Untitled

Lyttelton Times, Volume XCIX, Issue 11593, 31 May 1898, Page 6

MR RORANI'S DECLARATION.

EeferrJhg to the member for Palmerston, ■Mr Seddon said that gentleman had recently isaid that he was not prepared to support trie [Government any longer. When Mr PlTa “ j'wai asked before the electicais if he vo ‘vote for the present Government m tfae event i®£ his being returned, he bad mphed that he w -oidd vote for them on a fio-amfidence mo•JV. Such a pledge haying bam given, Ltm • and constitutional envrseforthe memy ’’almerston to take,no w that his views A was to resign an d give his con ! C oportunity of endorsing ms jgUtomts It 4 SS non sense to talk of his comments reV* to g » W ‘l*: toe [to da #bat practicallynfo^itScandi--gfcituents an opportunity of -® Section) ‘they endorsed result lo iwnald be quite satisfied as to the reju ■mtaJ attacks made upon himself by loentleman and others with the contempt - ey SSXbS as regarded the attacks, made 'in Mr Pirani’s speech, if they were corr -7 —ported and intended to apply to his U fforUpris] yfUe, he could only remark that it would say little for political life in the colony J whmin qpponent could not damage■ the husband he had to resort to the contemptil e [piSbice of attacking his wife conveyed in the speech was absolutely untrue and a mere fabrication. local government. > The 1 Premier then said that BUtorally expect to hear something as to what ■the Government proposed to do during t forthcoming session. He would first of aU toil them that, notwithstanding the pieditbna to the contrary, Parliament would meet Friday, June 24. They placed great importance on their local government proposals, [fee present local government system had almost entirely broken down. IA I ? a J’ members went they were besieged with refor money for roads, bridges and mmoi -wonte./ He believed that local bodies should dti with such questions, but the local bodies bad vety-often not the money to do so. Ihe zaault was that the people hadoither to go .without roads or appeal to the Government. Parliament thus practically became a board 'of ,works, instead of being a body dealing with larger qnestibps affecting the well-being of tbe whole’people. How then would they 'amend the local government system/ hirst 'of aU,'-the representation in the local bodies would'have to be enlarged. At present they were limited to the landowners and, the leaseholders. In Wellington, with some 44,000 inhabitants, there were only some 4000 who ■ could vote in the election of mayor or .borough councillors, whereas about iy,uuu bad a vote there for members of Parliament. ■ln iak opinion, there were in that city at leaat twenty'thousand men and women over the age of twenty-one just as much entitled to vote ip. the Council elections as the present ffpiaTl '’-pTimher of four thous&fld. Those Tented houses had really to pay rates, for the reason that an owner assessing rent took into consideration the total cost of the place, indnding rates. When the question of voting for a loan for abater supply or for lighting was-decided, andythe scheme was carried out, the landlord usually raised the rents and the tenant really paidifor those improvements. ■Everyone had a vote-to return men to Parliament charged with the highest responsibilities, but at present only the few Could * vote lor councillors and mayors. .They had .been following in the obsolete lines of the Mother Country and the sooner they struck out on. new lines, for themselves the better. .The’ Government, therefore, proposed that 'for borough and county elections those bn Ihe electoral roll for not less than twelve months, ■the property-owners and the lessees should have their names placed on a roll, to be called a 801 l for Local Bodies for the Time being. .The absentee question and non-voting on loan, .questions often resulted in the stopping of .'very necessary works. He was of opinion Ithat every property-owner or leasee should :bave a vote on drainage an.d sanitary and [water-supply questions, and that the majority should decide irrespective of absentees or 'thoee. who may abstain from voting. .He would draw the line between representation ■and voting for loanls. Any person who bad been a householder for twelve months in a district and on.the roll for that district, and anv property-owufer and lessee, should elect members, of local/ bodies, and in respect of loans under the Loans to Local Bodies Act, the. voting should he decided simply by a majority of those who record their votes irrespective of absentees or non-voters or the vnlno of the.properties of those voting. (Applause). fFhe Government had been urged on the one hand to make the rating on uiiimproved values compulsory, while the 'large owners said the people should judge, So far as tried, the system had worked well, and, he believed, would recommend itself to the people of the colony. However, he was not prepared to force the measure on the local bodies, but he would not allow absentees to stop it. Trie matter should be discussed in tho press and On platforms, and irrespective of value or numbers on the roll, the majority should poll “yes” or “no” for the principle. In the s boroughs progress had bean kept back in many cases because landowners had stood in .their own light. The present law said chat there-must be value and numbers represented at the poll. In principle this could not De . carried oufc because people selfishly refused to ' vote. He hoped next session to have it on the statute-book that tho majority shall settle it once for all, and that it would prove serviceable to the colony. THE LICENSING QUESTION. Another interesting question and one that, , perhaps, from the party standpoint was ; most dangerous, was the liquor question. : The matter had been brought under his i notice that day, and he repeated now what 'he had said in answer that whatever the people insisted upon Parliament would have • * perfect right to grant. The extreme proiliibifcionists ond the Opposition were united lin one object, to put out the present Government. It was an unholy alliance. Except on the one point the parties had not * an idea in common, • and the union would [ be a cat and dog one. The Government i would parry out the wishes of the people, ; but it was never intended that one section ! of the people should he eternally at the : throats of the others. The country could not prosper under such conditions, and there ought to be an end to it. The law should be laid down, arid complied with on' the one band, and harassing should cease on the rther. The present'strife disturbed politi-.

cal life, and was a misfortune to the colony, and the sooner it ended the better for all parties. The Government, which was blamed for the most advanced legislation, was also said to be in league with the trade. Prohibitionists went to England and America and extolled our legislation at the same time that they here wanted to push the law still further. The Government wished to administer the law fairly, but not harshly. Liquor, wherever sold, must be under control. He looked on it as a side issue question, and it should be dealt with accordingly. STATE INSURANCE. The time had arrived for a State Eire Insurance scheme. As premiums were too high in New Zealand tho State must step in and bring them down, as it had done the rates of interest. Already the companies had lowered the rates through this. He considered the time was ripe for a State Accident Insurance system. There would be little risk and groat benefit, and half the premiums now paid would suffice and leave a profit. If relief could he given to the workers with fair security, a good deal of friction would be removed. A great deal more would be heard of this proposition, now mentioned for the first time-, than of any other he ever suggested, and no doubt it would be freely criticised, bnthe ; had had the tables prepared and the, risk calculated, and he knew of nothing better the Government could do than, take up the question. MISCELLANEOUS. ' He referred at length to the question of technical education, and said that the chairman of the Wellington Education Board had told him that he had gone through the Bill and could not see that it had the tendency charged against it, and that it would have been of great benefit to the youth of the colony. He (Mi’ Seddon) was prepared to still stand by the Bill, lie referred to the reduction in railway charges, the facilities afforded to settlers and the concessions to school children and others. He also enumerated the' good resultst o the butter industry by the appointment of an expert, and quoted figures tb'show the largely increased output. Where there were Crown tenants on Grown lands there was no reason why the Government should not, with perfect security, find the capital for the erection of creameries and advance moneys to help the settlers to have such in their midst. As to land settlement, he had only advocated that where large estates blocked settlement and, through not being utilised, retarded the welfare of the people, the. State should step in, cut them up and pay the owners full 'market value. In that district there was ' land which, in his opinion, ought to be taken under the Land for Settlements Act ' for small farms, and dairy factories should be established. DEFENCE. Speaking on the question of defence, he claimed that the present Government had "done more than any previous Government. He referred to Captain Russell having reduced the volunteer capitation from fifty to thirty shillings, and armed the volunteers with obsolete weapons. When the report, of the Commander of the Forces was made public it would be found that every justice had been done to the defences of the colony. 1 'The Government desired in every way to encourage the patriotic feeling existing in the .Volunteer force now.

A number of other important matters bavin g been dealt with, the' meeting concluded by passing a unanimous vote of thanks to the. Premier/ for his address, and a vote of •confidence.in the Government.