POLITICAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXIX, Issue 9986, 15 March 1893, Page 6

POLITICAL.

MR R. MEREDITH AT EAST OXFORD. Mr R. Meredith, member for Ashley, addressed a meeting of his constituents at the East Oxford Town Hall on Monday night. Owing to the inclemency of the weather the attendance was limited to about fifty. Mr E. H. Pariah presided, and in opening the proceedings referred 60 the fact of the re-arrangement of the electoral districts having divided Oxford between the Ashley and Eaiapoi electorates; consequently at the next general election many of those present would not have the privilege of again supporting Mr Meredith. Mr Meredith opened his address by thanking those present for attending in such inclement weather. Ho had to apologise for not coining before his constituents immediately after the close of last session, bub the fact was that he was anxious to look into what was known as the Native question, and, with the view of making himself thoroughly conversant with it, had spent a fortnight in the North Island.

THE NATIVE QUESTION was a very important one, embracing local and general taxation of Native land, the individualisation of Native titles, and the validation of titles of Native lands acquired by Europeans, not through, the Government, bub by private treaty. Of the 42,000 Natives in the Colony 40,000 lived in the North Island, consequently the question was one that was of mere importance to that part of New Zealand. During the time he spent in the North Island, he visited the Bay of Plenty and the East Coast, where the Natives were most numerous, particularly Whakatana County. There the Europeans had a real grievance, as the Natives, though very numerous, paid neither local nor county rates, although four-fifths of the traffic on the public roads was contributed by the Natives, while the Europeans had to bear the burden of taxation. This state of things could nob remain much longer. The Natives were wealthy, either cultivating their own lands cr receiving rent for them from Europeans. No doubt in the past there were difficulties in the way of taxing Native lands, and there were difficulties still in those parts of the Island, such as the King Country, where the Natives were numerous and powerful, and retain their ancient modes of living. He also desired that before he spoke the small farmers might have an opportunity of fully realising the nature of the change in the incidence of taxation when called upon to pay the tax lately.

THE LAST SESSION was a protracted one, lasting nearly' sixteen weeks. Each day's sitting averaged rather more than 7% hours, and to this might be added 2f hours in Committee, making rather more than ten bouro a day. No leas than 741 petitions were dealt with daring the session. Ha was a member of the Public Petitions Committee, and

assisted to hear and report on two hundred and eighty-mne petitions ; also, as member of the Waste Lands Committee he reported to the House on fifty-five petitions. He mentioned this to show that the position of a member was no sinecure. The House met on June 23, and the

FINANCIAL STATEMENT was delivered seven days after. Never in the history of the New Zealand Parliament was a Financial Statement submitted so early in the session. The Statement showed the Colony to ha solvent and in a thriving condition. The actual expenditure was less than the estimated expenditure by .£26,584 13s 7d. The revenue actually received exceeded by £87,287 16a 6d the amount estimated, and the credit surplus on the year’s transactions amounted to £163,573 18s sd. £117,283 was paid in the reduction of the national debt, and the charge for interest and sinking fund for the current year was estimated at .£1,835,770, or £67,159 less than for last year. This saving had been brought about mainly through the conversion of £589,000 6 per cent debentures into 31 per cent inscribed stock, the annual saving thereby effected being £33,571. (Applause.) But the best was still to come. Through all, the key-note oi the Government had. been no more borrowing —(applause)—but a policy of self-reliance. The Government had economised in every possible way, and its unauthorised expenditure was the smallest for seventeen years. (Applause). The Premier and bis Ministry had made up their minds that there should be no further increase in the public debt. The Hon Mr Ballanee had taken the course adopted by Sir Eoberb Peal when he came into office in 1542 and found the public debt of England so large. He (Sir Eobert Peel) said that that state of things would have to be put a stop to, and they must kaep their expenditure within their income. This was precisely what the Hon Mr Ballanee had declared. (Applause.) When the Financial Statement was delivered, the Press of the Colony, including the principal Conservative papers, rose to the occasion; aad the latter, forgetful of their being in opposition, joined in congratulating the country upon having such a satisfactory Statement submitted, and congratulating the Premier. (Applause.) The debate on the Statement lasted three weeks, quite two of which were wasted in recapitulation and reiteration. The Hon W. Eolleaton led the attack. His speech was a feeble effort. This was not so much the fault of the leader of the Opposition as of the circumstances. Ha had nothing to base hia criticisms on. As he (Mr Meredith) remarked in the House, they might as well expect General Sir Garnet Wolaeley to display hia great military genius in suppressing a row at Dounybrook Fair as to expect the leader of the Opposition to distinguish himself in attacking the carefully-entrenched and unassailable position of the Government as sot forth in the Financial Statement. A number of the Opposition thought they know more about the figures than the Premier, and one went ao far as to say that Mr Ballanee had no mote knowledge of figures than a fourth standard boy. Eeplying, the Premier spoke for two hours, the speech being the speech of the session, aad completely pulled to rags the criticisms of the Opposition. (Applause.)

APPOINTMENTS TO THU LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

They were aware that in the recess before last session it was generally understood that tbs Government intended to make several calls to the Upper House in consequence of the scant support accorded to ite measures during the session of 1891. The Opposition, as usual, railed against the Government for proposing to do such a wicked thing, forgetting that the late Government placed seven members in the Council when the country had declared against ita policy in the election of 1890. He understood that the object of a Government in putting members in the Legislative Council was in order to give the existing Government a working majority to carry out its measures. Why, therefore, did the late Government put the seven men into the Council ? It was simply to block the legislation of its successors. The present Government, finding how little the support it received in the Council was, recommended the appointment of twelve members, but the Governor would not agree to the appointment of more than nine. An appeal to the Home authorities resulted in the Governor being recommended to take the advice of the Ministry. This was a great victory, and it was gracefully received. It was to the honour and credit of the Government supportere that when the cable message was read in the House there was no demonstration, the feelingo of the Governor being respected. He felt sorry for the Governor. The fact was that he had been surrounded and advised by those opposed to the Government, and became the victim of misplaced confidence. The general opinion was that the selection of members for the Upper House was satisfactory. THE LAND BILL was one of the most important measures passed last session. It was largely a consolidating measure, embodying the provisions of the Land Act of 1885, and the amendment Acts of 1887 and 1888, in addition to about fifty new clauses and amendments. Altogether it was the moat liberal Land Act ever passed in the Now

Zealand Parliament, the tendency of the measure being in the direction of the equal distribution of wealth, prevention of speculation in Crown land, the settlement of people on the land and putting an absolute atop to the aggregation of estates from Crown hind. (Applause.) One of its principal provisions was one man, one run, the carrying capacity regulating the size of the run, and the maximum being 20,000 sheep or 4000 head of cattle. No person or Company could now hold from the Crown more than one run, except when the carrying capacity did not equal 10,000 sheep or 2000 head of cattle. la that case two or more small runs could be held by one person. Of course the present tenants of the Crown would he allowed to continue their holdings, no matter how many runs they held, until their leases terminated, when they must drop down to the one-man-one-iun system. (Applause.) The New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company, for instance, which now leased twenty-seven runs, would have to submit to the provisions of the Act in this connection. The quantity of Crown lands to be taken up by one tenant must not exceed .2000 acres of second-class, or 6-10 acres of first-class land. The forms of tenure werG —(I) Freehold for cash under settlement conditions, improvements to be made within seven years to the amount of ill and 10s on first and second quality land respectively, certificate to occupy being first given/and subsequently Crown grants when conditions are complied with. (2) Eight of purchase or optional system, with a twenty-fire years lease under improvement and settlement conditions, or permission to convert to a perpetual lease. (3) Perpetual lease in the moat complete sense of the term, the lease being granted for nine hundred and ninety-nine years, at a rental of four per cent-on the capital value. Mr Meredith quoted figures at considerable length, oho wing that the perpetual lease was the favourite mode of acquiring the land, seventy-eight per cent of all the land taken up iu 1892 being under this system. Ho also quoted figures to show that a farmer holding land by perpetual lease was, in many instances, much better off than a farmer having a mortgaged freehold. There was no doubt amongst the Colonists a great liking for freeholds, and in forming t'no Act this had been recognised. Referring to the subject of

TAXATION, the initiatory stage of the now form of taxation had been passed. The taxes had been collected, and the taxpayers knew precisely tboir position under the Lund and Income tex—which position must be one of general satisfaction, except to the large land-owners and wealthy classes, aad if there was leas selfishness and leas individualism they would have no objocticn to the change in the incidence of taxation. Under the Property tax improvements, stock, Ac,, was heavily taxed, and thereby an embargo was placed on making improvements, and therefore on the employment of labour; and every encouragement was given to the aggregation of unimproved estates, as the more improved land a man had the less taxes he paid in proportion _to hie holding, while a small farm, being highly improved, paid much more taxation in proportion. The change in the incidence of taxation had quite reversed this. The total number of land-owners in 1891 was 91,501, aad by the change to the Land, tax nearly 20,000 email farms would bo altogether exempted from taxation, and 17,533 holding from 100 to 1000 acres would be considerably relieved. (Applause.) They must not hold the idea the Government was relieving the towns at the expanse of the country, £92,000 being collected as Income tax. The large landowners had had their land enhanced in value by the expenditure of the borrowed money, and it was but just that they should pay a fair amount of taxation towards the payment of the interest. The interest and sinking fund on the public debt of the Colony for 1892-3 amounted to £1,835,770. The amount of direct taxation was about one-fifth of the annual charge on the public debt, or £1 out of every £5. Where did tho’other £4 come from ? Out of consolidated revenue. Customs duties, Ac., and therefore out of the pockets of the people. RAILWAY MANAGEMENT. In reference to railway management, the term for which the Commissioners were appointed would expire in IS9-4, and it would be necessary to do something in the matter next session; He was distinctly in favour of .the railways being managed by a non-political Board—(applause)—on commercial principles consistent with the development of the resources of tho Colony. (Applause.) The Board should consist of practical men, thoroughly conversant with the management of railways—men who could feel their position perfectly. secure from political bias, and were at perfect liberty to act in the best.interests of the Colony. If a Minister of the Crown shared the duties of the Commissioners ha would necessarily assume tho position of a dictator, and would soon be boss of tho whole concern, it might be said that other departments of the public service wore under the control of Ministers, but, as a matter of fact, tho Undersecretaries were the actual rulers, being conversant with the working of the department?. As far as the Kail way Department was concerned, it would bo impossible for a Minister to gain sufficient knowledge of the working of the railways during the short term ha might ho in office to bo of any practical use. Tho present Commissioners had, on the whole, dene very well. They had made several reductions in tho tariff of the passenger, parcels aad goods departments. From a tabulated statement laid on. tho table of the House, it was shown that theso reductions were made on about cue hundred and fifty items. The Commissioners were now better qualified to perform their duties than when they first took office. The fact must bo recognised that they had tha spending of about half a million of money annually, and he felt that, this being the case, tho Board should rot bo placed entirely beyond the control or tho people's representatives. The people made their wishes known, to their representatives, and some provision should be made for the House to approach tho Comwiesionera with the wants of the people. (Applause.) There was still much room for improvement in the management of the railways. Eevenue was, no doubt, an important matter, but it was not everything. Helping the people to develop the resources of the Colony was' quite as Important as a good balance-sheet. (Applause!) A readjustment of the tariff, especially >in the heavy goods department, would bd beneficial. At Oxford, for instance, there were thousands of cords of wood rotting for the reason that the rail charges prohibited the carriage of it, yet trains were running on tho line daily with empty trucks. (Applause.) Sidings might bo let at a lower rental, and in many other ways au improvement could ba effected. The railway employees should be classed in a similar manner to the officers of the Post and Telegraph departments, and promotion should only be by length of service, good conduct, and aptitude for duties, and not by favour, (Applause.) He was of' opinion that a considerable reduction in expenditure might be effected by the nmatgamatlon of offices amongst tho high officials. (Applause.) Dealing with the LIQUOR QUESTION, Bills were introduced during the session providing for prohibition, the direct veto and compensation to publicans. The two former wero : read a first time, and were printed, but nothing further was heard of them. The Licensed Victuallers' Compensation Bill reached its second reading. It contained the principles of the continuity of licensee, compensation and an appeal court. This was looked upon by many members as a down-gr; ... movement. There was a vigorous debate, which suddenly collapsed, tiu^i* i oeiDg lost on tha voices without a division. At the time these moat interested were net in their places in the House, ffit were supposed to bo liquoring in Bellamy's. The question of the extension of local option could not be kept in abeyance much longer. In reference to tho question of

women’s vkakcuiss. Sir John Hall again introduced a Bill to grant the franchise to women, and he was supported by a petition signed by 20,000

women. The Government, fearing a miscarriage of the Bill, embodied it in the Electoral Bill so as to ensure its passing the House and becoming law. After vigorous opposition to the clause the Bill passed, hue in the Upper House the clause was loaded with electoral rights, in which form the Government would not accept it, and consequently it had to bo again shelved. The whole onus of tho matter rested with the Legislative Council.

TEE LINCOLN SCHOOL OJ:’ AGRICULTURE had come before tho House during the Session, a Bill having been introduced dealing with its financial affairs. The school was at first a Provincial institution, but it now belonged to the Colony, It had been a white elephant, anditwas lamentable that such a lack of interest should be ehown in the institution. The school should be placed on a sound basis, bo that the class of lads for whom in was intended should make use of it. There was _ a scheme of a si mils r kind in Australia, where the annual fee was £25, and he could not see why tho fee for tho Lincoln College, now £45, should not be reduced. He was pleased to notice that Mr Harley, in a speech made before the Chamber of Commerce last month, spoke to the necessity of a revision of tho tariff to induce

KECIPSOCAL TKADE with the other Colonies. The Chairman of the Melbourne Chamber of Commerce had also recently advocated a reciprocal tariff. If there was any Colony hilled by Protection it was that of New South Wales, and it was now leaded with a deficit of i 11,000,000. He hoped the day-was not far distant when the important subject of reciprocal tariff would fco taken up and a basis of freetvsde amongst the Colonies established. Protection contracted and crippled every industry it was supposed to be in the interest oi. Everything the farmer produced had to go into the world's market and take its chance. There was no protection or subsidy in the export of grain, wool, frozen meat, butter and cheese, flax, kauri gum, and notwithstanding, these industries bad gone ahead with leaps and bounds, while the woollen manufacturing industry protected by a 25 per cent tariff, had made little headway. The exports of the Colony to Australia for 1891 amounted to £1,705,651, while the imports were £692,012 less than that mnount. The value of the seven principal articles of export, as given in a return placed before the House, showed the immense expansion of the trade of the Colony and the development of its resources. Curing the last few years, growing grain had been a loss to farmers, except in a few favoured localities where there was the beat land. Farmers would have to direct their attention to the manufacture of butter and cheese, and the growth of wool and mutton. The attention of farmers had been largely given to this matter within the past tnree or four years in particular. The attention being given to the improved breeds of sheep was evidenced by the great stud sheep sale which took place at the Agricultural and Pastoral Association's grounds a short time since.

THE BUREAU OF INDUSTRY AND LABOUR founded in 1891 had fully answered the anticipations of / the Government. (Applause.) The number of persona who found employment up to the beginning of June, 1892, was 2974, of whom 2000 went to private employment, and 974 to public works. The number of agents, mainly amongst the police, was 189, and the total cost of the department had been -22318, out of which .£I7OO was paid for railway fares, and would return to the public exchequer. The average cost, therefore, of finning employment for 2974 persons was the small sum of 15s 7d each, (Applause.) The working classes had recognised the value of the department in preventing the depreciation of wages through congestion of labour in the cities and certain districts, and had cordially co-operated with the Government in making the Bureau a practical success. Is was the intention to establish State farms in connection with the Bureau, where men out of employment could ba set to work instead of being charged as vagrants. (Applause.) He could not close his address without referring to the CHEVIOT ESTATE. The acquirement of the estate was the first fruits of the Laud for Settlement ! Bill, (Applause.) lie went to the estate about a fortnight ago, and spent a week going over the land. The estate was a most compact one of 86,000 acres. He rode over it, up and down, to and fro, in all directions, and after seeing it he had come to the conclusion that it was the finest estate he had seen in the whole of his thirty years Colonial experience. (Applause.) The soil was a rich, black loam on a subsoil of a friable nature. During hia wanderings over the land he never saw a bunch of gorse, broom or briar. There were thirty miles of the finest quick fences he had seen since ho left the Old Country, round one paddock the quicks being quite fifty feet high. There were three or four miles of the most substantial fences and gates be had ever seen, and ail in good order. He never saw a rabbit on the place. Five rabbitera were employed to look after the fences, but when the land was' settled they would ba no longer required. The country consisted of plains, rolling downs, and hills, and there was no place where a shepherd could not ride on horseback. He saw one flab o? 5000 acres equal to the fine agricultural land at Wood end, Waikuku and the Kaiapoi Island, Thera was not a square yard of the estate but what was covered with clover and cocksfoot. There were silver tussocks from three to four feet high growing right to to the hilltops. -He considered that there was not an acre worth lees than -£3, and the average value was more like £5 than tho £3 5o paid by the Government. He had it on good authority that the Government refused an offer of £40,000 on its bargain, and no doubt it could get £IOO,OOO if it wished. The Government had bought it in the interests ef the people, and would keep it for the people. (Applause.) If any of those present were anxious to apply tor some of the land be did nob think it was necessary for them to form an Association juot at present. Undoubtedly the Government would have to frame a special Act dealing with the estate; therefore, it would be some months before settlement could take place. They need not think that the Government intended to settle the -impecunious and thriftless upon the estate. To give some idea of the class of men. likely to take up the land he might tell them that he lately sent in an application from a district lower down the country which, bora the names of fourteen farmera having capital from £3OO to £ISOO each, eight farm labourers who had saved money, and six thrifty artisans, No one could take exception to euch settlers. (Applause). In reference to tho

HIDLAND RAILWAY he was not in favour of granting any more concessions to the Company. The Company bad disposed of tho host o; its land, and was now asking the Government to take that of inferior quality, and in return become security to the London money-lenders for funds for tho completion of the line. Jt had previously been granted -concessions, and the Government very 'rightly' refused' to assist it in tho direction it now asked. (Applause).

: iw CONCLUSION, and to sum up, they had the reduction of the enormous debt by .£117,282; interest and sinking fund for 1892-3 £1,835,770, or £87,159 less than for 1891-2; the actual revenue exceeding the expenditure by £87,287 IGs GJj tho actual expenditure less than the estimated by £2G,SS4i; a surplus of £183,577; the smallest unauthorised expenditure for the last seventeen yearo; accumulation in banks, £15.811,729 on March 31 last; exports exceeding the imports by £3,063.548; influx of population exceeded the exodus; money plentiful, and tho rale of interest lower than it had ever been ; settlement on the lands of the Colony on the increase; a moro equal distribution of wealth, and the resources of the Colony being developed. Altogether they had a solid monument of retrenchment, economy, progress and prosperity, reflecting in the highest degree on the people and Government of the Colony. (Loud applause). <jUEiTIO2--et lu reply to questions, Mr Meredith sai« that he * believed the principle of cooperative contracts was a step ia the right

direction. He did not consider it was reasonable for the Government to withhold payments for sleepers twenty-eight days after this£ were passed; He was not in favour of the tea commandments being taught in the public schools. Although valuing the Biblo, ha did not think, under existing circumstances, it would he fair or wise to introduce it into the schools. He must he consistent, and being opposed to giving grants to denominational schools he could not favour anything being done that would interfere with the religious convictions and liberties of parents. (Applause.) The Truck Act was passed to prevent employers forcing their employees to taka goods from, them in lieu of wages. If the employer supplied goods to hia men he could not deduct the cost from their wages, but would have to pay in full and make a demand for the price of the goods, Mr P. Garlick moved a vote of thanks to Mr Meredith for his address, and renewed confidence in him as their representative. > The motion was seconded by Mr E. Cole, and was declared carried unanimously. Mr Meredith expressed his thanks, and closed tho meeting by proposing a vote of thanks to the Chairman.