CAPTAIN RUSSELL AT WAIPAWA.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXX, Issue 10011, 8 June 1895, Page 3

CAPTAIN RUSSELL AT WAIPAWA.

Captain Russell, member for Hawke'a Bay, addressed hia constituents in the Oddfellows' Hall, Waipawa, on Thnrsday night. Mr S. M'Greevy occupied tho chair. There was a good attendance considering the Inclemency of the weather. Captain Russell, after thanking the chairman tor Ma kindly remarks, said he fait that some apology waa due to bis uudlonce for inviting them to hear him on such an unfortunate ulgnt. His delay lv addressing them was due to the fact that he had been Invited to make speeches In various parts of the colony, and he thought that probably ho would be called upon to refute some of the statements mado by Ministers who had been stumping the conntry. However, since several members of the Opposition had taken the opportunity of addressing the eleotora In various centres, Ministers had not been ao blatant, and the only speeches that had been delivered were those of Mr JReev^a' at Temnka and Mr M'KeDzie's at Hastings. There was very iittle to answer. His audience would remember that when he last proposed to speak In Waipawa, just before the general election", a] fire broke out, and though political feeling was pretty, warm at tbe time, his audience preferred the warmth of the fire to his address. He bad told them before the general election that whatever tbe resnlt might be he hoped it would not Interfere with personal friendships. He was grateful for the support they had given him, and althongh id was not so great as he had hoped, he trusted that in the future, as they would know him better, he -would receive a larger degree of rapport and confidence in him as their representative. He thought it a great misfortune for the oonntry that snob a large number of Government supporters should have been returned, and he did not think the public Interests wonld have been better served had all tbe Government candidates been elected in Hawke's Bay, The province had been particularly fortunate in having capable representatives in the past. Some of these gentlemen he had served with, and though he had not worked with others he had held them in great respect. He had differed politically with their last member, Mr W. C. Smith, bnfa be was a gentleman whom he held In high esteem aa a oomolentious and hard-working representative. It waa a duty the electors owed to themselves to send their most capable men to Parliament if they wished their Interests looked after in a proper manner. There seemed to be an Idea abroad that a Government coald bring about prosperity, and the people had not yet realised that Ministers were only men like themselves. He did not think It had been sufficiently impressed upon the people of New Zealand what the Government of the colony was. What he asked them to remember was this, that the men and women of New Zealand were really the Government of New Zealand. As a rnle the people of New Zealand did not recognise the responsibility which was thrust upon them. They In Parliament were accustomed to judge of a constituency by the member which it aent up to Parliament, If a member was a man of talent and power, they thought there must be sterling men and women in the constituency whioh sent him up, but if on the other band the man was weak and incompetent, they thought what a poor oonstiouuncy it was that would send sneb a man up. He wished them to remember this, that npon the men and women of New Zealand rested the prosperity of New Zealaud. They had now a suffrage that might be practically called universal, for every man or woman of the ago of 21 was entitled Id a vote. They had been subjected to a Public Works policy, and there had been an endeavor far arid near, on the right and on the left, to struggle for public money, and apparently the people of tbe colony had not realised this fact — that there was no beneficent fairy who could scatter dollars out of an Imaginary cornucopia. There was no possibility of getting money without mouey. Whenever there was extravagance—whenever the Government was a profligate one— whenever they gave their spoils to the victors, and whenever they Bcattered public money in an improper manner, tbe Treasurer had to put his band into the braeches pocket of all the men oi New Zealand, and It was they who were paying for the profligacy. Until they recognised this, until the constituencies realised thai) the first dnty of the Government was economy and not extravagance, they would never nave true government in New Zealand, and the colony would cever progress ss he believed it would progress when the people realised that fact. He wished to emphasise this, that they were now the moat heavily taxed people In Australasia. Tsey were taxed tbrongh the Customß to an enormous extent; few realised to what extent. Why, they were aatuallj paying an average of 25 per cent on every artiole Imported into the colony, while on Borne articles, each as tea and kerosene, they were paying as much as 100 per cent. .Every article they ate, drank, or wore cost one-fourth more than it ought. When these facts be•ame more generally known people would take a greater interest In politics. New Zealand was the most heavily taxed colony in Australasia through the Customs, and also in direct taxation it was more heavily taxed than any other country. He did not want to weary them with figures, bnt he would draw a comparison. He wished to Impress upon them the fact all taxation fell upon tbe ahouldera of those who were least able to bear It, It Bounded all right to impose taxation on the rich, but as a matter ot fact, the imposition of taxation on the rich tell on those least able to bear it, and he believed that the present depression throughout New Zealand had been intensified by imposing taxation upon those wbo had ti pay for unproductive works and profligate extravagance. The relative comparison he wished to draw was this, that the average taxation upon the Imports into New Zealand was 25 per cent, that was to say, everything which waa imported Into New Zealand was made one quarter dearer than it otherwise would be. In Victoria, which was quoted as a Protectionist colony, the taxation was only 13£ per cent aa against 25 per cent in New Zealand. In New Sonth Wales it dwindled down to 12| per cent, and in South Australia to 8} per cent. It was a well-known axiom that tbe imposition of farther taxation was injurious to the welfare of a colony, and he believed the depression arid the want of employment which was prevalent now were almost entirely due to tho enormous taxation npon every man and woman and child in New Zealand. When the Government came into office two years ago there were great promises as to what tbey would do for the country. There was to be a policy of hope, all the past was to be buried, discomfort, hard times— all were to vanish, The Government, for the first time, were to legislate for the people, bnt the capitalist was to be farther taxed. In what way bad all these promises been realised ? Were any of them richer or batter ? Were wages any higher, work more plentiful ? Had their bankers been more obliging? Had the weather been any better ? Could any of them tell what benefit they had received since the present Government came into office? It waa evident work was not more plentiful. He desired to point out that Government could not benefit any man ; it was absurd to rely on policy ; they wonld only loso tbelr respect and no good accrue. They might ask why did he bother about alt this, because they had a self-reliant, nonborrowing Government? Tbat was the policy of Mr Ballance. Mr Ballance came into office professing a non-borrow-ing, self reliant policy. Had the present Premier and his colleagues carried ont that policy? What were the proposals of last year ? It was said there was no borrowing. He had even heard sane men get up in Parliament and argne that there was no borrowing in tbe proposals before Parliament last year— because the money was all going to be apen» in a satisfactory way. It had been even sought to be argued that if Interest was being repaid on the money which was appropriated there was no borrowing, but he would put it to them as business men that, if they borrowed money for their own private business pnrpoees, it was always a question whether the venture wonld be successful, and ao Ie was with tbe colony. Here were the actual proposals of the Government—the Opposition fought hard against them, bnt the actual proposals of the Government to borrow last year were these:— Bank of New Zealand share guarantee, £2.000,000 ; purchase of land or settlement, £250,000; purchase of native lands, S250.000 ; roadlng lands, £250,000 ; Joans to settlers, £3 000 000 ; consols, £1,000.000 ; and £618,260 for the proposed dealing with the Midland railway. These figures gave no less a sum than £7,368,250, and these were the proposals last session of this self-reliant, non-borrowing Government. If It weie not that there was an Opposition to fight them, If It were not for a Legislative Council to put a check on the Parliament of New Zealand, the credit of the colony wonld have been pledged to the tune of £7,368,000. They hud been so accustomed io this country to deal with millions tbat they scarcely realised what millions meant. They talked as glibly of them as schoolboys talked of lollipops and marbles. He just wished to draw a comparison between the proposals of the Government last year, for adding £7,368,000 to the public indebtednets, and tbe public indebtedness of the United Kingdom. The population of New Zealand wob £672,565. The proposal to borrow this seven millions would have resulted in an increase of tbe public debt by £11 per head, man, woman, »nd child. The population of the United Kingdom wbb 39,000,000, and if they

multiplied 30 by 11 they would get the ' result of similar borrowing for tlie United Kingdom of oue yeat'a proposals of £429,000,000, and yet the whole pnblic indebtedness of tbo United Kingdom was only £664,000,000. Thereforo they buw thot at the rate of borrowing which tbia Government ot New Zealand proposed lust yenr they would nlmoat huve double'! thn public debt of England, if the poUticiftiß there wore as reckless an tmr own so-callort statesmen in New Zenlond. Many people thought that a lanil owucr could not support Liberal measures, but this wna a mistake, as the history of the Mother Country would provß. The present leader of the House of Commons, Loid Rosebery, was a Urßn landowner and of atistooriUle aeaeentt, whilo the late Conservative leuder, Mr W. n. Smith was a self made niuu. From this tbey would see that the pessesBioo of land was not; a bar to the advocacy of Liberal opinions. Many of the most Liberal Acts ou the Statute Book were the gift of She so-called Tory Party, so that no section of the community had nny opecinl rifiht to claim that it worked in the interests of true Liberalism. The party with which he had been connected for 20 years introduced one of the most liberal measures ever known in the colony, the Education Act, which was brought down by Mr Bowen, one of the leading Conservatives. The Triennial Parliaments Bill was the work of Sir John Hall, another Conservative, while the Truck Act, the Factories' Act, and the Employers' Liability Aot, which were bronght into operation by their successors in office, would have been passed by the Conservative| party but for the obstructive taotica of their opponents. He had no doubt) hut that his party would have hnd them in ranch better shape than they were at present had they been allowed o fair opportunity, for the crudity of the Shop Assistants Act made it unworkable, and In all probability it would have to be amended or cancelled during the coming session. Tbey had all heard ot too success of Mr Ward's mission to Eugland, and he wished to give him every every credit for his efforts in floating a loan at 3 per cent, for in all probability they would not pay more ttan 3 per cent in the future. Bnt this did not prove the assertion bo often and bo loudly uaJe, that the Government was v non-borrowing one. Although the loan was raised on favorable terms the interest would have to be piid and the people of the colony would have to find the money for ttiat. He was not a believer in borrowing, and waa astonished to find that people took such little interest in the borrowing proposals of the Government. A stop ahonld he put to the reckless expenditure that had been going on fnr the last fonr years. It had been said by Mr Seddon that the pnb'io debt had been reduced £6 per head lv consequence of the increase of population by immigration, which was rldlenlous. Mv M'Ke'nzle had also stated that theee immigrants woro our own people, sons of our old colonists. He (Captaiu Russell) had seen some of them, and they looked pretty old sons. The reduction was only Imaqlnary, unless the men had capita!, or wore able to obtain employment. They only competed with an already overstocked labor murker. He was opposed to the Lands for Settlement Act, as he did not think it right to take lands In ocenp^tion while so much natiro land was lying unproductive. It might bo right for municipalities to take land ih proximity to cities for dwellings for artizann, but from' the southern to the northern boundaries of Hawka's Bay land was to be bought for settlement pnrposee, if bnyerß conld pay for id. The Act opened the door to inbbery, and he instaocad the Cheviot and I'omahaka purchase*, and showed they were nob adeaatageous to the colony. He explained the Polhlll Gully purchase, which, he said, appeared to be the only thing they could charge him with. He gave a history of the transaction, defending iht! purchase oa one advantageous lo the colodv, if it had been carried out ; it wa9 no blunder, and be would do the Bame thing again If placed in the Bunia position. He next referred to tbo rating on unimproved valnec, which be opposed, and quoted from a list prepared by the Mayor of Invercargil! to show its effect aa regarded individual ratepayers. Lirge owners would have their rates reduced, while the poorer classes would have to pay more. He quoted a number of ins stances In proof that the measure would only play into the hands of the wealthy to the detriment of the struggling artisan. After dealing with the appointment of Colonel Fraser, which he considered a blow to the purity of Parliament. Captain Russell conclnded by saying he felt certain that at next election a great change in parties would be brought about. Alfchongh the Government had a big majority in the Houee, they had only a majority of 4250 votes at last election, and he felt sure pmblic opinion was undergoing a revolution, The party in power had been reck« leßS*and extravagant, and it would require eoonomy and careful government to restore prosperity. * He resumed his seat amid loud applause. No questions were asked, and on the motion of Mr M. Collett and Mr H. Sebley a vote of thanks for his address and confidence in him aa the representative of the district was earned with two dissentients, The usual compliment to tho chairmsn olosed the proceedings.