THE PREMIER AT LEESTON.

Evening Post, Volume XXI, Issue 122, 27 May 1881, Page 2

THE PREMIER AT LEESTON.

[united press association.] Leeston, 26th May. The Hon the Premier met hia constituents at Leeston this evening. Mr. Hall, accompanied by hia private secretary and a number of Press representatives, left Christchujfih in the afternoon by special train. The hall was fairly well filled. The Rev. W. Bluett took the chair, and very briefly introduced the Premier, who was received with applause. Mr. Hall, after referring to some local questions, said lie was not; anxious for a platform controversy about opinions or statements contained in speeches of members ' during the recess, but silence with respeotto such an address as that which had recently been delivered at the Thames, might be regarded as discourtesy to the leader of the Opposition, and it might also leave on the public mind a wrong impression as to Major Atkinson's share in the matter of an advance of £ 10,000 to the Patea Harbor Board. Sir George Grey, speaking at the Thames, referred to Major Atkinson's statement that he had said jocularly to Mr. Sherwood (the Chairman of the Board) that if he told Sir George Grey he intended to oppose him (Major Atkinson) he (Mr. Sherwood) would get the £10,000 for his Board. Sir George Grey described this as a "diabolical plot," and " a disgracefnl transaction," bnt Mr. Sherwood did get the .£lO,OOO from the Grey Government the very day after he applied for it. Could anyone believe that j all these things were connected with Mr. Sherwood's candidature for the Egmont district ? They knew the pace at which Government business of the kind would ordinarily be gone through. They knew that Mr. Sherwood was opposing Major Atkinson, and how important it was to him that he should secure the advance and return to his canvass of his constituency ; and when they saw the transaction got through in an extraordinarily rapid way, were they to believe it was all an innocent coincidence P If it were so it was simply miraculous. He believed^ that the people generally would agree with him that the transaction was a • discreditable one. Sir G. Grey, before his constituents, denounced the system under which such an advance could be made, but Sir G. Grey, as Premier, allowed the system to continue in full force during his term of office. As soon, howeverf as the present Government came into power, the system was attacked. Mr. Stevens moved in the House to refer to the Public Accounts Committee the whole question of dealing with trust funds, and he (Mr. Hal)) supported the motion. The committee did not report on the matter during 1879, but last year they recommended that trust funds should be invested in Government securities only. The House had not, in fact, approved the recommendation, but the Government had conformed to it, and thus they had ended the system which Sir G. Grey so strongly denounced, but of which he did not attempt to get rid. Mr Hall strongly condemned Sir George Grey's proposal to adopt the American system, which gave each Government a right of turning out presumably hostile offioials and filling their places with men more friendly disposed. That was a proposal to apply in the worst way possible what was generally admitted to be the worst feature of the American system. This, taken with the other wild and inflammatory talk indulged in by Sir George Grey, forced the conviction that he spoke either under the influence of a diseased imagination, or out of mere recklessness. Mr. Hall denied that last session was barren, or that the Government had flooded Parliament with bills. As a matter of fact, the bills brought down by the Government last session were fewer than the average of the four previous years. The session was prolonged by prolix talk on minor matters, and useless discussions such as tbe no confidence debate, whioh occupied a fourth of the whole session without even a chance -of being carried. Mr. Bryce himself had explained his resignation. Ministers greatly regretted to lose him, and they heartily recognised the good work he had done. Regarding financial affairs, it was proved that the Colonial Treasurer's statement in 1879 as to the deficiency was justified. The constantlyreiterated charge which Opposition members were so fond of making— that that statement injured the credit of the colony — was unfounded That depression should follow the publication of such a truth as to the finances was perhaps inevitable, but the action taken restored confidence. There was a general recognition in the House, and especially by the Press, that to have slurred over the condition of the Treasury would have been highly censurable. Now the colonial securities were quoted higher than ever before. Truth as to deficiency and honest effort to secure a financial equilibrium would never really injure a country ; but unfounded accusations against public men, unjustifiable depreciation of the prospects of the country, and illogical urgings that paper, money issued by the State would en re all evils, must tend to be injurious. The-rQovemment cheerfully acknowledged the assistance given by the House last year in doing what, so far as he knew, was then done for the first time — actually reducing the estimates as brought down. ' But during the recess the Government had, without fuss or pretension, gone still further into what , they felt to be an unpleasant but most necessary task, and as a result he hoped it would be found that the estimates, when presented next session, would be for nearly -525i>,000 lass than those presented in 1880. Major j Atkinson, in his lvcent speeches, had exhausted the question of the Property Tax. Sir George Gray Btill urged taxing the English bondholders, which would be a breach of faith amounting to repudiation, and would damn the credit of the colony. As to native land purchases, the Government had steadily pursued their declared policy, viz., first, to- complete purchases which they found near completion ; second, in certain cases to take bind sufficient to represent the amount of Government advances, and to release the rest ; third, where only small payments had' been made, to abandon negotiations, with the consent of the natives interested. He hoped that in Bix or eight months everytning connected with these Government purchases would be wound up. There had been much talk about Patetere. If Sir George Grey would move next session to re-appoint his Patetere Committee, which last year he had got but did not take advantage of, he (Mr. Hall) would second the motion. The Government would also be willing to include in the reference to such committee the question of Messrs. Howard and Dilworth's purchase. Mr Bradlaugh, as member for Northampton, had in the Houee of Commons brought into question the action of the New Zealand Government respecting the Maori prisoners. Mr. Bradlaugh had, it was known, acted at the instigation of opponents of the Government, who3e character he did not know. The Government of the Colony would give any information bearing on the native question that might be desired by the Imperial Government ; but would not allow outside interference with the management of native affairs, the whole responsibility ot which had long been transferred to the Colony. It} was in every way important that the natives should oontinue to recognise that it was to the Colonial Government they must look for the redress of grievances and the preservation of right. He deprecated the introduction of the Governor's name into political discussions, and denied that his Excellency had, as asserted, bronght any unconstitutional pressure to bear on his Ministers respecting native affairs. The letter to Te Whiti was written on Ministers' spontaneous advice. Mr. Vincnnt Pyke had commenced an agitation inOt^goas to. the mode, in which runs there were to be dealt with when existing leases fell in, but the agitation was unnecessary, because, before it was began, tho Government had taken steps for the classification of the land. That which was fit for agriculture would be surveyed into three classes, namely, for village settlement, for Eale on deferred payment, and for sale for cash, so as to bring together, it was hoped, ' men who, purchasing for cash, would need ■to employ labor, and those who, buying on the deferred payment system, would be greatly aided by having work at haud. Pastoral lands, it waa intended, should be divided into two classes, the best to be disposed of upon the pastoral deferred payment system, jaud the less good cut up into small runp^and leased by auction. The Government-regretted exceedingly the circumstances 'that ha 4 compelled Mr. Oliver to retire from the Ministry. That gentleman had had the necessarily unpopu-ar and unpleasant duty of deducing expehciiture and increasing receipts from tbfe railway systea. He had succeeded in making ttheir railways pay 3£ per cent, on their cost, instead of 2£ per cent. That was a great success. In losing Mr. Olivor, tho country lost an able, painstaking and conscientious administrator. As to the future, much of the work of ne^t eessjon m&at b§ ttiat of dealing with measures introduced last year, but not passed. Foremost were those re» lating to electoral reform, namely, the Regulation of Elections Bill, the Corrupt Practices Prsvention Bill, and the Redistribution of Seats BUI. In the first itjwould be proposed to extend the hours of polling, and probably to have all elections on the same day. An endeavor would also be made to satisfy voters that the system of biUot wa3 really a secret ono. The princip 7 es of the Representation Bill of . last session would be adhered to in the one I to be brought down thi3 year, which would be based on the new census. The Government believed that the Constitution might ! be. amended in regard Ijo the "Leeia^tiye, Council- "£he plan they favored 'was that %m number of members Of tbe Council should be cmc-half the number of inexnbers of the House; that whe.aeye.r a vacancy ocQurred it should bo filled by a rote of the House taken by ballot ; and that if there was prolonged difference of opinion as to any measure it ehould be settled by the two Chambers sitting as one and voting upon the question. It was supposed that by such a plan elections to the Council would, as far ss was possible, be freed from party chsrac-

ter, and that there would be more probability than at present of members of the Council being chosen from those who had rendered eminent services to the colony, whether in the House, upon the judicial bench, or in other capacity, or from those who had become conspicuous by general ability aud high character. The Government proposed to abolish the law of entail, so as to prevent land being locked up. They would oppose the sale of the railways, or extravagant expenditure on public works. Another mode of helping on railway construction — granting land subsidies toward making approved lines, for which money was not available^-would be favorably considered. Any proposal with this object would have to be most carefully conditioned, so as to secure settlement along the lines. The Hospitals and Charitable Aid Bill would again be introduced, and he felt confident it would be passed. The Licensing Bill of last session would be resubmitted and pressed ' on. The opening of unlicensed drinking shops, under the guise of working men's clubs, the real owners being, in sime cases, men to whom licenses hod been refused, was threatening to become a serious evil ; and it would be proposed to require that all clubs, of whatever class, should pay a license fee and be under the control of the police. A bill, approved in the recent Inter-colonial Conference, with the object of limiting Chinese immigration, would be introduced immediately after the commencement of the session. Measures prepared by the Statutes Consolidating Commission, which would free the statute-book of eighty Acts, would also be introduced. He hoped there would be a strong and compact Opposition party this session, but he warmly condemned tho programme put forward by Sir George Grey and Mr. Macandrew, namely -(l) Abolition of the Legislative Council and substitution of a bingle Chamber ; (2) removal of the Qaeen's appointed Governor and the substitution of an elected Governor; (3) taxation of the English bondholders to snpply the necessities of the New Zealand 'lreasury; (4) dismissal of Civil Servants who were not political supporters of the Government of the day ; (5) unlimited expenditure ; and the issne of Government paper money. This meant despotism and bankruptcy. The Government did not think it necessary to put forward a new programme, bnt asked the people of New Zealand to judge them by their actions. During their term of office some laVs had been passed and others had been prepared, distributing polit cal power on the fairest practicable basis, and guarding against abase in its exeroise. A condition of the colonial finances as alarming as oould well be imagined had been faced, public revenues increased, and thus the credit of the colony had bean restored. An end had been put to a system of laud purchase by whioh, through the squandering of money, the European settlers were being robbed while the natives were being demoralised. Threatening native difficulties had been peaceably Bettled; large facilities for enabling the people to settle themselves upon the land had been provided, and all legitimate means had been employed in an endeavor to stimulate such looal industries as would afford employment to the laboring population. The Government left it to others to talk so-called Liberalism, but they claimed to have earned tho name of working liberally. As such, they asked from the Honse and the conntry a continuance of the confidence and support which they had hitherto enjoyed. Mr. Hall resumed his seat amid hearty applause. A number of questions having been replied to. a vote of thanks and confidence was passed by acclamation.