POLITICAL ADDRESS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXI, Issue 22, 27 January 1911, Page 3

POLITICAL ADDRESS.

"TWO SIDES TO EVERY QUESTION." STRATFORD, 26th January. The Premier addressed a crowded audience in the Town Hall last night, the Mayor presiding. Prominent members of the party from all parts of the district were present. Sir Joseph was very heartily received. He mentioned that it was fourteen years since last he had spoken in Stratford, and though he had not been in the district he had heard about it, and they had doubtless heard of him. It was the right of e-veryona to go to any part of the country he chose, and address his fellow-men and women. As a rightthinking community they must recognise that there were two sides to every question, and that sound judgment could only be formed after hearing both sides. He recognised the enormous developments which had taken plact> in the district of late years. When he realised that the population had increased by 15,000, and that the value of the output of butter and cheese had increased by £743,000, and that these increases were characteristic of the whole of the Dominion, he recognised that there was very little to find fault with in the affairs of the country. THE MILLION MARK. Only in December last had the Dominion reached the million mark, so to speak, in white population. In December the population, exclusive of Maoris, totalled 1,003,046. During the past ten years the population had increased by 232,000, or over 3 per cent, for each year. There was not another State in Australasia which had increased its population as the .Dominion had done. He also desired to" 1 call attention to the tact that tbe deposits in the Post Office Savings Bank last' December totalled over £40.000,000. GOVERNMENT AND CRITICS. The actual position he had just placed before them did not agree with the statements that the present Government was driving capital and population out of the country. All the elements that went to make a country prosperous and a people contented were to bo found from any test they liked to make. Could they expect development of the country without the expenditure of money for railways, roads, and bridges ? He would take some ffgures for the last five years, because that was the period during which he had had the honour to be at the head of the Government. During five years ended 31st March, 1910, out of Public Works Fund and other loan accounts the expenditure had amounted in the North Island, on railways, to £4,451,053, and in the South Island to £2,829,813 ; on roads and bridges, £1,373,923, and £637,259 respectively, on public buildings £735,731 aud £435,278, and on other works £711,103 and £398,683, making a grand total of £11,572,786. Was it not a fact that in this district more expenditure on roads ■ and railways was desired, and was it not a fact that there were people without access who would as strenuously fight for railways as the people of this district had fought for the Wanganui-New Plymouth lino ? The Government had always been anxious to meet the requirements of those .vho wanted roads as early as possible after authority for the expenditure had been voted by Parliament. RECORD REVENUE. For the nine months of this year they had had a record revenue, amounting to £7,149,000. The expenditure had totalled £4,034,000. Daring that period they had spent on public works £1,281,000. More was being spent this year, because they were pushing on more vigorously the building of railways in some parts of the country, and the making of roads. If any of them had been in his position, .^hat would they have done ? If Parliament had authorised a certain expenditure the money had to be got. • FIVE MILLION LOAN. Sir Joseph then gave figures showing the details of the proposed expenditure of the five million loan, every penny of which had been authorised by Parliament. What would his critics have done? Which of the items would they have struck out? There was nothing more to be regretted than the attempt within the country to discredit its finances. The Premier briefly compared the position of the loan of last year and the loan of this. He deprecated the action of the critics, who had seized upon anything w^hich seemed to reflect against the Government. Dealing with the five-million loan, he said what it meant was that the underwriters were holding the New Zealand stock, and would not sell it. They had naid the underwriters 1 per cent, because they did not want to risk putting a five million or a two million loan on the market. What they asked for they had received. THE FUTURE AND LOANS. The future of the country regarding loans could be put in a nutshell. He would tell them what the position was. The two alternatives were : To go on developing the country by making necessary loads and railways out of borrowed money, or to obtain from £1.500,000 to £2,000,000 more every year by taxation. The bulk of their borrowed money was used for reproductive purposes, and was not costing the taxpayer anything. WORK OF LAST SESSION. Tho Premier reviewed the work of last session briefly, and said that while it was referred to as the "long session" there had been more jjood work done in it than in any other session in his experience. IN CONCLUSION. Sir Joseph touched on defence and other subjects. What the Government had done, he said, had been in accordance with what they believed was for the general good. .They were animated by one common idea, and desired to be judged, not on assumed facts, but on tho results of their efforts. On the motion of Mr. X. J. King, VBeconded fc^ Mr. S. Ward 4 it waa re-J

solved by acclamation : "That this meeting accords the Right Hon. Sir Joseph Ward hearty thanks for his statesmanlike address, and expresses continued confidence in the Liberal Party, and in the Government of which he is the distinguished head. 4 '