Financial and Legislative Reform.

Evening Star, Issue 6819, 5 February 1886, Page 2

Financial and Legislative Reform.

At a meeting of the Raglan electors the following sweeping resolutions were carried: —That beyond the million authorised for the North Island Trunk Railway, borrowing by the Government shall absolutely cease till a further correct statement, prepared by a competent and neutral party, of the manner in which the various loans have been expended be presented to the public. That according to the Financial Statement of June 19, 1885, the expenditure was L 219,715 in excess of the income ; that to make this up out of capital (the sinking fund having been used for that purpose) is hazardous and reprehensible ; and that os the limit of taxation is reached, the only proper course is to cut down the expenditure that it shall not exceed the income. That with a view of reducing the expenditure to the limits of the income, the following savings, among others, should be made at once: Abolish the honorarium of the Upper House; reduce the salaries of Ministers to, say, LSOO each; dispose of the Hinemoa; reduce the Civil Service salaries to what they were in 1870; leave secondary education to private enterprise, and utilise secondary education reserves for scholarships; abolish training schools, leaving pupil-teachers to be trained by the head-masters; discharge inspectors and give their work to school committees, examination questions being framed by the Central Board uniform for the whole Colony; stop assisted immigration, and discharge all immigration agents employed by the Colony ; and that the Volunteer Force be substituted for the Armed Constabulary. That in lieu of customs there b,e a land tax and an income tax instead of the property tax. That gradually the performance of Government work by contract bo substituted, where practicable, for the present system, and that a beginning be once made with surveys and the registration of deeds. That Mr Ormond’s suggestions made in the House on the 28th August last—viz., “That a section of our railways should be let, and that we should be allowed to see what private enterprise and commercial relations will do for the satisfactory working of our railways”— should be given effect to, stipulating that the charges should not be higher nor the ! accommodation less than at present. That a section of our jailways be let to Mr Vaile, in order tp see it his scheme would pay. That our members move for a return giving a nominal list of all the recipients of pensions, showing the amounts received, the service for which granted, and the ago at j which the pension began. That the Hospital and Charitable Aid Act be repealed, a State bank of issue be made. That we, the undersigned electors of Raglan, hereby pledge ourselves to discountenance pqvate canvassing and give np, promise of support privately; and further, that wo shall vote for the_ candidate who in public meeting pledges himself to the whoje pi' the greatest number of the a,bovp resolutions,