THE H.B. TRIBUNE. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1911. MR. FRASER'S ADDRESS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume I, Issue 288, 25 November 1911, Page 4

THE H.B. TRIBUNE. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1911. MR. FRASER'S ADDRESS.

It i:-. of cotirsf . impossible within ihe limits of one article to ileal .'■ali- fact-iril.v with all the niit'.-iou-ix.iiits laired ::i a eandidatt N speech inreiipy i.ig two hours. Lui We w.ii < tidi n' our in this to touch upon a few -..f tl-.c more important fea- in ‘s f lasi night's address by Mr. I'r.-t-'i r to the electors of Hastings In the first pla:-e we must find pl-'.'-e to tb.-ink. Mr. Fraser for the gra<-eful ci.mpiimi nt to oitrselvr-s ■ -it the opem-ss of our columns to th ■ fair 'tiscussion of all shades oi political opinion. At the same time we should have held this trilm .■ >n

higher esteem had not other t<-m.-nks v.’nicli f' il from him indica'eii that 'Htr own articles do not ret-o i ° -.erv lonstant prrm-al from his or lie a tho-u- whom he ixpeets i ■ keep h'lii posted m such matters. 1;i "ci-i- ini.", us oi” ativ.im itig a misleading half truth in a rceeiii editoiial i mpk.-’.si-ing the heavy ictal of t litcounlry’s liorn.v. ings during tur .Joseph Ward’s administration, he trill-t I -'t'' been ignorant of the fact iiiai only- a few Pays earlier hail shown that <n the basis of ilia Premier's own figures as to remuncr1 ri-Liv: strnent <:f loan moneys, there was a large proportion of ti.*' i,i- I - in atiiittal laxaii.m bn-:-c .i:!d ti'.i be sat i‘-fact orily ai-r.iiint i-I ,'<,r by cither the inlerest arid sinking fuml on the l-ians < r by' aug-lii'-il’id public m-i“. ices, facilit io:-; or pn,. i-et i<-n. Air. Eras' r cannol, • .i.ir. -ii ntulik dispose i.f oi:i* cent int i<-ti th.it lie him self may be I’oiuul gniily <i’ d-.‘s<-cnt s to the methods of n.t-j t presentation whirl: lie so properly -re-. i- r em instance, i'.t attempting to travet-e--as an « l< merit i:i the Refc-im Party’s laud policy tin- pi.-po-il |<> allow L-;.' 'h'-ldi : ■■ in pirpetutiy to acipnr • tins freehold at original valuation, wih .-in ad'iiii'ni to bring thiir retd up to t’i.e same rate as that j .i.;-t

!.y ndiir Crown tenanls. he sj>-';ik.~ and i lit - figure-- as if tins ad in-o.i v. ( re to L<- a bare om- per c-m <m the amount of valuation. w ; as

we take it to be om- per ••-’Ci’, f- r . ai’u exj-ited tear of too tenani-.-’ He then te cs oil to give figures ri.ir port'm; to that. Ly adoptm.t loe (Sppi.'is ion basis, what he calls ■ p..-si tit <i m ::riy L’.’i.oim.oi h i would be r .-ide m th-- t< nants. The fal.-itv <>f tl.im- f'nuims has already been full; exposed Loth in these columns and in many oth< r quarters, and Mr. Fraser's r< iteration <>; them admits

only one r other ot the al-i 'mnt'-. - r-xplanations, that either lt<' t.it'-n--y U.j-rt present - the Opp-ei- . ■ or i-’-e himself fails to ttnib-r--stand les own datn. This latter :s rn it-s-ih to Mr. 1: admitted'/ high iriteligem-' that we -h'-uld tithe last to off.-r. At the r:-k. h->;v--tu r. i-f rt-baciamly offending him i.i this r> p'• t we would pn-sent the -übject 1 > !mn in .Hi-cher ami pi-r--l aj-'-. tn him. n new aspect. Taking

the iteurcs ;w •tl cr 111 x. lie say> the ae..it gat'’ ••ligina! laliialnu) nf J..J I'. !atul c i' G 1.70i.i•>.■ >. on whieli we u:irirrsttitul tin' ( Town i- entitled during the next thousand years to nothing more than a yearly rental of t per cent, totalling -€(>'•.onn per annum. Mr. l'i’a<T would giv“ tlie iiiiants the freehold at pre-eu. valuation. whieli he tells ns aggregates -ome £’<>.<h><'.one. ’['he return from tiiii. <\<-n al tiie lower rate of 31. ptr cent per annnni nominally payable mi ottf borrowed money, would he .*l2)'>.oih> per annum. The present value of the reversion at 1 lie end of the terms is practically nothing. The difference between the two an nual returns is ,£1 I2.<hio. Thus Air. Eraser, who aspires Io a place as ;■ capable and impartial trustee for the public, would rob one class of £l-12.-Ht<n a year for a thousand tears to benefit the others. This rather iimhilv stretches even the elastic Liberal ititerpretation of the doctrine of the greatest, good for the greatest number. We do not say that we entirely agree with Mr. Massey's proposal in its minor details or that our own figures given above are precisely those on which v.t? would make an adjustment, but

we can without hesitation say that we emphatically dissent from Mr. Fraser's conclusions, whether the result of earf lr-:snes« or of intention. On the subject of an elective Legislative Council, Air. Fraser again gets behind that weary old stalking horse, the undue advantage of capital. If this is tl.e only objection he can advance to a r;. formation in our Upper House which will give it some real place in guiding our legislation, ami he cannot devise some means to met t. it. then we ate sadly disapp inti! in our previous estimnb- of the resource and fertility of Air Fraser's brain. It is but a poor answer to the genera] proposition of th? Reform Party to sit down and say.

"i don't see how it is to be done. Li t its leave it alone.” And tins is Air. Fraser’s attitude towards a r''form, the necessity fro which i.. almost universally recognised and is impressed on us more acutci.v by almost every new appointment made under the present system of AlinisH rial nomination. W e have left otirsclve- but little room to refer to the last of Hie three broad planks ,t' the Opposition platform criticised liy Mr. Fraser, viz., that of the establishment of a Public Service licai’d. He attacks this on the grounds of taking away control tt'cin tin? directors responsible to

lite company ci’ the people, on the ground of expense, and on the ground of its pro viable failure to dj away with the corrupt influences winch he almost admits are now in b,rce. We have quite lately demonstrat. d the fallacy of elevating our Cabinet to the imaginary position of ittiihl'til and rt sponsible directors ot' the company's affairs aitd it is more than probable that any expense involved in the pri.posed change in the control of the civil service would he more than compensated by economies wliicli could be instituted were the management of affairs in the hands of officers independent of political considerations. Air. Fras- < i's ow:: strictures on the incempehiuy of Ai niistciiaily appointed valuers alone form a s.rong argument in favour of the hope that bi tter si lection could be made by men unswayed by fear of offence or desire to extend favour to politic;'.! supporters. At any rate we can scarcely conceive under them such an accumulation of unnecessary and incompetent employees as Sir Joseph W’ard toumi himself forced io dismiss so summarily a short time back. Nor can we think that any greater discontent would arise titan is already seething in the civil sc-r--vie;. Thi re are other points in Air Fraser's addres- which we should like to discuss, but we must for the prcs.enl eonte>it ourselves with what v. i- have said.