PARLIAMENT OUT OF SESSION

Lyttelton Times, Volume LIII, Issue 5918, 13 February 1880, Page 5

PARLIAMENT OUT OF SESSION

MR D. STEWART AT DUNEDIN. [By Telegeath.] DUNEDIN, Feb. 12. Mr Stewart addressed his constituents in the Temperance Hall this evening—Mr Keith Ramsay in the chair. Ho began by saying that the present Parliament was a good representative body, and referred to the necessity of a strong Opposition ns a check against improper administration. His address dealt with four subjects—the change of Government, reforms of the session, taxation, and the administration of the present Ministry, After describing the events which led to the deposition of the Grey Government, he expressed strong dissatisfaction with Tamoana and Mr Masters. In adopting the course he had done Mr Stewart claimed that he had carried out logically the line of action he had laid down for himself during the general election. Although he had then expressed himself as an Anti-Qreyite he had," at his various meetings, expressed his intention of supporting Mr Macandrew. After the No-oonfidence motion was carried, Mr Fulton and Mr M'Caughan came to him, and spoke to him with regard to giving support to Mr Macandrew, and, believing that there was a general desire in that direction, he had decided to give a general support to the member for Port Chalmers. There was no question of office with him (Mr Stewart). He had never intended to accept office under the Hon J. Hall, and he had no expectation of obtaining office under Mr Macandrew. Before many more days of the session had gone over, Mr Fulton had apparently changed his mind, and Mr M'Oaughan only supported Mr Macandrew for a limited period. W ith regard to the election petition against Sir George Grey, he said that he had never been asked by Mr Richardson to act for him. They had had casual converations on board a steamer, when Mr Richardson was returning from Wellington to get up his petition against Sir George Grey. Mr Richardson then told him that he •had had several opinions on the question, but he neither encouraged him nor discouraged him in presenting the petition, merely saying that it seemed from counsels’ opinions that there might be a fair case, and subsequently, in speaking with him on the subject, Mr Richardson disavowed all knowledge or connection with paragraphs that had been going the round, charging him (Mr Stewart) with having advised him to present the petition. After the matter had been disposed of, he had been complimented by both sides on the way ho had conducted the casefor Sir George Grey. He had no desire to act for Sir George ; at the same time, he was not aware of any circumstances which prevented him from doing so, and he accordingly consented, He could safely say that the statements circulated concerning the proceedings on the Election Petitions Committee had been greatly distorted and exaggerated. He regarded the present Ministry as a renewal of the continuous Ministry which had proved so obnoxious to the Colony, and which had been broken up bj the Grey Ministry. The present Ministry were in sympathy with the wealthy class of the Colony as distinguished from the great body of the people. The measures of reform passed during the late session, such as tho Triennial Parliaments and the Registration of Electors Bills, were measures of the Grey Ministry. The Redistribution of Seats Bill, which had been promised by the present Ministry, had been purposely shelved. The taxation scheme of the present Government was unwise, and calculated to seriously affect the prosperity of the Colony. Our property tax was taken from the New York State model. He quoted American writers to show that that model was generally condemned, the preference being given to the Pennsylvanian system, because it taxed real estate alone. The tax would bo found to be expensive to collect, capable of being defeated, and extremely obnoxious in collecting. It was unfair to ask the owners of property to value it, as they had very extravagant notions of its real value, and the honest would have to pay'for the dishonest. The Bill as originally introduced was flaunted before the public as an all round property tax, whereas arbitrary exceptions had been made by the exemption of agricultural implements, and of ships, whilst household furniture was subject to taxation. Tho Ministry had done wrong in resisting and defeating his attempt to exempt furniture and other articles of domestic use from taxation. One of the great objects of the Property Tax Bill was to get rid of the land tax, which had had the indirect effect of breaking up several large estates which, instead of being owned by one person, might be settled on by 200 or 300 families. In this country the industrial state should be fully represented and developed, and commerce and manufactures be encouraged. Unless that was attended to the Colony would drift into a mere agricultural settlement, and would not attain to that greatness necessary for its permanent prosperity. He instanced the strides Scotland had made after the Union, when the restrictions on her manufactures were set free, and said that Ireland had been fettered by unjust restrictions of her right to manufacture what her people preferred. The constant changes being made in our system of taxation were open to great objection, as calculated to unsettle business and disturb the value of property. The Auckland compact was marked by Mr Hall as private, though it related to the disposal of certain public moneys. It was most improper for any Government to enter into compacts relating to the public affairs' of the Colony, and to attempt to conceal the contents of such compact from the representatives of the people. Considering the outcry which the Government made from time to time about the depressed financial condition of the Colony, it was very strange that they should attempt to saddle it with a needless liability of about half a million, more especially as we were likely to have many demands, far more pressing and more legitimate for works of a public The District Railway proposals he characterised as conceived and brought forth in a job. The House was regularly taken by surprise. The scheme was kept dark till the last hours of the session, and although the Government wore bound, in bringing such important proposals under the consideration of the House, to have furnished the House with all particulars regarding those interested in the lines and their cost, &c, none of that information had been forthcoming, and consequently the House was not in a position to decide whether or not it was desirable to take over any of the lines. In his opinion Sir George Grey had fought nobly against the action of the Government, and in this connection, and after careful observation of several other matters, he (Mr Stewart) had been forced to tho conclusion that Sir George had been greatly misrepresented in the past. Although opposed generally to the district railway scheme as advocated by the Government, he was prepared to admit that it was desirable that the Colony should take over a few of tho lines. He instanced particularly the Waimea Plains, which tho Government must take over unless they wanted private enterprise to secure tho entire traffic of the Lakes district. But tho construction of some of these private lines had been entered upon purely for private reasons and to benefit a few individuals. If such lines were taken over, the persons adjoining the properties through which the line passed, would incessantly clamour to have the rating power

taken awav, and that would be followed by asking that the railway should be placed on a footing of perfect equality with tho other public lines. The Ministry had male a very serious mistake in jeopardising tho secrecy of the Telegraph Department, a., hough he quite admitted that Mr Hall did n it intentionally do so, yet through over much zeal in endeavouring to sheet home tho charge against his predecessor in offlee, he had acted in such a manner as to attack the confidence which tho public hereafter would place in the Telegraph Department until the law was altered. Concerning the charges brought against the previous Ministry, they had been greatly exaggerated. Some of them had not been substantiated, and the hopes which were raised by the accusations made against the Grey Ministry bad not been realised. Undue attempts had been made by the present Ministry to lower the Colony’s financial position, so that they might be credited with having retrieved' it. Great revelations were threatened, and extravagant assertions made, until people came to believe that terrible extravagance had taken place j but what transpired was only that there was a deficit, principally caused by the very serious falling off that resulted from the general depression, and was pot due to any acts of the Government. The prosperity which had now set in, the prospects of a good harvest and advantageous wool market, and of. an easier money market, should not be attributed to tho action of any Government, but to altogether independent actions. Very little was accomplished in the way of legal reforms during the late session. Tho Government looked with suspicion on any legal reforms introduced by Opposition members. It seemed to be a case of fearing the Greek even if he bore gifts. In some instances paltry opposition was shown to measures which should have met with encouragement from the Ministerial benches. He severely commented on the way information affecting the Public Works estimates had been purposely withheld. For instance, there were expensive railway works on the West Coast towards tho Bailer and a wilderness, while the items roads and bridges in unsettled districts, £59,999 ; roads, bridges and wharves in the North Island, £50,099; roads and bridges north of Auckland, £65,999, were all highly unsatisfactory. They give to the Ministry of the day enormous power in controlling any weak members. The system of log-rolling which prevailed last session enabled the Government to carry everything they proposed, and led to the utmost demoralisation, and so disgusted a good many members, who were glad to leave the House, seeing that it was almost hopeless to do any good. Had Sir George Grey stooped to such promises as were given to Mr Masters to secure his vote, or had ho helped certain members to acquire titles to Maori lands, he might have still been Premier, and continued to be so until the end of his days. Mr A. O. Begg proposed, and Mr H. Hoey seconded —“ That this meeting whilst thanking Mr Stewart for his address cannot express their confidence in him as a representative of the city of Dunedin.” Mr T. Bracken proposed, and Mr J. Robin seconded an amendment —“ That this meeting thanks Mr Stewart for his address, and expresses its confidence in him as a representative for the city." Only three hands were held up for the amendment, the rest voting for the motion. There were not more than 70 persons present when the voting took place, though some J. 50 had been present.