THE ATTORNEY - GENERAL ON PARTY GOVERNMENT AND THE WORK OF THE SESSION.

Evening Post, Volume XVII, Issue 311, 4 January 1879, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE ATTORNEY - GENERAL ON PARTY GOVERNMENT AND THE WORK OF THE SESSION.

«*_ At a banquet given at Tapanui, Otago, to Mr. Bastings, M.H.R , to whom also a purse of 500 sovereigns was presented, the Hon. Mr. Stout in the course of his reply to the toast of the Ministry spoke as follows :— In most Houses of Parliament, take for instance France, Italy, Germany, and othor nations, there were two parties, one styling itself tho Liberal, or progressive party, and the other the Conservative. The form of Government adopted in this country would be of very little use unless there were two parties. Members of Parliament only represented public opinion, and there was always a divorsity among electors. The Grey Ministry aimed at a thorough Liberal policy, and endeavored to settle people on the lands of the Colony. The land tax was imposed in such a manner as not to affect the small holders who were struggling for an existence, but rather to tax those who possessed excessively large holdings, many of whom were non-residents in the colony, excepting those who did not possess £500 of land. They further did not tax improvements. The Land Tax Bill was strongly opposed in the Assembly, but tho Government determined to stand or fall by it. It was considered that the small settlers paid quite as much Customs duty as a large landholder, and hence the exemption of tho small holders from the land tax. The Government did not think that the large holders of land were a benefit to tbe colony, and he (the speaker) always held that opinion. What was wanted in the Tapanui district, for instance, was population to make it prosperous. In hia opinion the land of the colony should never have been sold, but leased instead. He had passed thousand? of acres that day, with nothing but sheep to be seen, that if divided into blocks of from one hundred and fifty to one thousand acres each, would carry a large population, and ho hoped the large holders at Tapanui would cut up their properties and settle the people on them. The Vii-e-chairman in his address alluded to social reforms. Ho might say that the present Government had done a great deal in that direction, although not so much as they desired. Anyone who had been in Wellington during the session must be aware of the immense amount of work that had to be got through, and it was with the greatest difficulty that any new measure received proper attention. The Administration Act had been pa>sed. which was a very sweeping measure, it had not as yet received the assent of her Majesty, but he had no doubt but that it would*.