seed and necessaries to crop it for two years, and a few other trifles, and it must be near a railway. It is such a lovely idea and one wonders where on earth such a place is to be found ; if Mr Saunders had added to his list a Waihi mine or two, a harbor, and a dock, he would have had the sort of place which it would be a credit to himself to be a sort ot autocrat in. But although the renewable member for the Belwyn spoke

in such defiant, even defamatory language of the Seddon Government on Tuesday night, he and the re3t of the alleged Liberal friends of farmers and working men were rounded up oa the Wednesday afternoon like a moo of sheep and had the brand of Seddou and Co. marked on them afresh. CAPTAIN RUSSELL'S MOTION, referred to above, led to this rounding up of the mob. The flock was shewing such a desire to stray that something must be done, so in the evening Mr Ward came down with modifications as to flannelettes and other articles which-had been roughiy overhauled, and in his usual petulant, way he said the motion of the leader of ', the Opposition amdunted-. to a vote of want of confidence, and his Government would treat it as such, and insisted the debate on Captain Russell's motion should on that ground be debated at once. This argument was promptly met by Captain Russell, who stated the constitutional practice regarding a tariff debate and declined to have his conduct discussed by Government in such a matter. This want of confidence threat at every rebuff was becoming a farce, and was like a quarrelsome schoolboy, who was continually taking off his coat and rolling up hi 3 sleeves for a set to where there was no provocation. The whole house was dissatisfied with the tariff and that was enough. He declined to debate it at once. And then the Premier arose in his might and commenced the well worn lines "he who fights and runs," but he got no further for a minute or two for the laughter at the-ridiculous application to them was too much, and he spent half an hour in repeating the old old story about true liberals, the desires of the people, the self-respect his Government had for itself, the concessions government were willing to make, and the desire of some people to rob the poor man of his only comfort by putting an extra 3d per gallon on colonial beer. ; SIR ROBERT STOUT then gave the Government a very rough i turn for the next five minutes. The: Premier, he said, would not have dared to do yesterday what he has done to-day for the reason that a caucus had been held that afternoon and he knew the party would go into the lobby.; Captain Russell had that night' done what he had never seen done before—he had made the ministry run, and only by shaking this resolution at them. Talk about fighting ! Government, had' run away oh a bare resolution being moved. The Premier and Treasurer said they had spent two years study and £I7OO on a commission to prepare a tariff and on the bare sight of a tentative motion they take to their heels with their tariff, and remove duties of £3OOO at the first breach. The leader of the Opposition was to be congratulated on his victory. The Government tariff would add from £60,000 to the taxation of the colony.