Hawke's Bay Herald. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22,1893. WHO IMPOSED THOSE DUTIES?

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXVIII, Issue 9535, 22 November 1893, Page 2

Hawke's Bay Herald. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1893. WHO IMPOSED THOSE DUTIES?

Ministers and their supporters all over the country are roundly abusing the Opposition for the large Increases which were made in the Customs duties in 18S8. But it was not the present Opposition, but the present Government party, which imposed those taxes, as Hansard proves beyond cavil. The facts cm be briefly stated. The Stout-Vogel Government went out of office leaving a large deficiency in the revenue, Sir Harry AtkiDSon, who succeeded to office, first made extent sive retrenchments in the cost of government, but even then found that both ends would not meet. He increased the pro-perty-tax, and proposed to make up the balance required by Increases in the Customs tariff. Ho always had A leaning in the direction of Protection, and he endeavored to so adjust the nsw dnties as to give enoumgement to local industries. His fellowers, with one or twoexepptious, were Freetraders, and they opposed iucreasing the Customs duties and mgi-d that all the new raveaue required &hnn'd be raised by taxes on property. They flatly refused to follow Sir Harry into tho lobby, and either refrained from voting or voted against the increased duties, though the question was made a Ministerial one, and the rejection of the proposals would have involved tbe resignation of the Ministry. The then Opposition, led by Mr Ballanee, consisted almost entirely of members holding Protectionist views, and they came to the rescue of Sir Harry and bis Ministry. They wanted to turn the Ministry out, but they wanted to increase the Customs taxation more, and they sacrificed the first desire to gratify the second. Among those who followed Mr Balance into the Ministerial lobby were the present Premier, Mr Seddon, Mr Cadman, Mr W. P. Beeves, and Mr Ward, and nearly the whole of the adherents of the present Ministry then in the. House. Tbe "Ayes" numbered 53 and the "Noes" S9. Among the 29 we can find only one raembjr of the then Opposition, and that was Mr W, C. Smith. The Hod. J. M'Kenzie did not vote. In the Legislative Council there was no division on the bill, but Sir Patrick Buckley spoke in its favor. The only member of the present Ministry who voted against the iooreised Customs duties was the Hon. J. Carroll, and he was then a follower of Sir Harry Atkinson. These fucts on be verified by a reference to the division list on the sucond reviitg of the Customs Dnties Bill of 1888, which will be found in Hansard, vol. lx., page 619. If members voting for a particular measure are to be held responsible for it, then the present Ministry and their party must be held responsible for the increased Customs duties imposed in 1888. They have not the aorry excuse that they were giving a party vote, for they voted with the Ministry they were opposing. Five out of seven members of the Seddon Cabinet, and their late chief, Mr Balance, went against party in their eajrerness to gel the dnties increased. Yet four out of the five— for Sir Patrick Buckley is net stumping the countryare now vilifying the memory of Sir Harry Atkinson for proposing these duties, and the present Apposition for enabling him to pass them ! This misrepresentation of facts comes with doubly bad force from a set of men who, if they were sincere in their platform utterances, could have repealed those duties over which they now shed crocodile tears, Sir Harry Atkinson had the excuse that it was necessary to raise more revenue to pay off the heavy debt left by his predecesaors. But when the present Ministry came into office they inherited a surplus, not a deficiency, and according to their own showing this surplus has increased every year. Last year it was fir in excess of the duties added by Sir Harry Atkinson, so that what he imposed as necessary they have kept on when unnecessary. This commiseration for the heavily - taxed poor man is the purest hypocrisy in face of the actual facts, as we have stated them,