THE PREMIER.

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIX, Issue 11539, 28 March 1898, Page 5

THE PREMIER.

PRESENTATION AT LYTTELTON. The Eailway Social Hall at Lyttelton was crowded on Saturday night, when a presentation was made, under the auspices of the Lyttelton Liberal Association, to the Premier, who arrived by special train about half-past nine o’clock. The interior of the hall was decorated with flags, and the Lyttelton Band, stationed outside, played while the audience was waiting for the Premier’s arrival. When Mr Seddon entered the hall the audience rose and cheered heartily. Mr George Laurenson, who presided, said that the Mayor of Lyttelton had been asked to take the chair, but had replied that his political principles would not allow him to do so at any meeting in support of the present Government. Mr Laurenson read letters apologising for absence, and expressing sympathy with the object of the gathering, from the Rev D. J. Murray and the Rev Father Salvador. He said that they were to a large extent indebted to the latter gentleman for the present gathering, as he had been most enthusiastic in getting it up. The Chairman welcomed Mr Seddon on behalf of the Liberals of Lyttelton. They had, he said, no foes to dread from without; the only ones they had to dread were from within. He could assure Mr Seddon that as long as the Government moved in the path of progressive legislation in which they had been travelling, so long as they kept their hands clean and went in for self-abnega-tion, they would have the support of a united and enthusiastic following. (Applause.) Captain M’Lellan, president of the Lyttelton Liberal Association, read the following address: — “ Right Honourable Sir, —We desire, OB behalf of the working men of Lyttelton, to heartily congratulate you on the success of your mission as the colony’s representative at the Queen’s Jubilee in London, and your safe return therefrom. We rejoice that the distinction conferred upon you by her Majesty has been hailed by a chorus of popular approval in all political sections of the community. We desire to acknowledge our indebtedness to your Government for the many concessions made to the

■working classes during your administration, and we trust that you may. long continue to guide the destinies of our colony in the march cf social and commercial progress. In pledging ■ ourselves to rally round the Liberal banner, we shall sedulously guard our ranks against the wiles of Conservative claptrap, proclaiming ourselves with one accord your firm and' loyal supporters. Wishing you long life and happiness, we remain, your faithful servants.” Signed by Eev Father Salvador, Eev Eliott Chambers, Bov E. .1. Murray, John Joyce, Frederick Lindsay, E. Perceval, John Sullivan, H. M’Lellan, A. M’Murchie and Edward Seymour. The address was enclosed in a handsome frame and beautifully illuminated by the Sisters of. the Convent of Our Lady of Mercy. ’ The Premier said he would ever remember that reception with gratitude, because it. came from those who wished to show their appreciation of the work done by the Government of which he was the head. (Applause.) ■ The Chairman had apologised for the absence of the Mayor. Of course, it was within his Worship’s own will • to decide , whether ox* not he should preside on such an occasion; but it would not militate against the success of the gathering no matter who was in the chair, so long as it was a person of good repute. Some months ago the intention of -presenting this address had been intimated to him. There had been no opportunity prior to that evening, hut it was well worth waiting for. He hoped that his children after him would look upon it and recognise that there were rewards which could be given to men who did service for their fellows. The people of Lyttelton, had ever helped him and those who were on his side in the battle of the people. Had it not beenfor the support of the great majority of. the people of 'this part of the colony, they could,not have passed the legislation which had’been teferred to. Mention was made in the address of his visit to the Mother Land. Could they have heard andwitnessed what he had heard and witnessed at the. Diamond Jubilee celebration, they would have found that between themselves and their kindred in the Mother Land there .existed a bond ever enduring, never severable, a bond that would last as long as creation itself. Still, it was necessary that something he done to remove some of the misapprehensions that existed in the Mother Land in respect to this colony, which had suffered considerably from, being classed with Australia under the name of Australasia, and te would say to New Zealand journalists: “ Never use that term again. Stand to ‘ New Zealand/ for New Zealand is now at Home the most popular of any of the colonies.” They looked forward to maintaining for all t.irrm the tie between the Mother Country and the colonies. They never heard now any talk of separation. They had the freest constitution any people were ever blessed with, and the late great gathering from all parts of the Empire testified to the success of giving to the people freedom — self-government. (Applause). The people of this country could do a good work, for in the Mother Country they were looking to the New Zealand Parliament. New Zealand: laws were being copied, not only in Great Britain, hut in America and in the other colonies ; and this redounded to the credit of the people of New Zealand, because the Government was simply carrying ont what was demanded by the people. He had said there were misapprehensions ■ at Home. There were also misrepresentations in the colony, and if they were to believe all they read about his humble self and his colleagues and supporters he ought to be shunned by all persons who had any self-respect, but the very men who wrote iu that way knew that it-was not correct. (Applause.) But all Liberal leaders had been treated alike. Worse things than had been written about the members of the present Ministry had been said against their great leader, the late Mr Ballance, and against Sir George Grey, the" great leader who had laid the foundation of Liberalism iu this country. When -Sir Eobert Stout was the head of the Liberal Party did the Conservative Press then say that he was the only puret'' statesman in this cotintry ? But When 'they had hounded a man from public life, or the grave had-closed on bifh; the hypocrites wrote columns upon . columns extolling his virtues. When Mr \ Ballance was on his death-bed fa Wellington - Conservative journal kept on publishing articles attacking him, which worried him so that Mr Ballance’s medical advisers came to him (Mr Seddon) about it, and the Hoh Mr Cadman had to go to the editor and ask him to allow their chief to die in ppace. On his (Mr Seddon’s) return from the Mother Country the leader of the Opposition, in eulogising his representation of the colony at the Diamond Jubilee, had said that he was a beacon for the youth of this colony., If • he were the traitor to the interests of the people, the corrupt individual he was represented to he by the Conservative Press, what a terrible beacon for the guidance of youth he would he! What did all these charges amount to? Were he to plead guilty to having appointed Colonel Fraser as Sergeant - at - Arms, what a terrible crime! Their Conservative friends had apparently forgotten all about that, and now, for breakfast, luncheon and dinner, they served up the statement that the Premier was a member of a German mining syndicate. When in office, Sir Robert Stoftt had been a director of a Land and Loan Company, Captain Russell a . director of a lending company, Mr Hislop a member of a Woollen Company when the House was called Sn to put 25 per cent duty on im ported woollens; their late chief, Mr Ballanoe, had been a member of the same company as Sir Eobert Stout, and the Hon E. C. J. Stevens had been a director of a private company when a Minister of the Crown. But, in his opinion, these gentlemen in no way prostituted their positions as' -ministers, although they were directors of companies, and no charges were levelled against any of them on that account. Before he became a minister he was a mining expert; that was his chief means of obtaining a livelihood, and if he were to place himself in the position of having no means of obtaining a livelihood, the same Press which now attacked him would say he was living) on politics, seeking election for a livelihood, and clinging to the Treasury benches for salary. As a mining expert he had become a member of the Advisory Board of the Anglo-Conti-nental Company, practically an Arbitration Board between the Board of Management in London and the Board of Management in this colony. If there were any clashing of interests he would at once retire from a position in which his presence would injure the interests of the people of the colony. Their opponents had said a great deal lately about Bushy Park and Pomahaka, but every word written against Pomahaka had formerly been written about Cheviot, where there were now 1500 souls instead of seventy-three, where shepherds’ huts had given place to churches, schools, and comfortable homes. What the Conservatives really objected to was the principle that the land belonged to the people, and must he made to give forth its increase ; and if they got hack to power they would borrow no more money for land for settlement; they would take no more large estates. They had certainly promised that they would not repeal the policy measures of the present Government, but they would allow them to become a dead letter. The colony was never more prosperous than to-day; and what had helped to make it so, to bringour industries to the front, was cheap money. It was denied tliat the fallininterest was due to the Government’s cheap money scheme. Well, he did not mind, so long as the people got the. benefit. The Government had earned the undying hatred of the money-lenders and of those connected with financial institutions, and some people, even among the worldng- classes, seemed -liable to. forget the benefits they had -i • 'the Government must not, I on that account, cease from going forward. •■Take, fear instance, Canterbury. Was it to "have again -a shortage of its wheat crop ; were its farmers to trust always to weather and seasons when, by the hand of man, the elects of these could be to a great extent obviated ? - In some piirf?r,’where there was. irrigation, - they raised sixty or seventy^

bushels to the acre, and if the same precautions were taken .here, at least forty or fifty could have been raised where only six or seven were obtained. In India and California they had had extensive experience of irrigation, and there were experts on the question. It would he a good thing for this country to obtain expert evidence on the matter, and it would be for the Legislature to say what should then be done. Some said that irrigation works’woxxld increase the value of the land, but if the owners of the land paid the interest on the coat of construction, where was the harm? They were told that the Government had started a limekiln, and that this was socialistic; but Government had acquired a limestone country and intended to supply lime to the farmers at the lowest possible rates. It would enable the farmers to get cheap lime, would return tenfold what was spCnb and would break down a monopoly.. He considered that the colony; had nothitherto done its duty to its young people in regard to technical education, and ho said 'that his Technical Education Bill had been absolutely destroyed by the committee to which it had been referred, and that the amendment proposing to leave the question of grants to private schools to the Education Boards had been suggested by Mr Eiley, head of the Wellington Technical School, who was acknowledged to he the leading man in the colony in- respect to technical education. He strenuously denied the charge of having attempted to injure the national system of education. He strongly urged the necessity for an old age pension scheme, and said’ that as the Registration of People’s Claims Bill had been passed, and the matter Had been before the people lib the general election, it was not rightly in the power of the Legislative Council to say that the question had not been before the people. The opponents of old age pensions in the Council had really feared that perhaps in future the land and income taxes might have to bo increased in order to provide, for the pensiona. The Bill had been declared crude,, hut so had every measure the Government had passed, and that >by the- very people who-were now benefiting by the -new legislation, 1 .The colony was well able to make provision for an old age pension scheme, and just now was the time to do it. ( Applause.) He would that* all party differences should be sunk on this question, and that New Zealand should go to the world as the first country—the first part of the British Empire—to say that the aged must he honourably provided for. (Applause). He concluded by again warmly expressing his thanks for his reception. A vote of thanks to Mr Seddon, and of confidence in the Government, moved by Mr M’Murchie and seconded by Mr Smart, was cai'ried by acclamation. A vote of thanks was passed to the Chairman on the motion of Mr Seddon, and the proceedings closed at 11.15 p.m. with cheers for the Premier and the Government.