Mr Fergus at Queenstown.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1526, 9 April 1886, Page 5

Mr Fergus at Queenstown.

Notwithstanding the wet and onpropitious weather which prevailed oa Monday evening last, the Town Hall was comfortably packed on the •ccaaioQ of the address of Mr T. Fergus, member for the Wakatipa, who was enthusiastically welcomed, and—with perhaps one exception—was attentively listened to throughout his address, which lasted an hoar and a-half.

The Mayor (Mr J. Reid) in opening the proceedings, said the electors of the district had good **ason to be proad of their member, who had not only been a very useful member of the House of Representatives, bnt he was also a credit to the colony. The member had not only done well for the district in the earlier days when working with the late Government, bat he had also done well since then when basking in the cold shade of the Opposition. He hoped that the constitneney would stick to their member as long as he would stick to them. After a few more remarks the chairman introduced Mr Fergus, who wss greeted with great applause. Mr Fergus, in rising, said—Mr Chairman and gentleman—Your worthy Mayor has almoet taken the wind oat of my sails by'the glowing way in which he referred to my conduct as your member daring several years, and such flattery is apt to disconcerts bashful nun like myself. (Laughter.) However, I am exceedingly thankful for the warmth with which yoa have welcomed my preeence once more amongst yoa. In fact it affords me considerable pleasure to meet yon again, more especially as yoa haw so kindly borne with me in the pest when I was saffering from a physical disability, and was unable thoroughly to persoually acquaint myself with the wants of my constituents in every put of this wide diatrict. The courtesy yoa have nevertheless extended to me, was, though not nulooked for, none the leesgratifyiug, ami demonstrated that the ties of mutual respect formed daring oar extensive acquaintance have been in no sense weakened; and this has strengthened my hands on many occasions, and given me power in endeavoring to protect your trust and aid in forwarding the best interests of the colony. I will aow, as briefly as may be, enter into

A RIVtEW or TBI FAST SESSIO*. Ncrcr since my residence in the colony (some ▼ears of which time were spent ss your member) have I ever before seen parties an mixed np, party lines so broken down, nor a Government which, in the war of useful work, has produced so little wheat ana sach a deal of chaff. Although voa may have followed all the painful and pitiable past with close attention, it may, nevertheless, be advisable to lightly sketch the salient features of that (for the good name of the colony) uufortunate period, and, as a participant in the play I give my impression of the (tame. The number and diversity of parties in the House—and the manner in which men utterly opposed to each othpr on what we are wont to call colonial questions were skilfully manipulated, and diiven for the most part meekly by the Colonial Treasurer—rendered for a long time, what is generally known as party government impossible. There was, I believe, every disposition on the part of the House of Representative to give a fair trial to the Stout-Vogel Ministry after the first fight for the Government benches was over, and had the Premier been allowed his way, I doubt not that, instead of tottering to an inglorious fall as they are now, they would have been as firmly fixed ir their seats as any Government have been for the last decade. The Colonial Treasurer's ntter recklessness and the general distrust which he engendered throughout the colony, ultimately proved too much for the Government, and we had the miserable spectacle of a Ministry kept in office by men hostile to their policy, and plank by plank, swept from under them, till they had not even the proverbial straw which the drowning man is supposed to be ready to clutch at. It is a matter of sincere regret that the Premier, Mr Stout, ever allowed himself to he inveigled into an unholy alliance with Sir Julius Vogel, aud it is an inscrutable mystery to most people what the lioud is that binds them together. From the commencement of the Treasurer's present visit to the colony, the Premier allied himself closely to Sir Julius Vogel, but it could not have been from any community of feeling—for what community could there be between the Ultra-Radical (in talk at all events) lawyer and the erstwhile rejected Conservative candidate for Falmouth, England. So great a diversity then, existing between these two men who virtually form the Government, we naturally look—and not in vain—for a similar diversity among their followers. There is a line of demarcation, broad and palpthle, hetweeu the disciples of Stout, a Radical of the first water, and the devotees of Vogel. a conservative of conservatives at heart—and the Government camp is split accordingly. Canterbury never returned a more conservative lot of gentlemen than she does now, and the sympathy which they have with the Premier's land theories is very little; and, as for his land tax proposals, hardly a man amongst them would follow him into the lobbies on that question. It is noticeable, in relation to this, for some time past, that the Treasurer has kept clear of this subject. Whilst Government were thus diti«ie<l, the Opposition were little better. It is undoubtedly true that the party led by Major Atkinson were, numerically, the strongest—embracing about 36 members—and their organisation the most perf'^t; but there weie other memliers oppimed to Government, such as Sir George Grey, with his verv small following; also two or three of the Premier's friends, disgusted with w hat they termed his apostasy, and a so-called " Middle" party, of which a great deal was talked about in the Press, but which I always failed to identify except in the person of one individml, and except that one I do not think th* Middle party had any existence. From the hybrid Ministry then, nothing but a hybrid policvcoul-l lie expected ; but, from the greater power of Sir Julius Vo e .el in the Cabinet, the bulk of the Government proposals will necessarily be tinged with hts peculiar policv. and such we find to be the case. Essentially, Vogelism means borrowing. Whilst granting that the Treasurer possesses great mental parts, I do not think it will lie denied for a m >meut tlut he climbed into prominence on a Itorrowing policy, and to that policy, no doubt, we attribute—and justly too—the lioom of prosperity whi-h took place in New Z'aland a few veats a;:o, and to the recollection of that prosperity can be ss safely traced his sndden elevation the head of affairs now. lint those who pitch-forked him into that position little realised the fact that the condition of things had Chanel materially since 1872; and, as Major Atkinson well pat it, an alwentee (Sir Julius) had utterly failed to grasp even the A B C of our present financial position, or to comprehend that there is not the elasticity now that existed then. Whilst not for a moment desiring to detract from any benefit which the policy of 1872 had roufetred on the colony, I am as little ready to admit that that policy was an unmixed blessing. When charged with the partial failure of that scheme, the Tieasurer avers that if there were any such it has been on account of the abandonment of the salient features embodied in bis orignal plan ; but, to my mind, the said abandonment was a natural consequence of the scheme itself, and what any man acquainted with a big borrowing policy in the neighboring colonies wonld conclude to be, the inevitable result. The fact was. that the Trea«mrer created a " Frankenstein" whom he could not control, and that monster has been punishing us •ver since. With regard to

THS IMMIGRATION AND PTBUC WORK A SCTOME, it is bat little that we in the interior of the country have gained by it; rather otherwise, for we bare lost, and loet heavily. The labor which was then engaged in developing our resource*, attracted by a false prosperity on the coast, was withdrawn, and the production of wealth wm seriously interfered with, whilst nn those who remained the hardens have bren steadily increasing, till now they are all bat too heavy to be borne, and it becoaies the imperative doty of each and all of «s to jealously watch the future, and to see that the bangles of the past are not repeated. With the last advent to power of the Treasurer, and under bis enlightened guidance, oar prosperity was to have advanced by " leaps and Itouuds," snd the pall of depression which had en«bmndro our agricultural, pastoral and commercial industries was to have been swept away. Too and I (at least I can say so for myself) wen incredulous, for one could MKnely son how n wave even el the magician's

wand na to raise in the world's market the price* of oar products, or to eaabls the producers with a diminishing income to purchase more largely of the trader's stock than he had hitherto done, and we waited in doubtful expectancy for the "presto" which was to enlighten our darkness and to drive our doubts and fears to the wind. Bat the voice of the ohartner has failed to dispel our troubles. The main proposition of the Treasurer was to push vi;»oroBsly on oni pablic works, and to obtain from nnremnnerative expended capital some adequate return. This is well and reasonable; it has the support of every intelligent man in the colony, and, at all haxards, should be done. The Treasurer, however, did not stop there, bnt, with an audacious folly onnaralleled in the annals of any colony, he proposed the undertaking of works to a sum far greater than that required for the completion of works already started, and I might say beyond the power of the colony at present to undertake —or at least beyond that which any safe business man would attempt. In the debate on the Kast and West Coast and Nelson Railway Bill, I endeavored to lay before the House an estimate of the amount required to complete our railways already authorised. I will quote them, and can thoroughly vouch for their truth —nay more, I assert, after carefully £oing over the figures, that, iu the majority of inktanres, the amounts set down are far too small. Here they are Helen«vil]e to Kawakawa £900,000 Napier to Wellington, and connection with New Plymouth line 800,000 Picton to Invercarrill, to complete 1.000,000 Kelson to Greymouth 1,000,000 Christchurch to Greymouth 2,000, floo Otago Central 1,000.000 Waikato to Thames 250 000 Sheffield to Teinnka IK>,OOO Lincoln to Little Ri»er 20.000 Upper Ashburton to Uount Somen 15,000 Little P.Wer to Akaroa 350,000 Albury Creek to Burke'* Pan 60,000 Livingstone Branch to 12-Mile 20,000 Catlin's River Branch 90.000 Waipahi to Heriotburn 10,000 E lcndale to Toi-Tois, a* far u Waimake Valley .. 60.000 Lumsden to Xararoa (Centre Hill) 30,000 Wainie* to Switzera 75,000 Seaward Branch (15 miles) 65,000 Ureyuiouth t« Hokitika 170,000 To put prwent lines in repair 2,000,000

£10,065,000 You will observe that, amongst the list aliove enumerated, no mention it made of the Main Line, North Island, for which a sfwcial loan of one million is authorised, hut which, without equinment of any sort, is estimated by the engineers of the Department to cost from £1,300,000 to £1.500,000; and in my estimates of the East and Weat Coast and Nelson Railway, I was considerably under the mark, bccanse the Meigs*' proposal, which the Treasurer with such effrontary endeavoured to foist on the colony, came to neatly one million more than the sum quoted by me. The Treasurer, in Ins speech in the house on July 21, 18S5, said Messrs Meiggs' and Sons, a wellkuown firm of railway contractors and financiers, have agreed in writing to construct the railways, provided further concession are granted. The*; ask. in addition to the land grants, * guaranteed payment in exctss of working expenses of £97.000 per annum for twenty years, payable in London half-yearly, commencing after the railways are finished ; and they state it is intended to finish th«m iu from three to five \ears. The amount of £97,000 is arrived at because cf its l>eing 2$ per cent on the cost, which is thus estimated :—Actual cost of works, £3,o2s,ooo—which closely resembles our own estimate —interest during construction, £400,000; engineers and administration, £50,000, making iu all 1'3.N6d.0D0." Further on the Treasurer says:—"The railways would, however, cost uo more for interest during construction. The £500,000 is evidently computed on a basis of altout four years occupied in the construction ; but, if we have to construct ourselves, we should l»e very unlikely to do the work iu less than ten years, and, calculating interest at four per cent for the main period of five years, would give us £615.000 as the cost of interest." l>ut tins is not ail. 1 n no case have I included in my estimate of the owt r,f construction of lines interest on moneys expended during their construction, nor the equipment of said lines after this construction : so that if we take the Treasurer's computation of the interest we should have to pay on the East and West Coast and Nelson Railway dutii.g its course of construction -

that is, £6ls,ooo~ n i'granting him a literal discount, as he no dount made tlie case a little black in order to glorify, Ity eoutr.ft. the Meigg's proposal—an.l say that the said internet would i<e one ami a-half millions on the other railwa\s scheduled. To this ha* to be a l«Ie«l the cost, as said before, of equipment, say three million* ; so that we have a grand total of over £ 10,000,000 to face to complete and put in working or<lcr the railways already authoiised. Kut will this complete our railway system? Are there no other lines proposed—aye, and lines which may have as much to say for themselves as any which have already been scheduled ami authorised. I will not go at iny length into thi«. but will give a couple of instances—cn<; in the North Island and one in the South Llan-i—to ih>w that a big loan has been sniffed already, and another crop of claimants is springing up to participate in the spoils. In the HmrLrs liay Ibrabl of the l.'Uh March last, there U an article claiming consideration for a railway connecting (iishorne and Napier. Then in the South is it not a fact that, even at the present moment, engineers are engaged on the survey of an extension of the Lawrence branch to Roxburgh ? I have but lately visited the flourishing provincial district of Hawkt-s Bay, and can see no reason why they should not participate in our future railway polity. Indeed, from the very handsome returns which their railways at present give, and from the undoubted resources of that distiict, I maintain that they stand infinitely More a number of other cases already cited. Then, with regard to the Lawrence-Roxburgh branch, whilst expressing no opinion on its prob.ible paying capacity, I have little hesitation in averting that it will not be the least remunerative of the lines scheduled. Let me, however, l»e witniu bouu'la, and say that our railway policy—the whole of the lines with the exception of the last-mentioned —aatiiorised and scheduled (for great stress is laid on that term) will cost gome £16,000,00.) to construct—that is to sav, about half as much again as has already been expended on the railways already constructed. In the past we have never succeeded in expending more than the half of our loans oil railw ays, and is it likely tli.it we ■hall be able to do more in the future; or that districts will remain quiet which cannot possibly gain by railway construction—where railways are indeed im|KHsiHe—but which districts are as "great, if not greater, factors in weaith-produciug than any of those through which railways are made ? Is it probable that these districts will lie content to bear the burden of increased taxation that will l>e the inevitable result, without participating in a share of the public expenditure ? I ween not, t.either is it just or likely; and although we have been told, over and over again, that the passage of a certain measure would result in the word "roads" being banished for ever from the floor of the House of Representatives, such time has not vet coine; nor, as far at I can see, is it likely to come in a hurry. (Hear, hear.) Since the institution of our railway scheme over 23 millions have been borrowed, but out of this only 12 millions mid have been expended on our railways ; and Sir Julius Vogel is going to expend, if we allow him, more on railways than we have already done, and to neglect the very ini|>oi taiit work of roads and bridges. Do yon think he will be allowed to do it ? I »ay, emphatically no—that the country—that Parliament—will not allow it. (Applause.) Let me put the matter in bla-k and white, by showing our public expenditure and liabilities since the Immigration and Public Works scheme was inaugurated up to 31st March, 18S5, which is as follows :

It will be Men by above list that oar roada out o! loans have coet a total of £2,900.963 16a. 3<1., ami whatever may be said by a certain class of politician* about the local bodies constructing roads oat of their limited revenue, I say it is utterly impossible that they can do it. And yet that class of roads is just as important for the welfare of the country as any railway you could make—and certainly the return for its construction would be much more appreciable to the colony. (Hear, hear.) I fear verv much that if anything like the scheme fathered on the Colonial Treasurer were possible in New Zealand, and that we could find the London market that we would have a repetition of the past the loan would not float. Rut fools will remain fools to the end of time. Speaking of our railway service, it is worthy of mention that this colony stands highest now in working expenses per train mile of any of the Australasian colouies, and that is owing to the rneged and mountainous nature of the country. The figures are—Queensland, 41 17 per cent; New South Wales, 47 61 ; Victoria, 53fi2; Sonth Australia, 51*55, and New Zealand 57 45. Whilst not opposed to borrowing, I am distinctly opposed to a prodigal borrowing entered on for political and non productive works—a borrowing simply to create a passing and doubtful prosperity, and to satisfy the demands of corporations which have advanced more money on securities than they are likely to realize, or to bolster up for a brief period insolvents whose doom is inevitable. We cannot complete all our public works in one, two, or even ten 1 years. What lam willing to aid in is this, uamely, to bring to a remunerative termination those works on which much money has been spent, to select the more urgent first and to go on with them as rapidly as possible—but at the same time not to attempt too much. I maintain that, in making a start in this direction the whole of the lines should be placed before professional men of special ability, such as MrSpeke, of the Victorian Railway Department, and that their decision should be final as to where it was most judicious to commence. lam quite sure in this respect that the Otago-Central line would be shown to be, far and away, much better than any other of the proposed lines. Referring to the OTAGO CENTRAL RAILWAY.

It would be amusing if it were not disrating to observe the general ignorance among public men re that work. All the conditions exist which outjlit to compel the colony to proceed rapidly with it. In the first place if we point to the time of its commencement, to the amount spent on it, to the quantity of land it would open up, to the number of people it would bring within reach of a market, And to the enormous revenue which the land through which it is to pass has returned ami is returning to the State—takiDg any of these considerations, I say it would warrant the completion of the line ; but, taking them as a whole, the argument is unanswerable, and unless we are hopelessly bankrupt, and have to cease all description of public expenditure, this workshould be proceeded with first of all. The construction of the line was started in 1877, and £150,000 was expended on it, but yet there is not one inch of it opeu for public traffic, nor can there be until it is completed to the StrathTaieii. From a return compiled by Mr M'Keriow, the Surveyor-General, we find that one-fourth of the available unalienated agricultural land in the colony is on this route, besides which fact th« line would benefit and open up 1,500.000 acres of pastoral land. (Mr Boyes—Will the land pay for the cost of the railway? It is all bunkum.) Mr Chairman, if Mr Boyea insists on interrupting as he ba* done, I must retire and let him talk ; but if he will patiently hear me out, I shall he happy to reply to any questions he may put, and will, for that matter, let him have his say on the stage. (Laughter.) However, to proceed, sir, I may mention that had we been allowed the rents alcna of the pastoral lands through which the OtayoCentral line runs, the railway would have been long aiiO opened to tiie Taieri Lake, and the settlement of the agrii'iiltural land and increased revenue from small nuxed runs (for which the country is eminently adapted) would have amply repaid the colony. K*en as the country now is the <'rown rents come to no leasaiuiin than £OO,OOO per annum. Yet we find in the Pnblic Works Estimates th*t tin* work is bracketed with the Kast and West Coast and Nelson Hail way and others of that ilk. Whv, the whole of the public revenue derived from I nis tint would le tapped by the latter-iiamed rai.ttav does not reach £7OOO per annum. I have ma<le it my business during the last month or two to personally inspect and make acquainted wit'u as many of our promised public works as possible, and, with an intimate knowledge of all the provincial districts in New Zealand, 1 fearlessly assert that no railway amongst them all can be compared with the OtaeoCentral. Hut, whilst saying this much for that line, I also tiiink there are others which should not be delayed. The completion of the Napier line to Palinerston North; the extension of the Blenheim line southward!*, ami a iiuml»er of others should, in the best interests of tiie colony, be undertaken. In connection with this subject I mii.hr say that, holding the views I did —and still do—l could not vote for Capt. Russell's motion last session to cut down the estimates. Indeed, had the House been aware of the compact which was entered into between that gentleman and the members of the Canterbury partv, I am pretty well convinced tliat the motion would not have Iwii carried. What were tiie facts of the case ? Well, the Kast and West Coast and Nelson Railway clique—some 20 strong—Sliding the House hostile to the Meigjf's scheme—and also determined at present not to vote them £150,000 for the initiation of that work—entered into a secret agreement with Capt. Russell to cut down the estimates by £150,000. Ido not thiuk, however, that the action of the House had any effect in retarding our public works, for the sum put on the Estimates was far more than the Government had in the treasury to expend; and the statement so induftriuusly circulated by the Ministerial Press and repeated, parrot-like, by Mr Biliauce and the inferior members of Government when any public work is ur,ed on them—namely, "that owing to Capt. Ru-seli's motion tlicv regret l>einq unable to comply with the request," and so forth—is just «o much bunkum. Had the Ho.ise, however, passed the Intimites as brought down by Government, it would have enabled tiiem to reward their political supporters at the expense of their opponents, by pushing ou to tiie fill! extent works in the favored districts, and retarding those in others on the, plea of no fund*, and that the House had voted far more than was at their command. In short, the Government had not in hand the sum tlivy asked the House to vote, and their putting the onus of stoppage of public works on the carrying of Capt. Russell's motion was the merest balderdash. However. I could not vote for Capt. Russell's motion, for whilst I was opposed to a number of votes, tuere were others winch I thought too little, and the proposition w-as tantamount to the cutting down of Estimates all round. Had a direct proposition, that the Estimates were unsatisfactory, been moved, I should have willingly voted for it, and, as it was, when the Estimates were under consideration, 1 voted for the reduction or retention of the various sums as the facts seemed to warrant. Closely allied to and inseparable from the prosecution of our public works, ia the

| OPENING CP OF THE LAND TOR SETTLEMENT, and I think the country is to be congratulated on consolidation of the laws affecting that factor in the State's prosperity last year, owing iu a great measure—as was admitted—to the assistance which the late Minister of Lauds, Mr HoUeston, gave to tbe present holder of that portfolio. There is very i little uew in the measure—very little which was i not embodied in previous enactments—>>ut itcollated . and condemned existing laws and made them mote easily understood by the people. 1 think, therefore, we may congratulate ourselves on that as one piece of useful legislation iu an exceedingly barren session. 1 wish I could congratulate Mr Ballauce as much on bis other dealings * ith the land ; but I hold that, in some cases, he has lieen guilty of gross and culpable blundering*. Take, for example, his action re the land on I THE NORTH ISLAND MAIS TRUNK LINE. ' When that liu» was selected and authorised, it waa understood that, before it was commenced, a sufficient quantity of land should be acquired from the natives to recoup, by its enhanced value—to •ome extent at tUf sufl W

expended. Bat what action did Mr Ballance take ? Why, virtually, none at all of the character intended, Mr Ballance certainly did endeavor to show hist year that something had been done in the direction of the North Island main line, but he was roundly taken to task by Mr Bryce, and we have bad the folly perpetrated of the colony being committed to a large public expenditure without a likelihood of any adequate return forthcoming, and there is a strong and growing opinion that work should be stopped on that railway till something is done towards the acquisition of land. But, unfortunately, it will not be so easy now to deal with the Natives as it would have been some time ago. When he met King Tawhiao at Whatewhatehoe, in order to speak about the matter, Mr Ballance said:—"The only land that will be taken for it (the railway) will be the land on which the railway will stand, and that will l>e paid fur unless, wbee the owners are determined, they may give it for the purpose of the railway. Europeans look on the railways as a great benefit to and they are an equal benefit to the Native people. They will give employment to the young and increase from fourfold to tenfold the value of the land," This was a fact. Auother thing is, that the Maoris do not pay a penny towards the reveuue of the colony, except a little indirect taxation through the Customs. It has also been found out that it is not the passenger traffic makes the railways pay. but rather the indirect benefit# derived by settlement of people on the land. A parliamentary teturn called for by Mr Montgomery in August, 1884, showed that there was only a daily average of six through passengers between ■ Dunedin and Christchurch during the month of August, 18S4.

THI RABBIT PEST. In land legislation there are some big difficulties still to face, if we would not have the whole of the country thrown up and given over to the rabbit pest, which, notwithstanding the strenuous efforts made to keep it in check, is steadily ruining the ca.rryiug capacity of some of our hesi land, and it therefore demands serious attention. Some aid must lie given to our settlers in order to enable them to cope with this evil, and I think it might well take the form of a bonus on the skins obtained —say, of oue penny each. If this were done the cost to the colony would not, I think, exceed £40,000 per annum, and the gain, bv increased carrying capacity of the land affected, would more than compensate for the outlay. Our stock owners and settlers cannot hold out much longer; but if this course were adopted (and I understand that the Minister of Lands is not averse to it, while men thoroughly conversant with the subject assure me that the nuisance could be abated), employment of a remunerative character would be given to a host of unemployed who throng the streets of onr great cities. We cannot afford to allow any spring of public wealth to dry up, and must, therefore, face this difficulty at once.

THE MINING INT>rs<TRY. I do not take such a hopeless view of the position of matters as some. To my mind there is a rift in the cloud of our depression, and the healthy manner in which our mining industry has been thriving is very cheering. There has been an increase in our gold production during the past year, and certain indication! lead to the belief that the increase will surely be augmented during the present year. This district is especially coming to the fore, and when the dirabilitic-s under which the miners still rest are removed, I hope to see more life and vigor instilled into the industry, for, believe me, a considerable augmentation in our gold returns would do far more good to the colony than the biggest borrowing policy ever hatched by a prolific brain. Hitherto little attention has been paid by the colony to this industry, but the decrease in the prices of our products in the world's matkets Ins led us to see that the great remedy is the development of our industries and the increase in the number of our consumers. Wc have now got a real live Minister of Lands, but what he knows about mining Heaven only knows. (Laughter.) He is a sort of peripatetic being, and last session read what purported to be a " Mines Statement,"' but which was evidently leaves from a sort of weakly-written private diary, giving an account of his tramp abroad—or, as one member termed it, " the Innocent abroad." I don't think I ever saw the House so immensely amused as on the occasion of the reading of that precious document, although the cost of such trash is no joke (for those who have to piy the piper. Unfortunately, Ministry after Ministry stein totally to have mismanaged the mining industry, and, indeed, by their actions too, certain politicians have brought it into bad odour. It is true that much money has been lavished on it, at one time or another, but for the most part with reckless folly, and iu a way not likely ever to give any adequate returns. As an illustration I will quote a paragraph from the G' ldfields Report, where Mr M'Kerrow remarks as follows:—" A rcfertnr-e to the tabular statement of costs and receipts of water-races in Mr Gordon' 3 report in the appendix, will show that the results in the yield of gold from the Great West Coast and Otago Water-races have in no way Wen commeusurate with the cost to the colony. Thus, for instance, the Nelson Creek Water-race, which c oft £89,8.14, has enabled an average of 59 miners, since its completion in the beginning of 1878, to procure gold to the value of £91,735. In other words, had these miners given their services to the colony free and handed over all the gold they obtained, it would just have paid the principal sum in 1885. Did the 1 ace command an extensive area of auriferous ground it mii»'ht still recoup, iu part, the outlay, but, unfortunately, the ground is so far worked out that it will not pay much longer to keep the race up to work it." Now, things like that are very damning, and this case does not stand alone ; but I assert that had there been a Minister of Mines acquainted with his subject, and supported by intelligeut officers, so many of such blunders would not have occurred. Let us by all means give every encouragement to mining, but a squandering of money on useless works does us far more harm than good. Take off the unjust imposts, for it is criminal to keep them on, and no poverty of rates can justify them—and to perpetuate a wrong in the name of necessity is no justification. Give us roads and tracks to our mines and workings. Sweep away the obnoxious gold duty and a host of your absurd Mining Regulations, and you will do more to encourage our industry than has ever been done before. (Hear, hear.) It is a mistake to say that counties cannot exist without the gold duty. It is 110 argument for continuance ot the tax to say that it is required to carry on the administration of county affairs. If more money is required von must find some other source of revenue. In con* elusion, I say it is iu the power of the Minister of Mines, if he has any knowledge of his subject, to aid mining more by rectifying things than by all the wasteful extravagance of the past. With regard to

THI DKPRKS.HIO.V. The question is how ia it to be relieved? That is the vital question every man, especially with a wife and family, asks. 1 think it is tine for him to pat hi« house iu order—to redace his Expenses, to economise, and to dismiss every secant whose services are not absolutely necessary (for his real comfort. When it is considered that levery eight men in the country are carrying a civil servant on their backs, it is self evident that, in an orderloving community like that of New Zealand, something is wrong. I do not believe in cutting down salaries, but in the redaction of numbers. I believe that, in the Public Works Department the Dumber of employees could be cut down, and know that the same thing can be done in other Departments of civil service. I am sure that, without affecting the efficiency of the administration of the country, present expenses could he cut down from £50,0C0 to £IOO,OOO, and when in the House next session, I shall endeavor to get it done. In CONCLUSION, I may tell yoo that I have, during my past political career, endeavored always to work honestly for my constituents, having in' view at the same time the general welfare of the colony; but if the electors wish me to subordinate my political opinions to local wants and local prejudices—and thus lower the colony in the eyes of the world—l cannot and will not do it. (Hear, hear.) I am •orry to say there are representatives in the House guilty of such a practice, but I think the same is a burning shame. I have endeavoured to uphold the good name of tbe Wakatipu <and worked 'hapl for the goof # pyrin* «od Uncdouy. aad aball

as long aa I remain your representative, continue to do so. (The hen. member sat down amidst great applause.) Iu reply to questions— Mr Fergus said:—l have given my opinion of Sir J alios Vogel and his ten million loan. Ido not see that posttrity would bear the burden of it. The loan would be spent in a few years, and, as the majority of the colonists wonld live for the next 15 or 20 years they would have to bear the burden. We have already to pay for the cost of our past public works, and you have also another new tax—that levied under the Hospital and Charitable Aids Act. With respect to the system ao commonly adopted, of giving subsidies to local bodies for roads and bridges, I do not believe in it. The provision is a very insecure one, and like similar previous ones, the subsidies may be withdrawn at any time it may please Parliimei t to stop them.—l think I could suggest improvements in the present system of local government, and believed we did grievously wrong in abolishing the provinces, and have no reason to alter that o] i .ioi a held from the beginning. Some change in the system of local government was lately attempted by a conference of representation of local bodies at Wellington, but the whole thing ended iu chaos.—With retard to the Government Life Assuranceßoard, I think the action of Government has been most scandalous all through. I refer more particularly to their enormous purchases of property in New Zealand, by doing which they have l»een throwing the money of policy holders to the winds. (Hear, hear.) Mr Boyes said, although he had caused some interruptions in the course of the address, he had great plasure in proposing a vote of thanks to Mr Fergus for his speech, and of confidence in him aa their representative. Mr Haines had great pleasure in seconding the motion. We had stuck to Mr Fergus when he first came forward and ought to stick to him now. The motion was carried with acclamation. Mr Fergus briefly returned thanks for the vote and for the way they had listened to him. He thanked Mr Boyes especially for his interruptions, which put him (the speaker) on his mettle, and made him feel like a war horse smelling the battle afar off. A vote of thanks to the chairman brought the proceedings to a close.

Railways . 412,111,279 7 11 Ro*tl.< 2,487,253 18 11 0*1 exploration and mine development lO.srtS 8 0 WtUf suppl) on goldfields 409,597 12 8 Aiding works—Thames goldflelds .. 50,000 0 0 Telegraph* 490,011 2 0 Public building.. 1,431,338 9 • Lighthouse* and harbor works 581,£S9 17 2 Departmental 2*28,374 17 11 Total public works .. . £17,893,536 13 7 Roads and Bridges Contraction Act 422,709 17 4 Immigration 2,101,942 1 11 Land 1,165,463 6 S Defence.. 39-',218 19 S 1 Charges and expenses in raising loans 808,939 0 • 1 latcrsst and sinking fund Onedtetal. 218,500 0 0